JPWO2019138990A1 - Manufacturing method and equipment for glass articles and glass articles - Google Patents

Abstract

In the method of manufacturing a glass article, the mother glass G2 is cut by irradiating the main surface G2a of the mother glass G2 with a laser beam L3 along the planned cutting line CL. The laser beam L3 is irradiated in a line shape having a length LL and a width LW. In the step of cutting the mother glass G2, the mother glass G2 is cut by expanding the irradiation portion G2e of the laser beam L3 in the mother glass G2 with the heat of the laser beam L3.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a glass article by cutting the mother glass with a laser beam, a manufacturing apparatus thereof, and the glass article.

Generally, as a method of cutting a glass article such as a glass plate, a scribing step of engraving a scribing line of a predetermined depth on the surface of a large-sized mother glass plate (glass substrate) with a diamond chip, and after this scribing step Some have a break process for dividing the mother glass plate by applying a bending moment so as to straddle the scribe line.

As an improved example of the above-mentioned cutting method, Patent Document 1 describes a substrate holding step of adsorbing a mother glass plate to a suction stage and a crack forming step of bringing a wheel cutter into contact with an end portion of the mother glass plate to generate an initial crack. The process of forming a linear scribing line (scribing line forming step) and moving the dividing unit along the scribing line by applying compressive stress to the mother glass plate and scanning the scribing line forming unit. As a result, a process including a process of dividing the mother glass plate (division process) is disclosed.

The scribe line forming unit includes a laser beam output unit and a cooling medium output unit. In the scribe line forming step, the scribing line forming unit is attached to one end of the mother glass plate while irradiating the mother glass plate with laser light (laser beam) from the laser beam output unit and injecting cooling water from the cooling medium output unit. A scribing line is formed on the mother glass plate by scanning along the scanning line from (the end portion where the initial crack is formed) to the other end portion.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-199553

As described above, in the conventional cutting method of the mother glass plate, the scribe line is formed on the mother glass plate by scanning the laser beam output unit and the cooling medium output unit of the scribe line forming unit along the scanning line. When the mother glass plate is cut by scanning the laser beam, the cutting speed (cutting time) of the mother glass plate is limited by the scanning speed (scanning time) of the laser beam. From this, if the mother glass plate can be irradiated and cut without scanning the laser beam, the cutting speed can be dramatically increased.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a glass article capable of cutting a mother glass at a high speed, and a glass article.

The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned problems, and in a method for manufacturing a glass article, which comprises a step of cutting a mother glass by irradiating a laser beam along a planned cutting line, the laser beam is long. The step of cutting the mother glass by irradiating the mother glass in a line shape having a width and width is characterized in that the mother glass is cut by expanding the irradiated portion of the laser light in the mother glass with the heat of the laser light. And.

According to such a configuration, by irradiating the planned cutting line set on the mother glass with a line-shaped laser beam, the mother glass can be cut without scanning the laser beam. As a result, the time required for cutting the mother glass can be shortened, and high-speed cutting of the mother glass can be realized.

The mother glass is a glass plate, and it is desirable that the length of the line-shaped laser beam is equal to or longer than the length of the planned cutting line in the mother glass. In this way, by irradiating the entire range of the cut portion of the mother glass with a line-shaped laser beam, the mother glass can be reliably cut.

In the step of cutting the mother glass, it is desirable to heat the irradiation site of the laser beam on the mother glass to the strain point or more and the softening point or less of the mother glass. As a result, the laser beam can be reliably expanded without melting the irradiated portion of the mother glass.

In a preferred embodiment, the mother glass has a coefficient of thermal expansion in the range of 30 to 380 ° C. of 70 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. to 150 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. Further, in a desirable embodiment, the thickness of the mother glass is 0.05 to 5 mm. Further, it is desirable that the length of the laser beam is 5 to 1200 mm.

In the above manufacturing method, the mother glass has a first main surface and a second main surface, and the step of cutting the mother glass is performed by adsorbing or adhering the second main surface of the mother glass. It is desirable to irradiate the laser beam from the first main surface side in a supported state. By cutting while supporting the mother glass in this way, high-precision cutting can be realized.

It is desirable to irradiate the mother glass with one end in the longitudinal direction of the laser beam before the other end. As a result, cracks can be propagated from the portion irradiated with one end of the laser beam toward the portion irradiated with the other end of the laser beam. By regulating the cutting direction of the mother glass in this way, the cutting quality can be stabilized. Further, the laser beam may be a pulsed laser beam. When the mother glass is cut by the pulse laser light, the thickness of the mother glass can be 1 mm or less, and the pulse width can be 110 to 1000 ns.

In a preferred embodiment, the mother glass is composed of a phosphate-based glass or a fluoride-based glass.

It is desirable that the step of cutting the mother glass includes a step of forming an initial crack at one end on the planned cutting line before irradiating the laser beam. By irradiating the mother glass with a line-shaped laser beam, the initial crack can be propagated along the planned cutting line.

Further, in the method for producing a glass article according to the present invention, the step of cutting the mother glass includes a step of cutting the single-wafered mother glass plate, and the sheet is before the step of cutting the single-wafered mother glass plate. A film forming step of forming an infrared reflective film on the surface of the leaf-shaped mother glass plate may be provided. By forming an infrared reflective film on the surface of the single-wafered mother glass plate and then cutting the single-wafered mother glass plate, a glass article having an infrared reflective film can be efficiently manufactured.

Further, in the method for producing a glass article according to the present invention, in the step of cutting the mother glass, a glass plate having a side of 1 to 30 mm can be formed by cutting the mother glass.

The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned problems, and in a glass article manufacturing apparatus including a cutting portion for cutting a mother glass by irradiating a laser beam, the cutting portion has a length and a width. The mother glass is characterized by irradiating the laser beam along a planned cutting line set on the mother glass and expanding the irradiation portion of the laser beam on the mother glass to cut the mother glass.

According to such a configuration, by irradiating the planned cutting line set on the mother glass with a line-shaped laser beam from the cutting portion, the mother glass can be cut without scanning the laser beam. As a result, the time required for cutting the mother glass can be shortened, and high-speed cutting of the mother glass can be realized.

The glass article according to the present invention is characterized by having a fire-made surface on an end face and having a side of 1 to 30 mm, and being a glass plate made of phosphate-based glass or fluorinated glass.

According to the present invention, the mother glass can be cut at high speed.

It is a side view which shows the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article in 1st Embodiment. It is a perspective view of the third cut part. It is a side view of the third cut part. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is sectional drawing which shows one step in the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is sectional drawing which shows one step in the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a top view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a perspective view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a side view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a side view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a side view which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 6th Embodiment. It is a top view which shows one process which concerns on the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one process which concerns on the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view which shows one process which concerns on the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is a top view of a glass article. It is sectional drawing which shows one step of the manufacturing method of the glass article which concerns on 7th Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows one process which concerns on the manufacturing method of a glass article. It is sectional drawing which shows one process which concerns on the manufacturing method of a glass article.

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 6 show a method for manufacturing a glass plate and a first embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a molding unit 2 for molding the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1, a direction changing portion 3 for converting the traveling direction of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 from the lower vertical direction to the horizontal direction, and directions. A transport unit 4 that laterally conveys the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 after conversion, a first cutting portion 5 that cuts the widthwise end (ear portion) of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1, and a downstream side of the first cutting portion 5. The second cutting portion 6 for forming the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 by cutting the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 and the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 are further cut to form the glass plate G3 which is a glass article. (3) A cutting portion 7 is provided.

The molding portion 2 has a substantially wedge-shaped molded body 8 having an overflow groove 8a formed at the upper end thereof, and an edge that is arranged directly under the molded body 8 and sandwiches the molten glass GM overflowing from the molded body 8 from both the front and back sides. The roller 9 and the annealer 10 deployed directly under the edge roller 9 are provided.

The molding unit 2 causes the molten glass GM that overflows from above the overflow groove 8a of the molded body 8 to flow down along both side surfaces and merges at the lower end portions thereof to form a film. The edge roller 9 regulates the shrinkage of the molten glass GM in the width direction to form a strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 having a predetermined width. The annealer 10 is for performing a strain-removing treatment on the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. The annealer 10 has an annealer roller 11 arranged in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction.

Below the annealer 10, a support roller 12 for sandwiching the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 from both the front and back sides is arranged. A tension is applied between the support roller 12 and the edge roller 9, or between the support roller 12 and any one of the annealing rollers 11 to help thin the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1.

The direction changing unit 3 is provided at a position below the support roller 12. A plurality of guide rollers 13 for guiding the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 are arranged in a curved shape in the direction changing unit 3. These guide rollers 13 guide the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 conveyed in the vertical direction in the lateral direction.

The transport unit 4 is arranged in front (downstream side) of the direction changing unit 3 in the traveling direction. The transport unit 4 is composed of a belt conveyor, but is not limited to this configuration, and a roller conveyor or other various transport devices can be used. The transport unit 4 continuously transports the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 that has passed through the direction changing portion 3 to the downstream side by driving the endless belt-shaped belt 4a. Further, the transport unit 4 transports the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 formed by cutting the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 from the second cutting portion 6 toward the third cutting portion 7.

Each of the first cutting section 5 to the third cutting section 7 includes laser irradiation devices 14 to 16. Hereinafter, the laser irradiation device of the first cutting portion 5 is referred to as a first laser irradiation device 14, and the laser irradiation device of the second cutting portion 6 is referred to as a second laser irradiation device 15. Further, the laser irradiation device of the third cutting portion 7 is referred to as a third laser irradiation device 16. Each of the laser irradiation devices 14 to 16 irradiates the mother glass plates G1 and G2 with line-shaped laser beams L1 to L3.

The first cut portion 5 removes a thick portion (ear portion) formed at the widthwise end portion of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. The first laser irradiation device 14 of the first cutting portion 5 irradiates a line-shaped laser beam L1 to a portion inward in the width direction from the ear portion. The line-shaped laser beam L1 is irradiated along the longitudinal direction (transportation direction) of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. The first cutting portion 5 has at least a pair of first laser irradiation devices 14 in order to remove the ears at both ends in the width direction of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1.

The second laser irradiation device 15 of the second cutting portion 6 has a line shape along the width direction of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 from which the ear portion has been removed, that is, in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. Irradiate the laser beam L2. It is desirable that the length of the line-shaped laser beam L2 is set to be larger than the width dimension of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 after the selvage portion is removed.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the third cutting portion 7 includes a surface plate 17 on which the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 is placed, and a support base 18 for supporting the surface plate 17.

A spacer 19 is arranged between the surface plate 17 and the support base 18. The spacer 19 is a means for setting the surface plate 17 in an inclined posture. The means for inclining the surface plate 17 is not limited to the spacer 19, and may be configured by means for changing the angle of the upper surface of the surface plate 17, an elevating mechanism for moving a part of the surface plate 17 in the vertical direction, or the like.

The inclination angle of the upper surface of the surface plate 17 with respect to the horizontal direction is preferably 0.05 to 5 °. By being supported by the surface plate 17, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is tilted so that one end G2c is located above the other end G2d (see FIG. 3).

The thickness of the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 (or strip-shaped mother glass plate G1) is preferably 0.05 to 5 mm. It is desirable that the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 (or strip-shaped mother glass plate G1) has a coefficient of thermal expansion in the range of 30 to 380 ° C. of 70 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. to 150 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. Further, it is desirable that the thermal conductivity of the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 (or strip-shaped mother glass plate G1) is 0.5 to 1.4 W / m · K at 25 ° C.

The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 has a first main surface G2a and a second main surface G2b. A protective sheet 20 is attached to the second main surface G2b of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. The protective sheet 20 has an area equal to or larger than the area of the second main surface G2b, but is not limited to this, and may have an area smaller than the area of the second main surface G2b. In the present embodiment, the protective sheet 20 is made of a tape having an adhesive surface, but is not limited to this, and may be made of a resin sheet, a glass sheet or other sheet material. The protective sheet 20 may be adhered to the second main surface G2b via an adhesive. The protective sheet 20 prevents the fragmented pieces or the glass plate G3, which is a glass article, from scattering when the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is cut by the third cutting portion 7.

A linear planned cutting line CL is virtually set on the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. The planned cutting line CL is a straight line from one end G2c of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 to the other end G2d. One end SP on the planned cutting line CL is the cutting start end, and the other end EP is the cutting end.

Each of the laser irradiation devices 14 to 16 emits line-shaped laser beams L1 to L3 via a built-in optical system. The laser irradiation devices 14 to 16 according to the present embodiment are configured to irradiate CO ₂ laser light, but are not limited to this configuration.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the length LL of the laser beams L1 to L3 emitted by the laser irradiation devices 14 to 16 is preferably set in the range of 5 to 1200 mm. The width LW of the laser beams L1 to L3 is preferably set in the range of 0.5 to 5 mm. The output of the laser beams L1 to L3 is set in the range of 100 to 600 W, preferably 100 to 300 W, but is not limited to this range. Each laser irradiation device 14 to 16 can emit pulsed laser light. In this case, the pulse width of the laser beams L1 to L3 is set to 100 to 300 ms, but is not limited to this range. For example, when cutting the mother glass plates G1 and G2 having a thickness of 1 mm or less, the pulse width of the pulsed laser beams L1 to L3 can be 110 to 1000 ns.

Examples of the material of the mother glass plates G1 and G2 include glass made of sulfate-based glass, fluoric acid-based glass, and phosphate-based glass. In particular, sulfur phosphate-based glass, futuric acid-based glass, and phosphate-based glass containing CuO are preferably used. The glass article (glass plate G3) produced by these materials is suitably used as infrared absorbing glass.

Examples of the sulfurized phosphate glass include P ₂ O ₅ 20 to 70%, SO ₃ 1 to 25%, Zn O 10 to 50%, and R ₂ O 1 to 30% in mass% (R is Li, Na, Glass containing the basic composition of any of K) can be used.

Examples of the fluorinated glass include F ^- 5 to 70% O ^{2 to} 30 to 95% in% anion, P ⁵⁺ 20 to 50% in% cation, and 0.2 to 20% Al ³⁺ . Contains a basic composition of R ⁺ 1 to 30% (R is any of Li, Na, K) and R'2 ⁺ 1 to 50% (R'is any of Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba). Glass can be used.

As the phosphate-based glass, for example, P ₂ O ₅ 20 to 70%, Al ₂ O ₃ 1 to 20%, and R ₂ O 0 to 30% in mass% (R is any of Li, Na, and K). , R'O 0 to 40% (R'is any of Zn, Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba), and glass containing a basic composition can be used.

The content of CuO in each of the above glasses is preferably 0.1 to 15 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by mass, and further preferably 2 to 2 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the base glass. It is 8 parts by mass.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present embodiment will be described. In this method, as shown in FIG. 4, a molding step S1 for molding the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 by the molding portion 2 and a first cutting step S2 for cutting the widthwise end portion (ear portion) of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. After the first cutting step S2, the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 is cut to form the single-wafered mother glass plate G2, and the second cutting step S3 and the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 are cut to form a glass plate as a glass article. A third cutting step S4 for forming G3 is provided.

In the molding step S1, the molten glass GM overflowing from the overflow groove 8a of the molded body 8 in the molded body 2 is allowed to flow down along both side surfaces of the molded body 8 and merged at the lower ends thereof to form a plate. At this time, the shrinkage of the molten glass GM in the width direction is regulated by the edge roller 9 to obtain a strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 having a predetermined width. Then, the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 is subjected to a strain-removing treatment by the annealing 10 (slow cooling step). The strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 is formed to a predetermined thickness by the tension of the support roller 12.

In the first cutting step S2, the band-shaped mother glass plate G1 is sent to the downstream side by the direction changing unit 3 and the transporting unit 4, and the line-shaped laser beam L1 of the first laser irradiation device 14 is band-shaped in the first cutting unit 5. Irradiate the part inside the widthwise end (ear) of the glass plate. As a result, the selvage portion as the non-product portion is separated from the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 as the product portion.

In the second cutting step S3, the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 from which the ears have been removed is irradiated with the line-shaped laser beam L2 from the second laser irradiating device 15. The length of the laser beam L2 is set to be equal to or greater than the width of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1. As a result, a part of the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 is cut to form the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2. The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is transported to the downstream side by the transport unit 4, and then placed on the surface plate 17 of the third cutting unit 7.

In the third cutting step S4, the protective sheet 20 is attached to the second main surface G2b of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. After that, the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 is placed on the surface plate 17. In this case, the protective sheet 20 comes into contact with the upper surface of the surface plate 17. The surface plate 17 and the spacer 19 support the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 in an inclined posture by the surface plate 17. Prior to the irradiation of the laser beam L3 by the third laser irradiation device 16 of the third cutting portion 7, a part of one end portion G2c on the planned cutting line CL on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2, that is, the cutting start end portion SP. The initial crack FC is formed (initial crack forming step). The initial crack FC is preferably a microcrack. Here, the microcrack means a minute crack having a depth of 1 to 90 μm. The initial crack FC is formed by, for example, bringing a diamond chip DT into contact with the cutting start end SP at the planned cutting line CL of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2.

After that, the line-shaped laser beam L3 is irradiated from the third laser irradiation device 16 to the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 on the surface plate 17. As shown in FIG. 3, the laser beam L3 is irradiated linearly along the irradiation surface. The length LL of the laser beam L3 is set to be longer than the length L of the planned cutting line CL of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Therefore, the laser beam L3 irradiates the entire range of the cut portion of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. Since the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is in an inclined posture, one end L3a of the laser beam L3 in the longitudinal direction reaches the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 before the other end L3b. To do. After that, the laser beam L3 reaches the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 in the order of the middle portion in the longitudinal direction and the other end portion L3b. According to such an irradiation mode of the laser beam L3, in the single-wafered mother glass plate G2, the cutting start end SP of the planned cutting line CL is heated before the cutting end end EP.

As shown in FIG. 5, the portion G2e of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 irradiated with the laser beam L3 expands without being melted by the heating of the laser beam L3. In order to expand the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 without melting it, it is desirable that the heating temperature of the irradiation site G2e by the laser beam L3 is equal to or more than the strain point of the single-leaf mother glass plate G2 and not more than the softening point. The irradiation time of the laser beam L3 is set to 100 to 300 ms, but is not limited to this range. Further, when the pulsed laser beam is used as the irradiation of the laser beam L3, the irradiation may be performed a plurality of times with a predetermined pulse width and a predetermined frequency in addition to the single irradiation.

In the single-wafered mother glass plate G2, the irradiation site G2e of the laser beam L3 is heated and thermally expanded, so that thermal stress is generated in the irradiation site G2e. Since the laser beam L3 is applied to the cutting start end SP before the cutting end EP, the above stress is applied to the initial crack FC of the cutting start end SP before the cutting end EP. It works. As a result, the crack FC propagates toward the cut end end EP along the planned cutting line CL. When the crack reaches the end end EP of cutting, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is divided (divided) (see FIG. 6). As described above, the glass plate G3 (glass article) having the desired dimensions is formed. At least a part of the end faces (cut faces) of the four sides of the glass plate G3 formed in this way has a fire-making surface by heating the laser beam L3.

According to the method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to the present embodiment described above, by irradiating the scheduled cutting line CL set on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 with the line-shaped laser beam L3, the first (3) The third laser irradiation device 16 of the cutting unit 7 can cut the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 without scanning the laser beam L3. Similarly, in the online process by the first cutting section 5 and the second cutting section 6, the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 can be cut without scanning the laser beams L1 and L2. Therefore, the time required for cutting the mother glass plates G1 and G2 can be shortened, and high-speed cutting of the mother glass plates G1 and G2 can be realized.

7 to 11 show a method for manufacturing a glass article and a second embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus. In the present embodiment, the configuration of the third cutting step S4 is different from that of the first embodiment. In the first embodiment, the initial crack FC was formed by contacting the diamond chip DT only with the cutting start end SP, but in the present embodiment, the single-wafer mother glass plate G2 is cut using the diamond chip DT ( After the splitting), cutting by the third laser irradiation device 16 is performed.

Specifically, in the third cutting step S4, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the diamond chip DT is brought into contact with the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 and is set on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. (1) Move along the planned cutting line CL1. As a result, a scribe line along the first planned cutting line CL1 is formed on the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2. By applying bending stress to this scribe line, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is divided as shown in FIG. A new end portion G2f is formed on the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 by this cutting. A large number of microcracks are formed on the new end G2f by the diamond chip DT as described above. In the present embodiment, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is further cut by utilizing the microcracks. That is, this new end portion G2f includes the cutting start end portion SP of the second planned cutting line CL2 at the time of cutting by the next laser beam L3.

After that, as shown in FIG. 9, the protective sheet 20 is attached to the sheet-fed mother glass plate G2. Next, the line-shaped laser beam L3 is irradiated along the second planned cutting line CL2 set on the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2. The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is supported by the surface plate 17 (not shown) in an inclined posture as in the first embodiment. The second planned cutting line CL2 is on the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 so as to intersect (orthogonally) the cutting start end SP (new end G2f) at a predetermined angle (for example, 90 degrees). Set. When the laser beam L3 is irradiated, a microcrack at the cutting start end SP develops along the second planned cutting line CL2 (see FIG. 10), and this crack is scheduled for the second cutting, as in the first embodiment. When the cut end end EP of the line CL2 is reached, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is divided as shown in FIG. 11, and the glass plate G3 is formed.

In the present embodiment, a scribe line is formed by the diamond chip DT, and the microcracks remaining after the fracture are used as the starting point of crack growth, thereby preferably cutting the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 by the subsequent laser beam L3. be able to.

FIG. 12 shows a third embodiment of a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a glass article. In the present embodiment, in the third cutting step S4, the length LL of the laser beam L3 emitted from the third laser irradiation device 16 in the third cutting portion 7 is set shorter than that in the case of the first embodiment. Specifically, the length LL of the laser beam L3 is shorter than the length L (distance from the cutting start end SP to the cutting end EP) of the planned cutting line CL of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. It is desirable that the length LL of the laser beam L3 is set to 90% or more of the length L of the planned cutting line CL.

It is desirable that the separation distance D1 between one end L3a of the laser beam L3 in the longitudinal direction and the cutting start end SP of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is 0.01 to 20 mm. Further, it is desirable that the separation distance D2 between the other end L3b of the laser beam L3 and the cutting end end EP of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is 0.01 to 20 mm. Other configurations of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Also in this embodiment, the same effects as those in the first embodiment are obtained.

FIG. 13 shows a fourth embodiment of a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a glass article. In the present embodiment, the surface plate 17 of the third cutting portion 7 is placed on the support base 18 without using the spacer 19. Therefore, the upper surface of the surface plate 17 supports the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 in a horizontal posture. As a result, the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is arranged along the horizontal direction without the first main surface G2a and the second main surface G2b being inclined.

The third laser irradiation device 16 of the third cutting portion 7 transmits the laser light L3 so that one end L3a of the laser light L3 in the longitudinal direction reaches the first main surface G2a before the other end L3b. Irradiate in an inclined manner. That is, the third laser irradiation device 16 emits one end L3a of the laser beam L3 ahead of the other end L3b. The inclination angle θ of the laser beam L3 (the angle formed by the optical axis OA of the laser beam L3 and the first main surface G2a) is preferably set to 85 to 89.95 °, but is limited to this range. is not. After irradiation with the laser beam L3, cracks propagate from the cutting start end SP of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 toward the cutting end EP.

FIG. 14 shows a fifth embodiment of a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus for a glass article. In the present embodiment, the surface plate 17 of the third cutting portion 7 supports the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 in a horizontal posture without using the spacer 19 as in the fourth embodiment.

The third cutting portion 7 includes a pair of third laser irradiation devices 16A and 16B. The third cutting portion 7 cuts the first laser beam L3A of one third laser irradiation device 16A and the second laser beam L3B of the other third laser irradiation device 16B into the sheet-fed mother glass plate G2. Irradiate along.

As shown in FIG. 14, the first laser beam L3A irradiates the single-wafer mother glass plate G2 prior to the second laser beam L3B. That is, the longitudinal end L3a of the first laser beam L3A is irradiated to the single-wafer mother glass plate G2 before the longitudinal end L3b of the second laser beam L3B. As a result, after irradiation with the respective laser beams L3A and L3B, cracks propagate from the cutting start end SP of the planned cutting line CL on the single-wafer mother glass plate G2 toward the cutting end EP. The length LLA of the first laser beam L3A and the length LLB of the second laser beam L3B are set to be equal to each other, but may be different. Similarly, the width of the first laser beam L3A and the width of the second laser beam L3B may be set to be equal to or different from each other.

Further, in the fourth embodiment described above, a case where the optical axis OA of the laser beam L3 and the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 are relatively inclined so as not to be orthogonal to each other is shown as an example. However, in the present invention, as shown in the fifth embodiment, it is also possible to perform cutting in a state where the optical axis OA of the laser beam L3 and the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 are orthogonal to each other.

15 to 19 show a sixth embodiment of a method for manufacturing a glass article and a manufacturing apparatus. In the present embodiment, in the third cutting step S4, a plurality of small pieces of glass articles (glass plate G3b) are manufactured from the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 by performing cutting a plurality of times.

As shown in FIG. 15, the upper surface of the surface plate 17 is not inclined and is arranged horizontally. Therefore, the sheet-fed mother glass plate G2 placed on the surface plate 17 is supported by the surface plate 17 in a horizontal posture. In the third cutting step S4, the third laser irradiation device 16 of the third cutting portion 7 irradiates the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 with the laser beam L3.

In the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, the single-wafer-shaped mother glass plate G2 is cut only by irradiation with the laser beam L3. That is, the present embodiment does not have the step of forming microcracks on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 by the diamond chip DT as in the first embodiment described above. As suitable irradiation conditions for the laser beam L3, for example, when the thickness of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is 1 mm or less, pulsed laser light having a pulse width of 110 to 1000 ns may be used.

In the present embodiment, by adjusting the energy distribution of the line-shaped laser beam L3, cutting of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 can be started from the middle part of the planned cutting line CL. That is, cutting can be started from an arbitrary position in the region surrounded by the four sides of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. As shown in FIG. 16, the cutting start position SP is set in the middle of the planned cutting line CL. Further, cutting end ends EP are set at two locations (both ends G2c and G2d of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2) at both ends of the planned cutting line CL.

In the third cutting step S4, when the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is irradiated with the line-shaped laser beam L3 along the scheduled cutting line CL, the irradiated portion (G2e) expands due to the heating of the laser beam L3 and heats up. Stress is generated. The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is cracked by this thermal stress starting from the cutting start position SP. As shown in FIG. 16, the crack propagates toward the respective ends G2c and G2d of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 along the planned cutting line CL. When this crack reaches the cut end end EP of the planned cutting line CL, a rectangular glass plate G3a is formed from the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 as shown in FIG.

Next, the rectangular glass plate G3a is irradiated with the laser beam L3 again. As shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of new planned cutting lines CL are set on the glass plate G3a. The laser beam L3 of the third laser irradiation device 16 may be irradiated to each planned cutting line CL at the same time, or may be irradiated in order.

By the irradiation of the laser beam L3, the rectangular glass plate G3a is cut along the planned cutting line CL. As a result, as shown in FIG. 19, a plurality of square glass plates G3b (glass articles) are manufactured. The square glass plate G3b has a side of 1 to 30 mm, but the dimensions of the glass plate G3b are not limited to this range.

20 to 22 show a seventh embodiment of a method for manufacturing a glass article and a manufacturing apparatus. The method for producing a glass article according to the present embodiment includes a film forming step of forming an infrared reflective film IRF on a single-wafered mother glass plate G2 before executing the third cutting step S4. In the film forming step, an infrared reflective film IRF is formed on the surface (for example, the first main surface G2a) of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 by a film forming method such as sputtering or thin film deposition.

In this embodiment, as a film forming step, a case where an infrared reflective film IRF is formed on a single-wafered mother glass plate G2 by a sputtering device 21 is illustrated.

As shown in FIG. 20, the sputtering apparatus 21 includes a chamber 22 for accommodating the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 and a sputtering target 23 arranged in the chamber 22. The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is arranged in the chamber 22 with the first main surface G2a facing the sputtering target 23.

In the film forming step, the inside of the chamber 22 is maintained at a predetermined degree of vacuum, and a sputter gas is introduced into the chamber 22 to form a high-density region of plasma in the vicinity of the sputter target 23. Scatter particles from. The scattered particles are deposited on the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. As a result, an infrared reflective film IRF having a predetermined thickness is formed on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2.

The infrared reflective film IRF may be composed of SiO ₂ , TiO ₂ , TaF ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , Nb ₂ O _{5, and the} like, but is not limited thereto. The thickness of the infrared reflective film IRF is preferably 500 to 8000 nm, more preferably 500 to 5000 nm.

After that, the third cutting step S4 is performed on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. As shown in FIG. 21, in the single-wafered mother glass plate G2, the irradiation portion G2e of the laser beam L3 is heated and thermally expanded, so that thermal stress is generated in the irradiation portion G2e. As a result, cracks due to thermal stress are generated in the irradiation site G2e. The single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is divided by the crack extending along the planned cutting line CL (see FIG. 22). In this case, the infrared reflective film IRF formed on the first main surface G2a of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is divided together with the single-wafered mother glass plate G2. As a result, a plurality of glass plates G3 having an infrared reflective film IRF are formed on the surface thereof.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and is not limited to the above-mentioned action and effect. The present invention can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, a glass plate G3 composed of a sulfate-based glass, a phosphate-based glass, and a fluoride-based glass has been exemplified, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As other materials of the glass plate G3, for example, silicate glass and silica glass are used, and more specifically, borosilicate glass, sodalime glass, aluminosilicate glass, chemically strengthened glass, non-alkali glass and the like. Can be mentioned. The non-alkali glass is a glass that does not substantially contain an alkaline component (alkali metal oxide), and specifically, a glass having a weight ratio of an alkaline component of 3000 ppm or less. ..

In the above embodiment, an example of forming the strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 by the overflow down draw method is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other methods such as a slot down draw method, a rollout method or a float method are shown. A strip-shaped mother glass plate G1 or a single-wafered mother glass plate G2 can be formed by a method, an updraw method, a redraw method, or the like. In the above embodiment, a method of cutting the mother glass plates G1 and G2 by the first cutting step S2, the second cutting step S3, and the third cutting step S4 has been exemplified, but the method is not limited to this configuration, and the mother glass plate is not limited to this. Each cutting step may be appropriately selected according to the molding method of G1 and G2. For example, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a glass article (glass plate G3) only by the third cutting step S4 among the cutting steps.

In the above first embodiment, the case where the initial crack FC is formed on the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 and the cutting is performed is illustrated, but the single-wafered mother glass plate is sufficiently stressed for cutting only by irradiation with the laser beam L3. When it is possible to cause G2, it is also possible to perform cutting without forming the initial crack FC as in the sixth embodiment. In the sixth embodiment, the cutting start position SP is set in the middle of the planned cutting line CL, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the end portion (G2c) of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is similar to the first embodiment. The cutting start end SP of the planned cutting line CL may be set to.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is supported by attaching (adhering) the protective sheet 20 to the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a suction hole capable of sucking the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is formed on the surface plate 17 or the support base 18, and the single-leaf mother glass plate G2 is supported by the surface plate 17 or the support base 18 through the suction hole. Then, the third cutting step S4 may be performed.

In the above embodiment, an example of forming microcracks at the cutting start end SP by the diamond chip DT has been shown, but the means for forming the microcracks is not limited to the diamond chip DT, and sandpaper or other known means. Can be used.

In the above embodiment, an example in which the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 is supported by the surface plate 17 and the spacer 19 in an inclined posture is shown, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the protective sheet 20 may be locally thickened, and the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 may be supported by the protective sheet 20 in an inclined posture. That is, by forming a part of the protective sheet 20 located near the cutting start end portion SP of the single-wafered mother glass plate G2 to be thick and the other part to be thin-walled, the protective sheet 20 is made into a single-wafer shape. The mother glass plate G2 can be supported in an inclined posture.

In the above embodiment, the glass plate G3 is exemplified as the glass article, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The present invention is also applicable to glass blocks, glass tubes and other glass articles.

In the above embodiment, the planned cutting line CL is configured to be linear, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the planned cutting line CL may be configured to be curved.

The film forming method in the above embodiment is an example, and the infrared reflective film can be formed by using any other film forming method such as a thin film deposition method. Further, the film is not limited to the infrared reflective film, and other functional films such as a dielectric multilayer film can be formed, or a plurality of functional films can be laminated and formed.

1 Glass article manufacturing equipment CL Scheduled cutting line G1 Strip-shaped mother glass plate (mother glass)
G2 sheet-fed mother glass plate (mother glass)
G3 glass plate (glass article)
G3a glass plate (glass article)
G3b glass plate (glass article)
IRF Infrared Reflective Film L1 Laser Light L2 Laser Light L3 Laser Light LL Laser Light Length LW Laser Light Width

Claims (16)

In a method for manufacturing a glass article, which comprises a step of cutting a mother glass by irradiating a laser beam along a planned cutting line.
The laser beam is irradiated in a line shape having a length and a width.
The step of cutting the mother glass is a method for producing a glass article, which comprises cutting the mother glass by expanding the irradiated portion of the laser light in the mother glass with the heat of the laser light. The mother glass is a glass plate and
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the length of the line-shaped laser beam is equal to or longer than the length of the planned cutting line in the mother glass. The method for producing a glass article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the step of cutting the mother glass heats the irradiation site of the laser beam in the mother glass to the strain point or more and the softening point or less of the mother glass. The glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the mother glass has a coefficient of thermal expansion in the range of 30 to 380 ° C. of 70 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. to 150 × 10 ^-7 / ° C. Production method. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mother glass has a thickness of 0.05 to 5 mm. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the length of the laser beam is 5 to 1200 mm. The mother glass has a first main surface and a second main surface.
The step of cutting the mother glass is any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the laser beam is irradiated from the first main surface side in a state where the second main surface of the mother glass is supported by adsorption or adhesion. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to paragraph 1. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the mother glass is irradiated with one end in the longitudinal direction of the laser beam before the other end. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the laser beam is a pulsed laser beam. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the mother glass is composed of a phosphate-based glass or a fluoride-based glass. The glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the step of cutting the mother glass includes a step of forming an initial crack at one end on the planned cutting line before irradiating the laser beam. Manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of the mother glass is 1 mm or less, and the pulse width of the pulsed laser beam is 110 to 1000 ns. The step of cutting the mother glass includes a step of cutting a single-wafered mother glass plate.
The glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 12, further comprising a film forming step of forming an infrared reflective film on the surface of the single-wafered mother glass plate before the step of cutting the single-wafered mother glass plate. Manufacturing method. The method for producing a glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein in the step of cutting the mother glass, a glass plate having a side of 1 to 30 mm is formed by cutting the mother glass. In a glass article manufacturing apparatus provided with a cutting portion that cuts mother glass by irradiating a laser beam.
The cutting portion irradiates the laser beam having a length and a width along a planned cutting line set on the mother glass, and expands the irradiation portion of the laser beam on the mother glass to cause the mother glass. A device for manufacturing a glass article, which comprises cutting a glass article. A glass article characterized by having a fire-made surface on an end surface and having a side of 1 to 30 mm, and being a glass plate made of phosphate-based glass or foot phosphate-based glass.

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