JP7342663B2 - Manufacturing method of ribbon glass film - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a ribbon glass film.

Mobile terminals such as smartphones and tablet PCs are required to be thin and lightweight, so there is currently an increasing demand for thinner glass substrates to be incorporated into these terminals. Under these current circumstances, glass films, which are glass substrates that are thinned into a film shape (for example, 300 μm or less in thickness), have been developed and manufactured.

By the way, the process of manufacturing a glass film usually includes a process of manufacturing a band-shaped glass film that is the basis of the glass film. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a method of manufacturing a strip-shaped glass film using a down-draw method represented by an overflow down-draw method, a redraw method, a slot down-draw method, and the like.

The method disclosed in this document involves a forming process in which a glass band film is drawn vertically downward by a forming device and shaped, and a roller conveyor placed vertically below the forming device is used to bend the glass band film after forming. A conveying direction changing step in which the conveying direction is changed from vertically downward to horizontally by conveying along the conveying path, and the belt-shaped glass film whose conveying direction has been changed is conveyed laterally along the horizontal conveying path. A cutting and removal process in which ineffective parts (including thick edges) at both widthwise ends are cut and removed from the strip glass film being transported in the transverse direction using a laser cutting device; The method includes a winding step of winding the cut and removed band-shaped glass film around a winding core to form a glass roll.

Here, during the manufacture of the glass band film using the above method, there may be cases where it is necessary to cut off a part of the lengthwise section of the glass band film formed in the forming process and discard it as a waste glass part. There is. For example, (A) a glass roll of a desired length of glass strip has been completed and the winding core is replaced with a new one to make the next glass roll, or (B) a glass roll of strip-shaped glass film For example, a laser cutting device may be adjusted to cut and remove an ineffective portion from a laser beam.

To be more specific, in the case of (A) above, it is not possible to start winding a new strip of glass film until the core replacement is completed, so some sections formed during the core replacement are used as waste glass. Discard as part of the project. On the other hand, in the case of (B) above, it is not possible to obtain a band-shaped glass film from which the ineffective portion has been removed until the adjustment of the laser cutting device is completed. In other words, since a band-shaped glass film that is ready to be wound up as a glass roll cannot be obtained, a part of the section formed during adjustment of the laser cutting device is discarded as a waste glass part.

In addition, in order to prevent waste glass from being generated, it may be possible to temporarily stop forming the band-shaped glass film while replacing the winding core or adjusting the laser cutting device. However, if such measures are taken, it is very difficult to restore the forming conditions of the band-shaped glass film to their original state when forming is started again. For this reason, even while the winding core is being replaced or the laser cutting device is being adjusted, the band-shaped glass film continues to be formed, and a portion of the band-shaped glass film is discarded as waste glass.

An example of a method for discarding the waste glass part is to cut out the waste glass part from the glass band film as a large number of waste glass films by repeatedly cutting the band glass film in the width direction while being conveyed vertically downward after forming. An example of this method is to drop each waste glass film vertically downward and discard it. In this aspect, before starting to discard the waste glass portion, the roller conveyor is once retracted from vertically below the molding device, and execution of the conveyance direction changing step is temporarily stopped. Once the core has been replaced and the laser cutting device has been adjusted, the disposal of the waste glass section is completed, and the roller conveyor is returned vertically below the forming device, and the strip of glass film that follows the waste glass section is placed on the roller conveyor. By passing the above (on the curved conveyance path) and pulling the band-shaped glass film into the horizontal conveyance path, execution of the conveyance direction changing step is restarted.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-44709

However, when the waste glass part is disposed of in the manner described above, the following problems have arisen that must be solved.

That is, in the above embodiment, when the waste glass part is discarded, the roller conveyor is retracted from vertically below the forming apparatus and returned to its original position, and the glass strip is passed over the roller conveyor and then horizontally moved. There is a problem in that it is necessary to pull it into the conveyance route, which makes the work extremely complicated. In addition, there was also the problem that the difficulty of the drawing operation itself was high, and that the band-shaped glass film was easily cracked during the operation. If a crack occurs, this crack will propagate along the length of the glass strip film to the part that is being formed, and the forming of the glass strip film will have to be interrupted. There was a case.

It should be noted that these problems do not only occur when the waste glass portion is discarded in the above manner during the production of a strip glass film using the above method. In addition, when a band-shaped glass film is manufactured by changing the conveyance direction from the vertical downward direction to the horizontal direction after forming by the down-draw method, the same problem occurs when disposing of the waste glass part in the above manner. It is a question of obtaining.

In addition, in addition to the factors (A) and (B) already mentioned, (C) behavior of the glass film during the forming process is disturbed, or (D) equipment installed on the curved conveyance path or horizontal conveyance path breaks down. In the event that a sudden problem occurs, it is necessary to take measures to recover from the problem as soon as it becomes clear that the problem has occurred. It is necessary to dispose of the band-shaped glass film formed while taking such recovery measures as a waste glass part, and in this case, it is necessary to switch to the disposal work of the waste glass part as soon as possible. The existing disposal methods mentioned above will not be sufficient.

The present invention, which was created in view of the above circumstances, improves the workability and reliability when discarding a part of the longitudinal section of the glass strip film as a waste glass part, and also makes it possible to switch to such disposal work. The technical challenge is to enable early completion.

The present invention, which was devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, includes a forming process in which a glass band film is formed while being drawn downward in the vertical direction, and a forming process in which the formed glass band film is conveyed along a curved conveyance path. , a conveyance direction changing step of changing the conveyance direction of the band-shaped glass film from vertically downward to the horizontal direction, and conveying the band-shaped glass film whose conveyance direction has been changed by the curved conveyance path in the horizontal direction along the horizontal conveyance path. A method for manufacturing a glass band film including a lateral conveyance step, wherein a bending stress imparting member is applied to the glass band film when discarding a part of the glass band film along the longitudinal direction as a waste glass portion. A dividing step of separating the waste glass portion from the glass band film by applying bending stress to the glass band film by pressing the glass film, and disposal of the separated waste glass portion by separating it downward from the lateral conveyance path. It is characterized by performing a process.

In this method, in the cutting step, the bending stress applying member is pressed against the band-shaped glass film, so it is possible to apply a large bending stress to the band-shaped glass film and reliably divide the band-shaped glass film. At that time, only the operation of pressing the bending stress applying member against the band-shaped glass film is required, so that the dividing operation can be performed by mechanical means that can be operated remotely. Therefore, by operating a switch or the like, it is possible to immediately start the dividing process and the discarding process, and it is possible to quickly switch to the discarding process.

In this method, it is preferable that the bending stress applying member is formed of a rotatable roller.

During the contact between the bending stress applying member and the glass band film, the glass band film is moving, so sliding resistance acts between the bending stress applying member and the glass band film. If the bending stress applying member is formed of a rotatable roller, sliding resistance can be absorbed by the driven rotation of the roller. Therefore, it is possible to prevent problems such as the band-shaped glass film being bent irregularly due to sliding resistance and being caught on the bending stress applying member.

In this method, it is preferable to press the bending stress applying member against the ineffective portion of the band-shaped glass film.

When the bending stress imparting member is pressed against the effective portion of the band-shaped glass film, cracks in the effective portion may not propagate to the non-effective portion, which is thicker than the effective portion, at the dividing location, which may result in poor dividing. By pressing the bending stress imparting member against the ineffective portion of the band-shaped glass film, such problems can be prevented.

In this method, it is preferred that the two bending stress applying members are attached to a common shaft.

Thereby, the two bending stress applying members can be moved in conjunction with each other, and it becomes possible to apply equal bending stress to the ineffective portions at both ends of the band-shaped glass film.

In this method, it is preferable to perform a scratching step of forming scratches on the waste glass portion to assist in cutting the band-shaped glass film, upstream of the bending stress applying member.

By pre-damaging the strip glass film in this scratching process, the scratches serve as cutting points when applying bending stress with the bending stress applying member, making it possible to stably perform cutting operations. .

In this method, it is preferable to form scratches in the scratching step on the surface of the band-shaped glass film that will be in contact with the bending stress applying member. As a result, when bending stress is applied by the bending stress applying member, bending stress acts in the direction of opening a flaw on the upstream side of the bending stress applying member, so the glass strip film is reliably divided using the flaw as a cutting starting point. becomes possible.

In this method, a cutting and removing step of cutting and removing ineffective portions at both ends of the band-shaped glass film in the width direction is provided in the horizontal transporting step, and in the horizontal transporting step, the cutting and removing step is performed on the upstream side of the cutting and removing step. Preferably, a dividing step and a discarding step are performed.

If the dividing step and the discarding step are performed downstream of the cutting and removing step, it becomes difficult to adjust the cutting and removing device in the cutting and removing step. Such problems can be avoided by performing the dividing step and the discarding step upstream of the cutting and removing step.

In this method, it is preferable that a cutting device having an opening disposed below the horizontal transportation path, an opening/closing member for opening and closing the opening, and the bending stress applying member be provided in the horizontal transportation step. .

Thereby, switching between execution of the disposal process and execution of the lateral conveyance process can be performed by opening and closing the opening with the opening/closing member. Therefore, it becomes possible to further simplify the work when discarding the waste glass part.

In this method, with the opening portion closed by the opening/closing member, the widthwise central portion of the glass band film is floated from the horizontal conveyance path by a jet of gas from the opening/closing member, and the glass band film is conveyed. It is preferable to do so.

This makes it possible to avoid the situation where the effective part of the band-shaped glass film comes into contact with the opening/closing member and gets damaged when performing the horizontal conveyance process, and for the glass film manufactured based on the effective part of the band-shaped glass film, Deterioration in quality can be prevented.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the workability and reliability when disposing a part of the longitudinal section of a band-shaped glass film as a waste glass part, and to quickly complete the switch to such disposal work. becomes possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a longitudinal side view which shows the outline of the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the horizontal conveyance process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 3 is a vertical front view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a side view showing a horizontal conveyance step in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which conceptually shows the dividing process and the disposal process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. It is a top view which shows the damage process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. It is a side view showing a cutting device in a manufacturing method of a glass film concerning an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the dividing process and the disposal process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. (a) is a side view showing a dividing step and a disposal step in the method for manufacturing a glass film according to an embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a side view showing an enlarged view of area A in (a). It is. It is a side view which shows the dividing process and the disposal process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention. 1 is a side view showing a method for manufacturing a glass film according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view which shows the horizontal conveyance process in the manufacturing method of the glass film based on 1st embodiment of this invention.

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the glass film based on embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to an attached drawing. Note that this embodiment is preferably applied when the thickness of the band-shaped glass film to be formed is less than 50 μm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present embodiment includes a forming process in which a band-shaped glass film 1 is formed while being pulled out vertically downward by a down-draw method, for example, an overflow down-draw method, and a formed band-shaped glass film 1. A conveyance direction changing step in which the film 1 is conveyed along the curved conveyance path R1 to change the conveyance direction from the vertical downward direction to the horizontal direction, and the belt-shaped glass film 1 whose conveyance direction has been changed is transferred to the horizontal conveyance path. A lateral conveyance step of laterally conveying along R2, a cutting removal step of cutting and removing the ineffective portion 1a (see FIGS. 2 and 3) from the strip glass film 1 being conveyed in the lateral direction, and an ineffective portion 1a. The method includes a winding step of winding up the band-shaped glass film 1, which has only the effective portion 1b removed, into a roll around a winding core 2 to form a glass roll 3.

[A. Molding process]
The forming process is carried out mainly by using a wedge-shaped molded body 4 and pairs of rollers 6 arranged in multiple stages above and below, which are capable of holding the glass ribbon 5 flowing down from the molded body 4 from both the front and back sides. use

The molded body 4 has an overflow groove 4a formed at the top for allowing the molten glass 7 to flow therein, and a pair of side surfaces 4b, 4b for allowing the molten glass 7 overflowing from the overflow groove 4a to flow down on both sides. , and a lower end 4c for fusing and integrating the molten glass 7 flowing down along both side surfaces 4b, 4b. This molded body 4 is capable of continuously producing a glass ribbon 5 from the molten glass 7 fused and integrated at the lower end 4c.

The roller pairs 6 arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages include, in order from the upper stage side, a cooling roller pair 6a, an annealer roller pair 6b, and a support roller pair 6c. Each of these roller pairs 6 is capable of sandwiching a portion of the glass ribbon 1 that will later become the ineffective portion 1a between one side and the other side in the width direction of the glass ribbon 5.

The cooling roller pair 6a is a roller pair for suppressing shrinkage of the glass ribbon 5 in the width direction by sandwiching the glass ribbon 5 directly under the molded body 4. The annealer roller pair 6b is a roller pair for guiding the glass ribbon 5, which is annealed to a temperature below the strain point, downward in the annealing furnace 8. Note that the pair of annealer rollers 6b may sandwich the glass ribbon 5, or may not sandwich the glass ribbon 5 but only restrict the swinging of the glass ribbon 5 along the thickness direction. The support roller pair 6c supports the glass ribbon 5 whose temperature has decreased to around room temperature in a cooling chamber (not shown) disposed below the lehr 8, and also controls the speed at which the glass ribbon 5 is pulled downward (plate drawing speed). This is a pair of rollers for determining .

The glass ribbon 5 that has passed through the pair of rollers 6 arranged in a plurality of upper and lower stages is formed into a band-shaped glass film 1. Here, the band-shaped glass film 1 is formed to have a thickness sufficient to impart flexibility. In addition, the band-shaped glass film 1 has an effective part 1b that exists in the center in the width direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) and will become a product later, and an effective part 1b that exists outside the effective part 1b in the width direction. A pair of ineffective parts 1a to be removed are included. Further, in the ineffective portion 1a, an ear portion 1aa having a larger thickness than other portions is formed at a portion located at the end portion in the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1.

In this embodiment, the ribbon glass film 1 is formed using the overflow downdraw method, but of course, other downdraw methods such as the slot downdraw method and the redraw method are used to form the ribbon glass film 1. The film 1 may also be formed.

[B. Conveyance direction change process]
A roller conveyor 9 consisting of a plurality of rollers 9a arranged in parallel is used to execute the conveyance direction changing step. The roller conveyor 9 supports the band-shaped glass film 1 from the back side 1c while conveying it along the curved conveyance path R1, so that the surface 1d of the band-shaped glass film 1 faces upward after passing through the curved conveyance path R1. Change the conveyance direction.

[C. Horizontal conveyance process]
To execute the lateral conveyance process, belt conveyors 10 are arranged in order from the upstream side along the lateral conveyance route R2, plate-shaped bodies 11, 12, 13 as conveying bodies divided into three bodies, belt conveyor 14, And a belt conveyor 15 is used.

The belt conveyor 10 is capable of injecting gas G (for example, air) to the back surface 1c of the belt-shaped glass film 1. Only part 1b) is conveyed in a floating state. This belt conveyor 10 includes an endless belt 10a for conveying the non-floating part (mainly the ineffective part 1a) of the strip glass film 1, and is arranged on the inner circumferential side of the belt 10a, and supplies gas G upward. A gas injector (not shown) is provided. A large number of fine through holes (not shown) are formed in the belt 10a, and the gas G injected from the gas injector passes through the through holes and reaches the back surface 1c of the band-shaped glass film 1. Note that the gas injectors arranged on the inner peripheral side of the belt 10a are arranged along the widthwise center of the belt 10a.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the three divided plate-like bodies 11, 12, and 13 has a conveyance surface portion 16 that faces the back surface 1c of the band-shaped glass film 1. A large number of injection ports 16a are formed in the conveyance surface section 16 for injecting gas G (for example, air) toward the effective portion 1b of the band-shaped glass film 1 passing over the conveyance surface section 16. Further, the conveying surface portion 16 is equipped with a plurality of ball rollers 16b as supporting members for supporting the ineffective portion 1a of the band-shaped glass film 1 from below. As a result, during the execution of the horizontal conveyance process, the strip glass film is transported while the effective portion 1b is floating from the conveying surface portion 16 due to the pressure of the gas G and the ineffective portion 1a is supported by the ball roller 16b. 1 is conveyed so as to pass over each plate-shaped body 11, 12, 13 in sequence.

The conveying surface portion 16 is formed in a rectangular shape wider than the entire width of the band-shaped glass film 1. Each of the many injection ports 16a is connected to a space 17 formed inside each plate-shaped body 11, 12, 13. Each injection port 16a is capable of injecting gas G supplied into the space 17 from a fluid compression device (for example, an air compressor). The plurality of ball rollers 16b are arranged in two rows along the longitudinal direction of the band-shaped glass film 1. Each ball roller 16b includes a spherical load ball 16ba that directly supports the ineffective portion 1a, a hole 16bb into which the load ball 16ba is inserted, and a support that rotatably supports the load ball 16ba within the hole 16bb. It is equipped with a ball of 16 bc.

As shown in FIG. 4, among the three divided plate-like bodies 11, 12, and 13, the plate-like body 12 has an opening 18 formed between the plate-like bodies 11 and 13. It has a function as an opening/closing member that opens and closes. The opening 18 is wider than the entire width of the band-shaped glass film below the horizontal conveyance path R2. The plate-like body 12 is connected to a member (plate-like body 11) on the upstream side of the horizontal conveyance path R2 with respect to the plate-like body 12 via a connecting member 19 such as a hinge. The connecting member 19 holds a first plate 19a fixed to the plate-like body 11, a second plate 19b fixed to the plate-like body 12, and both plates 19a, 19b, and also holds both plates 19a, 19b. It is provided with a shaft portion 19c serving as a pivot axis. The shaft portion 19c extends along the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1.

As a result, the plate-shaped body 12 pivots around the shaft portion 19c of the connecting member 19, thereby changing the initial position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 4) and the turning position (the position shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 4). It is possible to move between the two, and the opening 18 is opened and closed along with the movement. In the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present embodiment, by opening and closing the opening 18 using the plate-shaped body 12, it is possible to switch between execution of the horizontal conveyance process and execution of the division process and disposal process described later. ing.

When the plate-shaped body 12 is located at the initial position and closes the opening 18, as described above, the effective part 1b is floated by the gas G, and the ineffective part 1a is supported by the ball roller 16b. , the band-shaped glass film 1 is passed over the plate-shaped body 12 to perform a lateral conveyance process. On the other hand, when it becomes necessary to perform the dividing step and the discarding step due to the factors already mentioned, the plate-like body 12 is located at the pivot position and the opening 18 is opened. Note that while the plate-like body 12 is located at the rotating position, the injection of the gas G by the plate-like body 12 is canceled.

[C-1 Overview of dividing process and disposal process]
The outline of the dividing step and the discarding step will be explained below based on FIGS. 5(a) to 5(d). Note that details of both steps will be explained later.

In the opening 18 in the open state, the waste glass portion 1x shown in FIG. 5(a) has its leading portion 1xa connected to the rearmost portion G1a of the band-shaped glass film 1 (G1), as shown in FIG. 5(b). First separate from. This marks the beginning of the dividing process. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 5(c), the waste glass portion 1x is successively divided into a plurality of waste glass films 1xx, and each waste glass film 1xx is transferred along a horizontal conveyance path as the disposal process begins. Starting from R2, they are sequentially separated downward by their own weight and discarded from the opening 18 through a chute (not shown). Finally, as shown in FIG. 5(d), the rearmost portion 1xb of the waste glass portion 1x is separated from the leading portion G2a of the subsequent band-shaped glass film 1 (G2). With this, the entire length of the waste glass portion 1x is separated from the band-shaped glass film 1, and the cutting process is completed. Moreover, the disposal step is completed by discarding the waste glass film 1xx including the rearmost portion 1xb of the waste glass portion 1x. After the separation process and the disposal process are completed, the plate-shaped body 12 returns to the initial position, closes the opening 18, and shifts to the normal horizontal conveyance process.

[C-2 Cutting and removal process]
As shown in FIG. 1, in the cutting and removal process, the band-shaped glass film 1 is cut using a laser cutting method on the horizontal conveyance path R2 and at a position downstream from the position where the dividing process and the discarding process are performed. The ineffective portion 1a is cut and removed from the ineffective portion 1a. To execute the cutting and removal process, a laser irradiator 21 and a refrigerant injector 22, which are fixedly installed at a fixed point above the belt conveyor 14, are used. The laser irradiator 21 continuously irradiates the laser 21a along the boundary between the effective part 1b and the ineffective part 1a of the band-shaped glass film 1 passing below itself. The refrigerant injector 22 continuously injects a refrigerant 22a (for example, mist-like water) onto the region of the glass strip 1 that is irradiated with the laser 21a.

As a result, thermal stress is generated in the band-shaped glass film 1 due to the temperature difference between the portion heated by the laser 21a and the portion cooled by the coolant 22a, and the thermal stress causes the effective portion 1b to A cut portion (a portion where the effective portion 1b and the ineffective portion 1a are separated) is continuously formed along the boundary with the ineffective portion 1a. In this way, the band-shaped glass film 1 is continuously cut along the longitudinal direction. In addition, in this embodiment, although the band-shaped glass film 1 is cut|disconnected by the laser cutting method, you may make it cut|disconnect the band-shaped glass film 1 by the laser fusing method.

The band-shaped glass film 1 from which the ineffective portion 1a has been cut and removed (the band-shaped glass film 1 consisting of only the effective portion 1b) is transferred from the belt conveyor 14 to the belt conveyor 15. On the other hand, the ineffective portion 1a removed from the band-shaped glass film 1 is not transferred to the belt conveyor 15, but is removed downward from the conveyance path of the band-shaped glass film 1, and then discarded.

[D. Winding process]
The winding core 2 and sheet roll 23 are mainly used to execute the winding process. In the winding process, the band-shaped glass film 1 carried out from the belt conveyor 15 is overlapped with the protective sheet 23a continuously pulled out from the sheet roll 23, and then wound into a roll around the core 2 to form a glass roll. Set it to 3. With the above, all steps of the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present embodiment are completed.

[E. Details of separation process and disposal process]
Next, details of the dividing step and the discarding step will be explained with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11.

In preparation for carrying out the cutting process and the disposal process, scratches 20 (see FIG. 6) are made on the surface 1d of the band-shaped glass film 1 (the surface that will be in contact with the bending stress applying member 41, which will be described later) to assist in cutting. A scratching process is performed to form a . The scratching process is performed at a position on the upstream side of the plate-like body 12 on the transport route of the band-shaped glass film 1. Note that the position where the scratches 20 are formed may be on the horizontal conveyance path R2 or on the curved conveyance path R1. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a case is illustrated in which a wounding device 30 for forming scratches 20 is installed above the plate-like body 11 adjacent to the upstream side of the plate-like body 12. . The scratch 20 may be, for example, a scribe line formed along the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1 using a wheel cutter or the like, or may be a scribe line formed along the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1 using a grindstone or the like. It may be a wound.

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of scratches 20 are provided on each side of the glass strip film 1 at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the glass strip film 1 in the ineffective portions 1a at both ends in the width direction. In the ineffective portions 1a on both sides in the width direction, each scratch 20 is located on the same straight line extending in the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1. In addition to forming the scratches 20 on both ineffective portions 1a located at both ends in the width direction, it is also possible to form the scratches 20 only on one of the ineffective portions 1a.

Next, a cutting device 40 for carrying out the cutting process will be explained based on FIG. 7.
As shown in FIG. 7, the bending stress applying member 41 is placed above the plate-like body 12 in the initial state. As the bending stress applying member 41, for example, two rollers rotatably attached to a shaft 42 extending in the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1 can be used. The shaft 42 is attached to the tip of an arm 43 that is rotatably supported around an axis O by a frame (not shown). A set of arms 43 are arranged at intervals in the width direction of the band-shaped glass film 1, and one end and the other end of the shaft 42 are attached to each of the sets of arms 43. The rotation of the arm 43 is guided by a guide mechanism consisting of an arc-shaped guide hole 45 centered on the axis O and a guide pin 46 fitted into the guide hole 45. The guide hole 45 is provided in either the frame or the arm 43, and the guide pin 46 is provided in the other. In this embodiment, a case is illustrated in which the guide hole 45 is provided in the frame and the guide pin 46 is provided in the arm.

The arm 43 is driven by a cylinder (for example, an air cylinder) not shown, and is driven to swing in forward and reverse directions about the axis O by the driving force of the cylinder. The lower limit of the swing range of the arm 43 is the position where the lower end of the roller 41 reaches the opening 18 and curves the glass strip 1, and the lower end of the roller 41 reaches above the glass strip 1 being conveyed. The upper limit is the position (initial state). The two rollers 41 are positioned and attached to the shaft 42 so that they can come into contact with the ineffective portions 1a at both ends of the band-shaped glass film 1 in the width direction.

In addition to the roller 41 described above, the cutting device 40 is composed of the opening 18 and the plate-like body 12 that opens and closes the opening 18. Each drive source of the cutting device 40 (the cylinder that drives the arm 43, the rotation drive source of the plate-shaped body 12, etc.) and the wounding device 30 are electrically connected to a control device (not shown), and are controlled by the control device. Each operation described below is performed based on the signal.

Next, details of the cutting process using the cutting device 40 will be explained based on FIGS. 8 to 10.

Due to the reasons (A) to (D) already mentioned (replacement of glass rolls, adjustment of laser cutting equipment, disturbance of glass behavior during the forming process, occurrence of troubles in the conveyance system, etc.), a part of the band-shaped glass film 1 When it becomes necessary to discard a section as the discarded glass section 1x, an operator who confirms the occurrence of the event operates a switch. By operating this switch, the scratching device 30 is activated, and a plurality of scratches 20 are sequentially formed in the ineffective portions 1a of each row of the glass strip 1 as the glass strip 1 is conveyed.

As shown in FIG. 8, immediately before any of the scratches 20 (for example, the scratch 20a located on the most downstream side on the horizontal conveyance path R2) made on the strip glass film 1 reaches the opening 18, a signal from the control device is sent. The signal moves the plate-shaped body 12 from the initial position to the rotation position, and opens the opening 18. Further, the cylinder of the cutting device 40 is activated by a signal from the control device, rotates the arm 43 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7, and moves the roller 41 from the upper limit position to the lower limit position, as shown in FIG. 9(a). let The activation timing of the cylinder and the roller are adjusted so that when the roller 41 reaches the lower limit position, the scratch 20a separates from the upstream conveying body (plate-shaped body 11) and reaches the upstream end of the opening 18. Adjust the rotation speed (revolution speed) of 41.

By pressing the roller 41 against the band-shaped glass film 1, the band-shaped glass film 1 is curved so as to be convex downward within the opening 18. Moreover, by curving the band-shaped glass film 1 so as to become convex downward within the opening 18, the band-shaped glass film 1 on the upstream side and the downstream side sandwiching the apex curved by the roller 41 can be bent within the opening 18. On the contrary, it curves upwards. Since the scratch 20a exists in an upwardly convex curved area, as shown in FIG. 9(b), bending stress in the direction in which the scratch 20a opens is applied by the pressing of the roller 41, and the strip glass film 1 is cut (divided) in the width direction starting from the scratch 20a. As the band-shaped glass film 1 is cut, the leading portion 1xa of the waste glass portion 1x is separated from the rearmost portion G1a of the preceding band-shaped glass film 1 (G1). In the above description, the band-shaped glass film 1 is divided using the first scratch 20a as a starting point, but the band-shaped glass film 1 can also be divided using any of the subsequent scratches 20 as a starting point.

After the band-shaped glass film 1 is divided starting from the scratches 20 (20a), the arm 43 rotates clockwise to return the roller 41 to the upper limit position. When the band-shaped glass film 1 is divided starting from the scratches 20 (20a), the discarded glass portion 1x subsequent to the divided portion hangs down while being bent by its own weight. Therefore, each time each of the plurality of scratches 20 following the first scratch 20a reaches the open opening 18, the waste glass portion 1x is repeatedly cut in the width direction by its own weight using each scratch 20 as a starting point. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 10, the waste glass portion 1x is divided into a plurality of waste glass films 1xx, and each waste glass film 1xx is dropped from the horizontal conveyance path R2 and passed through the opening 18 to be disposed of. do. The disposal of this waste glass film 1xx is continued until the waste glass film 1xx including the rearmost portion 1xb of the waste glass portion 1x is discarded. With the above steps, the dividing step and the discarding step are completed.

Since the band-shaped glass film 1 moves from the time the roller 41 contacts the band-shaped glass film 1 until the rearmost part G1a of the preceding band-shaped glass film G1 separates from the roller 41 after the band-shaped glass film 1 is divided. , sliding resistance acts between the roller 41 and the band-shaped glass film 1. This sliding resistance is absorbed by the driven rotation (rotation) of the roller 41 rotatably attached to the shaft 42. Therefore, problems such as the band-shaped glass film 1 being in contact with the roller 41 being bent irregularly due to sliding resistance and being caught by the roller 41 can be prevented.

After the dividing process and the disposal process are completed, as shown in FIG. Then, the plate-shaped body 12 is moved from the pivoted position to return to the initial position, and the opening 18 begins to close. Then, when the plate-like body 12 returns to the initial position, the opening 18 is closed by the plate-like body 12, and as shown in FIG. A lateral conveyance step is performed in which the material is conveyed along the lateral conveyance path R2. During execution of the horizontal conveyance process with the opening 18 closed, the scratching device 40 is not activated and no scratches 20 are formed on the band-shaped glass film 1.

In the manufacturing method described above, the dividing step of dividing the waste glass portion 1x from the band-shaped glass film 1 is performed on the horizontal conveyance path R2. From this, when the cutting process is executed and the waste glass part 1x is separated from the band-shaped glass film 1, the leading part of the band-shaped glass film 1 that follows this waste glass part 1x is already on the horizontal conveyance path R2. It will be located. That is, the following band-shaped glass film 1 (G2) has already been drawn into the horizontal conveyance path R2. Then, in this method, similarly to the dividing step, a discarding step is performed on the horizontal conveyance path R2, and the waste glass portion 1x separated from the band-shaped glass film 1 is discarded. Therefore, according to this method, there is no need to draw the band-shaped glass film 1 (G2) following the waste glass part 1x into the horizontal conveyance path R2 when the waste glass part 1x is discarded. As a result, the work involved in discarding the waste glass portion 1x can be simplified. In addition, since the work of pulling the glass strip 1 into the horizontal conveyance path R2, which is highly difficult and prone to cracking during the work, is no longer necessary, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks in the glass film strip 1. becomes. Further, according to this method, the following effects can be obtained as a side effect. That is, since the waste glass part 1x is removed downward from the lateral transport route R2, for example, as in the case where it is removed upward, the waste glass part 1x once removed from the lateral transport route R2 falls due to its own weight and is not transported horizontally. It becomes possible to accurately eliminate the possibility that the signal may remain on the route R2.

In addition, since the waste glass part 1x is dropped from the horizontal conveyance path R2, the moving speed of the waste glass part 1x is accelerated as it falls, and the waste glass part 1x is faster than the following band-shaped glass film 1 (G2). You will now be able to move around. Therefore, the distance between the rearmost part 1xb of the waste glass part 1x and the leading part G2a of the following band-shaped glass film 1 (G2) can be expanded, and it is possible to eliminate the situation where the two parts are close to each other. . As a result, it becomes possible to reliably distribute the paths of both the waste glass portion 1x and the following band-shaped glass film 1 (G2).

In particular, in this manufacturing method, in the cutting step, the roller 41 as a bending stress applying member is pressed against the band-shaped glass film 1 to curve it, so a large bending stress is applied to the band-shaped glass film 1 to ensure that the band-shaped glass film 1 is bent. It becomes possible to divide the glass film 1. On the other hand, if the bending stress imparting member 41 is omitted, the band-shaped glass film 1 that has reached the opening 18 simply bends downward due to its own weight. Even if the waste glass portion 1x is formed, the first division of the waste glass portion 1x does not necessarily occur, and the reliability of separation and disposal of the waste glass portion 1x decreases.

Moreover, since the first division of the glass ribbon film 1 can be performed simply by pressing the roller 41 against the glass ribbon film 1, it becomes possible to carry out the dividing operation using mechanical means that can be remotely controlled. Therefore, even in situations where it is not possible to allocate a large number of personnel to the production line, if an unexpected event occurs, such as a disturbance in the glass strip 1 during the forming process or trouble in the conveyance system, the system will be able to recognize it. By operating a switch by the operator, it is possible to immediately switch to the execution mode of the dividing process and the discarding process. Therefore, it is possible to prevent unexpected damage to the equipment or the band-shaped glass film due to a delay in starting the dividing process and the disposal process.

Here, the method for manufacturing a glass film according to the present invention is not limited to the aspects described in each of the above embodiments. For example, in the above description, the roller conveyor 9 is used when performing the conveyance direction changing step, but the present invention is not limited to this. The conveyance direction changing step may be performed by directly conveying the belt-shaped glass film being conveyed downward in the vertical direction to the belt conveyor 10 (horizontal conveyance path R2) without using the roller conveyor 9. In this case, the band-shaped glass film on the curved conveyance path R1 is in a state of being curved following the curved conveyance path R1 without being supported by any external object.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the cutting process is started by the operator's switch operation, but it is possible to arrange the occurrence of a phenomenon in the production line that requires switching to the execution mode of the cutting process and the disposal process. It is also possible to monitor the phenomenon using various sensors, and to automatically start the dividing process and the discarding process when the sensor detects the occurrence of the phenomenon.

1 Band-shaped glass film 1a Ineffective part 1b Effective part 1x Waste glass part 1xx Waste glass film 12 Plate-shaped body (opening/closing member)
18 Opening 20 Wound 30 Wounding device 40 Cutting device 41 Roller (bending stress applying member)
R1 Curved conveyance path R2 Horizontal conveyance path

Claims (8)

By forming the strip glass film while drawing it vertically downward, and by conveying the formed strip glass film along a curved conveyance path, the conveyance direction of the strip glass film is changed from the vertical downward direction to the lateral direction. A method for producing a glass strip film comprising: a step of changing the conveyance direction to change the conveyance direction; and a lateral conveyance step of laterally conveying the glass strip film whose conveyance direction has been changed by the curved conveyance path along a lateral conveyance path. ,
When discarding a part of the section along the longitudinal direction from the glass band film as a waste glass section, press a bending stress applying member against the glass band film to apply bending stress to the glass band film. performing a dividing step of separating the waste glass portion from the strip glass film, and a discarding step of removing the divided waste glass portion downward from the lateral conveyance path and discarding it;
The bending stress applying member is formed of a rotatable roller,
The roller is driven to rotate by contacting the preceding glass band film after cutting the glass band film.
A method for manufacturing a band-shaped glass film, characterized by the following. The method for manufacturing a glass band film according to claim 1 , wherein the bending stress applying member is pressed against an ineffective portion of the glass band film. The method for manufacturing a band-shaped glass film according to claim 2 , wherein the two bending stress applying members are attached to a common shaft. The band-shaped glass film according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein a scratching step is performed on the waste glass portion at an upstream side of the bending stress applying member to form scratches to assist in cutting the band-shaped glass film. Production method. The method for manufacturing a band-shaped glass film according to claim 4 , wherein a scratch is formed in the scratching step on a surface of the band-shaped glass film that is in contact with the bending stress applying member. The horizontal conveyance step includes a cutting and removal step of cutting and removing ineffective portions at both widthwise ends of the band-shaped glass film, and the dividing step and the discarding step are performed upstream of the cutting and removal step in the horizontal conveyance step. The method for producing a band-shaped glass film according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . Any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the lateral conveyance step is provided with a cutting device having an opening disposed below the lateral conveyance path, an opening/closing member for opening and closing the opening, and the bending stress applying member. A method for producing a band-shaped glass film according to item 1. According to claim 7 , in a state where the opening is closed by the opening/closing member, the widthwise central part of the glass ribbon film is floated from the horizontal conveyance path by blowing out gas from the opening/closing member, and the glass ribbon film is conveyed. The method for manufacturing the band-shaped glass film described above.

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