KR20210021444A - Glass plate manufacturing method and glass plate cleaning apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

With the first cleaning member 10a in contact with the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G and the second cleaning member 11a in contact with the lower surface Gb, the upper and lower surfaces of the glass plate G are sandwiched in the thickness direction ( In the manufacturing method of the glass plate including the cleaning process of rubbing Ga and Gb), the hardness of the 1st cleaning member 10a was made higher than the hardness of the 2nd cleaning member 10b.

Description

Glass plate manufacturing method and glass plate cleaning apparatus

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

Flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, and organic EL displays are being promoted to have higher definition. Accordingly, for a glass plate used as a substrate for an FPD, a dense electric circuit is formed in the manufacturing process of the FPD. Therefore, high cleanliness without adhesion of dust or dirt is required for this type of glass plate.

Therefore, in the manufacturing process of this type of glass plate, for example, a glass plate having a product size of a small area is cut from a glass plate of a large area, and an end surface processing (grinding and polishing processing) is performed on the cut glass plate. Wash the back surface. Here, an example of a method of washing the front and back surfaces of a glass plate is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In the same method, a rotating disk-shaped cleaning member is brought into contact with each of the front and back surfaces of a glass plate, and the front and back surfaces are rubbed and cleaned with both cleaning members sandwiching the glass plate in the thickness direction. In this case, since both cleaning members are usually made of the same material, they have the same hardness.

Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-14060

However, the above method has a problem to be solved as follows.

That is, in the above method, if the hardness of both cleaning members is increased, contamination can be sufficiently removed by satisfactorily rubbing the front and back surfaces of the glass plate, but foreign matter (for example, glass powder) caught between the cleaning member and the glass plate Scratches tend to occur on the front and back surfaces of the glass plate. As a result, there is a fear that the glass plate may be damaged. On the other hand, if the hardness of both cleaning members is lowered, the occurrence of scratches can be avoided, but the front and back surfaces of the glass plate cannot be satisfactorily rubbed, making it difficult to sufficiently remove contamination.

The present invention, which was made in view of the above circumstances, is a technical problem to enable sufficient removal of contamination while avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces in cleaning the front and back of the glass plate during the manufacturing process of the glass plate. .

The present invention invented to solve the above problems is a cleaning process in which the front and back surfaces are rubbed while the glass plate is inserted in the thickness direction by the first cleaning member in contact with the surface of the glass plate and the second cleaning member in contact with the back surface. As a manufacturing method of a glass plate equipped with, it is characterized by making the hardness of a 1st cleaning member higher than the hardness of a 2nd cleaning member.

In this method, the hardness of the first cleaning member is made higher than that of the second cleaning member. As described above, the difference in the hardness of the two cleaning members causes the second cleaning member having a relatively low hardness to act as a cushion with respect to the first cleaning member having a relatively high hardness opposite to each other by sandwiching the glass plate. Thereby, even when a foreign material is caught between the first cleaning member and the glass plate, and/or the second cleaning member and the glass plate, the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces of the glass plate can be avoided due to the cushioning properties of the second cleaning member. In addition, damage to the glass plate can be prevented. In addition, in this method, by using the height of the hardness of the first cleaning member with respect to the second cleaning member, both cleaning members can be sufficiently pressed against the front and back surfaces of the glass plate, and the front and back surfaces can be preferably rubbed. Therefore, contamination of the front and back surfaces of the glass plate can be sufficiently removed. From the above, according to the present method, in cleaning the front and back surfaces of the glass plate in the process of manufacturing the glass plate, it becomes possible to sufficiently remove contamination while avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces.

In the above method, it is preferable to use, as the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member, a disk-shaped member that rotates about a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the glass plate, respectively.

In this way, since the front and back surfaces of the glass plate can be more preferably rubbed by both cleaning members, it is further advantageous in that contamination of the front and back surfaces is removed.

In the above method, it is preferable that the first cleaning member is formed of a nonwoven fabric and the second cleaning member is formed of a sponge.

In this way, while the cleaning ability by the first cleaning member is improved, the cushioning property by the second cleaning member is improved. For this reason, it becomes possible to sufficiently and efficiently remove contamination while reliably avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces.

In the above method, it is preferable that the hardness of the first cleaning member is 10 to 90 in terms of Asker A hardness, and the hardness of the second cleaning member is 8 to 100 in terms of Asker C hardness.

In this way, while the cleaning ability by the first cleaning member is improved, the cushioning property by the second cleaning member is improved. For this reason, it becomes possible to sufficiently and efficiently remove contamination while reliably avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces.

In the above method, in the cleaning step, it is preferable that the horizontally oriented glass plate is cleaned with the surface as the upper surface, and the surface is a guaranteed surface.

In this way, in comparison between the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member, it becomes possible to clean the guarantee surface by the first cleaning member having a relatively high hardness and high cleaning ability. Therefore, it is advantageous in terms of improving the quality of the glass plate manufactured by this method. In addition, in the present invention, the horizontal posture includes a horizontal posture and an inclined posture. The horizontal posture is a posture in which the surface of the glass plate is horizontal, and the inclined posture is a posture in which the surface of the glass plate is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane.

In addition, the present invention, invented to solve the above problems, includes a first cleaning member in contact with the surface of the glass plate and a second cleaning member in contact with the back surface, and in a state where the glass plate is sandwiched in the thickness direction by both cleaning members. A cleaning apparatus for a glass plate that rubs the front and back surfaces to clean, characterized in that the hardness of the first cleaning member is higher than that of the second cleaning member.

According to the present apparatus, the same actions and effects as those previously described in the description according to the method for manufacturing a glass plate can be obtained.

According to the present invention, in cleaning the front and back surfaces of the glass plate in the process of manufacturing the glass plate, it is possible to sufficiently remove contamination while avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces.

1 is a side view showing a cleaning apparatus for a glass plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view showing an arrangement of cleaning tools included in the cleaning heat provided in the cleaning apparatus for a glass plate according to the embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing a cleaning mechanism provided in the cleaning apparatus for a glass plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view showing an enlarged lower end (tip) side of a spindle case provided in the cleaning apparatus for a glass plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing an upper end (base end) side of a spindle case provided in the glass plate cleaning apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for cleaning a glass plate according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method for manufacturing a glass plate using the apparatus will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, XYZ in the drawing is a Cartesian coordinate system. The X and Y directions are horizontal, and the Z direction is a vertical direction. The Y direction is the conveyance direction of the glass plate, and the XZ plane including the X direction and the Z direction is a plane orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the glass plate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning apparatus 1 (hereinafter referred to as cleaning apparatus 1) for a glass plate according to the present embodiment includes a cleaning area W for cleaning a glass plate G, and a glass plate after cleaning ( A drying area (D) for drying G) is provided. This cleaning device 1 conveys the glass plate G in the Y direction in a horizontal orientation (in this embodiment, an oblique orientation along the X direction), while the upper surface Ga and the non-guaranteed surface (back) are The lower surface Gb is cleaned at the same time. The "guaranteed surface" here means a surface on the side to which a film forming process such as a transparent conductive film is performed in the manufacturing process of the FPD among the front and back surfaces of the glass plate G.

In the cleaning area (W) and the drying area (D), the glass plate G is in the width direction of the glass plate G orthogonal to the conveying direction Y (a direction forming an angle θ with the X direction in FIG. 3), It is conveyed in an inclined posture so that one end side may be located at a position lower than the other end side. As a result, excess liquid adhering to the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G flows from the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G with its own weight and causes contamination to the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G. It is preventing the formation of pools. In addition, in the washing area W and/or the drying area D, the glass plate G may be conveyed in a horizontal position.

The cleaning device 1 includes a throttle roller 2 and 3 for removing liquid adhering to the upper surface Ga and the lower surface Gb of the glass plate G, and the upper surface of the glass plate G in the cleaning area W. An upper cleaning mechanism 4 for cleaning (Ga) and a lower cleaning mechanism 5 for cleaning the lower surface Gb of the glass plate G are provided. The glass plate G is supplied to the cleaning area W by an arbitrary mechanism such as a conveying roller arranged on the upstream side thereof.

The throttle rollers 2 and 3 are constituted by a pair of upper and lower rollers provided with upper rollers 2a and 3a and lower rollers 2b and 3b for conveying by sandwiching the glass plate G up and down. That is, the throttle rollers 2 and 3 also function as a conveying mechanism. In this embodiment, the throttle rollers 2 and 3 are disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side of the cleaning mechanisms 4 and 5, respectively.

The throttle rollers 2 and 3 are constituted by rollers made of a material capable of absorbing liquid (for example, a soft sponge), but are not limited thereto.

The upper cleaning mechanism 4 is a cleaning liquid in the inner space in order to supply the cleaning liquid C to the cleaning rows 6a to 6c provided in three rows at intervals in the conveying direction Y, and the cleaning rows 6a to 6c. The housing 7 in which (C) is stored is provided.

The lower washing mechanism 5 includes washing rows 8a to 8c provided in three rows at intervals in the conveying direction Y so as to face each other by sandwiching the washing rows 6a to 6c of the upper washing mechanism 4 and the glass plate G. , In order to supply the cleaning liquid C to each of the cleaning rows 8a to 8c, a housing 9 is provided in which the cleaning liquid C is stored in the inner space.

As the cleaning liquid (C), for example, a cleaning liquid (eg, liquid detergent) or a rinsing liquid (eg, water) may be used.

Here, the lower cleaning mechanism 5 has a configuration such that the upper cleaning mechanism 4 is inverted up and down, and has substantially the same configuration as the upper cleaning mechanism 4. Therefore, in the following description, the configuration of the upper cleaning mechanism 4 will be described as an example, and detailed descriptions of the configuration of the lower cleaning mechanism 5 will be omitted, and differences from the upper cleaning mechanism 4 will be mainly described. do.

As shown in Fig. 2, each of the washing rows 6a to 6c of the upper washing mechanism 4 is a plurality of rows arranged in a row with a gap S in the width direction of the glass plate G orthogonal to the conveying direction Y. It is equipped with the 1st cleaning tool 10 of the. Each of the first cleaning ports 10 is a disk-shaped rotating body that can be cleaned by rubbing the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G. In addition, each of the second cleaning ports 11 included in the cleaning rows 8a to 8c of the lower cleaning device 5 is each of the first cleaning devices included in the cleaning columns 6a to 6c of the upper cleaning device 4. Insert (10) and glass plate (G) to form a pair. The paired first cleaning tool 10 and the second cleaning tool 11 rotate in the same direction with each other.

In the third row of cleaning rows 6a to 6c, the first cleaning ports 10 are shifted in the width direction so that the positions in the width direction of the gap S (range of the gap S) do not overlap each other. It is placed. That is, the three rows of washing rows 6a to 6c are composed of three types of washing rows in which the positions of the gaps S in the width direction do not overlap each other. Therefore, when viewed from the direction along the conveyance direction Y, all the gaps S included in any one of the cleaning rows 6a to 6c are included in the remaining 2 rows of cleaning columns. Overlaps with As described above, the upper cleaning mechanism 4 of the present embodiment has three rows (three types) of washing rows 6a to 6c, but the upper washing mechanism 4 and the lower washing mechanism 5 have two rows (2). Type) or more cleaning heat may be provided.

If three rows of cleaning rows (three types) are provided as in this embodiment, the gap S of any one row among the three rows of washing rows 6a to 6c is passed through the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G. Since the area to be in contact with the first cleaning tool 10 included in the remaining 2 rows of cleaning rows two times, it is possible to sufficiently secure a cleaning time. In addition, even if one of the three rows of washing rows 6a to 6c (or the first washing port 10 included in any one row) cannot be used due to a failure or the like, the remaining two rows of washing rows are used as the glass plate G. The entire width of the upper surface Ga of the can be cleaned without any gap. Therefore, it becomes possible to reliably reduce the cleaning unevenness of the glass plate G in the width direction. Therefore, it is preferable that the upper washing mechanism 4 and the lower washing mechanism 5 have three or more rows of washing (three types).

In addition, in this embodiment, in order to suppress the total contact time between the glass plate G and the first cleaning tool 10 from becoming irregular in the width direction, each of the cleaning rows 6a to 6c of three rows (three types) is The gaps (S) of are positioned at equal intervals with a constant interval ΔL in the width direction. Thereby, uneven cleaning of the glass plate G in the width direction can be more reliably reduced. In addition, the gaps S of each of the cleaning rows 6a to 6c of three rows (three types) may be located at uneven intervals in the width direction.

The diameter of the first cleaning tool 10 is preferably 50 to 200 mm, for example, and the width of the gap S is preferably 2 to 10 mm, for example. The inter-space (ΔL) of the spaces S can be appropriately set according to the diameter of the first cleaning tool 10 or the type of cleaning heat.

As shown in Fig. 3, the upper cleaning mechanism 4 is configured to supply the cleaning liquid C stored in the housing 7 to each of the first cleaning ports 10 in the three rows of cleaning rows 6a to 6c. It is equipped with. In the present embodiment, the cleaning liquid C is supplied from one housing 7 to each of the first cleaning ports 10 in the three rows of cleaning rows 6a to 6c (see Fig. 1). Further, for example, a dedicated housing may be provided for each of the three washing rows 6a to 6c to supply the washing liquid C from a plurality of housings.

In the upper cleaning mechanism 4, the housing 7 is inclined along the inclination of the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G. Due to the inclination of the housing 7, the first cleaning ports 10 of the cleaning rows 6a to 6c are inclined along the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G. It is preferable that the inclination angle θ of the upper surface Ga of the glass plate G with respect to the horizontal surface is, for example, 2 to 10°.

The upper cleaning mechanism 4 is rotatable inside the spindle case 12 and the cylindrical spindle case 12 fixed to the housing 7 at a position corresponding to each of the first cleaning ports 10. It is equipped with a held spindle 13. The first cleaning tool 10 is mounted on the lower end of the spindle 13 outside the housing 7 and the spindle case 12.

A cylindrical slide bearing (bushing) 14 is press-fitted to the lower end of the spindle case 12, and a cylindrical slide bearing (bushing) 15 is press-fitted to the upper end of the spindle case 12. Has been. The outer circumferential surface of the spindle 13 is held rotatably by a bearing surface (inner circumferential surface) of the sliding bearings 14 and 15. The sliding bearings 14 and 15 may be made of metal, for example, but in this embodiment, they are made of resin (for example, made of engineering plastics).

The first cleaning tool 10 is attached to the spindle 13 through a spacer 16. The first cleaning tool 10 and the spacer 16 are detachable from the spindle 13.

The first cleaning tool 10 includes a first cleaning member 10a for cleaning by rubbing the top surface Ga while in contact with the top surface Ga of the glass plate G, and a support portion to which the first cleaning member 10a is attached. (10b) is provided. The first cleaning member 10a is a disk-shaped member that rotates about a rotation axis extending in the thickness direction of the glass plate G (here, the same as the rotation axis of the spindle 13).

Here, the first cleaning member 10a is a pair by sandwiching the second cleaning member 11a and the glass plate G provided in the second cleaning port 11 in the thickness direction. This second cleaning member 11a is a disk-shaped member similar to the first cleaning member 10a, while rubbing the lower surface Gb of the glass plate G for cleaning.

Both cleaning members 10a and 11a are positioned so that both of them are in contact with each other when the glass plate G is not cleaned (before supply of the glass plate G). That is, when the glass plate G is cleaned (when the glass plate G is supplied), the two cleaning members 10a and 11a are pushed forward so that the glass plate G enters between the two cleaning members 10a and 11a. Goes. In addition, unlike this embodiment, when the glass plate G is not cleaned, both cleaning members 10a and 11a may be positioned so that a gap is formed between the cleaning members 10a and 11a.

The hardness of the first cleaning member 10a is higher than that of the second cleaning member 11a. In addition, unlike the present embodiment, in the case where the lower surface Gb of the glass plate G is not the upper surface Ga but the guarantee surface, the first cleaning member having high hardness on the lower surface Gb side of the glass plate G ( It is preferable to arrange 10a) and arrange|position the 2nd cleaning member 11a with low hardness on the upper surface Ga side.

The first cleaning member 10a is made of a nonwoven fabric, and its hardness is within the range of 10 to 90 in terms of Asker A hardness. Here, as the nonwoven fabric, for example, a nonwoven fabric in which fibers are entangled with each other by a needle punch method can be used. Nonwoven fibers include, for example, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, and polyester elastomers, polyamides such as nylon 6 or nylon 66, polyamide elastomers, polyurethanes, polyolefins, and acrylnitrile. Cellulose-based fibers such as rayon and rayon can be used.

The second cleaning member 11a is made of a sponge, and its hardness is within the range of 8 to 100 in terms of Asker C hardness. Here, as the sponge, for example, a sponge made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyurethane, fluorine rubber, nitrile rubber, chloroprene rubber, ethylene rubber, silicone rubber, or the like can be used.

Here, in this embodiment, a disk-shaped member is used as the first cleaning member 10a and the second cleaning member 11a, but a roller-shaped member may be used instead. Further, the first cleaning member 10a may be constituted by a brush having a higher hardness than the second cleaning member 11a. Further, the second cleaning member 11a may be constituted by a brush having a lower hardness than the first cleaning member 10a. In addition, "hardness of the brush" means the hardness of the hair provided in the brush.

It is preferable that the contact pressure of the first cleaning member 10a with respect to the glass plate G is set smaller than the contact pressure of the upper rollers 2a and 3a with respect to the glass plate G. This improves the straight-line stability in the conveyance direction Y of the glass plate G. In addition, the contact pressure of the first cleaning member 10a with respect to the glass plate G is, for example, adjusting the position of the upper cleaning mechanism 4 with respect to the glass plate G, changing the thickness of the spacer 16 It can be adjusted by doing (including the case where the spacer 16 is not attached) or the like.

The housing 7 is provided with a supply path R1 for supplying the cleaning liquid C from the outside to the inner space of the housing 7. As a result, the cleaning liquid C stored in the tank (not shown in the drawing) disposed outside the housing 7 is transferred to the internal space of the housing 7 through the supply path R1 as indicated by the arrow (a). It is designed to be fed by a pump (not shown in the drawings) or the like. By the pressure feeding of the cleaning liquid C, the pressure of the cleaning liquid C supplied to the inner space of the housing 7 is maintained in a high state. In addition, one or more supply paths R1 are formed in the housing 7.

The spindle case 12 has a communication path R2 that communicates the inner space of the housing 7 and the inner space of the spindle case 12. Thereby, the cleaning liquid C in the inner space of the housing 7 is supplied to the inner space of the spindle case 12 through the communication path R2 as indicated by the arrow b.

The spindle 13 and the spacer 16 are formed with a communication path R3 for communicating the inner space of the spindle case 12 and the first cleaning tool 10. Thereby, the cleaning liquid C in the inner space of the spindle case 12 is supplied to the first cleaning port 10 through the communication path R3 as indicated by the arrow c. Further, the communication path R3 is composed of a through hole formed in the spindle 13 and a through hole formed in the spacer 16.

A through hole R4 communicating with the communication path R3 is formed in the first cleaning port 10. Thereby, the cleaning liquid C supplied through the communication path R3 is supplied to the glass plate G through the through hole R4 as indicated by the arrow d. The through hole R4 may be omitted when the first cleaning tool 10 is formed of a material (for example, a porous material) that can penetrate the cleaning liquid C.

In this way, by the supply path R1, the communication path R2, the communication path R3, and the through hole R4, the cleaning liquid C is the internal space of the housing 7 → the internal space of the spindle case 12 → It is supplied in the order of the first cleaning port (10) → the glass plate (G). Accordingly, since the cleaning liquid C supplied to the inner space of the housing 7 is directly supplied to the first cleaning ports 10 through the communication path R2 and the communication path R3, a complicated pipe for supplying the cleaning liquid In addition to the elimination of this need, the waste of the cleaning liquid (C) is also reduced.

Further, since most of the spindle case 12 and the spindle 13 are immersed in the cleaning liquid C stored in the inner space of the housing 7, the spindle case 12 and the spindle 13 The effect of being cooled by C) can also be expected. Therefore, even while the glass plate G is cleaned by rotating the spindle 13, it is thought that the thermal expansion of the spindle case 12 and the spindle 13 can be reduced, and the rotational operation of the spindle 13 can be maintained satisfactorily. do. In addition, in this embodiment, a plurality of spindle cases 12 and a plurality of spindles 13 corresponding to each of the first cleaning ports 10 of each of the cleaning rows 6a to 6c are provided with a cleaning solution in one housing 7. It is immersed in (C).

Here, in the present embodiment, a difference in elevation occurs in the housing 7 at a position corresponding to each of the first washing ports 10 included in the washing rows 6a to 6c due to the inclination of the housing 7. For this reason, the amount of the cleaning liquid C supplied to each of the first cleaning ports 10 included in the cleaning rows 6a to 6c may be uneven due to the pressure difference due to the difference in height. Therefore, although not shown, from the viewpoint of reducing the unevenness in the supply amount of the cleaning liquid C due to the difference in elevation, in each cleaning row 6a to 6c, the communication path R3 located at the lower level is higher ( It is preferable to have a portion having an opening area smaller than that of the communication path R3 located at the high level. Specifically, for example, the opening area of the through hole of the spacer 16 located at the lower position is smaller than the opening area of the through hole of the spacer 16 located at the higher position, or the through hole of the spindle 13 located at the lower position. It is preferable to make the opening area of a smaller than the opening area of the through hole of the spindle 13 located at a high position. Alternatively, an orifice may be provided in a part of the through hole of the spindle 13 to change the opening area.

The upper cleaning mechanism 4 is provided with a rotation drive mechanism 17 that rotates the spindle 13 for each cleaning row 6a to 6c. The rotation drive mechanism 17 is adapted to impart a rotational driving force to the upper end of the spindle 13 outside the housing 7 and the spindle case 12.

The rotation drive mechanism 17 is provided with a gear mechanism 18 and a drive unit 19. The gear mechanism 18 includes a plurality of gears 18a attached to the upper end of each spindle 13, and gears 18a adjacent to the X-direction are meshed. The drive unit 19 includes a motor 19a and a gear 19b attached to the motor 19a, and the gear 19b is engaged with the gear 18a at one end of the gear mechanism 18 in the X direction. have. Therefore, when the gear 19b is rotated by the drive of the motor 19a, the power is transmitted to the gear mechanism 18 so that each spindle 13 rotates.

The gears 18a and 19b may be made of metal (for example, made of stainless steel), for example, but in the present embodiment, they are made of resin (for example, made of engineering plastics). Further, the gears 18a and 19b may be used in combination of metal and resin.

Further, in each of the washing rows 6a to 6c, the gears 18a adjacent to the X direction are directly engaged with each other. Therefore, the spindle 13 and the first cleaning tool 10 adjacent to the X-direction rotate in opposite directions (see Fig. 2), but may be rotated in the same direction by increasing a gear or the like. In addition, the power transmission unit is not limited to the gear mechanism 18, and may be other means such as a belt, for example. Moreover, you may attach a drive part individually to each spindle 13.

4 and 5, between the bearing surface of the sliding bearing 14 and the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the spindle 13, and between the bearing surface of the sliding bearing 15 and the outer peripheral surface of the upper end of the spindle 13, respectively, a liquid layer (C1, C2) is formed. The liquid layers C1 and C2 are formed by seeping the cleaning liquid C supplied to the inner space of the spindle case 12 from the portions corresponding to the liquid layers C1 and C2. Therefore, since the liquid layers C1 and C2 have a lubricating function derived from the cleaning liquid C, it is possible to prevent wear of the sliding bearings 14 and 15 and/or the spindle 13.

The bleeding out of the cleaning liquid C forming the liquid layers C1 and C2 is likely to occur by increasing the pressure of the cleaning liquid C in the inner space of the housing 7. The pressure of the cleaning liquid C in the inner space of the housing 7 can be adjusted, for example, by changing the supply amount of the cleaning liquid C to the inner space of the housing 7 per unit time.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 1 is provided with air knives 20a and 20b and a conveying roller 21 in the drying area D. The air knife 20a is disposed above the conveying roller 21, and the air knife 20b is disposed below the conveying roller 21.

In the drying area (D), while conveying the glass plate (G) by the conveying roller (21), by spraying a high-pressure gas from the air knives (20a, 20b) onto the upper surface (Ga) and the lower surface (Gb) of the glass plate (G). Moisture adhering to both surfaces (Ga, Gb) is removed. Further, in the drying area D, the glass plate G may be dried by a known drying means other than the air knives 20a and 20b. In addition, the drying area (D) may be omitted.

Next, a method of manufacturing a glass plate according to the present embodiment will be described. This manufacturing method includes a cleaning process using the cleaning device 1 described above.

Specifically, the manufacturing method of a glass plate is, for example, a molding process, a slow cooling process, a shelving process, a cutting process, a washing process (including a drying process), an inspection process, and a packing process. ) Process. Further, a heat treatment step may be provided after the plate plate step. Further, after the cutting step, an end surface processing step may be provided.

In the forming step, a glass ribbon is formed from molten glass by a known forming method such as an overflow down-draw method or a float method.

In the slow cooling process, the molded glass ribbon is slowly cooled in order to reduce the warpage and internal deformation of the molded glass ribbon.

In the plate process, the slowly cooled glass ribbon is cut for each predetermined length, and a plurality of original glass plates are obtained.

In the heat treatment step, for example, in a heat treatment furnace, heat treatment is performed on the original glass plate.

In the cutting process, the original glass plate is cut into a predetermined size, and one or a plurality of glass plates G is obtained. As a method of cutting the original glass plate, for example, bending stress cleavage in which the scribe line formed along the line to be cut is advanced in the thickness direction by bending stress, or the initial crack formed in part of the line to be cut is heat generated by laser irradiation and rapid cooling. A laser cutting that advances along the intended cutting line by stress, or a laser cutting along the intended cutting line while melting the glass by laser irradiation can be used. In addition, it is preferable that the glass plate G has a rectangular shape. The size of one side of the glass plate G is preferably 1000 mm to 3000 mm, the plate thickness is preferably 0.05 mm to 10 mm, more preferably 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm.

In the end surface processing step, the glass plate G is subjected to end surface processing including grinding and polishing processing of the end surface and corner cutting.

In the washing step, the washing apparatus 1 described above is used, and the glass plate G is washed while being conveyed in an oblique posture, followed by drying.

In the inspection process, the cleaned glass plate G is inspected for scratches, dust, contamination, and/or internal defects such as air bubbles and foreign substances. The inspection is performed using an optical inspection device such as a camera.

In the packing process, as a result of the inspection, the glass plate G that satisfies the desired quality is packed. Packing is performed by laminating a plurality of glass plates (G) horizontally or vertically on a predetermined pallet. In this case, it is preferable to interpose a protective sheet made of a laminate or a foamed resin between each other in the lamination direction of the glass plates G.

Hereinafter, the main action and effect of the above manufacturing method will be described.

In the above manufacturing method, due to the difference in hardness between the first cleaning member 10a and the second cleaning member 11a, the second cleaning member 11a having a low hardness has a hardness opposite to each other by sandwiching the glass plate G. For the high first cleaning member 10a, it serves as a cushion. Thus, even when a foreign object is caught between the first cleaning member 10a and the glass plate G and/or the second cleaning member 11a and the glass plate G, the cushioning property of the second cleaning member 11a The occurrence of scratches on the upper and lower surfaces Ga and Gb of the glass plate G can be avoided, and the breakage of the glass plate G can also be prevented. In addition, in this method, depending on the height of the hardness of the first cleaning member 10a with respect to the second cleaning member 11a, both cleaning members 10a and 11a are moved with respect to the upper and lower surfaces Ga and Gb of the glass plate G. The pressure can be sufficiently pressed, and the upper and lower surfaces (Ga, Gb) can be preferably rubbed. Accordingly, contamination of the upper and lower surfaces Ga and Gb of the glass plate G can be sufficiently removed.

Here, the present invention is not limited to the form or configuration described in the above embodiment, nor is it limited to the above-described actions and effects. Various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above embodiments, the case of supplying the cleaning liquid using the housing in which the cleaning liquid is stored has been described, but the supply method of the cleaning liquid is not limited to this. For example, you may spray-supply a cleaning liquid to a cleaning member and/or a glass plate using a shower nozzle or the like.

In the above embodiment, the throttle roller may be omitted. Further, the throttle roller may be replaced by a conveying roller made of a pair of upper and lower rollers that do not adsorb liquid. In this case, the conveying roller may have a configuration in which only both ends of the glass plate in the width direction are sandwiched and conveyed, that is, a configuration not in contact with the central portion in the width direction of the glass plate.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where one cleaning area is formed in the cleaning device has been described, but a plurality of cleaning areas may be formed. In this case, a drying area may be formed on the downstream side of each cleaning area, or a drying area may be formed only on the downstream side of the most downstream cleaning area.

In the cleaning process of the above embodiment, the first cleaning member is brought into contact with the upper surface (surface) of the glass plate, and the second cleaning member is brought into contact with the lower surface (rear surface) of the glass plate, but in this cleaning process (first cleaning process) In addition, the second cleaning step may be performed, and in the second cleaning step, the second cleaning member may be brought into contact with the upper surface (surface) of the glass plate, and the first cleaning member may be brought into contact with the lower surface (rear surface) of the glass plate. Thereby, the quality of not only the surface but also the back surface can be improved while avoiding the occurrence of scratches on the front and back surfaces.

In the above-described embodiment, the glass plate in the horizontal position is washed, but the glass plate in the vertical position may be washed.

1 cleaning device
10a first cleaning member
11a second cleaning member
G glass plate
Ga top surface
Gb bottom

Claims (6)

A method for producing a glass plate comprising a cleaning step of rubbing the front and back surfaces while the glass plate is sandwiched in a thickness direction by a first cleaning member in contact with the surface of the glass plate and a second cleaning member in contact with the back surface,
The method for manufacturing a glass plate, wherein the hardness of the first cleaning member is made higher than that of the second cleaning member. The method of claim 1,
As the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member, a disk-shaped member rotating about a rotation axis extending in a thickness direction of the glass plate, respectively, is used. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
A method for manufacturing a glass plate, wherein the first cleaning member is formed of a nonwoven fabric and the second cleaning member is formed of a sponge. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
While the hardness of the first cleaning member is 10 to 90 in terms of Asker A hardness,
The method for manufacturing a glass plate, wherein the second cleaning member has an Asker C hardness of 8 to 100. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
In the cleaning process, the glass plate in a horizontal position with the surface as the upper surface is cleaned,
The method of manufacturing a glass plate, characterized in that the surface is a guarantee surface. A cleaning apparatus for a glass plate comprising a first cleaning member in contact with a surface of a glass plate and a second cleaning member in contact with a back surface, and rubbing the front and back surfaces while the glass plate is sandwiched in a thickness direction by both cleaning members,
A cleaning apparatus for a glass plate, wherein the hardness of the first cleaning member is higher than that of the second cleaning member.

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