JP7424302B2 - Glass plate manufacturing method and manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass plate.

As is well known, glass plates are used in flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays and organic EL displays.

In the glass plate manufacturing process, first, a long glass ribbon is continuously formed. As the forming method, down-draw methods such as overflow down-draw method, slot down-draw method, redraw method, and float method are widely adopted.

Next, the glass ribbon is cut in the width direction every predetermined length, and a glass plate is cut out from the glass ribbon.

Thereafter, a glass plate is produced through various steps such as further cutting both ends in the width direction of the cut out glass plate and carrying out an inspection.

A plurality of glass plates manufactured in this way are transported to a predetermined position by a transport device, and are placed in a loading container (for example, a pallet or a case) by a loading device. (including the previous process) (for example, see Patent Document 1). Here, Patent Document 1 discloses that a loading device loads glass plates into a plurality of loading containers.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-30744

By the way, in the case of small glass plates, if even one defect that does not meet quality standards is found during the inspection process, the entire glass plate is often discarded as a defective product. However, such handling of large glass plates inevitably increases the probability of defects occurring, and also significantly increases the amount of glass lost through disposal. As a result, this causes a rise in manufacturing costs.

Therefore, if there is a defect in a part of the glass plate that does not meet quality standards, instead of taking a single large good glass plate during post-processing, a small good glass plate is taken from the part without the defect. It is sometimes treated as such. However, in this case, the proportion of glass plates of different quality mixedly being stored in one loading container increases. If the quality of the glass plate differs, aspects such as cutting patterns in post-processing often differ greatly. Therefore, if glass sheets of different quality are housed in a single loading container in a mixed state, a new problem arises in that post-processing cannot be efficiently performed on the glass sheets taken out from the loading container.

An object of the present invention is to enable efficient post-processing of glass plates stored in a loading container.

The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to the present invention, which was devised to solve the above problems, includes an inspection process of inspecting a plurality of glass plates, and a grading process of grading each glass plate based on the results of the inspection process. , a transport process for transporting the glass plates that have passed through the inspection process, and a loading process for taking out the glass plates from the transport route in the transport process and loading them into multiple loading containers. The loading container for loading the glass plate is selected according to the method. In this way, glass plates of the same quality are loaded in one loading container based on the grading results that reflect the results of the inspection process. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform post-processing on a plurality of glass plates stored in one loading container under substantially the same conditions.

In the above configuration, the rating of the glass plate to be loaded is set in advance in each of the plurality of loading containers, and in the loading process, the rating result is matched with the rating set in advance for the loading container. Preferably, a loading container for loading glass plates is selected. In this way, the quality of the glass plates stored in one loading container can be made more uniform.

In the above configuration, if the selected loading container is unacceptable so that the rating result matches the preset rating of the loading container, another loading container should be loaded with a lower rating. Preferably, the plates are stacked. In this way, even if a particular loading container cannot be accepted, the glass plates can be effectively utilized without being discarded. Here, it is assumed that the upper case is compatible with the lower case.

In the above configuration, in the transport process, if a loading container to be loaded cannot be selected, it is preferable to drop the glass plate on the transport route and discard it. Here, for example, it is conceivable to load the glass plates to be discarded into a loading container for disposal, but this would require a step of loading the glass plates into the loading container for disposal, which would complicate the disposal work. Further, equipment for loading glass plates to be discarded into a loading container for disposal is required, which increases equipment costs. On the other hand, with the above configuration, the glass plate can be dropped and disposed of on the transport route, so there is no need for the process of loading the glass plate into a loading container for disposal. No additional equipment is required.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the glass plate be disposed of at the most downstream part of the conveyance path. If the glass plate is disposed of on the upstream side of the conveyance route, it will be difficult to handle the glass plate if a problem occurs after passing through the disposal position. Such problems can be avoided by discarding the glass plate at the most downstream part of the conveyance path.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the glass plate is disposed of by dropping the glass plate on the transport route into a collection chamber provided below the transport route. This makes it difficult for glass powder generated in the collection chamber to enter the area where the glass plate is transported.

A glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, which was devised to solve the above problems, includes an inspection apparatus that inspects a plurality of glass plates, a conveyance apparatus that conveys glass plates that have been inspected by the inspection apparatus, and a conveyance apparatus. A loading device that picks up glass plates from the transport route and loads them into multiple loading containers, and a loading device that grades each glass plate based on the inspection results of an inspection device and loads the glass plates based on the grading results. A control unit for selecting a loading container. In this way, glass plates of the same quality are loaded in one loading container based on the grading results obtained from the inspection results of the inspection device. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently perform post-processing on a plurality of glass plates stored in one loading container under substantially the same conditions.

According to the present invention, since glass sheets of the same quality are stored in one loading container, post-processing can be efficiently performed on the glass sheets stored in the loading container.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. FIG. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the glass plate based on 3rd embodiment. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the glass plate based on 4th embodiment. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the glass plate based on 5th embodiment.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below based on the accompanying drawings.

(First embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the method for manufacturing a glass plate according to the first embodiment includes a forming process, a first cutting process, a delivery process, a second cutting process, an inspection process, and a conveyance process. , a loading process. That is, the glass plate manufacturing apparatus according to the first embodiment includes a forming zone (not shown), a first cutting zone 1, a delivery zone 2, a second cutting zone 3, an inspection zone 4, and a conveyance zone 5. and a loading zone 6. Note that each zone 1 to 6 is provided within a processing chamber 7 (eg, a clean room) that defines a space that can block contaminants from the outside to some extent.

In the forming zone, a forming process is performed in which a vertical glass ribbon (not shown) is continuously formed using an overflow down-draw method. The forming zone is a vertically extending space provided above the first cutting zone 1, and includes a first zone for forming a glass ribbon from molten glass and a second zone for slowly cooling (annealing) the glass ribbon. , and a third zone for cooling the glass ribbon, in order from the top. The molding method is not limited to the overflow downdraw method, and may be other downdraw methods such as a slot downdraw method or a redraw method, or a float method. In addition, in the case of the float method, the forming zone is provided not above the first cutting zone 1 but beside the first cutting zone 1.

In the first cutting zone 1, a first cutting step is carried out in which a glass plate G is obtained by cutting the glass ribbon in a predetermined length in the width direction while maintaining the vertical position. In the first cutting zone 1, a cutting device (not shown) forms a scribe line in the width direction at a predetermined position on the glass ribbon, and then cuts the glass ribbon by applying bending stress along the scribe line. Note that the method for cutting the glass ribbon is not limited to cutting using bending stress, and may be, for example, laser cutting or laser fusing.

The glass plate G is used, for example, as a substrate for a flat panel display. The thickness of the glass plate G is, for example, 0.2 mm to 10 mm, and the size of the glass plate G is, for example, 700 mm x 700 mm to 3000 mm x 3000 mm.

In the delivery zone 2, a delivery process is performed in which the glass plate G is delivered between different conveyance devices. In this embodiment, the glass plate G is transported between the transport device 8 that transports the glass sheet G from the first cutting zone 1 to the delivery zone 2 and the transport device 9 that transports the glass sheet G to a downstream zone of the delivery zone 2. Plate G is delivered. Note that a plurality of transfer zones may be provided between the first cutting zone 1 and the loading zone 6 for transferring the glass plates G between different conveyance devices.

The conveyance device 8 conveys the glass plate G along the thickness direction of the glass plate G while holding both widthwise ends of the glass plate G in the vertical position. On the other hand, the conveyance device 9 conveys the glass plate G in a horizontal direction (preferably horizontal direction) along the surface of the glass plate G while holding the upper end of the glass plate G in a vertical position and suspending it. That is, in this embodiment, in the delivery zone 2, the transport devices 8 and 9 are switched, and the transport direction of the glass plate G is also changed. Note that the transport devices 8 and 9 are capable of reciprocating within a predetermined range on the transport route. As a method for holding the glass plate G by the transport devices 8 and 9, for example, the glass plate G may be sucked or clamped (chucked). The manner in which the glass plates G are held by the conveyors 8 and 9 and the direction in which they are conveyed are not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate.

In the second cutting zone 3, a second cutting step is performed in which both ends of the glass plate G in the width direction are cut and removed in the vertical direction. In the second cutting zone 3, a cutting device (not shown) forms a vertical scribe line S at a predetermined position on the glass plate G, and then applies bending stress along the scribe line S to break the glass plate G. do. Note that both ends in the width direction of the glass plate G to be removed may include ears that are relatively thicker than the central part in the width direction. Furthermore, the method for cutting the glass ribbon is not limited to cutting using bending stress, and may be, for example, laser cutting or laser fusing.

In the inspection zone 4, an inspection process is performed in which a plurality of glass plates G are inspected continuously. In the present embodiment, in the inspection zone 4, one or more inspection devices 10 are used to measure the uneven thickness (thickness) of the glass plate G, to measure the lines (striae) on the glass plate G, and to measure the thickness of the glass plate G. The type (for example, bubbles, foreign matter, etc.), position (coordinates), and size of defects included in G are measured. The inspection results of the inspection device 10 are stored in a database together with the identification information of the glass plate G. Note that the inspection contents in the inspection zone 4 are not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate. Further, a marking zone may be provided downstream of the inspection zone 4 and upstream of the transport zone 5 for performing a marking process. In the marking zone, for example, a two-dimensional code or a one-dimensional code is printed on the glass plate G. The printed code indicates identification information of the glass plate G, and may include inspection results and the like.

In the conveyance zone 5, the conveyance device 9 carries out a conveyance process of conveying the glass plate G that has passed the inspection. In the conveyance zone 5, the glass plate G is conveyed in the horizontal direction along its surface by the conveyance device 9 while the upper end portion of the glass plate G in the vertical position is held.

In the loading zone 6, a loading process is carried out in which the glass plates G taken out from each of the delivery zones 5a to 5c of the conveyance zone 5 are sorted and loaded onto a plurality of pallets 11. In this embodiment, the loading zone 6 is divided into a plurality of zones 6a to 6c along the conveyance path in the conveyance zone 5. In the illustrated example, the transport zone 5 is provided with three delivery zones 5a to 5c, and the loading zone 6 is provided with three loading zones 6a to 6c corresponding to each delivery zone 5a to 5c. Note that the number of delivery zones and loading zones is not particularly limited.

A pallet 11 and a dedicated loading device 12 for loading glass plates G onto the pallet 11 are arranged in each loading zone 6a to 6c. Each loading device 12 is capable of reciprocating movement between each delivery zone 5a to 5c of the transport zone 5 and each loading zone 6a to 6c. Each loading device 12 transports the glass plate G along the thickness direction while holding (for example, suctioning or clamping) the upper end of the glass plate G in the vertical position, and also loads the glass plate G onto the pallet 11. Stack them in a vertical position. At this time, a protective sheet (not shown) such as a paper is interposed between the glass plates G on the pallet 11. Note that the manner in which the glass plate G is held by the loading device 12 and the direction in which it is conveyed are not particularly limited and can be changed as appropriate.

The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to the first embodiment further includes a grading step of grading each glass plate G based on the inspection results by the inspection device 10. The grading of the glass plates G is to classify the glass plates G determined to be non-defective based on the inspection results into a plurality of types according to quality. Glass plates G belonging to a higher rank have better quality than glass plates G belonging to a lower rank, and substantially the same post-processing can be performed on glass plates G belonging to the same rank.

In this embodiment, the inspection results of the inspection device 10 are input to the control unit 13, and the control unit 13 automatically determines the rating of each glass plate G based on the input inspection results. Note that the rating of each glass plate G may be determined based on the inspection results input by the operator.

The control unit 13 automatically selects the pallet 11 on which the glass plates G are to be loaded based on the grading results. Note that the operator may select the pallet 11 on which the glass plates G are to be loaded based on the grading results.

Specifically, the class of the glass plates G to be loaded on each pallet 11 is set in advance, and the control unit 13 is configured to match the rating result with the class set in advance for the pallet 11. , the pallet 11 on which the glass plates G are to be loaded is selected. In this embodiment, since control is easy, the plurality of pallets 11 are arranged in a manner in which the rank decreases from the upstream side or in a manner in which the rank increases in order from the upstream side. This arrangement also includes a case where a plurality of pallets 11 of the same rank are adjacent to each other. Then, the transport device 9 and the loading device 12 operate to load the glass plates G onto the pallet 11 selected by the control unit 13. For example, when the control unit 13 selects the pallet 11 arranged in the loading zone 6a based on the grading result, after the conveyance device 9 conveys the glass plate G to the delivery zone 5a, the loading device 12 The glass plate G is received and conveyed to the pallet 11 arranged in the loading zone 6a. In this way, glass plates G of the same quality are loaded on each pallet 11 based on the grading results that reflect the results of the inspection process. Therefore, it becomes possible to efficiently perform post-processing on the glass plates G stored in the same pallet 11 under substantially the same conditions.

However, if the takt time of the transport device 9 and the takt time of the loading device 12 are different, the loading of the preceding glass plate G has not been completed on the pallet 11 selected by the control unit 13 based on the grading result. , the subsequent glass plate G may not be loaded. Similarly, if a trouble occurs in the loading device 12 or the like, the glass plate G may not be loaded onto the pallet 11 selected by the control unit 13 based on the grading result.

If the pallet 11 selected in this manner cannot be accepted, the control unit 13 reselects another pallet 11 on which to load the lower order. In this case, the control unit 13 confirms in advance that the upper case is compatible with the lower case. Here, if the area where good glass plates are collected in the upper case includes the area where good glass plates are collected in the lower case, it is determined that the upper case is compatible with the lower case. . Specifically, for example, if the higher rank is the target for collecting one large good glass plate from the glass plate G, and the lower rank is the target for collecting the right half of the glass plate G as a good glass plate. etc. After the compatibility is confirmed, the transport device 9 and the loading device 12 operate to load the glass plate G onto the pallet 11 of the lower rank reselected by the control unit 13. In this way, even if a specific pallet 11 cannot be accepted, the glass plate G is loaded on a pallet 11 of a lower rank than that specific pallet 11, so the glass plate G can be effectively used without being discarded. can.

In the method for manufacturing a glass plate according to the first embodiment, when a waste glass plate Gx (including both non-defective glass plates and defective glass plates) to be discarded is generated among the glass plates G, the waste glass plate Gx The system further includes a disposal process for discarding. In this embodiment, the disposal process is carried out at two locations: inspection zone 4 or its downstream side and upstream of loading zone 6 (first disposal process), and upstream of inspection zone 4 (second disposal process). Ru.

In the disposal process on the upstream side of the inspection zone 4, the waste glass plate Gx is dropped by dropping it into a collection chamber (disposal section) 15 provided below the processing chamber 7 through the upstream disposal port 14. On the other hand, in the disposal process in the inspection zone 4 or its downstream side and upstream of the loading zone 6, the waste glass plate Gx is disposed of by dropping it into the collection chamber 15 provided on the floor below the processing chamber 7 through the downstream disposal port 16. . Note that the processing chamber 7 and the recovery chamber 15 are spaces separated by a floor surface (floor surface of the processing chamber 7) 17. For example, the processing chamber 7 is provided on the second floor of the building, and the recovery chamber 15 is provided on the first floor of the building.

The waste glass plate Gx drops into the recovery chamber 15 by releasing the holding by the transport devices 8 and 9 above the corresponding waste ports 14 and 16.

The upstream waste port 14 is provided on the floor surface 17 of the delivery zone 2 in this embodiment.

The timing for discarding the waste glass plate Gx through the upstream disposal port 14 may be, for example, when starting up the forming zone, when a forming defect occurs in the forming zone, when a cutting defect occurs in the first cutting zone 1, or when there is a problem, etc. An example of this is when the glass plate G cannot be accepted in the downstream process.

In this embodiment, the downstream waste port 16 is provided on the floor surface 17 of the delivery zone 5c for supplying the glass plate G to the pallet 11 disposed at the most downstream part of the conveyance route in the conveyance zone 5, that is, the most downstream position. It is being If the waste glass plate Gx is disposed of on the upstream side of the transport route in the transport zone 5, it will be difficult to handle the waste glass plate Gx if a trouble occurs after passing through the disposal position. Such a problem can be avoided by discarding the waste glass plate Gx at the most downstream part of the conveyance path in the conveyance zone 5 as described above.

The timing for discarding the waste glass plate Gx through the downstream disposal port 16 is when the pallet 11 to be loaded cannot be selected. Examples of times when the pallet 11 to be loaded cannot be selected include when the glass plate G is determined to be defective by the inspection by the inspection device 10, or when the glass plate G cannot be accepted on all the pallets 11 due to trouble etc. Can be mentioned.

The recovery chamber 15 may be a separate space with a portion corresponding to the upstream waste port 14 and a portion corresponding to the downstream waste port 16, but in this embodiment, they are the same space. In this way, the collection chamber 15 corresponding to the two waste ports 14 and 16 can be shared, so equipment costs can be reduced.

Inside the collection chamber 15, a bottomed cylindrical collection container 18 for receiving the falling waste glass plate Gx is arranged directly below each of the upstream waste port 14 and the downstream waste port 16. A nonflammable liquid such as water may be stored inside the collection container 18 in order to prevent scattering of glass fragments (including glass powder) generated from the waste glass plate Gx broken by the impact of the fall. .

The upstream waste port 14 and the downstream waste port 16 are provided with an opening/closing mechanism (not shown) that can open and close the openings. In this way, glass powder generated from the waste glass plate Gx can be physically prevented from entering the processing chamber 7 from the collection chamber 15. Note that if there is no problem of glass powder entering the processing chamber 7, such as when the ceiling of the collection chamber 15 (that is, the floor surface 17) is sufficiently high, the opening/closing mechanism may be omitted.

The atmospheric pressure in the recovery chamber 15 is preferably lower than the atmospheric pressure in the processing chamber 7. This makes it difficult for the gas in the recovery chamber 15 to enter the processing chamber 7. Therefore, the glass powder in the recovery chamber 15 becomes difficult to enter the processing chamber 7 together with the gas. In this case, for example, by arranging an air blower in the processing chamber 7 and/or arranging a dust collector in the recovery chamber 15, the air pressure in the upper and lower spaces can be adjusted. Note that the dust collector is preferably placed near the waste ports 14 and 16 in the collection chamber 15.

(Second embodiment)
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the difference between the glass plate manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the second embodiment from the first embodiment is that the downstream waste port 16 is located at the most upstream part of the conveyance zone 5, i.e. , is a point provided on the floor surface 17 of the delivery zone 5a for supplying the glass plates G to the most upstream pallet 11.

When the downstream waste port 16 is provided at the most upstream part of the transport zone 5 in this way, compared to the first embodiment in which the downstream waste port 16 is provided at the most downstream part of the transport zone 5, the downstream waste port 16 is placed at the upstream waste port 14. can be approached. Therefore, when the collection chamber 15 corresponding to the upstream waste port 14 and the downstream waste port 16 is shared, the space of the shared collection chamber 15 can be reduced. As a result, equipment costs can be reduced. Furthermore, for example, a clean room 19 or the like separated from the collection chamber 15 may be provided in a space created on the same floor as the collection chamber 15 due to the space saving of the collection chamber 15. Note that the clean room 19 can store, for example, a pallet 11 containing glass plates G.

(Third embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 5, the difference between the glass sheet manufacturing apparatus and the manufacturing method according to the third embodiment from the first and second embodiments is that the conveyance zone 5 serves as a delivery zone. The point is that only zones 5a to 5b are provided.

In this case, the downstream waste port 16 is provided, for example, on the floor surface of the upstream delivery zone 5a (or the downstream delivery zone 5b).

(Fourth embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 6, the difference between the glass plate manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment from the first to third embodiments is that the conveyance zone 5 serves as a delivery zone. It has zones 5a to 5d.

In this case, the downstream waste port 16 is provided, for example, on the floor surface of the intermediate delivery zone 5b (or delivery zone 5c) between the most upstream delivery zone 5a and the most downstream delivery zone 5d.

Note that even when the transport zone 5 includes four delivery zones 5a to 5d, the downstream waste port 16 is provided on the floor surface of the most upstream delivery zone 5a or the most downstream delivery zone 5d. It's okay. Further, as illustrated in the first embodiment and the second embodiment, even when the conveyance zone 5 includes three delivery zones 5a to 5c, the downstream waste port 16 is connected to the delivery zone 5a at the most upstream part, It may be provided on the floor surface of the intermediate delivery zone 5b between the delivery zone 5c at the most downstream part.

(Fifth embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 7, the difference between the glass plate manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method according to the fifth embodiment from the first to fourth embodiments is that the upstream waste port 14 is placed on the floor of the first cutting zone 1. This is a point provided on surface 17. In this way, since the upstream disposal port 14 is provided on the floor surface 17 of the first cutting zone 1 located directly below the forming zone, if a glass ribbon (waste glass plate) to be discarded is generated due to the forming zone. In addition, the glass ribbon can be easily dropped from the forming zone into the collection chamber 15 and disposed of.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the case where the glass plate G is conveyed in a vertical position has been described, but the manner in which the glass plate is conveyed is not particularly limited. For example, the glass plate G is transported in a horizontal position (preferably horizontal position ) or in an inclined position.

In the above embodiment, a pallet was described in which glass plates are piled up in a vertical position, but the loading container in which the glass plates are loaded is not particularly limited. ), or a case with grooves that can store the glass plates G at intervals, etc. may be used.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which waste ports are provided on the upstream side and the downstream side of the inspection zone, but the position and number of the waste ports are not particularly limited. For example, the waste port on the upstream side of the inspection zone may be omitted, or the waste port on the downstream side of the test zone may be omitted. Alternatively, the waste port may be provided on the floor of the inspection zone.

In the embodiment described above, a bottomed cylindrical collection container may be disposed in the processing chamber in which the glass plate transport zone is provided, and the glass plate may be dropped into the collection container and disposed of.

In the embodiments described above, a loading container for disposal (such as a pallet or a case) may be arranged in the loading zone, and glass plates to be discarded may be loaded into the loading container for disposal.

1 First cutting zone 2 Delivery zone 3 Second cutting zone 4 Inspection zone 5 Transport zone 6 Loading zone 7 Processing chamber 8 Transport device 9 Transport device 10 Inspection device 11 Pallet 12 Loading device 13 Control section 14 Upstream waste port 15 Collection chamber 16 Downstream waste port 17 Floor surface 18 Collection container 19 Clean room G Glass plate Gx Waste glass plate

Claims (7)

A conveying process for conveying multiple glass plates;
an inspection step of inspecting the glass plate on the conveyance path of the conveyance step ;
a grading step of grading the glass plate based on the results of the inspection step ;
a loading step of taking out the glass plate that has undergone the inspection step from the transportation route of the transportation step and loading it into a plurality of loading containers;
A method for manufacturing a glass plate, wherein in the loading step, the loading container in which the glass plate is to be loaded is selected based on the result of the grading. In each of the plurality of loading containers, the grade of the glass plate to be loaded is set in advance,
According to claim 1, in the loading step, the loading container for loading the glass plate is selected so that the result of the grading matches a rating set in advance for the loading container. A method of manufacturing the described glass plate. If the loading container selected such that the rating result matches the rating preset for the loading container is unacceptable, the glass is transferred to another loading container to be loaded with a lower rating. 3. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to claim 2, further comprising stacking the plates. The glass according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that in the conveyance step, when the loading container to be loaded cannot be selected, the glass plate is dropped on the conveyance path and discarded. Method of manufacturing the board. 5. The method for manufacturing a glass plate according to claim 4, wherein the glass plate is discarded at the most downstream part of the conveyance path. The glass plate according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the glass plate is disposed of by dropping the glass plate on the transport route into a collection chamber provided below the transport route. Production method. a conveyance device that conveys a plurality of glass plates;
an inspection device that inspects the glass plate on the conveyance path of the conveyance device ;
a control unit that ranks the glass plate based on the inspection results of the inspection device;
a loading device that takes out the glass plate inspected by the inspection device from the transportation path of the transportation device and loads it into a plurality of loading containers;
A glass plate manufacturing apparatus , wherein the control unit is configured so that the loading device selects the loading container in which the glass plate is loaded based on the grading result .

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