JP2009233547A - Glass plate end face cleaning apparatus and cleaning method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably remove a foreign matter such as glass powder firmly adhering to the end face while preventing scattering of a cleaning liquid to the glass plate surface. <P>SOLUTION: The glass plate end face cleaning apparatus 1 includes a cleaning roller 3 for cleaning the end face 2a of a glass plate 2 by bringing the roller 3 into contact with the end face 2a along with rotation, moving means for moving the cleaning roller 3 in a manner of bringing the roller 3 into contact with the end face 2a, and cleaning liquid supply means 5 for supplying a cleaning liquid and the cleaning roller 3 has a sponge part 9 in the outer circumference and is so composed as to move in a manner of closely adhering to the end face 2a by the moving means. Further, the cleaning liquid supply means 5 is so installed as to supply the cleaning liquid toward the sponge part 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a glass plate end face cleaning device and a cleaning method therefor, and more particularly to a technique for cleaning an end face on which a glass plate has been polished.

  As is well known, when manufacturing various image display devices such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an electroluminescence display, and a field emission display, a plurality of display elements are formed on a large glass substrate, and then each display element is partitioned. A so-called multi-chamfering method that divides every time has been adopted. For this reason, there is a current situation in which a glass substrate manufactured by a glass manufacturer or the like is being increased in size.

  These glass substrates are formed by cutting the raw material glass into a rectangular shape and a predetermined size, and then subjecting the cut end surface to a polishing process. After that, the front and back surfaces of the glass substrate are cleaned surfaces. It is obtained as a final product by performing a cleaning process and a drying process. In addition, in order to avoid the situation where the corner portion of the cut end face is chipped or other adjacent glass substrate is damaged during transportation, chamfering is performed on the cut end face together with the polishing process. There is also a case.

  Moreover, when an electronic functional element is formed on the surface of the base glass for various image display devices, it is required not only to have high cleanliness but also to reliably remove glass powder adhering to the substrate end face. That is, when a plurality of glass panels are formed and then divided into individual panels, the glass powder generated by polishing the end face may reattach to the substrate surface for some reason during the device manufacturing process. When this type of foreign matter adheres to the substrate surface, the surface is contaminated, which may cause damage to the substrate surface or disconnection of the wiring. For the above reasons, it is necessary to surely remove foreign matters such as glass powder adhering to the end face of the substrate.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 below, cleaning is performed on the end surface with an injection pressure that is necessary to scrape out foreign substances existing in minute recesses on the polished end surface of the glass plate and that does not damage the glass substrate. A glass substrate cleaning apparatus having a liquid ejecting means for ejecting a liquid for use is disclosed.

  Patent Document 2 listed below discloses a substrate end surface cleaning apparatus in which the axial direction of a scrub brush is arranged at right angles to the end surface of a substrate as an apparatus for cleaning the end surface of a substrate such as a photomask. ing. Further, in this document, during cleaning of the substrate end surface, a cleaning agent is sprayed from the substrate rinsing shower nozzle onto the front and back surfaces of the substrate in a shower-like manner, and contaminants removed from the substrate end surface by the scrub brush are immediately washed away. It is described that it is configured.

  Further, in Patent Document 3 below, an end surface of a substrate that houses a part of the substrate through an opening in a cleaning chamber provided in the cleaning apparatus main body and a brush that is rotatably provided in the cleaning chamber. A substrate end face cleaning apparatus for cleaning the end face of the substrate by bringing it into contact with the substrate is disclosed. Further, this document describes that the cleaning liquid is supplied from the upper part and the lower part to the end face of the substrate housed in the cleaning chamber.

Further, Patent Document 4 below discloses a cleaning apparatus capable of mechanically cleaning the remaining film of the color photoresist remaining on the end face of the glass substrate. That is, the same document discloses a glass end surface cleaning apparatus that performs end surface cleaning by rotating while rotating an outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical sponge in contact with an end surface of a glass substrate fixed at a predetermined position. . In addition, this document describes that chemical dissolution and peeling with a chemical solution is performed in addition to physical polishing with a sponge roller, except when the end face of the glass substrate is very flat and smooth.
JP 2006-225189 A JP 2002-49144 A JP 2003-197592 A JP-A-5-265194

  By the way, the end surface of the glass substrate after polishing has a rubbing glass-like appearance, and a large number of glass powders are embedded in the appearance portion. Since this type of glass powder usually adheres strongly to the end face after polishing, even if the cleaning liquid is sprayed as disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to actually remove the glass powder. . Further, when the end surface is cleaned using a brush as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, there is a possibility that the entire region of the substrate end surface cannot be cleaned without omission because an area that cannot be scraped off by the brush is generated. In particular, such a tendency is prominent when the end surface has a curved shape, such as when chamfering the end surface of the substrate.

  Alternatively, in consideration of scattering of the cleaning liquid, in the cleaning liquid spraying or cleaning using a brush as in Patent Documents 1 to 3, since the cleaning liquid is sprayed directly on the surface or end surface of the glass substrate, the cleaning liquid is likely to splash due to rebounding or the like. . In this case, since the glass powder contained in the scattered cleaning liquid reattaches to the surface of the glass substrate, there is a concern about contamination of the glass surface.

  The cleaning device disclosed in Patent Document 4 cleans the end surface of the substrate by rotating the cylindrical sponge roller in contact with the cleaning device. This cleaning device is used for cleaning the color photoresist remaining on the end surface of the glass substrate. The purpose is to mechanically wash the remaining film, and it does not take into account the removal of foreign substances that strongly adhere to the end face of the glass substrate. In addition, the document describes that chemical dissolution and peeling with a chemical solution is performed in addition to physical polishing with a sponge roller, except when the end face of the glass substrate is very flat and smooth. There is no mention or suggestion about. From these points, the sponge roller is only used to cause the liquid to ooze out to the outer periphery. However, when the foreign matter to be removed is the same material as the substrate, such as glass powder, chemical removal means using a chemical solution cannot be employed. For this reason, it is difficult for the cleaning apparatus to remove foreign substances that adhere strongly to the end face, such as glass powder.

  In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to surely remove foreign substances that adhere strongly to the end face such as glass powder while preventing the cleaning liquid from splashing on the surface of the glass plate.

  The solution of the above-described problem is achieved by the glass plate end face cleaning device according to one aspect of the present invention. That is, the end face cleaning device is a cleaning roller that contacts the end face of the glass plate with rotation and cleans the end face, a moving means that moves the cleaning roller so that the end face can come into contact with the end face, and a cleaning liquid that supplies the cleaning liquid. In a glass plate end face cleaning device provided with a supply means, the cleaning roller has a sponge part on its outer periphery, can be brought into close contact with the end face by the moving means, and the cleaning liquid supply means can supply the cleaning liquid to the sponge part Characterized by the point at which it is disposed.

  According to the configuration described above, the sponge portion provided on the outer periphery of the cleaning roller is brought into close contact with the end surface of the glass plate while rotating the cleaning roller, so that the foreign matter attached to the end surface is scraped off with the sponge portion in the close contact state over the entire end surface. be able to. Therefore, even foreign substances such as glass powder firmly adhered to the end face can be reliably removed. Moreover, even if it is the end surface which gave the chamfering process, the foreign material adhering to the whole surface can be removed completely by sticking sponge part. Further, the cleaning liquid supplied to the sponge part is absorbed by the sponge part and conveyed to the contact part between the cleaning roller and the end face of the glass plate. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid can be directly supplied to the contact portion with the end surface, and the glass powder adhered to the end surface can be removed by the sponge portion that is in close contact with the cleaning liquid supplied. In this way, the cleaning liquid can be reliably supplied to the necessary locations, and the cleaning efficiency can be increased. Therefore, the amount of the cleaning liquid used can be reduced, and the scattering of the cleaning liquid can be suppressed. Moreover, scattering is also suppressed by suppressing the splash of the cleaning liquid supplied to the sponge part.

  In addition, since the splash of the cleaning liquid supplied to the sponge part is suppressed, the cleaning liquid supply means has a nozzle part and is arranged to supply the cleaning liquid from the nozzle part toward the sponge part. Good. By supplying the cleaning liquid from the nozzle portion and supplying it toward the sponge portion, it is not necessary to supply the cleaning liquid toward the glass plate, so that splashing of the cleaning liquid is suppressed as much as possible. Further, since the cleaning liquid can be supplied only to the necessary portions, the supply efficiency of the cleaning liquid is increased. Therefore, the amount of the cleaning liquid to be used is minimal, and it is possible to suppress the scattering of the cleaning liquid.

  Here, the cleaning liquid may be supplied in a direction following the rotation direction of the cleaning roller. By determining the supply direction of the cleaning liquid in this way, the ratio of the cleaning liquid colliding with the cleaning roller from the front can be reduced. For this reason, the impact with the roller can be reduced, and the scattering of the cleaning liquid due to the collision can be suppressed as much as possible.

  Further, when supplying the cleaning liquid to the sponge part as described above, for example, when the cleaning roller rotates, the cleaning liquid may be supplied to a portion immediately before contacting the glass plate end surface of the sponge part. By supplying the cleaning liquid to the above part, the cleaning liquid once absorbed by the sponge part is supplied to the contact part with the end surface of the glass plate without being scattered as far as possible radially outward of the roller by the rotational centrifugal force of the cleaning roller. can do.

  Moreover, you may comprise so that a washing | cleaning roller may rotate in the direction which follows the feed direction of a glass plate. By doing in this way, scattering of the washing | cleaning liquid in a contact part can be suppressed. On the other hand, when the cleaning roller is rotated in the direction opposite to the feeding direction of the glass plate, the cleaning roller is easily scattered although the relative peripheral speed of the cleaning roller is increased and the cleaning effect is enhanced. Therefore, from the viewpoint of suppressing the scattering of the cleaning liquid toward the glass plate surface, the relative movement speed between the glass plate and the cleaning roller is set low, that is, the cleaning roller is rotated in the direction in which the glass plate is conveyed here. It is good to make it.

  Similarly to the above, from the viewpoint of preventing the cleaning liquid from splashing toward the glass plate surface, the glass plate is placed vertically, and the cleaning device is set so that the end surface positioned vertically below the cleaning roller comes into contact with the cleaning roller. It may be configured. According to this, since the cleaning liquid easily flows in the direction away from the end face of the glass plate due to its own weight, it is possible to reduce the amount of the cleaning liquid that may be scattered on the glass plate surface. Further, according to the combination of the above configurations, the supply amount of the cleaning liquid is minimized, and the rebound of the supplied cleaning liquid is minimized, so that the effect of suppressing the scattering of the cleaning liquid is further enhanced.

  Here, the sponge part provided on the outer periphery of the cleaning roller has a sponge structure, in other words, a porous or sponge structure, and various materials can be adopted as long as it can be elastically adhered to the end surface of the glass plate. it can. Here, for example, an open-cell sponge can be used as the material of the sponge part, but since this type of sponge has a structure in which internal pores are connected to each other, it contains an excessive amount of cleaning liquid, and an excessive amount of cleaning liquid is necessary. It will be supplied to the end face of the glass plate. In addition, if the sponge part (cleaning roller) containing a large amount of cleaning liquid is rotated, the cleaning liquid is likely to be scattered on the outer diameter side due to centrifugal force. Therefore, it is necessary to perform cleaning while suppressing the rotation speed of the cleaning roller. The cleaning effect may be reduced. On the other hand, if a single-foam sponge is used as the material of the sponge part, the cleaning liquid will be contained in the pores of only the surface layer of the sponge part, so the sponge part was pressed against the end surface until a proper adhesion state was achieved. Even in this case, an appropriate amount of cleaning liquid can be supplied to the contact portion. Further, the cleaning roller can be rotated at a relatively high speed, thereby enhancing the cleaning effect of the end face.

  On the other hand, the solution of the above problem is also achieved by the glass plate end face cleaning method according to one aspect of the present invention. That is, this end face cleaning method is a glass plate end face cleaning method in which a cleaning roller is brought into contact with the end face of the glass plate while supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply means, and the end face is cleaned. It is characterized in that the outer periphery is a sponge part and the sponge part is brought into close contact with the end face while supplying the cleaning liquid to the sponge part.

  According to such a method, the same matters as the matters regarding the glass plate end face cleaning device according to the one aspect of the present invention already described apply, and therefore, the same operational effects as the operational effects by the cleaning device are obtained. Can do.

  As described above, according to the glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus and the cleaning method thereof according to the present invention, the foreign matter strongly adhered to the end surface such as glass powder is reliably removed while preventing the cleaning liquid from splashing on the glass plate surface. can do.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  First, based on the front view shown in FIG. 1, the whole structure of the glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. In the present embodiment, a case where the polished end face of the glass substrate for plasma display is cleaned will be described as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a glass substrate end face cleaning apparatus 1 is an apparatus for cleaning a polished end face 2a of a glass substrate 2 cut out from a molded glass sheet. It is arrange | positioned vertically below the glass substrate 2 conveyed by the predetermined | prescribed direction with a placing posture. The end surface cleaning apparatus 1 is in contact with the lower end surface 2a of the glass substrate 2 and rotates to clean the end surface 2a, and the contact portion (cleaning location) of the cleaning roller 3 and the glass substrate 2 4), the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 disposed on the rear side in the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 3 with respect to 4 (the region on the right side of the contact portion 4 in FIG. 1), the cleaning roller 3 and the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 are accommodated. And a scattering prevention cover 7 for preventing the cleaning liquid from scattering to the surface of the glass substrate 2. A part of the lower side of the glass substrate 2 can be inserted into the casing 6 through an opening 6 a provided at the upper end of the casing 6, and the lower end surface 2 a of the inserted glass substrate 2 is passed through the cleaning roller 3. It is comprised so that it can contact | abut with the outer peripheral surface. A discharge pipe 8 is attached below the casing 6 for discharging and collecting the cleaning liquid supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 and used for cleaning the end surface 2a.

  The cleaning roller 3 is configured to rotate about an axis parallel to an axis orthogonal to the plane of the glass substrate 2 and to move close to or away from the end surface 2 a of the glass substrate 2. Further, the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 3 is set to the same direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1) as the conveyance direction of the glass substrate 2 at the cleaning portion (contact portion 4) of the glass substrate 2. In other words, the cleaning roller 3 is configured to rotate in a direction that follows the feeding direction of the glass substrate 2.

  The cleaning roller 3 has a sponge portion 9 on its outer periphery, and the outer peripheral surface 9a of the sponge portion 9 constitutes the outer peripheral surface of the cleaning roller 3, that is, the cleaning surface of the end surface 2a. The sponge portion 9 has, for example, an annular shape, and is fixed integrally with the fixing disks by being sandwiched between the fixing disks arranged on both end surfaces. Here, the fixing disk is sandwiched and fixed to the sponge portion 9 by an appropriate fixing bolt. Further, the material and structure of the sponge portion 9 are arbitrary as long as they have a sponge structure and can be elastically adhered to the end surface 2a of the glass substrate 2, and here, a single foam sponge made of urethane is used. The material is not limited to resin, and rubber or the like can also be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral surface 9a of the cleaning roller 3 may have a substantially concave arc-shaped cross-sectional contour shape so as to be in close contact with the end surface 2a of the chamfered glass substrate 2. .

  Although not shown, a moving means is provided on one end surface side (for example, the right side in FIG. 2) of the cleaning roller 3, and is connected to the cleaning roller 3 via a connecting portion 10. Here, the moving means has an up-down direction moving mechanism and an axial direction moving mechanism, and moves the cleaning roller 3 connected to the moving means via the connecting portion 10 in the vertical up-and-down direction (up and down in FIGS. 1 and 2). Direction) or the axial direction of the cleaning roller 3 (the front and back direction in FIG. 1 and the left and right direction in FIG. 2). Further, the rotation motor of the cleaning roller 3 is disposed on the same side as the moving means, and the rotation shaft of the rotation motor is connected coaxially with the connecting portion 10. Accordingly, the connecting portion 10 and the cleaning roller 3 rotate integrally with the rotation of the rotation motor. Although not shown in the figure, as in the case of the moving means, in order to prevent the annular sponge portion 9 from spreading or decentering due to the rotational centrifugal force, a fixing pin that penetrates the sponge portion 9 in the axial direction is provided. Further, it may be arranged concentrically and at equal intervals between the pair of fixing disks.

  The cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 supplies a cleaning liquid (for example, water) from the rear side in the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 3 toward the cleaning roller 3 with reference to the contact portion 4 between the glass substrate 2 and the cleaning roller 3. It is attached to the casing 6. Specifically, the cleaning roller 3 is directed to a portion immediately before contacting the end surface 2a and the contact portion 4 in the rotating state, that is, a position slightly advanced clockwise from the contact portion 4 in FIG. The cleaning liquid is supplied. In addition, the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 is disposed so that the supply direction of the cleaning liquid is aligned with the rotation direction of the cleaning roller 3 at the supply position. Specifically, the cleaning liquid is jetted and supplied in such a direction that the angle formed by the circumferential speed vector of the cleaning roller 3 at the supply position is at least an acute angle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the anti-scattering cover 7 has a portion that is curved along the longitudinal direction, for example, a substantially arc shape, and the arc-shaped portion includes the contact portion 4. It arrange | positions so that the circumference | surroundings of the glass substrate 2 side may be enclosed. In addition, a slit-shaped opening 7 a is formed in the scattering prevention cover 7, a part of the glass substrate 2 is inserted into the opening 7 a from the horizontal direction, and the end surface 2 a of the insertion part is brought into contact with the cleaning roller 3. It can be done.

  Hereinafter, a glass substrate cleaning method using the cleaning apparatus having the above-described configuration will be described.

  First, the glass substrate 2 is transported to a predetermined position in the glass plate end face cleaning device 1 in a vertically placed state, and the cleaning roller 3 at the standby position (the position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIGS. 1 and 2) is moved. The cleaning roller 3 is brought into contact with the end surface 2a of the glass substrate 2 (position shown by a solid line in FIGS. 1 and 2). At this time, the cleaning roller 3 is brought into contact with the end surface 2a while being rotated in the direction shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, by raising the cleaning roller 3 to a position where the sponge portion 9 of the cleaning roller 3 is in close contact with the end surface 2a, the outer peripheral surface 9a of the cleaning roller 3 is shaped to follow the shape of the end surface 2a. A deformed and abutted state is obtained (the shape indicated by the solid line in FIG. 2). Corresponding to the above operation, the cleaning liquid is sprayed and supplied from the cleaning liquid supply nozzle 5 toward the predetermined position of the cleaning roller 3, so that the supplied cleaning liquid is absorbed by the sponge portion 9, and at the sponge portion 9. The absorbed cleaning liquid is transported to the contact portion 4 between the cleaning roller 3 and the glass substrate 2. Accordingly, the cleaning liquid is directly supplied to the contact portion 4 with the end surface 2a, and the end surface 2a is cleaned and the foreign matter is removed smoothly and effectively. In this way, the cleaning roller 3 is brought into close contact with the entire length of the end surface 2a to perform cleaning, so that the foreign matter attached to the end surface 2a, particularly the glass powder strongly attached to the end surface 2a, is reliably removed.

  In addition, by supplying the cleaning liquid to the contact portion 4 in the above-described manner, the cleaning liquid is supplied only to the necessary portions, and the required amount of the cleaning liquid is sufficient. In addition, the cleaning liquid is not supplied toward the glass substrate 2 but is supplied only toward the sponge portion 9 of the cleaning roller 3. In addition, since the contact portion 4 is surrounded by the scattering prevention cover 7, the scattering of the cleaning liquid on the surface of the glass substrate 2 is blocked by the scattering prevention cover 7. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the anti-scattering cover 7 has a shape surrounding the periphery of the abutting part 4, so that the cleaning liquid scattered from the periphery of the abutting part 4 runs along the inner surface of the anti-scattering cover 7. And is guided in a direction away from the end surface 2 a of the glass substrate 2. And it flows along the inner wall of the casing 6, is discharged | emitted outside through the discharge pipe 8 provided below, and is collect | recovered. Said effect | action is obtained more effectively by taking the form which conveys the glass substrate 2 in the state set vertically.

  In a cleaning experiment using the glass plate end face cleaning apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, it was confirmed that 90% or more of the glass powder adhering to the end face of the substrate was removed compared to before the end face was cleaned. At this time, the degree of removal of the glass powder is to enlarge a part of the end face of the glass substrate and project it on the monitor, calculate the ratio of the area of the glass powder in the area displayed in the image by image processing, This was done by comparing the area before and after.

  As mentioned above, although one Embodiment of this invention was described, the glass plate end surface washing | cleaning apparatus which concerns on this invention, or its washing | cleaning method can be changed arbitrarily within the scope of the present invention.

  In the above embodiment, the cleaning roller 3 is raised to a position where the sponge portion 9 is in close contact with the end surface 2a. At this time, the cleaning roller 3 is adjusted so as to have an appropriate pressing pressure in consideration of the cleaning efficiency of the end surface 2a. It is also possible to do. That is, there is no problem even if the pressing pressure required for the close contact deformation of the sponge portion 9 is exceeded.

  Alternatively, the cleaning roller 3 may be moved in the thickness direction of the glass substrate 2 to clean the end surface 2a. That is, among the moving means, the cleaning roller 3 connected to the moving means via the connecting portion 10 is moved in the axial direction (the front and back directions in FIG. 1 in FIG. 1) by the moving mechanism in the axial direction of the cleaning roller 3. You may make it move to the left-right direction. In this way, by performing cleaning while shifting the portion that directly contacts the end surface 2a in the axial direction, even when the sponge portion 9 is worn due to continuous use, it is evenly worn in the thickness direction. for that reason. Cleaning unevenness of the end face 2a is suppressed, and the life of the sponge portion 9 is also improved. The movement in the axial direction is preferably performed during the operation, not during the cleaning.

  Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the structure which wash | cleans the end surface 2a with a minimum required washing | cleaning liquid was taken, the scattering of the washing | cleaning liquid to the glass substrate 2 surface was suppressed or prevented effectively, but still more reliably. Therefore, in addition to the shielding means such as the casing 6 and the anti-scattering cover 7, it is possible to provide a means such as providing a so-called water curtain in the opening 6a of the casing 6 or providing a device for exhausting the inside of the casing 6. is there.

  For example, when the casing 6 is provided as shown in FIG. 1, a shielding cleaning liquid supply nozzle for supplying a curtain-shaped cleaning liquid (for example, water) is provided on the end surface of the casing 6 on the opening 6a side. Also good. At this time, the curtain-like cleaning liquid is supplied obliquely from the opening 6a side of the casing 6 toward the end surface 2a side of the glass substrate 2, so that the gap between the casing 6 and the glass substrate 2 in the opening 6a is curtain-shaped. Shielded with cleaning liquid. Thereby, the leakage of the cleaning liquid to the front and back surfaces of the glass substrate 2 is effectively prevented. For example, the shielding cleaning liquid supply nozzle may be disposed so as to form a water curtain in the gap between the opening 7 a of the scattering prevention cover 7 and the glass substrate 2. Further, the arrangement position is not particularly limited.

  In addition, an exhaust port is provided in the casing 6 and the inside of the casing 6 is exhausted by an appropriate exhaust device so that the inside of the casing 6 has a negative pressure, or the outside air passes through a gap with the glass substrate 2 in the opening 6a. May be introduced into the casing 6 so as to form a so-called air knife (air curtain) in the gap.

  When cleaning the glass substrate 2 in a vertically placed state, it is preferable to dispose the anti-scattering cover 7 and the shielding cleaning liquid supply nozzles on the upper and lower surfaces of the glass substrate 2. In this case, it is not always necessary to dispose on both sides. For example, the anti-scattering cover 7 and the shielding cleaning liquid supply nozzle may be disposed only on the upper surface side of the glass substrate 2.

  In addition, the glass substrate end surface cleaning apparatus 1 according to the above description, for example, when grinding all the end surfaces related to the four sides of the glass substrate 2 cut out from the raw glass, for example, downstream from the upstream side of the conveyance line of the glass substrate 2. Four units may be arranged side by side. In this case, the glass substrate 2 is transported by a transport means having an appropriate rotation or reversing mechanism so that the end surface positioned below the glass substrate 2 can be changed to all four sides.

  As described above, the case where the present invention is applied to the cleaning process of the end surface of the glass substrate for plasma display has been described as an example. In addition, only on the end face, such as glass substrates for various image display devices such as liquid crystal displays, electroluminescence displays, field emission displays, and glass substrates used as substrates for forming various electronic display functional elements and thin films. In addition, it can be suitably used for cleaning the end face of a glass plate that requires high surface accuracy and cleanliness on its surface.

It is a front view of the glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part AA sectional drawing of the glass plate end surface washing | cleaning apparatus shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus 2 Glass substrate 2a End surface 3 Cleaning roller 4 Contact part 5 Cleaning liquid supply nozzle 6 Casing 6a Opening part 7 Spattering prevention cover 9 Sponge part 9a Outer peripheral surface

Claims (8)

A cleaning roller for contacting the end face of the glass plate with rotation and cleaning the end face; a moving means for moving the cleaning roller so as to come into contact with the end face; and a cleaning liquid supply means for supplying a cleaning liquid. In the glass plate end face cleaning device,
The cleaning roller has a sponge part on its outer periphery, can be brought into close contact with the end surface by the moving means, and the cleaning liquid supply means is arranged to be able to supply the cleaning liquid to the sponge part. A glass plate end face cleaning device.   The glass plate end face cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid supply means has a nozzle portion, and is arranged so as to supply the cleaning liquid from the nozzle portion toward the sponge portion.   The glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied in a direction following the rotation direction of the cleaning roller.   The glass plate end surface cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cleaning liquid is supplied to a portion immediately before contacting the end surface of the sponge portion when the cleaning roller rotates.   The glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the cleaning roller is configured to rotate in a direction in accordance with a feeding direction of the glass plate.   The glass plate end surface cleaning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the glass plate is vertically placed, and the end surface positioned vertically below the glass plate is in contact with the cleaning roller.   The glass plate end face cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the sponge portion is made of a single foam sponge. In the cleaning method of the glass plate end face, the cleaning roller is brought into contact with the end face of the glass plate while supplying the cleaning liquid from the cleaning liquid supply means, and the end face is cleaned.
A method for cleaning an end face of a glass plate, wherein an outer periphery of the cleaning roller is a sponge part, and the sponge part is brought into close contact with the end face while supplying the cleaning liquid to the sponge part.

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