TW201908250A - Method and apparatus for adjustable glass ribbon heat transfer - Google Patents

Abstract

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article includes flowing a glass ribbon through a housing having first and second side walls. The apparatus includes a modular cartridge that is removably positioned in at least one of first and second side walls and the modular cartridge includes at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall component extending between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon.

Description

Method and equipment for adjustable heat transfer of glass ribbon

The present invention relates generally to methods and equipment for manufacturing glass objects, and more specifically to methods and equipment for providing adjustable glass ribbon heat transfer in the manufacture of glass objects.

In the production of glass objects, such as glass sheets for display applications, including televisions and handheld devices (eg, phones and tablets), glass objects can be produced from glass ribbons that continuously flow through the housing. The housing may contain an upper wall portion, providing physical separation between the glass ribbon and the processing equipment (eg, heating and cooling equipment). The upper wall portion not only serves as a physical barrier to protect the device, but also provides a thermal effect in the smooth thermal gradient experienced by the glass ribbon. It is believed that this thermal effect will affect certain glass properties, for example, thickness uniformity and surface flatness or ripple.

However, the physical barrier between the glass ribbon and the processing equipment (eg, cooling equipment) reduces the heat dissipation capacity of the equipment. For glass with low specific heat capacity and / or emissivity, glass with high viscosity and / or relatively cold temperature, this heat dissipation becomes more important at increased glass flow rates. In addition, regarding the heat transfer between the glass ribbon and the processing equipment, the difference between the glass flow rate, specific heat capacity, emissivity, and viscosity may require different optimization conditions. Rebuilding or refurbishing existing upper wall sections and related processing equipment to eliminate this discrepancy may involve significant expense and downtime. Therefore, there is a need for an upper wall portion that can be adjusted to eliminate this difference without a lot of expense and downtime.

The embodiments disclosed herein include equipment for manufacturing glass objects. The device includes a housing that includes a first side wall and a second side wall. The housing is configured to at least partially enclose the glass ribbon, the glass ribbon having a first relatively major surface and a second relatively major surface, extending in the longitudinal and lateral directions. The first side wall and the second side wall are configured to extend in the longitudinal and lateral directions along at least a portion of the first and second opposing major surfaces of the glass ribbon. The device also includes a modular cassette that is removably disposed in at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall. The modular cassette includes at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall assembly, and the removable wall assembly is configured to extend between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon. When the removable wall component is not present, the view factor between the glass ribbon and the at least one heat transfer mechanism is greater than when the removable wall component is present.

The embodiments disclosed herein also include methods of manufacturing glass objects. The method includes flowing a glass ribbon through a housing, the glass ribbon having a first relatively major surface and a second relatively major surface extending in the longitudinal and lateral directions, and the housing includes a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall and the second side wall extend in the longitudinal and lateral directions along at least a portion of the first and second opposing major surfaces of the glass ribbon. The modularized cassette is removably disposed in at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall. The modular cassette includes at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall component that extends between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon. When the removable wall assembly is not present, the observation factor between the glass ribbon and the at least one heat transfer mechanism is greater than when the removable wall assembly is present.

The additional features and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will be described in the following embodiments, and those skilled in the art can understand the additional features and advantages of a part of the embodiments disclosed herein from this description. Or by implementing the disclosed embodiments as described herein, including the following implementation, patent application scope, and subsequent drawings, it is possible to understand additional features and advantages of a part of the disclosed embodiments.

It should be understood that the foregoing summary of the invention and the following embodiments present examples intended to provide an overview or architecture for understanding the nature and features of the requested embodiments. The back drawings are included to provide further understanding, and the back drawings are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate various embodiments of the invention, and together with the description explain the principles and operation of the invention.

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, and examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the following drawings. Wherever possible, the same symbol will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be constructed to be limited to the embodiments described herein.

The range can be expressed here from "about" one specific value and / or to "about" another specific value. When this range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value. Similarly, when expressing numerical values as approximate, for example using the antecedent "about", it will be understood that the particular numerical value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoint of each of these ranges is important relative to the other endpoint and is independent of the other endpoint.

The directional terms used herein, for example, up, down, right, left, front, back, top, and bottom, are only used to refer to the drawings shown and do not mean absolute directions.

Unless otherwise explicitly stated, any method described herein should not be interpreted as requiring the steps of the methods to be performed in a particular order, and without requiring any specific orientation of the equipment. Therefore, the method request item does not actually record the order in which the method steps are followed, or any device request item does not actually record the order or orientation of the individual components, or the patent application or the specification does not specifically specify that these steps are limited to a specific order , Or does not record the specific order or orientation of equipment components, this is not intended to represent inference order or orientation in any form. This applies to any possible implicit basis for interpretation, including: logical questions about step configuration, operation flow, component order or component orientation, simple meaning derived from grammatical logic or punctuation, and implementation described in the specification Number or type of cases.

As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents. Thus, for example, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, reference to "a" component includes aspects that have two or more such components.

As used herein, the term "heating mechanism" represents a mechanism that provides reduced heat transfer from at least a portion of the glass ribbon relative to the condition where this heating mechanism does not exist. Reduced heat transfer can occur through at least one of conduction, convection, and radiation. For example, the heating mechanism may provide a reduced temperature difference between at least a portion of the glass ribbon and the environment of the glass ribbon relative to the condition where there is no such heating mechanism.

As used herein, the term "cooling mechanism" represents a mechanism that provides increased heat transfer from at least a portion of the glass ribbon relative to the condition where this cooling mechanism does not exist. Increased heat transfer can occur through at least one of conduction, convection, and radiation. For example, the cooling mechanism may provide an increased temperature difference between at least a portion of the glass ribbon and the environment of the glass ribbon relative to the condition where this cooling mechanism does not exist.

As used herein, the term "heat transfer mechanism" represents at least one of a heating mechanism and a cooling mechanism.

As used herein, the term "observation factor" represents the proportion of radiation that leaves one surface and hits another surface, for example, the proportion of radiation that leaves a glass ribbon and hits a heat transfer mechanism.

As used herein, the term "housing" refers to the outer shell in which the glass ribbon is formed, wherein when the glass ribbon moves through the housing, the glass ribbon is generally cooled from a relatively high temperature to a relatively low temperature. Although the embodiments disclosed herein have been described with reference to a melt-down process in which the glass ribbon flows downward through the housing in a substantially vertical direction, it should be understood that this embodiment can also be applied to other glass forming processes, such as , Float process, slit drawing process, pull-up process, and calendering process, in which the glass ribbon can flow through the housing in various directions, such as a substantially vertical direction or a substantially horizontal direction.

Shown in FIG. 1 is an exemplary glass manufacturing apparatus 10. In some examples, the glass manufacturing apparatus 10 may include a glass melting furnace 12, and the glass melting furnace 12 may include a melting tank 14. In addition to the melting tank 14, the glass melting furnace 12 may optionally include one or more additional components, for example, heating elements (eg, burners or electrodes), which heat the raw material and convert the raw material into molten glass. In a further example, the glass melting furnace 12 may include a thermal management device (eg, an insulating component) that reduces heat loss from the vicinity of the melting tank. In still further examples, the glass melting furnace 12 may include electronic devices and / or electromechanical devices to help the original material melt into a glass melt. Still further, the glass melting furnace 12 may include a supporting structure (eg, supporting chassis, supporting member, etc.) or other components.

The glass melting tank 14 is generally composed of a refractory material, such as a refractory ceramic material, for example, a refractory ceramic material containing alumina or zirconia. In some examples, the glass melting tank 14 may be composed of refractory ceramic tiles. A specific embodiment of the glass melting tank 14 will be described in more detail below.

In some examples, a glass melting furnace may be incorporated as a component of glass manufacturing equipment to manufacture a glass substrate, for example, a continuous length of glass ribbon. In some examples, the glass melting furnace of the present invention may be incorporated as a component of a glass manufacturing equipment including a slit drawing equipment, a float bath equipment, a drawing equipment (such as a melting process), a drawing equipment, a calendering equipment , Drawing equipment or any other glass manufacturing equipment that can benefit from the aspects disclosed here. For example, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a glass melting furnace 12 as a component of a melt-down glass manufacturing apparatus 10 for melting and drawing glass ribbons for subsequent processing into individual glass sheets.

The glass manufacturing apparatus 10 (for example, the melt-down apparatus 10) may optionally include an upstream glass manufacturing apparatus 16, which is provided upstream with respect to the glass melting tank 14. In some examples, part or all of the upstream glass manufacturing equipment 16 may be incorporated as part of the glass melting furnace 12.

As shown in the illustrative example, the upstream glass manufacturing apparatus 16 may include a storage bin 18, a raw material conveying device 20, and a motor 22 connected to the raw material conveying device. The storage bin 18 may be configured to store a certain amount of raw material 24, which may be fed into the melting tank 14 of the glass melting furnace 12, as indicated by arrow 26. The raw material 24 usually contains one or more glass forming metal oxides and one or more modifiers. In some examples, the raw material delivery device 20 may be powered by the motor 22 so that the raw material delivery device 20 may deliver a predetermined amount of raw material 24 from the storage bin 18 to the melting tank 14. In a further example, the motor 22 may supply power to the raw material delivery device 20 to introduce the raw material 24 at a controlled rate according to the level of molten glass sensed downstream of the melting tank 14. The raw material 24 in the melting tank 14 can then be heated to form molten glass 28.

The glass manufacturing facility 10 may optionally include a downstream glass manufacturing facility 30 and be provided downstream of the glass melting furnace 12. In some examples, a portion of downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may be incorporated as part of glass melting furnace 12. In some cases, the first connection conduit 32 (discussed below) or other parts of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may be incorporated as part of the glass melting furnace 12. The components of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment, including the first connection duct 32, may be formed of precious metals. Suitable precious metals include platinum-based metals selected from the group consisting of platinum, iridium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and palladium, or alloys of the foregoing metals. For example, the downstream components of the glass manufacturing equipment may be formed of a platinum-rhodium alloy containing about 70 to about 90% by weight of platinum and about 10 to about 30% by weight of rhodium. However, other suitable metals may include alloys of molybdenum, palladium, rhenium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten and the foregoing metals.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may include a first conditioning (ie, processing) tank, for example, a clarification tank 34, located downstream of the melting tank 14 and coupled to the melting tank 14 via the aforementioned first connection conduit 32. In some examples, the molten glass 28 may be gravity fed from the melting tank 14 to the clarification tank 34 via the first connection duct 32. For example, gravity can cause the molten glass 28 to pass from the melting tank 14 through the internal path of the first connecting duct 32 to the clarifying tank 34. However, it should be understood that other adjustment tanks may be provided downstream of the melting tank 14, for example, between the melting tank 14 and the clarification tank 34. In some embodiments, a conditioning tank may be used between the melting tank and the clarification tank, where the molten glass from the main melting tank is further heated to continue the melting process or before entering the clarification tank, or to cool the melting from the main melting tank The glass is below the temperature of the molten glass in the melting tank.

Various techniques can be used to remove air bubbles from the molten glass 28 of the clarification tank 34. For example, the raw material 24 may include a multivalent compound (ie, a clarifying agent), such as tin oxide, and when the multivalent compound is heated, a chemical reduction reaction is performed and oxygen is released. Other suitable clarifying agents include, but are not limited to, arsenic, antimony, iron, and cerium. The clarifying tank 34 is heated to a temperature higher than the temperature of the melting tank, thereby heating the molten glass and the clarifying agent. Oxygen bubbles generated by the temperature-induced chemical reduction of the clarifier (a variety of clarifiers) rise through the molten glass in the clarifier tank, where the gas generated in the molten glass of the melting furnace can diffuse or coalesce to the Oxygen bubbles generated. The expanded gas bubbles can then rise to the free surface of the molten glass in the clarification tank and then be discharged from the clarification tank. Oxygen bubbles can further induce mechanical mixing of the molten glass in the clarification tank.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include other adjustment tanks, such as a mixing tank 36, for mixing molten glass. The mixing tank 36 may be located downstream of the clarification tank 34. The mixing tank 36 may be used to provide a uniform glass melting composition, thus reducing the cords of chemical or thermal inhomogeneities that may be present in the clarified molten glass leaving the clarification tank. As shown, the clarification tank 34 can be coupled to the mixing tank 36 via the second connection duct 38. In some examples, the molten glass 28 may be gravity conveyed from the clarification tank 34 to the mixing tank 36 via the second connection duct 38. For example, gravity can cause the molten glass 28 to pass from the clarifying tank 34 through the internal path of the second connecting duct 38 to the mixing tank 36. It should be noted that although the mixing tank 36 is shown downstream of the clarification tank 34, the mixing tank 36 may be provided upstream of the clarification tank 34. In some embodiments, the downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may include multiple mixing tanks, for example, a mixing tank upstream of the clarification tank 34 and a mixing tank downstream of the clarification tank 34. The multiple mixing tanks may be the same design or the multiple mixing tanks may be different designs.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include other adjusting tanks, such as the conveying tank 40, which may be located downstream of the mixing tank 36. The conveying tank 40 can adjust the molten glass 28 to be conveyed to the downstream forming device. For example, the transfer tank 40 may serve as an accumulator and / or flow controller to regulate and / or provide a consistent flow of molten glass 28 to the shaped body 42 through the outlet conduit 44. As shown in the figure, the mixing tank 36 may be coupled to the conveying tank 40 via the third connection duct 46. In some examples, the molten glass 28 may be gravity transferred from the mixing tank 36 to the transport tank 40 via the third connection duct 46. For example, gravity can cause molten glass 28 from the mixing tank 36 through the internal path of the third connecting duct 46 to the conveying tank 40.

The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include a molding apparatus 48 that includes the aforementioned molded body 42 and the inlet duct 50. An outlet duct 44 may be provided to transport molten glass 28 from the transport tank 40 to the inlet duct 50 of the forming apparatus 48. For example, the outlet duct 44 may be nested in the inner surface of the inlet duct 50 and spaced from the inner surface of the inlet duct 50, thus providing a space between the outer surface of the outlet duct 44 and the inner surface of the inlet duct 50 Free surface of molten glass. The molded body 42 in the molten down-drawing glass manufacturing apparatus may include a groove 52 and a convergent forming surface 54. The groove 52 is provided on the upper surface of the molded body, and the convergent forming surface 54 converges on the stretch along the bottom edge 56 of the molded body In the direction. The molten glass conveyed to the molded body groove through the conveying tank 40, the outlet duct 44 and the inlet duct 50 overflows out of the side wall of the groove and descends along the converging forming surface 54 into a separate flow of molten glass. The separate flow of molten glass is below the bottom edge 56 and joined along the bottom edge 56 to produce a single strip 58 of glass, which is stretched or A single strip 58 of glass is drawn from the bottom edge 56 in the flow direction 60 to control the size of the glass ribbon as the glass cools and the glass viscosity increases. According to this, the glass ribbon 58 undergoes a viscoelastic transition and obtains mechanical properties that give the glass ribbon 58 stable dimensional characteristics. In some embodiments, the glass ribbon 58 can be separated into individual glass sheets 62 by using the glass separating apparatus 100 in the elastic region of the glass ribbon. Next, the robotic arm 64 uses the gripping tool 65 to transfer the individual glass sheets 62 to the conveyor system, where the individual glass sheets can be further processed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a glass ribbon forming apparatus and a manufacturing process including a modular cassette 210. The modular cassette 210 includes a heating mechanism 230 including a resistance element 214 and an insulating package 212. Specifically, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the glass ribbon 58 flows longitudinally under the bottom edge 56 of the molded body 42 in the stretching or flow direction 60 and is interposed between the first and second side walls of the housing 200 Between 202. The housing 200 is generally separated from the molded body housing 208 by a spacer 206, wherein the housing 200 is located downstream with respect to the molded body housing 208 with reference to the stretching or flow direction 60 of the glass ribbon 58.

The modular cassette 210 also includes a removable wall assembly 218 that extends between the heating mechanism 230 and the glass ribbon 58. As shown in FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the removable wall assembly 218 and the first and second side walls 202 are coplanar, where the plane is generally parallel to the flow direction 60 of the glass ribbon 58.

Each removable wall assembly 218 may include the same or different materials or materials than the materials and materials including the first and second side walls 202. In certain exemplary embodiments, each removable wall assembly 218 and each of the first and second sidewalls 202 include relatively high thermal conductivity at high temperatures while maintaining this temperature (eg, above about 750 ° C) Material under high mechanical integrity. Exemplary materials for the removable wall assembly 218 and the first and second side walls 202 may include at least one of the following: various grades of silicon carbide, alumina refractories, zircon-based refractories, titanium-based steel Alloys and nickel-based steel alloys. The removable wall assembly 218 may also be coated with a high emissivity coating, for example, the M700 black coating available from Cetek.

Although the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 shows the modularized cassette 210 including a heating mechanism 230 having a resistance element 214 and an insulating package 212, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein include other types of heating mechanisms, such as For example, the heating mechanism includes induction heating, flame heating, plasma heating, vibration heating, laser heating and microwave heating.

The modular cassette 210 may also extend around or include at least one heating mechanism, for example, a heating mechanism including a rod-shaped or rod-shaped resistance heating element, extending substantially parallel to the glass ribbon 58 in the lateral direction and connected to an appropriate power source. For example, the rod or rod-shaped heating element may include silicon carbide, molybdenum disilicide, nichrome, platinum alloy, and various commercial heater compositions known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Commercially available resistance heating rods include silicon carbide Starbars® available from I Squared R Element Co. and Globars ^™ available from Sandvik.

As shown in FIG. 2, the modular cassette 210 extends around the cooling mechanism 228. The cooling mechanism 228 includes a duct 216 with cooling fluid flowing through the duct 216. The duct 216 extends between the heating mechanism 230 and the glass ribbon 58. In addition, the removable wall assembly 218 extends between the catheter 216 and the glass ribbon 58.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the cooling fluid flowing through the conduit 216 may contain liquid, such as water. In some exemplary embodiments, the cooling fluid flowing through the conduit 216 may contain a gas, for example, air. And although Figures 2, 6 and 7 show a catheter 216 having a substantially circular cross-section, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein include those with other cross-sectional geometries (eg, elliptical or polygonal) Examples. In addition, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein include those embodiments where the diameter or cross-sectional area of each duct 216 is approximately the same or varies along the longitudinal length of the duct, depending on the The heat transfer amount is desired (for example, when a different heat transfer amount from the glass ribbon 58 in the lateral direction of the glass ribbon 58 is desired). In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein include those embodiments where the longitudinal length of each duct 216 is the same or different, and the longitudinal length of each duct 216 may or may not extend across the entire length of the glass ribbon 58 in the transverse direction of the glass ribbon 58 Examples of these.

Exemplary materials for the catheter 210 include those having good mechanical and oxidizing properties at high temperatures, including various steel alloys, including stainless steel, for example, 300 series stainless steel.

The embodiments disclosed herein also include those embodiments in which a high emissivity coating is deposited on at least a portion of the outer surface of each conduit 216 to affect the radiant heat transfer between the glass ribbon 58 and the conduit 216, Where depending on the desired amount of heat transfer from the glass ribbon 58, the same or different coatings can be deposited on the outside surface of each duct 216 along the longitudinal length of the duct 216. An exemplary high emissivity coating should be stable at high temperatures and have good adhesion to materials such as stainless steel. An exemplary high emissivity coating is the M700 black coating available from Cetek.

Each duct 216 may include one or more fluid channels extending along at least a portion of the longitudinal length of each duct 216, including an embodiment in which at least one channel circumferentially surrounds at least one other channel, for example, when the cooling fluid is introduced into the first When in the catheter at the end, at least a portion of the longitudinal length of the catheter flows along the first channel and then flows back to the first end of the catheter along the second channel, the second channel circumferentially surrounds the first channel or the first channel The second channel is surrounded by a circumference. For example, these and additional exemplary embodiments of catheter 216 are described in WO2006 / 044929A1, the entire contents of WO2006 / 044929A1 are incorporated herein by reference.

Although FIG. 2 shows a modular cassette 210 extending around three conduits 216 on each side of the glass ribbon 58, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein may include the modular cassette 210 extending around any The number of ducts and / or other types of cooling mechanisms 228 of these embodiments. The embodiments disclosed herein also include those embodiments where the modular cassette 210 extends around at least one heating mechanism.

In addition, although the modular cassette 210 may extend around the cooling mechanism 228, such as shown in FIG. 2, the embodiments disclosed herein include those embodiments where the modular cassette includes at least one cooling mechanism 228. For example, the modular cassette may extend around or include a convection cooling mechanism, for example, a vacuum cooling mechanism including a plurality of vacuum ports, such as disclosed in WO2014 / 193780A1, the entire content of WO2014 / 193780A1 is incorporated herein by reference in.

The modular cassette 210 may also extend around or include a cooling mechanism 228. The cooling mechanism 228 includes a plurality of cooling tubes, and each cooling tube includes a longitudinal axis that extends substantially perpendicular to the flow direction 60. Each cooling tube includes an open end, which may be disposed adjacent to the removable wall assembly 218 and may provide cooling fluid, for example, air, which is discharged from the open end of the cooling tube and strikes the rear surface of the removable wall assembly 218. The fluid supplied to the cooling tube can be individually controlled to control or change the temperature distribution in the lateral direction of the glass ribbon 58. Exemplary cooling tubes include those cooling tubes disclosed in US Patent Nos. 3,682,609 and 3,723,082, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The modular cassette 210 may also extend around or include a cooling mechanism 228 that utilizes the evaporative cooling effect to improve the heat transfer (eg, radiant heat transfer) from the glass ribbon 58. For example, the cooling mechanism may include an evaporator unit that includes a liquid reservoir and a heat transfer element, the liquid reservoir is configured to contain working liquid (eg, water), and the heat transfer element is configured to accommodate the liquid contained in the liquid reservoir Working fluid thermal contact, in which a heat transfer element can be configured to cool by receiving radiant heat from the glass ribbon 58 and transferring the heat to the working liquid contained in the liquid reservoir, thus converting a certain amount of working fluid to vapor Glass ribbon 58. For example, these and additional exemplary embodiments of cooling mechanisms using evaporative cooling effects are disclosed in US2016 / 0046518A1, the entire text of US2016 / 0046518A1 is incorporated herein by reference.

Other cooling mechanisms that can be used with the embodiments disclosed herein include those cooling mechanisms including a plurality of cooling coils, a plurality of cooling coils are provided along the cooling axis, the cooling axis extending transverse to the flow direction 60 of the glass ribbon 58, For example, the cooling mechanisms disclosed in WO2012 / 174353A2, the entire text of WO2012 / 174353A2 is incorporated herein by reference. This cooling coil may be used in conjunction with the catheter 216 and / or replace the catheter 216.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the top of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and process of FIG. 2, showing that the glass ribbon 58 has a first end 58A, a first bead area 58B, a central area 58C, and a second bead area 58D And the second end 58E. Although FIG. 3 shows four modular cassettes 210 extending along the opposite major surface of the glass ribbon 58 in the lateral direction, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are not so limited and may include extending in the lateral direction Any number of modular cassettes.

Figure 4 shows a schematic top cross-sectional view of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and process of Figure 2, in which the cooling mechanism 228, including the conduit 216 with cooling fluid flowing therethrough, has been removed from the apparatus. For example, the catheter 216 may be removed through one of the side walls 202 along the axial direction of the catheter 216, where each side wall 202 includes an opening through which the catheter 216 extends.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic end sectional view of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of FIG. 4, in which the modular cassette 210 has been removed from the apparatus, and then the cooling mechanism 228 including the duct 216 is removed. In FIG. 5, in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrows A and B, the modular cassette 210 is removed from the device. The modular cassette 210 includes a removable wall assembly 218 and a heating mechanism 230, The heating mechanism 230 includes a resistance element 214 and an insulating package 212, and when viewed from the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus shown in FIG. 5, the relative direction is substantially perpendicular to the flow direction 60 of the glass ribbon 58.

After the modularized cassette 210 is removed from the device, as shown in FIG. 5, the modularized cassette can be replaced with an alternative cassette. The replacement cassette may include a modular cassette that is the same as or different from the modular cassette being replaced. For example, the replacement cassette may include a modular cassette 210 in which the removable wall assembly 218 has been removed. The replacement cassette may also include a modular cassette, the modular cassette includes at least one heat transfer mechanism that affects a greater number than the thermal transfer mechanism in the modular cassette removed by the device Or a smaller amount of heat transfer from the glass ribbon.

Figure 6 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and process of Figure 2, where no removable wall assembly 218 is present (as shown in Figures 2 to 5). When the removable wall component 218 is not present in the modular cassette 210, the observation factor between the glass ribbon 58 and any heat transfer mechanism that the modular cassette 210 extends around or contains is greater than when the removable wall component 218 When it exists. For example, in Figure 6, there is no removable wall assembly 218 (as shown in Figures 2 to 5), between the glass ribbon 58 and the heating mechanism 230 including the resistive element 214 and the insulating package 212 The observation factor and the observation factor between the glass ribbon 58 and the cooling mechanism 228 containing the conduit 216 through which the cooling fluid flows are greater than when the removable wall assembly 218 is present.

FIG. 7 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of FIG. 6, in which the modular cassette 210 is removed from the apparatus. Compared to FIG. 5, the cooling mechanism 228 including the duct 216 has been removed from the device. In FIG. 7, there is no removable wall assembly 218. When the modular cassette 210 is removed, The catheter 216 is still present in the device. As shown in FIG. 5, in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrows A and B, the modular cassette 210 is removed from the device. The modular cassette 210 includes heating with a resistive element 214 and an insulating package 212 The mechanism 230, when viewed from the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus shown in FIG. 7, the relative direction is substantially perpendicular to the flow direction 60 of the glass ribbon 58.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic side sectional view of the modularized cassette 210 including the removable wall assembly 218, and the removable wall is removably provided by being slidably disposed on the support frame 220 of the glass ribbon forming apparatus Component 218. As shown in FIG. 8, the support frame 220 includes a guide feature 222, which enables the modular cassette 210 to be disposed at a set of predetermined positions in the width direction of the glass ribbon while being slidably along the longitudinal length of the guide feature 222 Set away from the belt (for example, in the directions shown by arrows A and B in FIGS. 5 and 7) or slidably toward the belt. Exemplary materials for the support frame 220 include those having good mechanical and oxidizing properties at high temperatures, such as various steel alloys.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the removable wall assembly 218, and the removable wall assembly 218 is removably provided by being slidably disposed on the modular cartridge 210, wherein the modular cartridge 210 It is slidably arranged on the support frame 220 in sequence, as described with reference to FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9, the modular cassette 210 includes guide features 224 and 226. When the modular cassette 210 is completely embedded in the device (for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4) and slidably moved In addition to the modular cassette 210, for example, when the modular cassette 210 is removed from the device, the guide features 224 and 226 can make the removable wall assembly 218 in a fixed configuration.

In the embodiments disclosed herein, the modular cassette 210 can be moved manually or using an automated system. For example, the automated system includes at least one servo motor.

Although the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 shows a modular cassette 210, the first and second opposite major surfaces of the glass ribbon 58 extend in the longitudinal direction (ie, as shown in FIGS. 2, 5 to 7). (The vertical direction shown in the figure), but it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein are not so limited and may include any number of modular cassettes extending in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein include an MxN matrix device that includes a modular cassette 210 that extends in the longitudinal and lateral directions along at least a portion of the first and second opposing major surfaces of the glass ribbon 58 (where M represents along The number of modular cassettes 210 extending in the lateral direction, and N represents the number of modular cassettes 210 extending in the longitudinal direction), wherein each modular cassette 210 can be independently operated and independently removed and replaced. Each of the modular cassettes 210 may include at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall assembly 218, the removable wall assembly 218 is configured to extend between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon, wherein when removable When the wall assembly 218 is not present, the observation factor between the glass ribbon and the at least one heat transfer mechanism is greater than when the removable wall assembly 218 is present.

The independent operation and removal and replacement of the modular cassette 210 and the removability of the wall member 218 are highly flexible for the design and operation of the glass manufacturing equipment, so that various heat transfer mechanisms can be used Unlimited number of configurations, where these configurations can be quickly changed with the shortest process downtime (for example, corresponding to changes in glass composition, glass flow rate, glass viscosity, glass temperature, glass emissivity, etc.). For example, the embodiments disclosed herein include those embodiments of devices that include a plurality of modular cassettes 210, where different modular cassettes 210 include or extend around different heat transfer mechanisms. The embodiments disclosed herein also include those embodiments of devices including a plurality of modular cassettes 210, wherein different modular cassettes 210 include or extend around the same heat transfer mechanism of the same operation or different operations (eg, The embodiments disclosed herein include those embodiments that operate the resistance elements 214 of different modular cassettes 210 at the same or different power levels). The embodiments disclosed herein also include those embodiments of a device including a plurality of modular cassettes 210, wherein different modular cassettes 210 include or extend around the same or different insulating packages 212. The embodiments disclosed herein also include those embodiments of devices that include at least one modular cassette 210 and that have a removable wall assembly 218, and also include at least one modular cassette 210 and that there is no removable These embodiments of the device of the wall assembly 218.

Although the foregoing embodiment has been described with reference to the melt-down process, it should be understood that this embodiment can also be applied to other glass forming processes, such as a float process, a slit drawing process, a pull-up process, and a calendering process.

This process can be used to manufacture glass objects, for example, it can be used in electronic components and other applications.

Various modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present invention can be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which is obvious to those with ordinary knowledge in this technical field. Therefore, it is intended that the present invention covers these modified examples and modified examples, so that the modified examples and modified examples fall within the scope of the attached patent application and the equivalent examples of the modified examples and modified examples.

10‧‧‧Glass manufacturing equipment

12‧‧‧Glass melting furnace

14‧‧‧melting tank

16‧‧‧Upstream glass manufacturing equipment

18‧‧‧Storage

20‧‧‧ Raw material conveying device

22‧‧‧Motor

24‧‧‧ original material

26‧‧‧arrow

28‧‧‧Molten glass

30‧‧‧ Downstream glass manufacturing equipment

32‧‧‧First connection catheter

34‧‧‧Clarification tank

36‧‧‧Mixing tank

38‧‧‧Second connection catheter

40‧‧‧Conveyor

42‧‧‧Molded body

44‧‧‧Exit duct

46‧‧‧The third connection conduit

48‧‧‧Molding equipment

50‧‧‧Inlet duct

52‧‧‧groove

54‧‧‧Convergence molding surface

56‧‧‧Bottom edge

58‧‧‧glass ribbon

58A‧‧‧The first end

58B‧‧‧First Pearl District

58C‧‧‧Central

58D‧‧‧Second Pearl District

58E‧‧‧The second end

60‧‧‧Stretch or flow direction

62‧‧‧Individual glass

64‧‧‧Robot

65‧‧‧Grab tool

72‧‧‧Edge Roll

82‧‧‧ Pull roller

100‧‧‧Glass separation equipment

200‧‧‧Housing

202‧‧‧First and second side walls

206‧‧‧Isolation

208‧‧‧Moulded body shell

210‧‧‧Modular cassette

212‧‧‧Insulation package

214‧‧‧Resistance element

216‧‧‧Catheter

218‧‧‧Removable wall assembly

220‧‧‧support frame

222‧‧‧Guide characteristics

224‧‧‧Guide features

226‧‧‧Guide characteristics

228‧‧‧cooling mechanism

230‧‧‧Heating mechanism

A‧‧‧arrow

B‧‧‧arrow

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an example of the equipment and process for melting down-drawing glass.

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming equipment and process, including modular cassettes removably disposed in the first and second side walls of the equipment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the top of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of FIG. 2.

Figure 4 is a schematic top cross-sectional view of the glass ribbon forming equipment and manufacturing process of Figure 2, in which the cooling mechanism has been removed from the equipment.

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of Figure 4, in which the modular cassette has been removed from the apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of FIG. 2, where there is no removable wall component.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the glass ribbon forming apparatus and manufacturing process of FIG. 6, in which the modular cassette has been removed from the apparatus.

Figure 8 is a schematic side sectional view of a modular cassette, which is slidably arranged on a support frame of a glass ribbon forming apparatus, and

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the end of the removable wall component that is slidably disposed on the modular cassette.

Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, number) No

Overseas hosting information (please note in order of hosting country, institution, date, number) No

Claims (26)

An apparatus for manufacturing a glass object includes: a housing including a first side wall and a second side wall, the housing is configured to at least partially enclose a glass ribbon, the glass ribbon has a first relatively major surface and a second The relative main surface extends in a longitudinal and lateral direction, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall are configured to extend along the longitudinal and at least a portion of the first and second opposite main surfaces of the glass ribbon In a lateral direction; and a modular cassette, removably disposed in at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall, the modular cassette includes at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall assembly , The removable wall assembly is configured to extend between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon, wherein when the removable wall assembly is not present, the one between the glass ribbon and the at least one heat transfer mechanism The observation factor is greater than when the removable wall assembly is present. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat transfer mechanism includes a heating mechanism. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one heat transfer mechanism includes a cooling mechanism. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the modular cassette extends around a cooling mechanism. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the cooling mechanism is configured to extend between the heating mechanism and the glass ribbon. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the cooling mechanism includes a duct through which a cooling fluid flows. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the heating mechanism includes a resistance heating mechanism. The device of claim 5, wherein the modular cassette is configured to be removable by the device, and then the removable wall assembly or the cooling mechanism is removed by the device. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the removable wall assembly is coplanar with the side wall, wherein the modular cassette is removably provided. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one modular cassette is removably disposed in both the first side wall and the second side wall. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device includes a plurality of modular cassettes, and independently operates the plurality of modular cassettes. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes at least one modular cassette and the removable wall assembly is present, and the apparatus includes at least one modular cassette and the removable wall assembly is not present. A method of manufacturing a glass object, comprising: Flowing a glass ribbon through a housing, the glass ribbon having a first relative main surface and a second relative main surface, extending in a longitudinal and lateral direction, the housing includes a A first side wall and a second side wall, wherein the first side wall and the second side wall extend in the longitudinal and lateral directions along at least a portion of the first and second opposing major surfaces of the glass ribbon; and wherein , A modular cassette is removably disposed in at least one of the first side wall and the second side wall, the modular cassette includes at least one heat transfer mechanism and a removable wall assembly, the removable The wall removing component extends between the at least one heat transfer mechanism and the glass ribbon, wherein when the removable wall component is not present, an observation factor between the glass ribbon and the at least one heat transfer mechanism is greater than when When the removable wall assembly is present. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one heat transfer mechanism includes a heating mechanism. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one heat transfer mechanism includes a cooling mechanism. The method of claim 14, wherein the modular cassette extends around a cooling mechanism. The method of claim 16, wherein the cooling mechanism extends between the heating mechanism and the glass ribbon. The method of claim 17, wherein the cooling mechanism includes a conduit through which a cooling fluid flows. The method according to claim 14, wherein the heating mechanism includes a resistance heating mechanism. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises: removing the modular cassette from the device, and then removing the removable wall assembly or the cooling mechanism from the device. The method of claim 13, wherein the removable wall assembly is coplanar with the side wall, wherein the modular cassette is removably disposed. The method of claim 13, wherein at least one modular cassette is removably disposed in both the first side wall and the second side wall. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: removing the modular cassette from the device, and replacing the modular cassette with a modular cassette including at least one heat transfer mechanism The at least one heat transfer mechanism affects a greater or lesser amount of heat transfer from the glass ribbon than the heat transfer mechanism in the modular cassette removed by the device. The method according to claim 13, wherein the method further comprises: independently operating a plurality of modular cassettes. A glass object manufactured by the method described in claim 13. An electronic component comprising the glass object as described in claim 25.