JP3638042B2 - Thin glass cutting method and apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a thin glass cutting method and apparatus for producing thin glass up to several millimeters thick used for flat display devices such as liquid crystal.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in general, the cutting of sheet glass is performed by flowing the continuously formed sheet glass in a flat state, putting a score line in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction on one surface of the sheet glass, It was cut by applying a bending force to the opposite surface.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, since the thin glass is thin, when the engraving is made, the glass bends easily to escape, and the engraving is very difficult to insert. If the markings are not in a stable state (reliably), accurate cutting along the markings cannot be performed.
[0004]
The objective of this invention is providing the cutting method and apparatus of a sheet glass which can put a marking line reliably in a sheet glass, and can cut | disconnect correctly along a marking line.
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the method of the present invention guides a sheet-formed thin glass by bowing in the flow direction in an arcuate shape, and engraving the outer surface of the curve in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction, and then A bending force is applied in the direction of the inner side surface of the curve to fold along the score line.
[0006]
As described above, when the continuously formed thin glass is curved and guided in a bow shape in the flow direction, tensile strain is generated on the curved outer surface side of the thin glass, and compressive strain is generated on the inner surface side. In this state, if a score line in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction is entered on the outer surface, the score line is easily entered, and cracks are easily formed along the score line. Next, by applying a bending force in the direction of the inner surface of the curve and breaking the thin glass along the score line, it is possible to accurately cut from the position of the score line.
[0007]
In addition, the apparatus of the present invention includes a curved guiding conveyor for guiding a continuously formed thin glass in an arcuate shape in the flow direction, and on the outer surface side of the thin glass in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass. A cutter wheel disposed movably and a surface plate facing the cutter wheel and disposed on the inner surface side of the thin plate glass to contact and support the inner surface, and the cutter wheel and the surface plate are engraved. At the time of application, the engraving mechanism that is moved at the same speed in the same direction as the flow direction of the thin glass, and the bending force in the direction of the inner surface of the thin glass after the engraving is applied, And a folding mechanism for breaking the thin glass along the score line.
[0008]
The above-described curving guiding conveyor can guide the thin glass that is continuously produced and flowed in an arcuate shape in the flow direction, so that tensile strain is applied to the curved outer surface side of the thin glass. Compressive strain can be generated on the inner surface side. Then, in this state, a score line perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass is inserted with a cutter wheel into the outer surface side of the thin glass where the tensile strain is generated, with no relative speed difference in the flow direction. Moreover, since the thin glass is supported in a contact state from the inner surface side of the thin glass with a surface plate, the thin glass does not escape and can be engraved accurately and accurately. it can. Then, by the folding mechanism, a bending force is applied in the direction of the inner surface of the curve, so that the thin glass can be accurately cut from the position of the score line along the score line.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
1 is an overall schematic side view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are a plan view and a side view of the engraving mechanism and the folding mechanism of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the engraving mechanism. In these drawings, 1 is a thin glass, 2 is a feed roller, 3 is a bending guide conveyor, 4 is an engraving mechanism, and 5 is a folding mechanism. , 6 is a carry-out conveyor.
[0010]
The thin glass plate 1 is continuously formed in the upper part of FIG. 1 and has a predetermined thickness (for example, 1.5 mm or less) and width (for example, 500 mm), and is guided from the feed roller 2 to the curving guide conveyor 3. It will be.
[0011]
The curving guide conveyor 3 guides the thin glass plate 1 that is continuously produced by bending it into a bow shape with a predetermined curvature from the vertical state to the horizontal state. In the embodiment of FIG. This shows a case where the present invention is applied in the case of making a plate by the down draw method from the bottom to the bottom. The conveyor 3 for bending guidance is disposed on a conveyor frame 3b along an arcuate curved bus bar at an appropriate interval so that a conveyor roller 3a in which a portion in contact with the thin glass plate 1 is covered with a cushioning material such as rubber is arranged. Thus, the thin glass 1 continuously produced in the upper part of FIG. 1 is guided by being bent into a bow shape with a predetermined curvature. Accordingly, the present invention forcibly generates tensile strain on the outer surface side of the curve and compressive strain on the inner surface side of the thin glass plate 1 before engraving. If the curvature of the curve is too large, the thin glass 1 is damaged, and if it is too small, not only tensile strain and compression strain do not occur, but also the facility occupies a large space, making it difficult to make the facility.
[0012]
The speed of the bending guide conveyor 3 is related to the forming speed of the thin glass 1 continuously formed in the upper part of FIG. 1, and the thin glass 1 floats from the conveyor roller 3 a of the bending guiding conveyor 3. The flow is controlled so as to flow in a state that matches the curvature of the curvature guiding conveyor 3 without being pressed against the conveyor roller 3a. This control is performed, for example, by a non-contact ultrasonic range finder or the like (not shown) installed on a part (starting end side or the like) of the bending guide conveyor 3 to lift the thin glass 1 from the conveyor roller 3a. Is controlled to be constant.
[0013]
As shown in FIG. 1, the engraving mechanism 4 is formed continuously, and is bent and guided in a bow shape by the bending guide conveyor 3. In order to insert the engraving line 7 in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass plate 1 on the strained surface, the engraving line 7 is inserted in order to insert the engraving line 7 without stopping the flow of the thin glass plate 1. The means is moved at the same speed in the same direction as the flow direction of the thin glass 1 only while the engraving line 7 is inserted.
[0014]
As best shown in FIG. 2B, the cutter wheel 4a is arranged so as to be movable in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass 1 on the outer surface side of the thin glass 1 as shown in FIG. And it arrange | positions on the inner surface side of the curve of the thin glass 1 facing this cutter wheel 4a, and contact | abuts the thin glass 1 reliably from the opposite side of the position which puts the engraving line 7 with the said cutter wheel 4a, And a surface plate 4b for ensuring engraving work by the cutter wheel 4a.
[0015]
The cutter wheel 4a has a substantially abacus ball shape, and, as best shown in FIG. 3, the shaft 4d ′ is attached to the support 4d attached to the tip of the piston rod 4c ′ of the air cylinder 4c for approaching and separating from the thin glass 1. It is pivotally attached via. The air cylinder 4c is attached to a slide block 4f supported on a moving table 4e through a guide rail 4e 'so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass sheet 1. The slide block 4f is screwed onto a moving table 4e with a ball screw 4g disposed and supported in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass 1. The ball screw 4g is forward and backward by a motor 4h installed on the moving table 4e. Driven by rotation.
[0016]
The movable table 4e is placed on the fixed table 4i so as to be movable along the flow direction of the thin glass 1 via the guide rail 4i ', and is disposed on the fixed table 4i along the flow direction of the thin glass 1. The ball screw 4j is screwed to the ball screw 4j, and the ball screw 4j is driven to rotate forward and backward by a motor 4k installed on the fixed base 4i.
[0017]
On the moving table 4e, a gate-shaped frame 4m straddling the flow of the thin glass 1 is installed, and an air cylinder 4p for approaching / separating the surface plate 4b is installed on the portal-shaped frame 4m via a support plate 4n. A surface plate 4b is attached to the tip of the piston rod 4p ′ of the cylinder 4p, and the surface plate 4b is guided by a guide rod 4q with respect to the support plate 4n. The surface plate 4b has a length corresponding to the length in the direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass 1, that is, the total length in the width direction, and a buffer material (not shown) such as a rubber plate is provided on the contact surface to the thin glass 1. It is pasted.
[0018]
As best shown in FIG. 2 (B), the folding mechanism 5 is installed in the subsequent process of the engraving mechanism 4 and is arranged on the inner surface side of the curve of the thin glass plate 1 to which compressive strain is applied, A folding roller 5b for applying a bending force to the thin glass plate 1 with an air cylinder 5a, and an outer surface side of the thin glass plate 1 to which tensile strain is applied in opposition to the folding roller 5b, and a thin glass plate with an air cylinder 5c. 1 and a bending conveyor 5d for applying a bending force. The bending conveyor 5d has one end pivotally attached to a part of the upper surface of the fixed base 5e and the other end connected to an air cylinder 5c so that the conveyor roller 5g can be rotated at an appropriate interval on a conveyor frame 5f supported to be tiltable. This is a supported configuration. The conveyor roller 5g is configured to be covered with a cushioning material such as rubber similarly to the conveyor roller 3a of the bending guide conveyor 3.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 1, the carry-out conveyor 6 is for carrying out the thin glass 1 cut from the position of the engraving line 7 by the folding mechanism 5 to the next process, and after the bending conveyor 5 d of the folding mechanism 5. It is connected continuously. The carry-out conveyor 6 is also covered with a cushioning material such as rubber.
[0020]
The embodiment of the present invention has the above configuration, and the operation thereof will be described next. The thin glass 1 that is continuously produced in the upper part of FIG. 1 is sent to the bending guiding conveyor 3 via the feed roller 2. The thin glass 1 is bent into an arcuate shape by the bending guiding conveyor 3, and tensile strain is applied to the outer surface side and compressive strain is applied to the inner surface side. Then, when an engraving command (for example, every fixed dimension) is issued, the measuring roller 8 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B detects the movement speed of the thin glass 1 by converting it into an electric pulse signal. Thus, the motor 4k is rotationally driven in the forward direction at a predetermined speed, and the moving base 4e is started to move in the same direction as the thin glass 1 through the ball screw 4j. Subsequently, the air cylinders 4 c and 4 p are extended and the cutter wheel 4 a and the surface plate 4 b are applied to the thin glass 1 from both sides. Then, the motor 4h is driven to rotate in the forward direction, and the slide block 4f is started to move in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass 1 via the ball screw 4g. Thereby, the cutter wheel 4a starts to move in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass 1 integrally with the slide block 4f, and the thin glass 1 has a tensile strain applied to the thin glass 1 on the outer surface side of the curve. A score line 7 is made in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction. Since this engraving mechanism 4 is abutting and supporting the opposite surface of the thin glass 1 to which the engraving 7 is applied by the cutter wheel 4a by the surface plate 4b, the position of the thin glass 1 does not change, With the cutter wheel 4a, the engraved line 7 having a predetermined depth can be accurately placed in the thin glass plate 1. Moreover, since the cutter wheel 4a and the surface plate 4b are moved at the same speed in the same direction as the thin gas 1, there is no relative speed difference with respect to the flow direction of the thin glass 1, and it is as if the flow of the thin glass 1 is changed. Since the engraving line 7 is inserted after being stopped, the engraving line 7 is reliably and easily applied.
[0021]
When the cutter wheel 4a is moved from one end to the other end in the width direction of the thin glass 1 in this manner, the application of the engraving line 7 is completed, and immediately, the air cylinders 4c and 4p are contracted to cause the cutter wheel 4a and the fixed wheel 4a to be fixed. The board 4b is separated from the thin glass 1 to both sides, then the motor 4k and the motor 4h are rotated in the opposite directions, and the moving table 4e and the slide block 4f are returned to their original positions via the ball screws 4j and 4g. Wait for the engraving command. When the next engraving command is issued, the above operation is repeated. The speeds of the motor 4k and the motor 4h are set so as not to hinder the repetition of the operation cycle.
[0022]
When the sheet glass 1 on which the engraving line 7 is put by the engraving mechanism 4 arrives at the position of the folding mechanism 5, the bending conveyor 5d is moved upward as shown in FIG. The air cylinder 5a is extended and the folding roller 5b is lowered onto the position of the engraving line 7 on the thin glass plate 1 to cut the thin glass plate 1 from the position of the engraving line 7. After the cutting, the air cylinders 5a and 5c are immediately contracted, the folding roller 5b is raised, and the bending conveyor 5d is lowered. Thereby, the cut | disconnected thin glass 1 is sent to the carrying-out conveyor 6, and is carried out by this carrying-out conveyor 6 to the next process.
[0023]
The embodiment of FIG. 1 shows a case where the present invention is applied to the downdraw method, but the present invention may be applied to an updraw method in which the sheet glass 1 is made while pulling from the bottom to the top. .
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and accurately put engraved lines into a thin glass sheet that is continuously produced and moved, and can accurately cut the sizing along the engraved lines.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall schematic side view showing an example of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention.
2A and 2B are a plan view and a side view of the engraving mechanism and the folding mechanism of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of an engraving mechanism.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Thin glass 2 Feeding roller 3 Conveyor for curving guide 4 Engraving mechanism 5 Folding and splitting mechanism 6 Unloading conveyor 7 Engraving

Claims (2)

A thin glass sheet made continuously is guided by curving in the flow direction into an arcuate shape, and a score line perpendicular to the flow direction is made on the outer surface of the curve, and then a bending force is applied to the inner surface of the curve. A method for cutting a thin glass, wherein the sheet glass is folded along the engraved line. A curvature guiding conveyor for guiding the thin sheet glass continuously formed into a bow shape in the flow direction;
A cutter wheel disposed on the outer surface side of the thin glass sheet so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the flow direction of the thin glass, and disposed on the inner surface side of the thin glass sheet so as to face the cutter wheel. With a surface plate for receiving and receiving, when engraving the cutter wheel and surface plate, engraving mechanism that moves at the same speed in the same direction as the flow direction of the thin glass;
A folding mechanism for folding the sheet glass along the score line by applying a bending force in the direction of the inner surface of the curve of the sheet glass after engraving. Thin glass cutting device.

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