JP6687903B2 - Glass article manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment therefor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass article and a manufacturing facility therefor, specifically, as a line for manufacturing a glass article from a glass ribbon formed by using a downdraw method, a glass roll production line and a glass sheet production line. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass article having the above and a manufacturing facility therefor.

  As is well known, glass substrates used for substrates for thin display devices and sensors such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays, covers for semiconductor packages such as solid-state imaging devices and laser diodes, and substrates for thin-film compound solar cells. Is manufactured using, for example, the downdraw method. Here, examples of the downdraw method include an overflow downdraw method, a slot downdraw method, and a redraw method.

  When manufacturing a glass substrate by this down-draw method, molten glass is made to flow down from a molding part such as a molded body that is a component of a molding device to mold a glass ribbon, and the glass ribbon is wound into a roll shape. There are a case where a glass roll is obtained and a case where a glass sheet (for example, a rectangular glass plate) is obtained by cutting the glass ribbon at a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction.

  As a method for producing two kinds of glass articles as described above, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, a plate is obtained by using a so-called multi-feeder that distributes molten glass from a molten kiln to a plurality of branch channels. It is known to form a glass ribbon having a thickness of 200 μm or less and a glass ribbon having a plate thickness of more than 200 μm.

  Further, in this document, a glass ribbon having a plate thickness of 200 μm or less is wound into a roll to obtain a glass roll, and a glass ribbon having a plate thickness of more than 200 μm is cut into a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction to obtain a plurality of sheets. Obtaining a glass sheet is disclosed.

JP, 2011-162408, A

  By the way, in recent years, the commoditization of the electronic devices and the like listed above has progressed, so that small-quantity multi-product production is being adopted in order to differentiate products without biasing to mass production. In order to cope with such small-quantity production of various kinds of electronic devices and the like, various types of plate thicknesses of glass substrates, which are the constituent articles thereof, can be used, for example, in the range of about 50 μm to about 500 μm. You need to produce what you have.

  However, the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 continuously and simultaneously molds two types of glass ribbons used for manufacturing glass rolls and glass ribbons used for manufacturing glass sheets. is there. Therefore, it is difficult to cope with the small-quantity multi-product production of the above-mentioned electronic devices and the like. In other words, it is not possible to appropriately deal with the increase or decrease in the demand for the type of glass substrate, which is a component of the above-mentioned electronic device or the like.

  Moreover, the invention disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is such that a molding device is arranged at each of the downstream ends of a plurality of branch flow paths of the multi-feeder, and a glass roll is manufactured at the downstream side of each of the plurality of molding devices. Either the line or the glass sheet production line is arranged. Therefore, the manufacturing equipment for the glass roll and the glass sheet becomes large-scaled, and the installation space from each molding device to each manufacturing line becomes large, which hinders the reduction of the manufacturing cost of the manufacturing equipment.

  From the above viewpoints, the present invention is a glass article capable of appropriately dealing with small-quantity high-mix production of electronic devices and the like in which glass substrates are used, and capable of reducing the installation space of manufacturing equipment and reducing manufacturing costs. An object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment therefor.

  The method according to the present invention, which was conceived to solve the above problems, is a line for producing a glass article from a glass ribbon formed by using a downdraw method, and a glass roll production line for winding the glass ribbon into a roll. A method of manufacturing a glass article using a glass sheet manufacturing line for cutting a glass ribbon into a predetermined length in a longitudinal direction, wherein a first manufacturing area in which a glass roll manufacturing line is arranged and a glass sheet manufacturing line are arranged. The second manufacturing area is divided into upper and lower parts, and the molding device for molding the glass ribbon is shared by the glass roll manufacturing line and the glass sheet manufacturing line, and one or the other of those lines can be selected. Characterized by a single use.

  According to such a configuration, since one and the other of the glass roll manufacturing line and the glass sheet manufacturing line are used alternatively, after manufacturing the required number of glass rolls, the glass sheets (for example, rectangular It is possible to repeat that the required number of glass plates are manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with small-quantity multi-product production of electronic devices and the like in which glass substrates are used. More specifically, if the glass article is manufactured only by one line, when changing the thickness of the glass ribbon, the device required for manufacturing the glass roll and the device required for manufacturing the glass sheet are required. There is a case where troublesome and complicated work such as replacement is required. However, if the glass roll manufacturing line and the glass sheet manufacturing line are selectively used as in the present invention, such a problem is less likely to occur, and as described above, the production of a small amount of a variety of electronic devices and the like can be performed. You will be able to deal appropriately. Moreover, in the present invention, since the molding apparatus is shared by the glass roll manufacturing line and the glass sheet manufacturing line, the manufacturing equipment is simplified and the manufacturing cost thereof is reduced. In addition, in the present invention, since the first manufacturing area in which the glass roll manufacturing line is arranged and the second manufacturing area in which the glass sheet manufacturing line is arranged are vertically separated, the above-mentioned molding apparatus is arranged. Combined with the common use, the installation space of the manufacturing equipment can be narrowed and the manufacturing cost of the equipment can be reduced by this.

  In the above structure, the first manufacturing area is provided with a direction changing portion that laterally changes the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus, and the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus is vertically oriented in the second manufacturing area. It is preferable to provide a cutting portion that cuts to a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction.

  With this configuration, the flexible glass ribbon having a thickness of less than 200 μm can be easily wound into a roll shape by the direction changing portion arranged in the first manufacturing area to obtain a high-quality glass roll. You can In addition, due to the cutting portion arranged in the second manufacturing area, for example, a glass ribbon having a thickness of 200 μm or more, which is inferior in flexibility (inferior in flexibility to the glass ribbon described above), is set in a vertical position and has a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. It can be easily cut into high-quality glass sheets.

  In the above configuration, the direction changing portion has a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel so as to support the glass ribbon from the lower side and form a direction changing path curved in a concave shape. Is preferred.

  With this configuration, since the direction changing unit can be handled as a single unit, the handling property of the direction changing unit is improved.

  In the above case, the first manufacturing area in which the glass roll manufacturing line is arranged can be arranged above the second manufacturing area in which the glass sheet manufacturing line is arranged. It is preferable to employ such a configuration.

  That is, it is preferable that the direction changing section is movable to a retracted position where the glass ribbon descends and does not interfere with the descending path leading to the second manufacturing area.

  By doing so, the glass roll production line arranged in the first manufacturing area on the upper side is used, and when the glass sheet production line arranged in the second manufacturing area on the lower side is not used, By holding the direction changing portion arranged in the first manufacturing area at the proper position, the glass ribbon descending from the forming apparatus using the downdraw method is appropriately changed in direction in the horizontal direction. It On the other hand, when the glass roll manufacturing line arranged in the lower second manufacturing area is used without using the glass roll manufacturing line arranged in the upper first manufacturing area, By moving the direction changing portion arranged in one manufacturing area to the retreat position and setting it in the standby state, the glass sheet can be appropriately manufactured in the second manufacturing area without being disturbed by the direction changing portion. .

  Further, it is preferable to dispose a guide roller for guiding the lowering of the glass ribbon above the cutting portion and below the molding device.

  By doing so, when the glass roll production line arranged in the upper first manufacturing area is not used and the glass sheet production line arranged in the lower second manufacturing area is used In particular, the glass ribbon descending from the forming apparatus using the downdraw method has a long distance to reach the cutting portion arranged in the second manufacturing area on the lower side. Therefore, the glass ribbon is likely to shake during the descent from the molding device to the cutting portion, but this shaking is suppressed by the guide roller. Thereby, the glass ribbon is satisfactorily cut by the cutting portion without being adversely affected by the shaking.

  In this case, it is preferable that the guide roller is movable to a retracted position where it does not interfere with the glass roll manufacturing line. Here, "does not interfere with the glass roll production line" means that it does not interfere with each component constituting the glass roll production line (the same applies hereinafter).

  By doing so, the glass roll production line arranged in the first manufacturing area on the upper side is used, and when the glass sheet production line arranged in the second manufacturing area on the lower side is not used, The glass ribbon descending from the forming apparatus using the downdraw method has a short distance to reach the direction changing portion. Therefore, the glass ribbon is less likely to shake, and the guide roller is not required. Therefore, by moving the guide roller to the retracted position and setting it in the standby state, the glass roll can be appropriately manufactured in the first manufacturing area without being disturbed by the guide roller.

  In the above case, the second manufacturing area in which the glass sheet manufacturing line is arranged can be arranged above the first manufacturing area in which the glass roll manufacturing line is arranged. It is preferable to employ such a configuration.

  That is, it is preferable that the cutting section is movable to a retracted position where it does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon descending to the first manufacturing area.

  In this way, the glass sheet manufacturing line disposed in the upper second manufacturing area is used, and when the glass roll manufacturing line disposed in the lower first manufacturing area is not used, By holding the cutting portion at the regular position in the second manufacturing area, the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus using the downdraw method is appropriately cut in the vertical posture. On the other hand, when the glass sheet manufacturing line arranged in the lower first manufacturing area is used without using the glass sheet manufacturing line arranged in the upper second manufacturing area, By moving the cutting portion to the retracted position in the second manufacturing area and keeping it in the standby state, the glass roll can be appropriately manufactured without being disturbed by the cutting portion.

  Further, it is preferable to dispose a guide roller for guiding the lowering of the glass ribbon above the direction changing section and below the forming device.

  In this way, when the glass sheet manufacturing line arranged in the upper second manufacturing area is not used, but the glass roll manufacturing line arranged in the lower first manufacturing area is used. In particular, the glass ribbon descending from the forming apparatus by the downdraw method has a long distance to reach the direction changing section arranged in the lower first manufacturing area. For this reason, the glass ribbon easily shakes during the descent from the molding device to the direction changing portion, but this shake is suppressed by the guide roller. As a result, the glass ribbon is appropriately turned by the direction changing unit without being adversely affected by the shaking.

  In this case, it is preferable that the guide roller is movable to a retracted position that does not interfere with the glass sheet manufacturing line. Here, "does not interfere with the glass sheet production line" means that it does not interfere with each of the constituent elements of the glass sheet production line (hereinafter the same).

  In this way, the glass sheet manufacturing line disposed in the upper second manufacturing area is used, and when the glass roll manufacturing line disposed in the lower first manufacturing area is not used, The glass ribbon descending from the forming apparatus using the downdraw method has a short distance to the cutting portion arranged in the second manufacturing area. Therefore, the glass ribbon is less likely to shake, and the guide roller is not required. Therefore, by moving the guide roller to the retracted position and keeping it in the standby state, the glass sheet can be appropriately manufactured on the second manufacturing line without being disturbed by the guide roller.

  Further, the equipment according to the present invention, which was devised in order to solve the above problems, is a line for producing a glass article from a glass ribbon formed by using a down-draw method, and is a glass roll manufacturing method in which a glass ribbon is wound into a roll shape. A manufacturing facility for glass articles, comprising a line and a glass sheet manufacturing line for cutting a glass ribbon into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction, wherein a glass roll manufacturing line is arranged in a first manufacturing area, and a glass sheet manufacturing line is The second manufacturing area arranged is divided into upper and lower parts, and the molding device for molding the glass ribbon is shared by the glass roll manufacturing line and the glass sheet manufacturing line, and one and the other of those lines are used. Is characterized by being configured to be used alternatively.

  With such a manufacturing facility, it is possible to obtain substantially the same operational effects as the method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present invention described at the beginning.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately cope with small-quantity high-mix production of electronic devices and the like in which glass substrates are used, and at the same time, it is possible to reduce the installation space of manufacturing equipment and reduce manufacturing costs. Planned.

It is a schematic side view which shows the manufacturing method and the manufacturing equipment for implementing the manufacturing method of the glass article which concern on 1st embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view which shows the 1st example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a schematic side view which shows the 2nd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a schematic front view which shows the 2nd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the 2nd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the 3rd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the 3rd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the 3rd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a principal part schematic side view which shows the 3rd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 1st embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a schematic side view which shows the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention, and the manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a schematic side view which shows the 1st example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it. It is a schematic side view which shows the 2nd example of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention, and manufacturing equipment for implementing it.

  Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a glass article according to an embodiment of the present invention and manufacturing equipment for carrying out the method will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing manufacturing equipment for carrying out the method for manufacturing a glass article according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing facility 1 is roughly divided into a molding apparatus 2, a glass roll manufacturing line 3, and a glass sheet manufacturing line 4. The forming device 2 forms the glass ribbon 5 using the overflow downdraw method. The glass roll manufacturing line 3 laterally changes the direction of the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding device 2 and winds it into a roll to manufacture a glass roll 6. The glass sheet manufacturing line 4 cuts the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding apparatus 2 into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction to manufacture a glass sheet (for example, a rectangular glass plate) 7.

  The glass roll manufacturing line 3 is arranged in the first manufacturing area 8, the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is arranged in the second manufacturing area 9, and both areas 8 and 9 are arranged in a vertically divided manner. . In this first embodiment, the first manufacturing area 8 is arranged above the second manufacturing area 9. In other words, the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is arranged on the first floor 10 on the upper floor, and the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is arranged on the second floor 11 on the lower floor. Then, one and the other of these lines 3, 4 are used alternatively.

  The molding device 2 includes, in order from the upper side, a molded body 12 having a substantially wedge-shaped cross section, a cooling roller 13, an annealing roller 14 arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages (four upper and lower stages in the illustrated example), and two upper and lower stages (even one stage). And a first support roller 15 arranged in a line). Of these, the molded body 12, the cooling roller 13, and the annealing roller 14 are housed in the internal space of the casing 18 that configures the molding furnace 16 and the slow cooling furnace 17. The cooling roller 13 cools the molten glass 19 overflowing from the molded body 12 and flowing down, while suppressing shrinkage in the width direction thereof. The anneal roller 14 guides the downward movement of the glass ribbon 5 which passes through the cooling roller 13 and is gradually cooled. The first support roller 15 is used to provide tension to the glass ribbon 5 that has passed through the annealing roller 14 and has exited below the casing 18. The molding apparatus 2 including the above-described components is arranged on the upper floor 20 on the upper floor (for example, the uppermost floor) of the first manufacturing area 8.

  In this embodiment, the space between the upper floor 20 and the first floor 10 corresponds to the first manufacturing area 8, and the space between the first floor 10 and the second floor 11 corresponds to the second manufacturing area 9. It corresponds. In addition, through holes 20a and 10a for allowing the descending glass ribbon 5 to pass through are formed in the upper floor 20 and the first floor 10, respectively.

  The glass roll manufacturing line 3 includes a direction changing unit 21 that changes the direction of the glass ribbon 5 that descends from the molding device 2 in the horizontal direction, and a horizontal conveying unit 22 that horizontally conveys the glass ribbon 5 that has passed through the direction changing unit 21. And a winding portion 23 for winding the glass ribbon 5 conveyed in the lateral direction into a roll shape at the downstream end in the conveying direction. The direction changing portion 21 has a plurality of rollers 24 that support the glass ribbon 5 from the lower side, and the plurality of rollers 24 are arranged in parallel so as to form a smoothly concave concave direction changing path. Then, it is assembled to the housing 25. The housing 25 is open at the top and the front (on the side of the lateral transport unit 22). By mounting the wheels 26 on the lower portion of the housing 25, the direction changing portion 21 can be moved laterally. The wheel 26 is configured to roll at a position separated from the through hole 10a on the first floor 10.

  The glass sheet manufacturing line 4 includes a cutting unit 27 that cuts the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding apparatus 2 at predetermined lengths in the longitudinal direction in a vertical position. The cutting section 27 includes chuck mechanisms 28 arranged in a plurality of stages (two stages, upper and lower in the example), and a scribe line that forms a scribe line along the width direction (direction orthogonal to the transport direction) with respect to the glass ribbon 5. It is composed of a forming means (not shown) and a split support member 29 capable of contacting the glass ribbon 5 from the back side. The chuck mechanism 28 holds the glass ribbon 5 that has passed through the first manufacturing area 8 and reaches the second manufacturing area 9 in a vertical posture. The scribe line forming means forms a scribe line on the glass ribbon 5 above the gripping portion by the chuck mechanism 28, and is composed of a cutter (direct acting blade or wheel cutter) or a laser irradiator. The split support member 29 is disposed above the chuck mechanism 28, and is located between a contact position where the scribe line forming position of the glass ribbon 5 is contacted from the back side and a retracted position where it does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon 5. It is supposed to be movable. Further, above the cutting portion 27, the second support rollers 30 for tensioning the glass ribbon 5 are arranged in upper and lower two stages (may be one stage). The cutting portion 27 may be one that cuts the laser by utilizing thermal stress.

  Next, a method of manufacturing a glass article when the upper glass roll manufacturing line 3 is used and the lower glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is not used will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The thickness of the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding apparatus 2 to the glass roll manufacturing line 3 (the thickness of the central region (product region) in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5) is, for example, less than 200 μm.

  As shown in the figure, the glass ribbon 5 that has descended from the molding apparatus 2 and entered the first manufacturing area 8 is laterally converted by the direction conversion section 21 held in the regular position, and then is laterally converted. It is laterally transported by the transport unit 22. The lateral transport unit 22 is configured by interposing a plurality of support plates 33 between a first conveyor 31 on the upstream side in the transport direction and a second conveyor 32 on the downstream side in the transport direction. Then, as shown by the chain line in the figure, by rotating one support plate 33 with the upper end as a fulcrum, unnecessary glass ribbons (glass pieces or the like) are discarded through the open portion of the upper end. The thick-walled portions (so-called ears, which are thicker than the central region in the width direction) 5 a formed at both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5 are located above the downstream side portion of the lateral transport unit 22 in the transport direction. Laser cutting is carried out by the cutting means 34 installed in the device and discarded. The cutting means 34 performs laser cutting using the thermal stress of the laser 35 and the coolant 36. Then, the glass ribbon 5 that has passed through the lateral transport unit 22 is wound around the winding core 39 in a roll shape while being stacked on the protective sheet 38 unwound from the sheet roll 37 in the winding unit 23. In this case, when the winding amount of the glass ribbon 5 reaches the required amount, the glass ribbon 5 and the protective sheet 38 are cut along the width direction, and the glass roll 6 having the required winding radius is obtained.

  On the other hand, in the second manufacturing area 9 on the lower floor, the cutting section 27 including the chuck mechanism 28, the scribe line forming means and the split support member 29, and the second support roller 30 are in a standby state at a predetermined position. It is in. In this case, it is preferable that each of the constituent elements 28 and 29 of the cutting section 27 is in a standby position at a retracted position that does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon 5 that passes through the through hole 10a of the first floor 10 and descends.

  Although described later in detail, in this embodiment, a plurality of guide rollers 40 are arranged in the first manufacturing area 8, and these guide rollers 40 interfere with the glass roll manufacturing line 3 (particularly the direction changing section 21). Not in a retracted position.

  In this state, after the required number of glass rolls 6 are manufactured, the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 arranged in the second manufacturing area 9 on the lower floor is used as shown in FIG. The glass roll production line 3 arranged in the first production area 8 on the floor is changed to the unused state. Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the glass article when this is changed will be described. The thickness of the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding apparatus 2 to the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 (the thickness of the glass ribbon 5 in the widthwise central region (product region)) is, for example, 200 μm or more.

  As shown in the figure, in the usage mode after this change, the direction changing section 21 of the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is moved to the retracted position where it does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon 5 descending from the molding apparatus 2 and is in the standby state. It is said that Then, the glass ribbon 5 reaching the second manufacturing area 9 on the lower floor from the molding device 2 passes through the second supporting roller 30 and further descends, and the chuck mechanism 28, the scribe line forming means, and the split supporting member. Due to the operation associated with 29, it is cut into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction.

  More specifically, in this usage mode, as shown in FIG. 4, the distance from the molding apparatus 2 to the second manufacturing area 9 becomes long, and therefore, the glass ribbon 5 reaches the cutting portion 27. 5 easily shakes. Therefore, the guide rollers 40 for guiding the lowering of the glass ribbon 5 are provided in the upper region of the cutting unit 27 and the lower region of the molding apparatus 2 (the first manufacturing area 8 in this embodiment) in a plurality of upper and lower stages (in the example shown in the figure). It is installed in three steps). These guide rollers 40 are movable between a descending guide position shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 and a retracted position shown by a chain line in FIG. 4 (positions separated from the descending path of the glass ribbon 5 on both sides). In this embodiment, the shaking that may occur in the glass ribbon 5 is appropriately suppressed by the synergistic effect of the guide roller 40 and the second support roller 30.

  Then, the chuck mechanisms 28 arranged in the second manufacturing area 9 have a plurality of upper and lower ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5, respectively. It is configured to be gripped at a total of four places). Further, the split support member 29 is a rod-shaped body, and both ends in the longitudinal direction thereof protrude from both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5. Then, the glass ribbon 5 is gripped by the chuck mechanism 28 when the glass ribbon 5 is lowered to a predetermined position, and a scribe line along the width direction is formed by the scribe line forming means. In this case, the chuck mechanism 28 moves down following the lowering of the glass ribbon 5, and the scribe line forming means moves down the glass ribbon 5 while moving so as to incline downward with respect to the width direction of the glass ribbon 5. Follows and descends.

  Then, when the lower end of the glass ribbon 5 reaches a predetermined position, as shown in FIG. 5, the split support member 29 comes into contact with the back surface side of the scribe line 41, and the chuck mechanism 28 uses the contact portion as a fulcrum. By rotating the glass ribbon 5, folding along the width direction is performed, and a rectangular glass sheet 7 is obtained. Then, the rectangular glass sheet 7 is conveyed in the thickness direction of the glass sheet 7 (direction of arrow A) by the chuck mechanism 28, and then the upper end is gripped by the suspension member 42, as shown by the chain line in FIG. . Thereafter, the rectangular glass sheet 7 is moved by the suspension member 42 along the surface direction of the glass sheet 7 (direction of arrow B) to a position where it does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon 5, as shown in FIG. Be transported. After that, the rectangular glass sheet 7 is cut by folding along a pair of scribe lines 43 formed along the vertical direction. As a result, both end portions 7a in the width direction of the rectangular glass sheet 7 are cut and removed, and the glass sheet 7b which is the basis of the product is obtained. Such an operation is repeated as the glass ribbon 5 descends, and as a result, a plurality of glass sheets 7b, which are the basis of the product, are obtained.

  When changing such a usage mode to the above-described usage mode shown in FIG. 2, the following method is carried out.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 6, a pair of scratched portions 44 for scratching the glass ribbon 5 at the start of forming the glass ribbon 5 are attached to the housing 25 of the direction changing portion 21. Then, the scratched portion 44 is made to stand by at a retracted position (for example, a retracted position spaced apart from both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5 outward in the width direction) except when it is damaged. In addition, although the scratched portion 44 is a wheel cutter using a diamond tip in this embodiment, it may be a cemented carbide blade, a file, a sandpaper, or a device such as a laser irradiator. Good.

  Then, when the forming device 2 starts forming the glass ribbon 5 while the direction changing portion 21 is waiting at the retracted position shown in FIG. 6, until the shape of the glass ribbon 5 becomes stable, The glass ribbon 5 is continuously lowered from the molding device 2. Thereby, the lower end portion of the glass ribbon 5 descends between the direction changing portion 21 and the lateral conveying portion 22, and then passes through the through hole 10a provided in the first floor 10 to enter the second manufacturing area 9. To do.

  After such a state, as shown in FIG. 7, the direction changing section 21 is moved from the retracted position to the lateral transport section 22 side (regular position side). Then, at this time, the glass ribbon 5 is scratched from the side of the lateral transport section 22 by the scratching section 44. In this case, one of the pair of damaged portions 44 damages one end (one ear portion) in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5, and the other damaged portion 44 causes the other damaged portion 44 in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5 and the like. Damage the end (the other ear).

  Note that, in the illustrated example, the damaged portion 44 is arranged to face the lowermost roller 24 of the direction changing portion 21 at the time of damage, but as long as a certain supporting force is obtained from the lowermost roller 24. During the scratching, the scratched portion 44 may be displaced upward or downward from the position facing the lowermost roller 24. The lowermost roller 24 of the direction changing section 21 is located at the most tip end side in the moving direction of the direction changing section 21 among the plurality of rollers 24 of the direction changing section 21.

  Then, by continuously moving the direction changing section 21 to the side of the lateral conveying section 22, as shown in FIG. 8, the lowermost roller 24 of the direction changing section 21 comes into contact with the glass ribbon 5, and the glass ribbon 5 is moved. A pressing force is applied to the ribbon 5. As a result, the glass ribbon 5 is cut in the width direction by being folded by the pressing force, starting from the portion damaged by the damaged portion 44.

  Further, by moving the direction changing portion 21 to the side of the lateral conveying portion 22, the portion above the cut portion due to the breaking of the glass ribbon 5 is supported by the plurality of rollers 24 from below, and this state is maintained. The direction changing unit 21 reaches the regular position while maintaining the above. The speed at which the direction changing portion 21 moves from the retracted position to the normal position is higher after the damage portion 44 damages the glass ribbon 5 than before the damage portion 44 damages the glass ribbon 5.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 9, a portion corresponding to a cut portion by breaking the glass ribbon 5 is introduced onto the lateral conveying portion 22 (first conveyor 31) by its own weight or the driving of the first supporting roller 15 or the like. (Transfer). Then, the portion corresponding to the cut portion by breaking the glass ribbon 5 advances to the downstream end of the horizontal transport portion 22 in the transport direction, and the normal operation of the glass roll manufacturing line 3 described in FIG. 2 is started. In addition, in the manufacturing equipment 1 illustrated here, a cutout portion () for allowing the glass ribbon 5 to enter the housing 25 in a vertical posture in the bottom wall portion 25a of the housing 25 which is a component of the direction changing portion 21. A missing portion) 25x is formed. Therefore, in comparison with the manufacturing equipment 1 shown in FIG. 2 and the like described above, the manufacturing equipment 1 includes the horizontal conveyance unit 22 (first conveyor 31) in the housing 25 of the direction changing unit 21 in the regular position. Although part of it enters, the substantial configuration is the same as that of the manufacturing facility 1 described above.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the second embodiment of the present invention and manufacturing equipment for carrying out the method will be described.

  FIG. 10: is a schematic side view which shows the manufacturing equipment for implementing the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 2nd embodiment of this invention. The manufacturing equipment 1 according to the second embodiment mainly differs from the manufacturing equipment according to the first embodiment described above in that the first manufacturing area 8 in which the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is arranged is a glass sheet manufacturing machine. That is, the line 4 is arranged below the second manufacturing area 9 in which the lines 4 are arranged. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  In this second embodiment, the space between the upper floor 20 and the first floor 10 corresponds to the second manufacturing area 9, and the space between the first floor 10 and the second floor 11 is the first. It corresponds to the manufacturing area 8.

  FIG. 11 exemplifies a method for manufacturing a glass article when the upper glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is used and the lower glass roll manufacturing line 3 is not used.

  As shown in the figure, the glass ribbon 5 that has descended from the molding device 2 and reached the second manufacturing area 9 on the upper floor is composed of a chuck mechanism 28, a scribe line forming means, and a split support member 29. A rectangular glass sheet is obtained by being cut into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction by the cutting unit 27. The operation of the cutting unit 27 in this case is the same as that of the above-described first embodiment. The operation of cutting and removing both widthwise end portions of the rectangular glass sheet 7 by folding is also the same as in the above-described first embodiment.

  In this case, since the distance from the molding apparatus 2 to the second manufacturing area 9 of the glass ribbon 5 is short, the glass ribbon 5 is in a state in which it is difficult for the glass ribbon 5 to shake. Therefore, the guide roller 40 is in a standby state at the retracted position where it does not interfere with the descending path of the glass ribbon 5.

  On the other hand, in the first manufacturing area 8 on the lower floor, each constituent element of the glass roll manufacturing line 3 stands by at a predetermined position. In addition, in this second embodiment, the direction changing portion 21 is composed of a plurality of rollers 24 and is not assembled to the housing 25. However, if necessary, the direction changing portion 21 has the same structure as that of the first embodiment described above. Good.

  FIG. 12 exemplifies a method for manufacturing a glass article when the glass roll manufacturing line 3 on the lower floor is used and the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 on the upper floor is not used.

  As shown in the figure, the glass ribbon 5 that has descended from the molding apparatus 2 and reached the second manufacturing area 9 on the upper floor is guided by the guide rollers 40 arranged in a plurality of stages in order to prevent shaking. To descend. In this case, the glass sheet production line 4 (particularly, the cutting mechanism 27 including the chuck mechanism 28, the scribe line forming means, and the split support member 29) is in a standby state at a retracted position where it does not interfere with all the guide rollers 40. It is in.

  On the other hand, in the first manufacturing area 8 on the lower floor, the glass ribbon 5 passing through the through-holes 10 a of the first floor 10 and descending is subjected to lateral direction change by the direction changing section 21 and then at the winding section 23. The glass roll 6 is obtained by being wound into a roll. The operation for obtaining the glass roll 6 in the glass roll manufacturing line 3 in this case is the same as that in the first embodiment described above. Also in this case, since the distance from the molding device 2 to the direction changing portion 21 of the glass ribbon 5 becomes long, the glass ribbon 5 is likely to shake, but the occurrence of this shaking is caused by the guide roller 40. It is suppressed by the synergistic effect of the second support roller 30 and the second support roller 30.

  According to the above embodiment, one or the other of the glass roll manufacturing line 3 and the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is used alternatively, so that after the glass rolls 6 are manufactured in the required number, the glass sheets 7 are manufactured. It is possible to repeat that the required quantity is manufactured. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately cope with small-quantity multi-product production of electronic devices and the like in which glass substrates are used. More specifically, if the glass article is manufactured only by one line, when changing the thickness of the glass ribbon, the device required for manufacturing the glass roll and the device required for manufacturing the glass sheet are required. There is a case where troublesome and complicated work such as replacement is required. However, if the glass roll manufacturing line 3 and the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 are selectively used as in the above-described embodiment, such a problem is less likely to occur, and as described above, a small amount of the electronic device or the like is generated. It will be possible to deal appropriately with multi-product production.

  Moreover, in the above embodiment, since the molding apparatus 2 is shared by the glass roll manufacturing line 3 and the glass sheet manufacturing line 4, the manufacturing equipment 1 is simplified and the manufacturing cost thereof is reduced. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the first manufacturing area 8 in which the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is arranged and the second manufacturing area 9 in which the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is arranged are vertically arranged. Therefore, in combination with the sharing of the molding apparatus 2 described above, the installation space of the manufacturing equipment 1 can be narrowed, and this can also reduce the manufacturing cost of the manufacturing equipment 1.

  Further, like the first embodiment, if the first manufacturing area 8 in which the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is arranged is arranged above the second manufacturing area 9 in which the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 is arranged, it descends. The direction changing portion 21 for performing a complicated operation of changing the direction of the glass ribbon 5 in the lateral direction does not move away from the molding apparatus 2, which is advantageous in manufacturing the high quality glass roll 6.

  In the above first and second embodiments, the glass ribbon 5 is formed by using the overflow down draw method, but the glass ribbon 5 is formed by using another down draw such as the slot down draw method or the redraw method. 5 may be molded.

  Further, in the above first and second embodiments, the thickness of the glass ribbon 5 in the glass roll manufacturing line 3 is made smaller than the thickness of the glass ribbon 5 in the glass sheet manufacturing line 4, but The thickness relationship may be reversed, or both thicknesses may be the same.

  Further, specific configurations such as the lateral conveying section 22 which is a constituent element of the glass roll manufacturing line 3 and the cutting section 27 which is a constituent element of the glass sheet manufacturing line 4 are described in the above first and second embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the items, and various variations are possible.

1 Glass Article Manufacturing Equipment 2 Molding Device 3 Glass Roll Manufacturing Line 4 Glass Sheet Manufacturing Line 5 Glass Ribbon 6 Glass Roll 7 Glass Sheet 8 First Manufacturing Area 9 Second Manufacturing Area 21 Direction Changing Section 22 Horizontal Conveying Section 24 Roller 25 Housing Body 27 Cutting part 40 Guide roller

Claims (14)

As a line for producing a glass article from a glass ribbon formed by using a downdraw method, a glass roll production line for winding the glass ribbon into a roll, and a glass sheet production for cutting the glass ribbon into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. A method of manufacturing a glass article using a line, comprising:
A first manufacturing area in which the glass roll manufacturing line is arranged, and a second manufacturing area in which the glass sheet manufacturing line is arranged are arranged vertically and separately, and a molding device for molding the glass ribbon, A method for producing a glass article, which is shared by the glass roll production line and the glass sheet production line, and one or the other of these lines is selectively used. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the first manufacturing area is arranged above the second manufacturing area. In the first manufacturing area, a direction changing unit that laterally changes the direction of the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus is arranged, and in the second manufacturing area, the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus is longitudinally oriented. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 2 , further comprising a cutting portion that cuts into a predetermined length in a direction. The direction changing section has a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel so as to support the glass ribbon from below and form a direction changing path curved in a concave shape, and these rollers are assembled in a housing. The method of manufacturing a glass article according to claim 3 , wherein the glass article is manufactured. The glass according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the direction changing part is movable to a retracted position where the glass ribbon descends and does not interfere with a descending path leading to the second manufacturing area. Article manufacturing method. A guide roller for guiding the lowering of the glass ribbon is arranged above the cutting portion and below the forming device, wherein the glass article according to any one of claims 3 to 5 . Production method.   The method of manufacturing a glass article according to claim 6, wherein the guide roller is movable to a retracted position that does not interfere with the glass roll manufacturing line. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the second manufacturing area is arranged above the first manufacturing area. In the first manufacturing area, a direction changing unit that laterally changes the direction of the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus is arranged, and in the second manufacturing area, the glass ribbon descending from the molding apparatus is longitudinally oriented. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 8, wherein a cutting portion for cutting the glass article into a predetermined length is provided.   The direction changing section has a plurality of rollers arranged in parallel so as to support the glass ribbon from below and form a direction changing path curved in a concave shape, and these rollers are assembled in a housing. The method of manufacturing a glass article according to claim 9, wherein the glass article is manufactured. The glass article according to claim 9 or 10 , wherein the cutting portion is movable to a retracted position where the glass ribbon descends and does not interfere with a descending path to the first manufacturing area. Manufacturing method. The glass article according to any one of claims 9 to 11 , wherein a guide roller for guiding the lowering of the glass ribbon is arranged above the direction changing portion and below the forming device. Manufacturing method. The method of manufacturing a glass article according to claim 12 , wherein the guide roller is movable to a retracted position that does not interfere with the glass sheet manufacturing line. As a line for producing a glass article from a glass ribbon formed by using a downdraw method, a glass roll production line for winding the glass ribbon into a roll, and a glass sheet production for cutting the glass ribbon into a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction. A manufacturing facility for glass articles, comprising a line,
A first manufacturing area in which the glass roll manufacturing line is arranged, and a second manufacturing area in which the glass sheet manufacturing line is arranged are arranged vertically and separately, and a molding device for molding the glass ribbon, A production facility for glass articles, characterized in that the production line is shared by the glass roll production line and the glass sheet production line, and one and the other of these lines are selectively used.

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