TW201604153A - Method for manufacturing glass plate and apparatus for manufacturing glass plate - Google Patents

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a glass plate and an apparatus for manufacturing a glass plate capable of increasing the processing precision of an end face of the glass plate. The method for manufacturing a glass plate comprises an end face processing step, an end face measurement step, a processing line calculation step, and a processing line correction step. The end face processing step is to use a chamfering grindstone which moves relative to the glass plate to perform chamfering processing on the end face. The end face measurement step is to measure the shape of the end face after being chamfering processing. The processing line calculation step is to calculate, according to the measured end face shape, the trajectory of the chamfering grindstone in the end face processing step relative to the glass plate, i.e. The processing line. The adjustment line calculation step is to calculate the adjustment line, according to the calculated processing line. The end face processing step is to perform chamfering processing on the end glass plate trajectory and along the adjustment line by using the chamfering grindstone, when the adjustment line has been calculated.

Description

Glass plate manufacturing method and glass plate manufacturing device

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

A glass plate for manufacturing a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display is manufactured by, for example, an overflow down-draw method. In the overflow down-draw method, the molten glass which flows into the molded body and overflows flows down the surface of the formed body, and merges in the vicinity of the lower end of the formed body to continuously form the glass sheet. The formed glass sheet is cooled while being stretched downward, and is cut to a specific size. The cut glass sheet is packaged and shipped after the end surface processing step, the surface cleaning step, and the inspection step.

In the step of cutting the formed glass sheet into a specific size, generally, a cutting method using a cutter or a laser is used. In the cutting method using the glass plate of a cutting machine, a slit is mechanically formed in a glass plate, and it cuts. Therefore, cracks having a depth of about several μm to 100 μm are formed on the end faces of the cut glass sheets. This crack causes the mechanical strength of the glass sheet to deteriorate. Further, in the cutting method of the glass plate using the laser, the glass plate is cut by forming a slit by the thermal stress on the glass plate. Therefore, the end faces of the cut glass sheets are sharp and easily damaged. A layer in which cracks and sharp portions are formed on the end faces of the cut glass sheets is called a horizontal crack and a brittle fracture layer, and must be removed by grinding and grinding the end faces. That is, in order to increase the mechanical strength of the glass sheet, suppress the occurrence of defects of the glass sheet, and facilitate the treatment in the subsequent step, the end surface processing step of the glass sheet is performed.

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-110648

As an example of the end surface processing step of the glass sheet, a method of moving the chamfering grindstone along the end surface of the cut glass sheet, the end surface, is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2011-110648). Perform chamfering. In the method, the position of the end face of the glass plate fixed to the platform is measured by a laser displacement meter, and the machining start position and the machining end position of the chamfered grindstone on the end face are calculated. Specifically, the coordinates of the machining start position and the machining end position of the end face are calculated by extrapolation interpolation based on the measured value obtained by the laser displacement meter. The machining start position and the machining end position of the end face are corrected based on the difference between the calculated coordinates and the coordinate to be the reference, and the desired grinding allowance.

However, in general, the linearity of the end faces of the glass sheets is lowered by the end face processing steps. That is, on the end surface after chamfering of the glass sheet, minute irregularities are formed along the direction in which the end surface extends. The tiny bumps are the undulations of the end faces. The decrease in the linearity of the end faces is mainly caused by the mechanical precision of the means for moving the chamfering grindstone along the end faces. Further, in order to remove the horizontal crack and the brittle fracture layer from the end surface of the glass sheet in the end surface processing step, it is necessary to have a processing accuracy of ±10 μm in the direction orthogonal to the end surface. Therefore, it is important to improve the processing accuracy of the end faces of the glass sheets and to improve the linearity of the end faces after chamfering.

Further, in order to increase the bending strength of the glass sheet, it is necessary to reduce the surface width difference of the glass sheet on which the end surface has been chamfered. The difference in face width refers to the difference between the width of the region removed from one major surface by chamfering and the width of the region removed from the other major surface. However, it is difficult to reduce the surface width difference in the end face processing step due to the accuracy of the surface of the platform on which the glass plate is fixed and the mechanical precision of the device for moving the chamfered grindstone along the end face. Therefore, it is important to increase the processing accuracy of the end faces of the glass sheets and to reduce the surface width difference of the glass sheets on which the end faces have been chamfered.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improvement in the processing precision of the end face of a glass plate. Glass plate manufacturing method and glass plate manufacturing device.

The glass sheet manufacturing method of the present invention includes an end surface processing step, an end surface measurement step, a processing line calculation step, and a processing line correction step. The end face processing step chamfers the end face by contacting the chamfered grindstone with the end face of the fixed glass plate and moving the chamfer grindstone relative to the glass plate. The end face measuring step measures the shape of the end face subjected to the chamfering process in the end face processing step. The processing line calculation step calculates the trajectory of the chamfered grindstone relative to the glass sheet, that is, the processing line, according to the shape of the end surface measured in the end surface measuring step. The adjustment line calculation step calculates the adjustment line based on the processing line calculated by the processing line calculation step. The adjustment line is used to evenly chamfer the end face. The end face processing step is performed by chamfering the end face along the alignment line of the chamfered grindstone relative to the trajectory of the glass plate when the adjustment line is calculated in the adjustment line calculation step.

In the method for producing a glass sheet, first, the end surface of the glass sheet for adjustment is chamfered by a chamfering grindstone. Next, the shape of the end surface after chamfering of the glass plate for adjustment was measured, and the processing line was computed. The processing line indicates the trajectory of the chamfered grindstone relative to the glass sheet when the chamfering of the glass sheet for adjustment is performed. Next, the adjustment line is calculated based on the calculated processing line. The adjustment line indicates the trajectory of the chamfered grindstone for making the amount of grinding of the end faces of the glass sheets uniform with respect to the glass sheets. Next, chamfering processing of the end surface of the glass plate different from the glass plate for adjustment is performed. At this time, the chamfering grindstone is moved relative to the glass sheet so as to follow the calculated adjustment line, thereby performing chamfering processing for uniformly grinding the end surface of the glass sheet. Therefore, the glass sheet manufacturing method can improve the processing precision of the end surface of the glass sheet.

Further, in the end surface measuring step, it is preferable to set a plurality of measurement points along the end surface on the end surface, and to measure the shape parameters at each measurement point, thereby measuring the shape of the end surface. In this case, the processing line correction step calculates the processing line based on the shape parameters of the respective measurement points. The adjustment line calculation step calculates an adjustment line having an adjustment point corresponding to each measurement point.

Further, the chamfering grindstone is preferably movable along the first axis from the chamfering grindstone toward the end surface. In this case, the end surface measurement step measures the coordinates of the first axis as shape parameters at each measurement point. The adjustment line calculation step calculates an adjustment line whose coordinate value of the first axis of the adjustment point is smaller as the value of the shape parameter of each measurement point is larger.

Further, it is preferable that the chamfering grindstone is movable along a second main axis that is perpendicular to the first main surface from the first main surface of the glass sheet toward the second main surface on the back side of the first main surface. In this case, the end surface measuring step is a shape parameter obtained by measuring the value obtained by subtracting the second chamfering width from the first chamfering width, that is, the surface width difference, at each measurement point. The adjustment line calculation step calculates an adjustment line in which the value of the shape parameter of each measurement point is larger as the coordinate of the second axis corresponding to the correction point is smaller. The first chamfer width is the width of the region removed from the first main surface in the end surface processing step. The second chamfer width is the width of the area removed from the second main surface in the end surface processing step.

The glass sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a platform for fixing a glass sheet, a chamfering grindstone for chamfering the end surface of the glass sheet, a processing control unit, and a measurement control unit. The machining control unit chamfers the end surface by contacting the chamfering grindstone with the end surface of the glass plate fixed to the platform and moving the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass plate. The measurement control unit measures the shape of the end surface. The machining control unit calculates a machining line which is a trajectory of the chamfering grindstone with respect to the glass sheet at the time of chamfering processing based on the shape of the end surface measured by the measurement control unit. The machining control unit calculates the adjustment line based on the calculated machining line. The machining control unit chamfers the end face along the alignment line with respect to the trajectory of the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass plate when the adjustment line has been calculated.

The glass sheet manufacturing method and the glass sheet manufacturing apparatus of the present invention can improve the processing precision of the end surface of the glass sheet.

10‧‧‧ glass plate

10a‧‧‧1st main surface

10b‧‧‧2nd main surface

11‧‧‧ end face

12‧‧‧ end face

13‧‧‧ end face

14‧‧‧ end face

20‧‧‧Glass plate conveying device

22‧‧‧ Robot

30‧‧‧Adsorption platform (platform)

32‧‧‧Support pins

40‧‧‧Chamfering grindstone

40a‧‧‧ machining slot

42‧‧‧Chamfering grindstone

70‧‧‧Minestone mobile agency

72‧‧‧Mortar mobile agency

80‧‧‧grinding fluid supply device

90‧‧‧Water supply device

100‧‧‧End face processing device

110‧‧‧End face measuring device

120‧‧‧Loading platform

130‧‧‧ position sensor

130a, 132a‧‧‧ front end

132‧‧‧ position sensor

140‧‧‧Sensor moving mechanism

142‧‧‧Sensor moving mechanism

D‧‧‧ face width difference

P11~P16‧‧‧ measuring point

P21~P26‧‧‧Measurement point

P31~P36‧‧‧ adjustment point

S1~S9‧‧‧Steps

S11~S17‧‧‧Steps

W1‧‧‧1st chamfer width

W2‧‧‧2nd chamfer width

Figure 1 is a flow chart showing the steps of manufacturing a glass sheet.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the end face processing apparatus.

Figure 3 is a side view of the end face processing apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a state in which the glass sheet conveying device mounts the glass sheet on the adsorption platform.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the end face measuring device.

Fig. 6 is a view showing measurement points set on the end faces.

Fig. 7 is a view showing measurement points set on the end faces.

Figure 8 is a flow chart showing the steps of chamfering the end face.

Fig. 9 is a graph showing the measurement result of the measurement point of the end face and the calculated adjustment line.

Fig. 10 is a graph showing the measurement results of the measurement points of the end faces which are chamfered along the adjustment line.

Fig. 11 is a view for explaining the difference in the surface width of the end faces of the glass sheets.

Fig. 12 is a view for explaining the difference in the surface width of the end faces of the glass sheets.

Fig. 13 shows the measurement results of the first chamfered width, the second chamfered width, and the surface width difference of the end faces.

Fig. 14 shows the measurement results of the first chamfering width, the second chamfering width, and the surface width difference of the end surface after chamfering along the adjustment line.

A method of manufacturing a glass sheet as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the method for producing a glass sheet according to the present embodiment, the end surface processing apparatus 100 for processing the end surface of the glass sheet and the end surface measuring apparatus 110 for measuring the shape of the end surface of the glass sheet are used.

(1) Outline of the manufacturing steps of the glass plate

The manufacturing procedure of the glass sheet 10 processed by the end surface processing apparatus 100 used in this embodiment is demonstrated. The glass plate 10 is used to manufacture a flat panel display (FPD) such as a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, and an organic EL (Electroluminescence) display. The glass plate 10 has a thickness of, for example, 0.2 mm to 0.8 mm, and has a size of 680 mm to 2200 mm in length and 880 mm to 2500 mm in width.

As an example of the glass plate 10, the glass which has the composition of the following (a) - (j) is mentioned.

(a) SiO ₂ : 50% by mass to 70% by mass, (b) Al ₂ O ₃ : 10% by mass to 25% by mass, (c) B ₂ O ₃ : 1% by mass to 18% by mass, (d) MgO : 0% by mass to 10% by mass, (e) CaO: 0% by mass to 20% by mass, (f) SrO: 0% by mass to 20% by mass, (g) BaO: 0% by mass to 10% by mass, (h) RO: 5 mass% to 20 mass% (R is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ca, Sr, and Ba), and (i) R' ₂ O: 0% by mass to 2.0% by mass (R' is selected from Li At least one of Na and K) and (j) at least one metal oxide selected from the group consisting of SnO ₂ , Fe ₂ O ₃ and CeO ₂ .

Further, the glass having the above composition is allowed to have other trace components in a range of less than 0.1% by mass.

Fig. 1 is a view showing an example of a flow chart of a manufacturing step of the glass sheet 10. The manufacturing steps of the glass sheet 10 mainly include a forming step (step S1), a board obtaining step (step S2), a cutting step (step S3), a roughening step (step S4), an end surface processing step (step S5), and a shape determination. Step (step S6), washing step (step S7), inspection step (step S8), and packaging step (step S9).

In the forming step S1, the glass piece is continuously formed by a down-draw method or a floating method using the molten glass obtained by heating the glass raw material. The formed glass piece is cooled to a temperature below the glass by controlling the temperature without causing deformation or warpage.

In the board obtaining step S2, the glass piece formed in the forming step S1 is cut to obtain a plain glass having a specific size.

In the cutting step S3, the sheet glass obtained in the board acquisition step S2 is cut to obtain a finished glass sheet 10. The plain glass is cut with a high precision using a laser.

In the roughening step S4, the roughening treatment for increasing the surface roughness of the glass sheet 10 obtained in the cutting step S3 is performed. The roughening treatment of the glass plate 10 is, for example, wet etching using an etchant containing hydrogen fluoride.

In the end surface processing step S5, the chamfering of the end surface of the glass sheet 10 after the roughening treatment in the roughening step S4 is performed. One of the end faces after chamfering has an R shape. The end surface processing step S5 is performed by the end surface processing apparatus 100.

The shape measuring step S6 measures the shape of the end surface after the chamfering process in the end surface processing step S5. The data relating to the shape of the measured end face is utilized in the end face processing step S5. The shape measuring step S6 is performed by the end surface measuring device 110. Further, the shape measuring step S6 may be performed on at least the first glass sheet 10 of each manufacturing lot.

In the cleaning step S7, the glass sheet 10 subjected to the end surface processing in the end surface processing step S5 is cleaned. Foreign matter such as the cutting of the factor plate glass, the minute glass piece produced by the end surface processing of the glass plate 10, or the organic matter existing in the environment adheres to the glass plate 10. These foreign matters are removed by washing of the glass plate 10.

In the inspection step S8, the glass plate 10 after the cleaning in the cleaning step S7 is inspected. Specifically, the shape of the glass plate 10 is measured to optically detect the defects of the glass plate 10. The defects of the glass plate 10 are, for example, scratches and cracks on the surface of the glass plate 10, foreign matter adhering to the surface of the glass plate 10, and minute bubbles existing inside the glass plate 10.

In the packaging step S9, the glass sheet 10 inspected in the step S8 and the paper mat for protecting the glass sheet 10 are alternately laminated on the pallet to be packaged. The packaged glass sheet 10 is shipped to a manufacturer of the FPD or the like.

(2) The composition of the end face processing device

2 is a plan view of the end face processing apparatus 100. Fig. 3 is a side view of the end face processing apparatus 100 as seen from the direction of the arrow III shown in Fig. 2. The end surface processing apparatus 100 chamfers the end surface of the glass sheet 10 to be fixed in the end surface processing step S5.

The end surface processing apparatus 100 mainly includes a glass sheet conveying device 20, an adsorption platform 30, a pair of chamfering grindstones 40, 42, a pair of grindstone moving mechanisms 70, 72, a grinding fluid supply device 80, a water supply device 90, and processing. Control unit (not shown).

The glass sheet 10 which is chamfered by the end surface processing apparatus 100 has a rectangular shape. The glass plate 10 has end faces 11, 12 parallel to its long sides, and end faces 13, 14 parallel to its short sides.

As shown in FIG. 2, a two-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system composed of an X-axis and a Y-axis is set on a plane parallel to the surface of the glass sheet 10. As shown in FIG. 3, the Z axis orthogonal to the plane including the X-axis and the Y-axis and facing upward in the vertical direction is set. As shown in FIG. 2, the direction of the X-axis is from the end face 13 toward the end face 14. The direction of the X-axis is the direction in which the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 are moved in contact with the end faces 11, 12 in the end surface processing step S5. As shown in FIG. 2, the direction of the Y-axis is from the end face 11 toward the end face 12.

Next, a step of chamfering the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 parallel to the long sides will be described with respect to the end surface processing apparatus 100. However, the following description can also be applied to the step of chamfering the end faces 13, 14 of the glass sheet 10 parallel to the short sides by the end surface processing apparatus 100.

(2-1) Glass plate conveying device

The glass plate conveying device 20 is a robot that conveys the glass plate 10. The glass sheet conveying device 20 conveys the glass sheet 10 and mounts the glass sheet 10 on the adsorption stage 30, or lifts the glass sheet 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30 and conveys the glass sheet 10.

4 is a view showing a state in which the glass sheet conveying device 20 mounts the glass sheet 10 on the adsorption stage 30. The glass sheet conveying device 20 includes a comb-shaped robot 22 having a plurality of teeth. The robot 22 can adsorb and hold the lower surface of the glass sheet 10. The glass plate conveying device 20 can be changed The position of the robot 22 of the glass sheet 10 is maintained or the robot 22 is rotated in a plane parallel to the horizontal plane. The glass sheet conveying device 20 can insert the teeth of the robot 22 between the support pins 32 of the adsorption platform 30 as shown in FIG.

(2-2) adsorption platform

As shown in FIG. 4, the adsorption platform 30 has a plurality of support pins 32. The support pins 32 are attached to the upper surface of the adsorption stage 30 at a predetermined interval along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. A plurality of suction holes (not shown) for adsorbing the lower surface of the glass plate 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30 are formed on the upper surface of the adsorption stage 30. The adsorption stage 30 fixes the mounted glass sheet 10 by the suction force generated by the suction of the suction holes. The upper surface of the adsorption platform 30 has a rectangular shape. The long side of the upper surface of the adsorption platform 30 is parallel to the X axis, and the short side of the upper surface of the adsorption platform 30 is parallel to the Y axis.

The process of placing the glass sheet 10 on the adsorption stage 30 with respect to the glass sheet conveying apparatus 20 which conveys the glass plate 10 is demonstrated. First, the robot 22 holding the glass sheet 10 is lowered in such a manner that the teeth of the robot 22 are positioned between the support pins 32. The robot 22 is lowered to a position where the support pin 32 is in contact with the lower surface of the glass sheet 10. Next, the adsorption of the glass plate 10 by the robot 22 is released. Thereby, the glass plate 10 is in a state of being supported only by the support pin 32. Next, the robot 22 is horizontally moved, and the robot 22 is pulled out from between the support pins 32. Next, the support pin 32 is lowered, and the glass plate 10 is placed on the adsorption stage 30. Next, the glass plate 10 is fixed to the adsorption stage 30 by suction of the suction holes.

The process of taking out the glass sheet 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30 by the glass sheet conveying apparatus 20 will be described. First, the suction of the suction hole is released, the support pin 32 is raised, and the glass plate 10 is supported only by the support pin 32. Next, the robot 22 is moved in the horizontal direction and inserted between the support pins 32 of the suction platform 30. Next, the adsorption of the glass plate 10 by the robot 22 is started, and the robot 22 is raised to lift the glass plate 10. Next, the glass plate 10 is carried by the robot 22 to the subsequent step.

(2-3) chamfering grindstone

A pair of chamfering grindstones 40, 42 are respectively used for grinding the grinding wheels for chamfering the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10. The chamfering grindstones 40, 42 are attached to the grindstone moving mechanisms 70, 72, respectively.

The chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 are movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The positions of the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction are adjusted by the grindstone moving mechanisms 70 and 72, respectively.

Chamfering grindstone 40, 42 series diamond grinding wheel. The diamond grinding wheel is a grinding wheel in which diamond abrasive grains are solidified by, for example, a metal-based bonding agent containing iron or copper. The diamond abrasive grains are, for example, diamond abrasive grains having a particle size of #300 to 600. As shown in FIG. 3, machining grooves are formed in the circumferential direction on the side faces of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42. The chamfering grindstones 40, 42 rotate about a rotational axis parallel to the Z axis. The end faces 11, 12 are chamfered by the end portions of the glass sheets 10 contacting the inner faces of the grooves of the rotating chamfering grindstones 40, 42. Thereby, the end faces 11 and 12 subjected to the chamfering in the cutting step S3 are subjected to shape processing so as to have a circular shape.

(2-4) Grinding stone moving mechanism

The pair of grindstone moving mechanisms 70 and 72 are units that are movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The grindstone moving mechanism 70 is a unit in which a chamfering grindstone 40 is mounted. The grindstone moving mechanism 70 can adjust the relative position of the chamfer grindstone 40 with respect to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction of the glass plate 10. The grindstone moving mechanism 72 is a unit in which a chamfering grindstone 42 is mounted. The grindstone moving mechanism 72 can adjust the relative position of the chamfering grindstone 42 with respect to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction of the glass plate 10.

(2-5) Grinding fluid supply device

As shown in FIG. 2, the grinding fluid supply device 80 is provided on the side of the glass plate 10 and in the vicinity of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 and sprays the grinding fluid toward the end faces 11, 12 of the glass plate 10. The grinding fluid is, for example, water, water to which a surfactant is added, or water to which another pharmaceutical agent is added. Moreover, there is a possibility that the liquid remaining in the glass sheet 10 after the cleaning step S6 may be promoted. The deteriorated liquid of the end face processing apparatus 100 is not used as the grinding fluid. Although not shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a cover for preventing the grinding fluid from adhering to the surface of the glass sheet 10 may be provided above the glass sheet 10. Further, although not shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a grindstone cover covering the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 may be provided. The grinding fluid can be recovered by providing a grindstone cover.

The grinding fluid to which the surfactant is added in water easily enters the contact point of the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10 and the chamfering grindstones 40, 42, that is, the grinding point, due to the small surface tension. Therefore, the grinding liquid has an effect of removing foreign matter such as glass fine particles generated by grinding of the glass plate 10 and removing it. Further, the grinding fluid has an effect of cooling the grinding point which is likely to be heated by friction.

(2-6) Water supply device

As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply device 90 is provided above the glass sheet 10 and sprays water toward the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10. When the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 are processed by the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42, the glass flakes which are fine pieces of the glass are scattered from the end faces 11 and 12. The water supply device 90 ejects water from the inner side of the surface of the glass sheet 10 toward the end faces 11 and 12 to form a water film. Thereby, the water supply device 90 can reduce the amount of glass swarf scattered toward the inner side of the surface of the glass sheet 10. Therefore, the water supply device 90 can suppress the amount of glass swarf attached to the surface of the glass sheet 10.

(2-7) Processing Control Department

The machining control unit is a computer that controls the operation of the end surface processing apparatus 100. The processing control unit controls the glass sheet conveying device 20, the adsorption stage 30, the pair of chamfering grindstones 40 and 42, the pair of grindstone moving mechanisms 70 and 72, the grinding fluid supply device 80, and the water supply device 90.

The machining control unit controls the position and posture of the robot 22 of the glass sheet conveying device 20. The processing control unit starts and ends the adsorption of the glass sheet 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30. The machining control unit controls the rotational speed of the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42. The machining control unit controls the positions of the grinding stone moving mechanisms 70 and 72 in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. system. The machining control unit controls the amount of the grinding fluid sprayed onto the glass sheet 10 by the grinding fluid supply device 80. The machining control unit controls the amount of water that the water supply device 90 sprays onto the glass sheet 10.

Further, the machining control unit is connected to the end surface measuring device 110. The processing control unit can receive the data from the end surface measuring device 110 and transmit the data to the end surface measuring device 110. For example, the processing control unit can receive information on the shape of the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10 measured by the end surface measuring device 110.

(3) The composition of the end face measuring device

The end surface measuring device 110 measures the shape of the end faces 11 to 14 of the glass sheet 10 subjected to chamfering by the end surface processing apparatus 100. Hereinafter, a procedure of measuring the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 parallel to the long sides will be described with respect to the end surface measuring device 110. However, the following description can also be applied to the step of measuring the shape of the end faces 13, 14 of the glass sheet 10 parallel to the short sides by the end surface measuring device 110.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the end surface measuring device 110. The end surface measuring device 110 mainly includes a mounting platform 120, a pair of position sensors 130 and 132, a pair of sensor moving mechanisms 140 and 142, and a measurement control unit (not shown).

(3-1) Mounting platform

The mounting platform 120 mounts a platform on which the glass sheet 10 having been chamfered by the end surface processing apparatus 100 is subjected to chamfering. The glass sheet 10 on which the end surface has been chamfered is lifted by the glass sheet conveying device 20, transported to the end surface measuring device 110, and placed on the mounting platform 120.

(3-2) position sensor

The pair of position sensors 130 and 132 are contact type sensors for measuring the shapes of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass plate 10 placed on the mounting platform 120, respectively. The position sensors 130, 132 respectively have end portions 130a, 132a which are in contact with the end faces 11, 12 and which acquire the contact points with the end faces 11, 12 in the form of coordinates in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction. .

(3-3) Sensor moving mechanism

The pair of sensor moving mechanisms 140, 142 are units that are movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. The sensor moving mechanism 140 is a unit in which the position sensor 130 is mounted. The sensor moving mechanism 140 can adjust the relative position of the position sensor 130 with respect to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction of the glass sheet 10. The sensor moving mechanism 142 is a unit in which the position sensor 132 is mounted. The sensor moving mechanism 142 can adjust the relative position of the position sensor 132 with respect to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction of the glass sheet 10.

(3-4) Measurement Control Department

The measurement control unit is a computer that controls the operation of the end surface measuring device 110. The measurement control unit controls the pair of position sensors 130 and 132 and the pair of sensor moving mechanisms 140 and 142. The measurement control unit can control the position of the position sensors 130 and 132. The measurement control unit can control the positions of the sensor moving mechanisms 140 and 142.

The data indicating the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 is composed of coordinates of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of a plurality of measurement points set in advance on the end faces 11 and 12. 6 shows six measurement points P11 to P16 set on the end surface 11 when viewed in the Z-axis direction, and six measurement points P21 to P26 set on the end surface 12. Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the glass sheet 10 taken along the plane including the Y-axis and the Z-axis as seen from the direction of the arrow VII shown in Fig. 6. As shown in FIG. 7, the measurement points P16 and P26 are located at the height position of the center of the end faces 11, 12 in the Z-axis direction. The other measurement points P11 to P15 and P21 to P25 are also located at the height of the center of the end faces 11 and 12 in the Z-axis direction. Hereinafter, the positions of the measurement points P11 to P16 of the end surface 11 in the X-axis direction are the same as the positions of the measurement points P21 to P26 of the end surface 12 in the X-axis direction. The data indicating the shape of the end face 11 is composed of coordinates of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the measurement points P11 to P16. The data indicating the shape of the end face 12 is composed of coordinates of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the measurement points P21 to P26. Further, the number of measurement points set for the end faces 11 and 12 can be appropriately set according to the size of the glass plate 10. The measurement points can also be set at specific intervals set. For example, the measurement points can also be set at intervals of 1 mm to 50 mm, preferably at intervals of 1 mm to 10 mm. For example, when the size of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 is 2500 mm, the measurement points can be set at equal intervals of 10 mm.

Next, a procedure in which the measurement control unit measures the position of the measurement points P11 to P16 of the end surface 11 using the position sensor 130 will be described. The following description can also be applied to the step of the measurement control unit using the position sensor 132 to measure the positions of the measurement points P21 to P26 of the end surface 12.

The measurement control unit sequentially measures the positions of the measurement points P11 to P16 along the positive direction of the X-axis. First, the measurement control unit adjusts the coordinates of the position sensor 130 in the X-axis direction to the coordinates of the X-axis direction of the measurement point P11. Next, the measurement control unit adjusts the coordinate of the position sensor 130 in the Z-axis direction to the height position of the center of the end surface 11 in the Z-axis direction. Next, the measurement control unit adjusts the coordinate of the position sensor 130 in the Y-axis direction to a position where the end portion 130a of the position sensor 130 is in contact with the end surface 11. Next, the measurement control unit measures the position of the contact point of the distal end portion 130a and the end surface 11 in the Y-axis direction. The position of the measurement point P11 is composed of coordinates of the contact point in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. Through the above steps, the measurement control unit measures the position of the measurement point P11 using the position sensor 130.

Next, the measurement control unit adjusts the coordinates of the position sensor 130 in the X-axis direction to the coordinates of the X-axis direction of the measurement point P12. Through the above steps, the measurement control unit measures the position of the measurement point P12 using the position sensor 130. Similarly, the measurement control unit sequentially measures the positions of the measurement points P13 to P16 using the position sensor 130. Further, the measurement control unit sequentially measures the positions of the measurement points P21 to P26 using the position sensor 132.

The measurement control unit transmits the data related to the positions of the measurement points P11 to P16 and P21 to P26 measured by the position sensors 130 and 132 to the machining control unit in response to the request from the machining control unit of the end surface processing apparatus 100. As described below, the machining control unit controls the position of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 at the chamfering of the end faces 11, 12 by using the received data.

(4) Steps of chamfering

Figure 8 is a flow chart showing the steps of chamfering the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10. Next, a step of chamfering the end surface 11 facing the end surface processing apparatus 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 8 . The following description can also be applied to the step of chamfering the end face 12 of the end surface processing apparatus 100.

In step S11, the processing control unit of the end surface processing apparatus 100 controls the glass sheet conveying apparatus 20, and conveys the glass sheet 10 subjected to the surface treatment in the roughening step S4, and places it on the adsorption stage 30. Next, the machining control unit adjusts the position and direction of the glass sheet 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30 by a position adjustment mechanism (not shown). Next, the processing control unit fixes the glass plate 10 to the adsorption stage 30. In the glass plate 10 to be fixed, the end faces 11, 12 parallel to the long sides of the glass plate 10 are parallel to the X-axis, and the end faces 13, 14 parallel to the short sides of the glass plate 10 are parallel to the Y-axis. Next, step S12 is performed.

In step S12, the machining control unit determines whether or not the following adjustment line has been calculated in step S16. When it is determined that the adjustment line has not been calculated, step S13 is performed. When it is determined that the adjustment line has been calculated, step S17 is performed.

In step S13, the machining control unit causes the chamfering grindstone 40 to contact the end surface 11, and moves the chamfering grindstone 40 in accordance with the shape of the end surface 11, and performs chamfering processing of the end surface 11. Since the direction of the glass sheet 10 is adjusted so that the end surface 11 and the X-axis are parallel in step S11, the machining control unit can move the chamfering grindstone 40 along the X-axis to chamfer the end surface 11. Step S13 is a step of quantitatively processing the shape of the end face 11 into a circular shape by removing a specific amount of glass from the end face 11. Next, step S14 is performed.

Further, in step S13, in order to uniformly grind the end surface 11 by chamfering, the machining control unit preferably moves the chamfering grindstone 40 correctly along the X-axis. However, it is difficult to accurately move the chamfering grindstone 40 along the X-axis when the chamfering of the end face 11 is difficult due to the mechanical precision of the grindstone moving mechanism 70 for moving the chamfering grindstone 40. Therefore, at the chamfering process of the end face 11, the chamfering grindstone 40 moves slightly in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, actually, in step S13, the machining control unit cannot uniformly grind the end surface 11. because In the steps S14 to S16, the preparation for fine adjustment of the movement trajectory of the chamfering grindstone 40 during the chamfering of the end surface 11 is performed to uniformly grind the end surface 11.

In step S14, the processing control unit controls the glass sheet conveying device 20, and conveys the glass sheet 10 placed on the adsorption stage 30 to the end surface measuring device 110, and mounts it on the mounting platform 120. Next, the measurement control unit of the end surface measuring device 110 measures the shape of the end surface 11 after chamfering of the glass sheet 10. Specifically, the measurement control unit measures the coordinates of the plurality of measurement points set on the end surface 11 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The measurement points are the measurement points P11 to P16 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Next, the measurement control unit transmits the coordinates of the measured measurement points P11 to P16 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to the machining control unit of the end surface processing apparatus 100. Next, step S15 is performed.

In step S15, the machining control unit calculates the machining line based on the coordinates of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the measurement points P11 to P16 received from the measurement control unit. Fig. 9 is an example of measurement results of the measurement points P11 to P16 of the end surface 11. In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the coordinates of the measurement points P11 to P16 in the X-axis direction, and the vertical axis represents the coordinates of the measurement points P11 to P16 in the Y-axis direction. The measurement points P11 to P16 are set in the X-axis direction, and are set substantially uniformly on the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10. In FIG. 9, the measurement points adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction are connected by a solid line. The processing line connects the measurement points P11 to P16 in sequence. The processing line indicates the approximate shape of the end face 11 after chamfering. Next, step S16 is performed.

In step S16, the machining control unit calculates the adjustment line based on the shape of the end face 11 before the chamfering process and the shape of the machining line calculated in step S15. The adjustment line is used to chamfer the end face 11 in accordance with the shape of the end face 11 before chamfering. In Fig. 9, an example of an adjustment line is indicated by a broken line. Adjustment points P31 to P36 corresponding to the measurement points P11 to P16 of the processing line are set on the adjustment line. The coordinates of the X-axis direction of the adjustment points P31 to P36 are the same as the coordinates of the X-axis directions of the measurement points P11 to P16.

The relationship between the processing line and the adjustment line will be described. In Fig. 9, the processing line indicated by the solid line indicates the approximate shape of the end face 11 after chamfering. Also, in Figure 9, the chain line The reference line indicated indicates the ideal shape of the end face 11 after chamfering. In the present embodiment, the end surface 11 before chamfering is parallel to the X-axis. It is preferable that the end surface 11 is uniformly chamfered in the X-axis direction, and therefore, the reference line is parallel to the X-axis. Further, the adjustment line is set to a line segment obtained by inverting the processing line with respect to the reference line parallel to the X-axis, so that the end surface 11 after chamfering is parallel to the X-axis. Further, the coordinates of the reference line in the Y-axis direction may be appropriately set according to the machining allowance of the end surface 11. The larger the coordinate of the Y-axis direction of the measurement points P11 to P16 is, the larger the machining allowance of the end surface 11 is. Therefore, the coordinates of the adjustment points P31 to P36 in the Y-axis direction are set to be small. Next, step S11 is performed.

In step S17, the machining control unit slightly adjusts the position of the chamfering grindstone 40, and moves the chamfering grindstone 40 to the glass sheet 10 along the adjustment line calculated in step S16. The end face 11 is chamfered. For example, during the movement of the chamfering grindstone 40 from the adjustment point P31 to P32 along the X-axis direction, the coordinates of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the Y-axis direction are controlled from the coordinates of the adjustment point P31 to the coordinates of P32. The position of the angle grindstone 40. In FIG. 9, the coordinate of the measurement point P11 in the Y-axis direction is about -0.02 mm, so that the chamfering is performed in order to make the grinding amount at the measurement point P11 an ideal value (a state in which the coordinate in the Y-axis direction is 0 mm). At the time of machining, the chamfering grindstone 40 is moved so that the coordinates of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the Y-axis direction become about +0.02 mm. Thereby, the coordinate of the measurement point P11 of the end surface 11 after the chamfering process in the Y-axis direction becomes about 0 mm. That is, the adjustment point P31 represents an ideal coordinate of the chamfered grindstone 40 in the Y-axis direction. Similarly to the measurement points P12 to P16, the coordinates of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the Y-axis direction are controlled. Thereby, the end surface 11 after chamfering is substantially parallel to the end surface 11 before chamfering. Step S17 is a step of quantitatively processing the shape of the end surface 11 into a circular shape by removing a specific amount of glass from the end surface 11 in the same manner as in step S13.

The above steps are repeated until all of the glass sheets 10 of the manufacturing lot are subjected to chamfering. Furthermore, steps S13 to S16 are generally performed only on the first glass sheet 10 of the manufacturing lot.

Furthermore, after the chamfering of the end faces 11, 12 of steps S11 to S17, the end is performed. Grinding of the faces 11, 12 The polishing process is a step of reducing the surface roughness of the end faces 11, 12 by pressing the elastic grinding wheel against the chamfered end faces 11, 12 with a fixed pressure. The circular shape of the end faces 11, 12 formed by chamfering is maintained during the grinding process. The elastic grinding wheel is formed by an elastic member such as polyurethane.

(5) Features

The end surface processing apparatus 100 first chamfers the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment by the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42. The glass plate for adjustment 10 is a glass plate 10 subjected to chamfering in order to calculate an adjustment line, and is usually the first glass plate 10 of the manufacturing lot. In the chamfering processing step of the adjustment glass plate 10, the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 are moved in such a manner as to move along the X-axis in accordance with the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment. control. However, it is difficult to accurately move the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 along the X-axis due to the mechanical precision of the grindstone moving mechanisms 70, 72 for moving the chamfering grindstones 40, 42. Therefore, while the grindstone moving mechanisms 70 and 72 move the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 along the X-axis, the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 may slightly move in the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the moving trajectory of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 when viewed in the Z-axis direction, that is, the processing line is not parallel to the X-axis. That is, the shapes of the end faces 11 and 12 after the chamfering process are not completely identical to the shapes of the end faces 11 and 12 before the chamfering process, and there is a difference therebetween. Therefore, in the glass plate 10 for adjustment, the end faces 11, 12 after chamfering are not uniformly ground in the direction in which the end faces 11, 12 extend. In other words, in the glass plate 10 for adjustment, the end faces 11 and 12 after chamfering have a portion having a large amount of grinding and a portion having a small amount of grinding, so that minute irregularities are formed in the Y-axis direction. The minute irregularities are the undulations of the end faces 11, 12. Therefore, the linearity of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment is lowered by chamfering.

In the present embodiment, the end surface measuring device 110 measures the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 after chamfering of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment. The end surface processing apparatus 100 calculates a processing line based on the measured shapes of the end faces 11 and 12. The processing line indicates the trajectory of the actual movement of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 when the chamfering of the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment is performed. Processing The line indicates the actual shape of the end faces 11, 12 after chamfering. For example, in FIG. 9, the convex portion of the processing line indicated by the solid line corresponds to the convex portion of the end surface 11, and the concave portion of the processing line corresponds to the concave portion of the end surface 11. The convex portion of the end face 11 is a portion in which the chamfering grindstone 40 is ground less than the surrounding portion. The recess of the end face 11 is a portion of the chamfered grindstone 40 that is more abrasive than the surrounding portion. Therefore, by increasing the amount of grinding of the chamfering grindstone 40 by the convex portion of the processing line and reducing the grinding amount of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the concave portion of the processing line, the grinding amount of the end surface 11 after chamfering can be made uniform . In Fig. 9, the adjustment line indicated by a broken line indicates the movement locus of the chamfering grindstone 40 for making the grinding amount of the end surface 11 uniform.

FIG. 10 is an example of measurement results of coordinates in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the measurement points P11 to P16 of the end surface 11 on which the chamfering grindstone 40 is moved along the adjustment line. 9 and 10 show the measurement results of the same end faces 11 of the same glass plate 10. Comparing Fig. 9 with Fig. 10, the end surface 11 is substantially uniformly ground along the X-axis direction. Further, as shown in Fig. 10, the coordinates of the measurement points P11 to P16 of the end surface 11 after the chamfering process are in the range of -10 μm to 10 μm (-0.01 mm to 0.01 mm) based on the ideal coordinate, that is, 0 mm. Inside. That is, the chamfering of the end face 11 of the present embodiment can achieve a machining accuracy of ±10 μm.

According to the above description, the end surface processing apparatus 100 calculates the processing line by measuring the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 after the chamfering processing of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment, and calculates the adjustment line based on the calculated processing line to make the chamfer grinding The stones 40, 42 are moved along the calculated adjustment line, and the chamfering process for uniformly grinding the end faces 11, 12 can be performed.

Further, in order to remove the horizontal crack and the brittle fracture layer from the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10, it is necessary to process the end faces 11 and 12 at a chamfer angle of ±10 μm along the Y-axis direction orthogonal to the end faces 11 and 12. Accuracy, better processing accuracy of 5μm. Therefore, it is important to improve the processing accuracy of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 and to improve the linearity of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 after chamfering in the X-axis direction. In the present embodiment, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can perform chamfering processing for uniformly grinding the end faces 11 and 12, thereby improving the glass. The machining accuracy of the end faces 11, 12 of the plate 10.

Further, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can make the grinding amount of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 uniform in the X-axis direction and can suppress the grinding amount to be low. Thereby, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can reduce the amount of grinding of the end faces 11, 12, thereby reducing the amount of glass swarf and glass granules generated during the grinding of the end faces 11, 12. Moreover, the cutting amount of the end faces 11, 12 of the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 can also be suppressed to be low, and the size of the generated glass chips and particles can also be reduced. As a result, the amount of glass swarf and particles adhering to the surface of the glass sheet 10 can be reduced.

Further, the glass sheet 10 manufactured by using the end surface processing apparatus 100 can be preferably used as a glass substrate for manufacturing a panel for a high definition display. A high-definition ‧ high-resolution display glass substrate having a wiring pattern having a narrow line width or a narrow pitch on the surface, for example, a glass substrate on which an oxide semiconductor or a low-temperature polysilicon semiconductor element is formed is required to have higher quality than the conventional glass substrate. The previous method of manufacturing a glass substrate cannot sufficiently satisfy the high quality requirement. However, the end surface processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment can suppress glass chips and particles in the manufacture of a glass substrate for a high-definition ‧ high-resolution display which is formed on a glass substrate and has a narrow line width or a narrow pitch and which does not allow minute defects. The problem of adhesion to the surface of the glass substrate.

Moreover, by reducing the amount of adhesion of the glass swarf and the particles on the surface of the glass substrate, the yield of the wiring of the Cu-based electrode having low adhesion to the glass can be improved. In other words, by using the end surface processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, even if the line width or pitch of the wiring electrode is narrow, an electrode material having low adhesion to glass can be used. For example, compared with an Al-based electrode, a Cr, a Mo-based electrode, or the like, the adhesion to the glass is low, but a Cu-based electrode such as a low-resistance Ti-Cu alloy or a Mo-Cu alloy can be used. Since the selection range of the electrode material is wide, the problem of RC delay (wiring delay) in the manufacturing steps of a large display panel such as a television can be eliminated. In addition, it is possible to eliminate the problem of RC delay in the manufacturing steps of small display panels for mobile terminals that are expected to be further developed in the future.

Further, in the above description, a semiconductor element is provided for use as a device. A countermeasure against a problem of a glass substrate such as a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) panel has been described. However, the end surface processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment is provided as a display for providing a color filter (CF, Color Filter) or the like as a device. The countermeasure against the problem of the glass substrate is also effective. For example, in the case of a CF panel, in recent years, the thinning of a black matrix (BM, Black Matrix) has been developed. However, by using the end surface processing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the BM caused by the foreign matter adhering to the surface in the manufacturing process of the CF panel for liquid crystal display having a BM line width of 20 μm or less, for example, 5 μm to 10 μm. The problem of spalling.

(6) Variations

The method of producing the glass sheet of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

(6-1) Change A

In the embodiment, in the step S14 shown in FIG. 8, the measurement control unit of the end surface measuring device 110 is a plurality of measurement points P11 to P16 set on the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass plate 10 after the chamfering process. The coordinates of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of P21 to P26 were measured, and the shapes of the end faces 11 and 12 were measured. However, the measurement control unit may measure the coordinates in the Z-axis direction instead of the coordinates of the Y-axis directions of the plurality of measurement points P11 to P16 and P21 to P26 set on the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass plate 10 after the chamfering process. The shapes of the end faces 11, 12 were measured.

This modification is related to the chamfering process of uniformly grinding the end surface 11 when the coordinates of the Z-axis direction of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 fixed to the adsorption stage 30 are not fixed in the X-axis direction. The following description can also be applied to the chamfering of the end face 12.

The main surface of the glass sheet 10 fixed to the adsorption stage 30 is sometimes not completely flat due to the mechanical precision of the adsorption platform 30. Thereby, when the end surface 11 of the glass plate 10 is observed along the Y-axis direction, the end surface 11 is formed with irregularities in the Z-axis direction. That is, the coordinate edge of the end face 11 in the Z-axis direction The X-axis direction is not fixed.

When the end face 11 is chamfered by the chamfering grindstone 40, the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after chamfering may not be fixed along the X-axis direction. 11 and 12 are views for explaining the surface width difference D of the end surface 11. Figure 11 is a side view of the glass sheet 10 after chamfering is observed along the X-axis. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view of the YZ plane of the glass sheet 10 ground by the chamfering grindstone 40. In Fig. 12, the area marked with the dotted hatching is a portion of the glass sheet 10 and is removed by grinding with the chamfering grindstone 40. The surface width difference D is a value obtained by subtracting the second chamfer width W2 from the first chamfering width W1. The first chamfered width W1 is the width of a region removed from the first main surface 10a on the lower side of the glass sheet 10. The second chamfering width W2 is the width of a region removed from the second main surface 10b on the upper side of the glass sheet 10. In Fig. 12, the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 is chamfered by being brought into contact with the inner surface of the processing groove 40a of the rotating chamfering grindstone 40. As shown in FIG. 12, the first chamfering width W1 is different from the second chamfering width W2 in accordance with the position of the glass plate 10 in the Z-axis direction.

When the surface width difference D is zero, the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b of the glass sheet 10 are equally ground. When the surface width difference D is a positive value, the larger the surface width difference D is, the more the first main surface 10a is ground than the second main surface 10b. When the surface width difference D is a negative value, the smaller the surface width difference D is, the more the second main surface 10b is ground than the first main surface 10a. Therefore, from the viewpoint of uniformly grinding the first main surface 10a and the second main surface 10b, the absolute value of the surface width difference D is preferably as small as possible, and more preferably zero. When the first chamfering width W1 is different from the second chamfering width W2, there is a possibility that the entire end faces 11 and 12 are not uniformly polished in the step after the chamfering processed end faces 11 and 12 are polished. This causes the strength of the glass sheet 10 to decrease. Therefore, in the step of chamfering the glass sheet 10 by using the chamfering grindstone 40, it is necessary to uniformly grind the entire end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 so that the absolute value of the surface width difference D is close to zero.

When the coordinates of the Z-axis direction of the chamfering grindstone 40 and the coordinate of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 in the Z-axis direction are appropriate, the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after the chamfering process becomes zero. specific In the case where the center of the machining groove of the chamfering grindstone 40 is located at the same position as the center of the end surface 11 in the Z-axis direction, the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after the chamfering process becomes zero. . However, when the coordinates of the end face 11 in the Z-axis direction are too small with respect to the chamfering grindstone 40, the lower portion of the end face 11 is chamfered much more than the upper portion, and therefore, the first chamfering width W1 is larger than the second chamfering angle. The width W2 and the surface width difference D are greater than zero. Conversely, when the coordinates of the end face 11 in the Z-axis direction are too large with respect to the chamfering grindstone 40, the upper portion of the end face 11 is chamfered more than the lower portion, and therefore, the first chamfering width W1 is smaller than the second pour. The angular width is W2, and the surface width difference D is less than zero.

In the present modification, the measurement control unit of the end surface measuring device 110 can measure the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 after the chamfering processing at a plurality of measurement points, and calculate the data based on the measurement data of the surface width difference D. The coordinates of the end face 11 of the point in the Z-axis direction are measured. In other words, the measurement control unit can measure the shape of the end surface 11 when viewed in the Y-axis direction based on the surface width difference D of the plurality of measurement points. Fig. 13 is an example of measurement results of the first chamfer width W1, the second chamfer width W2, and the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after chamfering. In FIG. 13, the horizontal axis represents the coordinates of the measurement points P11 to P16 in the X-axis direction, and the vertical axis represents the absolute values of the first chamfer width W1, the second chamfer width W2, and the surface width difference D. The first chamfered width W1 is represented by a solid line connected by a diamond dot. The second chamfering width W2 is indicated by a broken line connecting the square points. The absolute value of the surface width difference D is represented by a chain line connected by dots. The first chamfering width W1 and the second chamfering width W2 are represented by scale values of the vertical axis on the left side. The absolute value of the surface width difference D is represented by the scale value of the vertical axis on the right side.

The measurement control unit reduces the coordinate of the chamfer grindstone 40 in the Z-axis direction by the measurement point whose surface width difference D is greater than zero, and increases the Z-axis direction of the chamfer grindstone 40 at the measurement point where the surface width difference D is less than zero. The coordinates of the Z-axis direction of the chamfering grindstone 40 can be appropriately adjusted in conjunction with the shape of the end face 11. Specifically, similarly to the embodiment, the processing line is calculated based on the measurement data of the surface width difference D of each of the measurement points P11 to P16, and the adjustment line is calculated based on the calculated processing line to make the chamfering grindstone 40, 42 Move along the calculated adjustment line, thereby making the opposite end The chamfering of the faces 11, 12 is evenly ground. Thereby, the measurement control unit can reduce the absolute value of the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after the chamfering process.

Fig. 14 is a first chamfering width W1, a second chamfering width W2, and a surface width of the end surface 11 which is chamfered while adjusting the position of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the Z-axis direction along the calculated adjustment line. An example of the measurement result of the absolute value of the difference D. 13 and 14 show the measurement results of the same end faces 11 of the same glass plate 10. In Figures 13 and 14, the same example is used. Comparing Fig. 13 with Fig. 14, it can be seen that the chamfering is performed while adjusting the position of the chamfering grindstone 40 in the Z-axis direction along the adjustment line, and the absolute value of the surface width difference D of the end surface 11 after chamfering is reduced. . Therefore, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can improve the machining accuracy of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 and perform chamfering processing for uniformly grinding the end surface 11. Further, the smaller the absolute value of the surface width difference D of the glass sheet 10, the greater the bending strength of the glass sheet 10. Therefore, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can perform chamfering processing which suppresses the reduction of the bending strength of the glass plate 10. Further, the absolute value of the surface width difference D of the glass sheet 10 after chamfering is preferably 150 μm or less, more preferably 80 μm or less, still more preferably 50 μm or less.

Further, after the chamfering process for reducing the absolute value of the surface difference D of the glass sheet 10 is performed, the end faces 11 and 12 are polished. The polishing process is a step of reducing the surface roughness of the end faces 11, 12 by pressing the elastic grinding wheel against the chamfered end faces 11, 12 with a fixed pressure. The circular shape of the end faces 11, 12 formed by chamfering is maintained during the grinding process. The elastic grinding wheel is formed by an elastic member such as polyurethane.

Further, in the manufacturing step of the FPD, the greater the absolute value of the surface width difference D of the glass sheet 10, the lower the detection accuracy of the main surface of the glass sheet 10. The reason is that when the width difference D of the glass sheet 10 is not zero, the area of one main surface of the glass sheet 10 is different from the area of the other main surface, and therefore, along the main body of the glass sheet 10. When the glass plate 10 is viewed in the direction perpendicular to the surface, there are two main surfaces having different regions. If the detection accuracy of the main surface of the glass sheet 10 is lowered, the productivity in the manufacturing process of the FPD may be lowered. Therefore, the end surface processing apparatus 100 of the present modification reduces the absolute width D of the glass sheet 10 The value is preferably made zero, so that the detection accuracy of the main surface of the glass sheet 10 in the manufacturing step of the FPD can be suppressed from being lowered.

(6-2) Change B

In the embodiment, the measurement control unit of the end surface measuring device 110 measures the coordinates of the Y-axis direction of the plurality of measurement points set on the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 after chamfering. Further, in the modification A, the measurement control unit calculates the coordinates in the Z-axis direction of the plurality of measurement points set on the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10 after the chamfering processing based on the measurement result of the surface width difference.

However, the measurement control unit may measure the coordinates of the Y-axis direction of the plurality of measurement points set on the end surface 11 of the glass plate 10 after chamfering, and calculate the coordinates in the Z-axis direction, and determine the shape of the end surface 11. . In this case, the machining control unit of the end surface processing apparatus 100 can calculate the machining line and the adjustment line based on the measurement data of the shape of the end surface 11, and adjust the coordinates of the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction of the chamfer grindstone 40 along the adjustment line. A chamfering process is performed on the end face 11. In the present modification, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can further improve the processing accuracy of the end surface 11 of the glass sheet 10.

(6-3) Change C

In the embodiment, the machining control unit of the end surface processing apparatus 100 calculates the adjustment line based on the shape of the end surface 11 before chamfering and the shape of the processing line calculated in step S15 in step S16. Further, before the glass plate 10 is fixed to the adsorption stage 30, the position and direction of the glass plate 10 are adjusted so that the shape of the end face 11 before the chamfering process is always parallel to the X-axis. Therefore, in the embodiment, the machining control unit may calculate the adjustment line based only on the shape of the machining line calculated in step S15 without measuring the shape of the end surface 11 before the chamfering.

However, the machining control unit may further measure the shape of the end surface 11 before the chamfering process before calculating the adjustment line in step S16. In this case, the machining control unit may calculate the adjustment line based on the shape of the end face 11 before the chamfering process and the shape of the machining line calculated in step S15 in step S16. Therefore, in this variation, the glass before the chamfering is processed When the position and the direction of the glass sheet 10 are adjusted and the glass sheet 10 before the chamfering is cut off in the cutting step S3 without precision, the processing control unit can appropriately calculate the adjustment line.

(6-4) Variation D

In the embodiment, the end face processing apparatus 100 includes chamfering grindstones 40, 42 for grinding the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10. The chamfering grindstones 40, 42 are diamond grinding wheels, but may also be resin bonded grinding wheels. The resin bond grinding wheel is a grinding wheel in which a generally used abrasive grain is solidified by a resin-based bonding agent having flexibility and elasticity. The particle size of the abrasive grains is, for example, about #300 to #500 prescribed by JIS R6001-1987. In the case of using a resin bond grinding wheel, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can also uniformly grind the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10, and remove horizontal cracks and brittle fracture layers of the glass sheet 10.

Further, the end surface processing apparatus 100 may further perform chamfering on the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 by using the chamfering grindstones 40 and 42 as diamond grinding wheels, and further use a chamfering grindstone as a resin bond grinding wheel. The end faces 11, 12 are ground.

(6-5) Change E

In the embodiment, the end face processing apparatus 100 includes a pair of chamfering grindstones 40, 42 for grinding the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10. The chamfering grindstones 40, 42 are diamond grinding wheels. However, the end face processing apparatus 100 may further include the chamfering grindstone as one of the resin bond grinding wheels of the modification D. In this case, the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10 are further subjected to chamfering by the chamfering grindstones 40, 42 as diamond grinding wheels, and further implemented by chamfering grindstone as a resin bond grinding wheel. Chamfer processing.

Further, in the present modification, the end faces 11, 12 of the glass sheet 10 may be further subjected to chamfering by a diamond grinding wheel and a resin bond grinding wheel, and then further polished by a pair of grinding wheels. By grinding the end faces 11, 12 with a grinding wheel, the surface roughness of the end faces 11, 12 can be reduced. Furthermore, the arithmetic mean of the end faces 11, 12 after being ground by the grinding wheel The roughness Ra is preferably 100 nm or less, more preferably 80 nm.

In the present modification, in the end surface processing step performed by each of a pair of diamond grinding wheels, a pair of resin bond grinding wheels, and a pair of grinding wheels, as in the embodiment, the following control is performed: the adjustment line is calculated based on the processing line And move the grinding wheel along the calculated adjustment line. Thereby, the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 can be uniformly ground or polished in each end surface processing step. As a result, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can perform the end surface processing in which the arithmetic mean roughness Ra of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 is 100 nm or less, preferably 80 nm or less over the entire length of the end faces 11 and 12.

(6-6) Variation F

In the embodiment, the end surface processing apparatus 100 calculates the processing line by measuring the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 after the chamfering processing of the glass sheet 10 for adjustment, and calculates the adjustment line based on the calculated processing line to chamfer. The grindstones 40, 42 are moved along the calculated adjustment line, and the chamfering process for uniformly grinding the end faces 11, 12 can be performed. However, when the end surface processing apparatus 100 performs the grinding process using the grinding wheel after the chamfering of the end faces 11 and 12, the shape of the end faces 11 and 12 may be measured in advance, and the processing line may be calculated, and according to the calculated processing line. The adjustment line is calculated so that the grinding wheel moves along the calculated adjustment line, thereby performing the processing of uniformly grinding the end faces 11, 12. Thereby, the entire end faces 11 and 12 can be uniformly polished without changing the pressing pressure of the grinding wheel during the grinding process.

In the present modification, even if the large-sized glass sheets 10 having a size of more than 2,200 mm are uniformly polished by the end faces 11 and 12, uniform polishing can be performed along the end faces 11 and 12. Thereby, the surface roughness Ra of the end faces 11 and 12 of the glass sheet 10 can be lowered, and the amount of glass swarf or particles generated from the end faces 11, 12 can be reduced. Therefore, this modification can be particularly preferably used for manufacturing a glass plate for a high-definition ‧ high-resolution display panel.

(6-7) Change G

In the embodiment, the end surface processing apparatus 100 measures the glass sheet for adjustment 10 in advance. The machining line is calculated by chamfering the shape of the end faces 11, 12, and the adjustment line is calculated based on the calculated machining line. The end surface processing apparatus 100 can process the plurality of glass sheets 10 by repeating the calculated adjustment line once.

However, the shape of the glass plate may be measured when the glass sheet processed by the end surface processing apparatus 100 is processed, and the measurement data may be fed back to the end surface processing apparatus 100, so that the end surface processing apparatus 100 measures the end surface after chamfering processing in advance. Calculate the processing line by the shape of 11,12. Thereby, the end surface processing apparatus 100 can also cope with the undulation of the end faces 11 and 12 due to factors other than the mechanical precision or the machining accuracy of the end surface processing apparatus 100, and the end surface processing apparatus 100 which is produced by repeating the processing of the glass sheet 10. Time-dependent changes in mechanical precision or machining accuracy.

S11~S17‧‧‧Steps

Claims (5)

A glass sheet manufacturing method comprising: an end surface processing step of contacting a chamfered grindstone to an end surface of a fixed glass sheet, and moving the chamfer grindstone relative to the glass sheet, thereby performing the end surface a chamfering process; an end surface measuring step of measuring a shape of the end surface after chamfering in the end surface processing step; and a processing line calculating step according to the shape of the end surface measured in the end surface measuring step Calculating a trajectory of the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass plate in the end face processing step, that is, a processing line; and an adjusting line calculating step, which is calculated according to the processing line calculated in the processing line calculating step The end surface uniformly performs the adjustment line of the chamfering processing; and the end surface processing step is performed when the adjustment line is calculated in the adjustment line calculation step, along the trajectory of the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass sheet The above-mentioned end face is chamfered by the manner of the above adjustment line. The method for producing a glass sheet according to claim 1, wherein the end surface measuring step is performed by setting a plurality of measurement points on the end surface along the end surface, and measuring a shape parameter at each of the measurement points, thereby measuring a shape of the end surface, the processing line The calculation step calculates the processing line based on the shape parameter of each of the measurement points, and the adjustment line calculation step calculates the adjustment line having an adjustment point corresponding to each of the measurement points. A method of manufacturing a glass sheet according to claim 2, wherein The chamfering grindstone is movable along a first axis from the chamfering grindstone toward the end surface, and the end surface measuring step measures the coordinates of the first axis as the shape parameter at each of the measurement points, and the adjustment line The calculating step calculates the adjustment line in which the coordinate of the first axis corresponding to the adjustment point is smaller as the value of the shape parameter of each of the measurement points is larger. The glass sheet manufacturing method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the chamfering grindstone is along a second main surface from a first main surface of the glass sheet toward a back side of the first main surface and the first main surface The surface is moved by the second axis orthogonal to the surface, and the end surface measuring step is performed at each of the measurement points, and a surface width difference obtained by subtracting the second chamfering width from the first chamfering width is measured as the shape parameter, and the adjustment line is The calculation step is to calculate the adjustment line corresponding to the coordinate of the second axis corresponding to the correction point as the value of the shape parameter of each of the measurement points is larger, and the first chamfer width is in the end surface processing step. The width of the region where the first main surface is removed, and the second chamfer width is a width of a region removed from the second main surface in the end surface processing step. A glass plate manufacturing apparatus comprising: a platform for fixing a glass plate; a chamfering grindstone for chamfering an end surface of the glass plate; and a processing control portion for contacting the chamfered grindstone Fixing the end surface of the glass plate fixed to the platform, and moving the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass plate, thereby chamfering the end surface; and a measurement control unit that measures a shape of the end surface; and the processing control unit calculates a trajectory of the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass sheet during chamfering according to a shape of the end surface measured by the measurement control unit a processing line, wherein the adjustment line is calculated according to the calculated processing line, and when the adjustment line is calculated, the end surface of the chamfering grindstone relative to the glass sheet is along the adjustment line Perform chamfering.