WO2021124801A1

WO2021124801A1 - Glass article manufacturing method and glass article manufacturing device

Info

Publication number: WO2021124801A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/043475
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直樹大庭; 隆英中村
Original assignee: 日本電気硝子株式会社
Priority date: 2019-12-18
Filing date: 2020-11-20
Publication date: 2021-06-24
Also published as: CN114555536A; CN114555536B; JPWO2021124801A1; KR20220117197A

Abstract

This glass article manufacturing device 1 is provided with: a forming furnace 2 which forms a glass ribbon Gr with a downdraw method; a slow cooling furnace 3 which communicates with the lower part of the forming furnace 2 and gradually cools the glass ribbon Gr; a cooling unit 4 which communicates with the lower part of the slow cooling furnace 3 and cools the glass ribbon Gr; a forming and cooling chamber 6 inside of which the forming furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3 are arranged; and a cooling chamber 7 inside of which the cooling unit 4 is arranged. The forming and cooling chamber 6 is provided with a first chamber 6a inside of which the top of the forming furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3 are arranged, and a second chamber 6b inside of which the bottom of the slow cooling furnace 3 is arranged. The first chamber 6a is provided with a pressurizing mechanism 16 which pressurizes the inside of the first chamber 6a, and the second chamber 6b is provided with a discharge mechanism 20 which discharges the gas inside of the second chamber 6b to outside of the chamber.

Description

Glass article manufacturing method and glass article manufacturing equipment

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

As a manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a glass article for a display such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, for example, a molding furnace for molding a glass ribbon by a down draw method and a molding furnace communicating with the lower part of the molding furnace to gradually move the glass ribbon. Examples thereof include a slow cooling furnace for cooling and a cooling unit that communicates below the slow cooling furnace to cool the glass ribbon.

Here, examples of the glass article include a glass plate having a substantially rectangular shape obtained by cutting a glass ribbon to a predetermined length, a glass roll obtained by winding the glass ribbon around a winding core, and the like in a roll shape. In the case of a glass roll, for example, it is possible to easily cut out a large number of glass plates.

In the case of this type of manufacturing equipment, the molding furnace, slow cooling furnace, and cooling unit form a tubular space that communicates in the vertical direction, and this tubular space is used as a glass ribbon transfer booth. Since a part of the inside of the transport booth is heated to a high temperature, an updraft may be generated in the transport booth due to the chimney effect. This updraft adversely affects the slow cooling process of the glass ribbon in the slow cooling furnace, and the distortion of the glass ribbon may be exacerbated.

In particular, when manufacturing a glass article having a small heat shrinkage in order to cope with the high definition of a display in recent years, the updraft generated in the transport booth becomes a problem. That is, in order to reduce the heat shrinkage of the glass article, it is effective to slowly cool the glass ribbon for a long time at a slow slow cooling (cooling) rate in the slow cooling step. Therefore, in order to satisfy this condition, the length of the slow cooling furnace is increased, and the glass ribbon in the slow cooling furnace is easily affected by the updraft.

Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a molding slow cooling chamber in which a molding furnace and a slow cooling furnace are arranged is pressurized by a pressurizing mechanism such as a pressurizing fan. By pressurizing the molding slow cooling chamber in this way, it is possible to reduce the outflow of gas from the gaps in the furnace walls of the molding furnace and the slow cooling furnace, so that the updraft in the transport booth can be suppressed. If a large amount of gas flows out from a gap in the furnace wall of a molding furnace or a slow cooling furnace, the rise of the gas in the transport booth increases, and an updraft is likely to occur.

JP-A-2017-154911

However, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, if the molding slow cooling chamber is pressurized, the air pressure in the molding slow cooling chamber increases, so that the lower part of the molding slow cooling chamber (for example, near the bottom surface of the molding slow cooling chamber). ), Foreign matter in the molding slow cooling chamber may enter the slow cooling furnace through the gap in the furnace wall of the slow cooling furnace. This foreign matter contains iron powder generated from the bearing portion of the annealing roller extending outside the slow cooling furnace. Then, when such a foreign substance adheres to the glass ribbon, there may be a problem that the surface quality of the glass article such as the manufactured glass plate is deteriorated.

An object of the present invention is to suppress the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon while suppressing the deterioration of the distortion of the glass ribbon when manufacturing the glass article by the down draw method.

The present invention, which was devised to solve the above problems, communicates with a molding furnace that forms a glass ribbon by the downdraw method, a slow cooling furnace that communicates with the lower part of the molding furnace to slowly cool the glass ribbon, and a slow cooling furnace that communicates with the lower part of the slow cooling furnace. A method for manufacturing a glass article using a manufacturing apparatus including a cooling unit for cooling the glass ribbon, a molding slow cooling chamber in which a molding furnace and a slow cooling furnace are arranged, and a cooling chamber in which the cooling unit is arranged inside. The molding slow cooling chamber is divided into a first chamber in which the upper part of the molding furnace and the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside and a second chamber in which the lower part of the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside. It is characterized in that the gas in the second chamber is exhausted to the outside by an exhaust mechanism while pressurizing one chamber.

In this way, the first chamber of the molding slow cooling chamber is pressurized by the pressurizing mechanism, so that the gas does not flow out from the gap (for example, joint) of the furnace wall above the molding furnace and / or the slow cooling furnace. Can be reduced. As a result, the updraft inside each of the molding furnace, the slow cooling furnace, and the cooling unit (inside the transport booth) can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the distortion of the glass ribbon due to the updraft. Further, since the second chamber is provided in the molding slow cooling chamber and the gas in the second chamber is exhausted to the outside by the exhaust mechanism, the foreign matter in the second chamber corresponding to the lower part of the molding slow cooling chamber also goes out of the room together with the gas. It is discharged. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter in the second chamber from entering the slow cooling furnace through a gap in the furnace wall at the bottom of the slow cooling furnace. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the air pressure in the first chamber is higher than the air pressure in the second chamber and the air pressure in the second chamber is lower than the air pressure in the cooling chamber.

In this way, the air pressure in the second chamber is the lowest among the first chamber, the second chamber and the cooling chamber, so that foreign matter in the first chamber and foreign matter in the cooling chamber easily flow into the second chamber. Therefore, foreign matter in the first chamber and foreign matter in the cooling chamber can also be discharged to the outside from the second chamber by the exhaust mechanism. Therefore, the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon can be suppressed more reliably.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the air pressure at the lower part of the slow cooling furnace is higher than the air pressure at the second chamber.

In this way, foreign matter in the second chamber can be more reliably suppressed from entering the lower part of the slow cooling furnace. Further, even if an updraft is generated in the cooling section, the updraft generated in the cooling section is drawn into the second chamber through a gap in the furnace wall at the lower part of the slow cooling furnace. Can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the deterioration of the distortion of the glass ribbon due to the updraft.

When adjusting the air pressure in the lower part of the slow cooling furnace to be higher than the air pressure in the second chamber, it is preferable that the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon is included in the upper part of the slow cooling furnace.

By doing so, the updraft at the position corresponding to the strain point temperature that affects the strain of the glass ribbon can be reliably suppressed, so that the strain of the glass ribbon can be sufficiently reduced.

When adjusting the air pressure in the lower part of the slow cooling furnace to be higher than the air pressure in the second chamber, the side wall of the lower part of the slow cooling furnace may have a flow path for guiding a part of the gas in the slow cooling furnace to the second chamber.

In this way, the updraft generated in the cooling section is likely to be drawn into the second chamber through the flow path at the bottom of the slow cooling furnace. Therefore, the deterioration of the distortion of the glass ribbon can be suppressed more reliably.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the first chamber is pressurized by the pressurizing mechanism and the gas in the first chamber is exhausted to the outside at a position different from the pressurizing mechanism.

By doing this, it becomes easier to adjust the air pressure in the first room. Further, although the temperature in the first chamber can be high due to the heat of the furnace, the temperature in the first chamber can be appropriately lowered because the gas in the first chamber can be easily replaced.

When the gas in the first room is exhausted to the outside, cold air is supplied to the room from the upper part of the first room by the pressurizing mechanism, and hot air is exhausted to the outside from the upper part of the first room at a position different from the pressurizing mechanism. It is preferable to do so.

In this way, the cold air tends to have a high density and tends to fall, and the hot air tends to have a low density and tends to rise, so that the gas can be efficiently circulated in the first chamber. Therefore, the air temperature in the first room can be efficiently lowered.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the gas in the second chamber is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism and the gas is supplied to the second chamber at a position different from that of the exhaust mechanism.

By doing this, it becomes easier to adjust the air pressure in the second room. Further, although the temperature in the second chamber can be high due to the heat of the furnace, the temperature in the second chamber can be appropriately lowered because the gas in the second chamber can be easily replaced.

The present invention, which was devised to solve the above problems, communicates with a molding furnace that forms a glass ribbon by the downdraw method, a slow cooling furnace that communicates with the lower part of the molding furnace to slowly cool the glass ribbon, and a slow cooling furnace that communicates with the lower part of the slow cooling furnace. A molding apparatus for manufacturing a glass article, comprising a cooling unit for cooling the glass ribbon, a molding slow cooling chamber in which a molding furnace and a slow cooling furnace are arranged, and a cooling chamber in which the cooling unit is arranged inside. The slow cooling chamber includes a first chamber in which the upper part of the molding furnace and the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside, and a second chamber in which the lower part of the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside. (Ii) It is further provided with an exhaust mechanism for exhausting the gas in the room to the outside.

In this way, the same action and effect as the corresponding configuration already described can be enjoyed.

According to the present invention, when a glass article is manufactured by the down draw method, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the distortion of the glass ribbon and the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon.

It is a schematic side view of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic side view of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic side view which shows the periphery of the 1st chamber of the molding slow cooling chamber of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention in an enlarged manner. It is a schematic side view of the manufacturing apparatus of the glass article which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, duplicate description may be omitted by assigning the same reference numeral to the corresponding component in each embodiment. When only a part of the configuration is described in each embodiment, the configurations of the other embodiments described above can be applied to the other parts of the configuration. Further, not only the combination of the configurations specified in the description of each embodiment but also the configurations of a plurality of embodiments can be partially combined even if the combination is not specified.

(First Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 1, the glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for manufacturing a glass plate G as a glass article by an overflow down draw method, and constitutes a part of a building X. To do. The inside of the building X is managed under positive pressure in order to suppress the intrusion of outside air.

The manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a molding furnace 2, a slow cooling furnace 3 arranged below the molding furnace 2, a cooling unit 4 arranged below the slow cooling furnace 3, and a cutting chamber 5 arranged below the cooling unit 4. A molding slow cooling chamber 6 in which the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3 are arranged inside, and a cooling chamber 7 in which the cooling unit 4 is arranged inside are provided. The molding slow cooling chamber 6, the cooling chamber 7, and the cutting chamber 5 are processing chambers (for example, clean rooms) that partition and form a space capable of blocking contaminants from the outside to some extent.

The molding furnace 2, the slow cooling furnace 3, and the cooling unit 4 form a tubular space that communicates in the vertical direction with walls 8a to 8d. The covered tubular space including the walls 8a to 8d is used as a transfer booth 9 for the glass ribbon Gr molded in the molding furnace 2. The transfer booth 9 is located between the molding furnace 2 and the upper portion 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3, between the upper portion 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3 and the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3, between the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 and the cooling unit 4, and for cooling. The section 4 and the cutting chamber 5 are partitioned by partitioning members 10a to 10d including the floor surface of the building X. Each of the partition members 10a to 10d is provided with an opening for passing the glass ribbon Gr. The partition members 10a to 10d in the transport booth 9 may be omitted, or a partition member may be added between the partition members 10a to 10d.

Inside the molding furnace 2, a molded body 11 for molding the glass ribbon Gr from the molten glass Gm by the overflow down draw method is arranged. The molten glass Gm supplied to the molded body 11 overflows from the groove formed at the top of the molded body 11, and the overflowed molten glass Gm travels along the side surfaces of both sides of the molded body 11 at the lower end. By merging, the plate-shaped glass ribbon Gr is continuously formed. The glass ribbon Gr to be molded is transported to the downstream side (preferably vertically downward) of the transport booth 9 in a vertical posture (preferably a vertical posture).

The slow cooling furnace 3 is a furnace for reducing the distortion of the glass ribbon Gr molded in the molding furnace 2. The inside of the slow cooling furnace 3 has a predetermined temperature gradient downward. The glass ribbon Gr is slowly cooled (annealed) so that the temperature becomes lower as it moves downward in the slow cooling furnace 3. The temperature gradient in the slow cooling furnace 3 can be adjusted by, for example, a heater (not shown) arranged in the slow cooling furnace 3.

The cooling unit 4 is a space for dissipating heat from the glass ribbon Gr slowly cooled in the slow cooling furnace 3 and cooling it to around room temperature. A heater is not arranged in the cooling unit 4.

In the slow cooling furnace 3, an edge roller 12 that regulates the shrinkage of the glass ribbon Gr in the width direction is arranged directly under the molded body 11. The edge roller 12 sandwiches both ends of the glass ribbon Gr in the width direction from both the front and back sides. As a result, ears that are relatively thicker than the central portion in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr are formed at both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon Gr. Although the case where the edge roller 12 is arranged in the slow cooling furnace 3 is illustrated, the edge roller 12 may be arranged in the forming furnace 2.

In the slow cooling furnace 3, the annealing roller 13 is arranged below the edge roller 12. The annealing rollers 13 are provided in a plurality of stages in the vertical direction. The annealing roller 13 is composed of rollers made of an inorganic material such as those made of ceramics.

A support roller 14 for sandwiching the glass ribbon Gr from both the front and back sides is arranged in the cooling unit 4. The support rollers 14 are arranged in one or a plurality of stages (illustrated example) in the vertical direction. The support roller 14 is composed of a roller made of a heat-resistant resin material such as rubber.

A cutting device (not shown) is arranged in the cutting chamber 5. The cutting device is a device for cutting the glass ribbon Gr cooled by the cooling unit 4 at predetermined lengths to obtain a glass plate G. The cutting method by the cutting device is not particularly limited, and for example, bending stress fracture, laser fracture, laser fusing and the like can be used.

The molding slow cooling chamber 6 includes a first chamber 6a in which the upper portion 3a of the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3 is arranged inside, and a second chamber 6b in which the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 is arranged inside. In the present embodiment, the upper portion 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3 includes a position corresponding to the slow cooling point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr and a position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr. Here, the slow cooling point temperature means a temperature at which strain is removed when the glass is held at this temperature for 15 minutes, and the strain point temperature means a temperature at which strain does not occur in the glass even if it is rapidly cooled below that temperature. To do. The strain point temperature is, for example, 30 to 150 ° C. lower than the slow cooling point temperature. That is, the position corresponding to the slow cooling point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr is located above the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr.

Between the first chamber 6a and the second chamber 6b, between the second chamber 6b and the cooling chamber 7, and between the cooling chamber 7 and the cutting chamber 5, partition members 15a to be formed of the floor surface of the building X or the like. It is partitioned by 15c. The partition members 15a to 15c may be configured to allow the flow of gas. For example, the partition members 15a to 15c may have a gap through which gas can flow from the transfer booth 9. Although the vertical positions of the partition members 15a to 15c are the same as the vertical positions of the partition members 10b to 10d in the transport booth 9, the vertical positions of the partition members 15a to 15c may be different from each other.

The glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a first pressurizing mechanism 16 that pressurizes the inside of the first chamber 6a. Here, the inside of the first chamber 6a means the space outside the upper portion 3a of the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3.

In the present embodiment, the first pressurizing mechanism 16 includes an outside air duct 17 connected to the outside (outside of the building X), an air supply fan 18 that takes in outdoor gas (outside air) from the outside air duct 17, and an air supply fan. It is composed of an air conditioner including an air supply duct 19 for supplying the gas taken in by 18 into the first chamber 6a.

The manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes an exhaust mechanism 20 that exhausts the gas in the second chamber 6b to the outside. Here, the inside of the second chamber 6b means the space outside the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3. The exhaust mechanism 20 is preferably configured to reduce the pressure in the second chamber 6b as the gas in the second chamber 6b is exhausted.

In the present embodiment, the exhaust mechanism 20 includes a return air duct 21 connected to the second chamber 6b, an exhaust fan 22 that takes in the gas in the second chamber 6b from the return air duct 21, and a gas taken in by the exhaust fan 22. Is provided with an exhaust duct 23 for exhausting the air to the outside.

In the manufacturing apparatus 1, the air pressure is adjusted so that the air pressure in the second chamber 6b is lower than the air pressure in the lower part 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3.

In the manufacturing apparatus 1, the air pressure is adjusted so that the air pressure in the first chamber 6a is higher than the air pressure in the second chamber 6b and the air pressure in the second chamber 6b is lower than the air pressure in the cooling chamber 7.

The manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a second pressurizing mechanism 24 that pressurizes the inside of the cooling unit 4. Here, the inside of the cooling chamber 7 means the space outside the cooling unit 4. The second pressurizing mechanism 24 is preferably configured to pressurize the inside of the cooling unit 4 so that the air pressure of the cooling unit 4 is higher than the air pressure of the cutting chamber 5. The second pressurizing mechanism 24 may be omitted.

In the present embodiment, the second pressurizing mechanism 24 includes an outside air duct 25 connected to the outside, an air supply fan 26 that takes in outdoor gas from the outside air duct 25, and a cooling unit 4 that takes in gas taken in by the air supply fan 26. It is composed of an air conditioner provided with an air supply duct 27 for supplying air inside. The air supply duct 27 is preferably connected to the cooling unit 4 below the cooling unit 4 near the cutting chamber 5, specifically, below the support roller 14 at the bottom. In addition, although the case where the floor of the building X in which the outside air duct 25 and the air supply fan 26 are arranged is the lower floor of the floor of the building X in which the air supply duct 27 is connected to the cooling unit 4, the air conditioning is illustrated. The arrangement mode of the machine is not limited to this.

In the present embodiment, the second pressurizing mechanism 24 further includes a temperature control unit 28 and a filter unit 29. As the temperature control unit 28, for example, a sheathed heater, an energizing heating device (which energizes the piping of the second pressurizing mechanism 24), an induction heating device, or the like can be used. As the filter unit 29, for example, a coarse dust filter, a medium performance filter (for example, MEPA filter), a high performance filter (for example, a HEPA filter, a ULPA filter, etc.) and the like can be used. At least one of the temperature control unit 28 and the filter unit 29 may be omitted.

Next, a method for manufacturing a glass article according to the present embodiment will be described. This manufacturing method is a method of manufacturing a glass plate G as a glass article by using the manufacturing apparatus 1 described above.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present manufacturing method includes a molding step of molding the glass ribbon Gr by the overflow down draw method in the molding furnace 2, a slow cooling step of slowly cooling the molded glass ribbon Gr in the slow cooling furnace 3, and a slow cooling step. A cooling step of cooling the cooled glass ribbon Gr in the cooling unit 4 and a cutting step of cutting the cooled glass ribbon Gr in the cutting chamber 5 are provided.

This manufacturing method further includes a first pressurizing step of pressurizing the inside of the first chamber 6a by the first pressurizing mechanism 16 and an exhaust step of exhausting the gas in the second chamber 6b to the outside by the exhaust mechanism 20. The first pressurizing step and the exhaust step are performed in parallel with the above-mentioned molding step, slow cooling step, cooling step and cutting step.

Specifically, in the first pressurizing step, the first pressurizing mechanism 16 supplies gas into the first chamber 6a to raise the air pressure in the first chamber 6a. As a result, it is possible to reduce the outflow of gas from the gaps such as the joints of the

walls

8a and 8b of the upper portion 3a of the molding furnace 2 and / or the slow cooling furnace 3. As a result, the air volume of the updraft flowing through the transport booth 9 can be suppressed. Therefore, in the slow cooling furnace 3, it is possible to suppress a situation in which the strain of the glass ribbon Gr is exacerbated due to the slow cooling temperature becoming non-uniform or the glass ribbon Gr shaking.

Here, the temperature of the transport booth 9 rises as it goes upward, and the air pressure tends to rise. Therefore, the differential pressure between the molding slow cooling chamber 6 and the transfer booth 9 tends to be smaller in the second chamber 6b corresponding to the lower portion of the molding slow cooling chamber 6 than in the first chamber 6a corresponding to the upper portion of the molding slow cooling chamber 6. That is, when the second chamber 6b is pressurized in the same manner as the first chamber 6a, foreign matter in the second chamber 6b easily enters the slow cooling furnace 3. Therefore, only the first chamber 6a is directly pressurized by the first pressurizing mechanism 16.

However, by adjusting the pressurizing conditions by the first pressurizing mechanism 16, the atmospheric pressures of the upper portions 3a of the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3 become higher than the atmospheric pressure of the first chamber 6a of the molding slow cooling chamber 6. Be maintained.

The differential pressure between the molding furnace 2 (high pressure side) and the first chamber 6a (low pressure side) is preferably, for example, 5 to 50 Pa, and the upper portion 3a (high pressure side) and the first chamber 6a (low pressure side) of the slow cooling furnace 3 The differential pressure with and from is preferably, for example, 5 to 40 Pa. The differential pressure is controlled by the

pressure sensors

30, 31 and 32, but a predetermined differential pressure gauge may be used. The value of the differential pressure is not particularly limited and can be adjusted as appropriate. The differential pressure between the first chamber 6a (high pressure side) and the outside of the building X (low pressure side) may be, for example, 20 to 100 Pa.

In the exhaust process, the exhaust mechanism 20 discharges the gas in the second chamber 6b and the foreign matter in the second chamber 6b to the outside. Therefore, it is possible to prevent foreign matter in the second chamber 6b from entering the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 through a gap such as a joint of the wall 8c of the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon Gr transported in the transport booth 9.

In the exhaust step, it is preferable to reduce the pressure in the second chamber 6b in the process of exhausting the gas in the second chamber 6b by the exhaust mechanism 20. Specifically, it is preferable that the atmospheric pressure in the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 is maintained higher than the atmospheric pressure in the second chamber 6b by adjusting the depressurizing condition by the exhaust mechanism 20. By doing so, it is possible to more reliably prevent foreign matter in the second chamber 6b from entering the lower 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 through a gap such as a joint of the wall 8c of the lower 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3. Further, even if an updraft is generated in the cooling unit 4, the updraft generated in the cooling unit 4 is drawn into the second chamber 6b in the lower part 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3, so that the updraft in the molding furnace 2 and the upper part 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3 rises. The air volume of the air flow can be suppressed. In the present embodiment, in order to facilitate the formation of an air flow toward the second chamber 6b in the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3, a part of the gas in the slow cooling furnace 3 is placed in the second chamber on the wall 8c of the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3. A hole H is provided to form a flow path leading to 6b. The hole H may be omitted.

The differential pressure between the lower part 3b (high pressure side) of the slow cooling furnace 3 and the second chamber 6b (low pressure side) is controlled to be, for example, 2 to 30 Pa. The differential pressure is controlled by the

pressure sensors

33 and 34, but a predetermined differential pressure gauge may be used. The value of the differential pressure is not particularly limited and can be adjusted as appropriate.

When the air pressure in the lower part 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 is adjusted to be higher than the air pressure in the second chamber 6b, it is preferable that the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr is included in the upper part 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3. In this way, even if an updraft is generated in the cooling unit 4, the updraft generated in the cooling unit 4 is the third in the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 below the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr. It is drawn into the second room 6b. Therefore, the updraft can be reliably suppressed at a position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr. Since the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr is an important temperature that determines the strain of the glass ribbon Gr, if the updraft is suppressed at a position corresponding to this temperature, the strain of the glass ribbon Gr can be sufficiently reduced. When the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon Gr is included in the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3, the strain of the glass ribbon Gr may be aggravated by the air flow from the lower portion 3b of the slow cooling furnace 3 to the second chamber 6b. ..

In this manufacturing method, the air pressure in the first chamber 6a is higher than the air pressure in the second chamber 6b and the air pressure in the second chamber 6b is cooled by the pressurizing conditions in the pressurizing step and the depressurizing conditions in the exhausting step. It is preferable to keep the pressure lower than the air pressure of the chamber 7. In this way, the air pressure in the second chamber 6b is the lowest among the first chamber 6a, the second chamber 6b, and the cooling chamber 7. Therefore, foreign matter in the first chamber 6a and foreign matter in the cooling chamber 7 also flow into the second chamber 6b through, for example, gaps between the

partition members

15a and 15b. As a result, the foreign matter in the first chamber 6a and the foreign matter in the cooling chamber 7 can be easily discharged from the second chamber 6b to the outside by the exhaust mechanism 20. Therefore, it is possible to more reliably suppress the adhesion of foreign matter to the glass ribbon Gr transported in the transport booth 9.

The differential pressure between the first chamber 6a (high pressure side) and the second chamber 6b (low pressure side) is preferably, for example, 10 to 60 Pa. The differential pressure between the cooling chamber 7 (high pressure side) and the second chamber 6b (low pressure side) is preferably, for example, more than 0 to 20 Pa. The differential pressure is controlled by the

pressure sensors

32, 34, 36, but a predetermined differential pressure gauge may be used. The value of the differential pressure is not particularly limited and can be adjusted as appropriate.

Further, the present manufacturing method further includes a second pressurizing step of pressurizing the inside of the cooling unit 4 by the second pressurizing mechanism 24 during the molding step, the slow cooling step, the cooling step, and the cutting step. The second pressurizing step is performed in parallel with the above-mentioned molding step, slow cooling step, cooling step and cutting step.

Specifically, in the second pressurizing step, the second pressurizing mechanism 24 supplies gas into the cooling unit 4 to raise the air pressure of the cooling unit 4. As a result, it is possible to prevent foreign matter (glass powder, etc.) generated in the cutting chamber 5 from entering the cooling unit 4.

In the second pressurizing step, it is preferable that the atmospheric pressure of the cooling unit 4 is maintained higher than the atmospheric pressure of the cutting chamber 5 by adjusting the pressurizing conditions by the second pressurizing mechanism 24. In this way, foreign matter generated in the cutting chamber 5 can be more reliably suppressed from entering the cooling unit 4.

The differential pressure between the cooling unit 4 (high pressure side) and the cutting chamber 5 (low pressure side) is preferably 0 to 6 Pa, for example. The differential pressure is controlled by the

pressure sensors

36 and 37, but a predetermined differential pressure gauge may be used. The value of the differential pressure is not particularly limited and can be adjusted as appropriate.

In the second pressurizing step, the temperature control portion 28 of the second pressurizing mechanism 24 adjusts the supply air temperature according to the temperature of the gas taken in from the outside air duct 25. As a result, the temperature inside the transport booth 9 (particularly the cooling unit 4) can be adjusted, so that the air volume of the updraft generated in the transport booth 9 can be adjusted by the chimney effect.

In the second pressurizing step, the filter unit 29 of the second pressurizing mechanism 24 removes foreign matter from the supplied gas. As a result, a highly clean gas can be supplied to the cooling unit 4.

In the exhaust step and / or the second pressurization step, the air pressure of the cooling unit 4 is the air pressure of the second chamber 6b by adjusting the depressurization condition by the exhaust mechanism 20 and the pressurization condition by the second pressurization mechanism 24. It is preferable to keep it in a higher state than. In this way, foreign matter in the second chamber 6b is less likely to enter the cooling chamber 7. In particular, as shown in the illustrated example, when the upper surface of the cooling unit 4 is larger than the lower surface of the slow cooling furnace 3, and a part of the second chamber 6b and a part of the cooling unit 4 face each other via the partition plate 15b. It is valid. In this case, it is possible to prevent a part of the foreign matter generated in the second chamber 6b from flowing into the cooling unit 4 through the gap of the partition plate 15b or the like.

The differential pressure between the cooling unit 4 (high pressure side) and the second chamber 6b (low pressure side) is preferably, for example, 5 to 30 Pa. The differential pressure is controlled by the

pressure sensors

34 and 35, but a predetermined differential pressure gauge may be used. The value of the differential pressure is not particularly limited and can be adjusted as appropriate.

(Second Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 2, the difference between the glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 and the manufacturing method according to the second embodiment of the present invention from the first embodiment is that the exhaust mechanism 41 is provided in the first chamber 6a. , The point is that the air supply mechanism 51 is provided in the second chamber 6b.

The exhaust mechanism 41 exhausts the return air duct 42 connected to the first chamber 6a, the exhaust fan 43 that takes in the gas in the first chamber 6a from the return air duct 42, and the gas taken in by the exhaust fan 43 to the outside. It is provided with an exhaust duct 44.

The amount of gas exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 41 is preferably smaller than the amount of gas supplied by the pressurizing mechanism 16. That is, in the first chamber 6a, the gas is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 41 while supplying gas by the pressurizing mechanism 16, but the exhaust by the exhaust mechanism 41 is auxiliary, and the first by the pressurizing mechanism 16. The pressurized state of the chamber 6a is maintained.

The air supply mechanism 51 has an outside air duct 52 connected to the outside (outside of the building X), an air supply fan 53 that takes in outdoor gas (outside air) from the outside air duct 52, and a gas taken in by the air supply fan 53. An air supply duct 54 for supplying air is provided in the two chambers 6b.

The amount of gas supplied by the air supply mechanism 51 is preferably smaller than the amount of gas supplied by the exhaust mechanism 20. That is, in the second chamber 6b, the gas is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism 20 while the gas is supplied by the air supply mechanism 51, but the air supply by the air supply mechanism 51 is auxiliary, and the exhaust mechanism 20 provides the second gas. The depressurized state of the two chambers 6b is maintained.

In this way, gas is supplied and exhausted in each of the first chamber 6a and the second chamber 6b, so that the air pressure in the first chamber 6a and the second chamber 6b can be easily adjusted. Further, the first chamber 6a and the second chamber 6b can become hot due to the heat of the molding furnace 2 and / or the slow cooling furnace 3, but the gas in the first chamber 6a and / or the second chamber 6b can be easily replaced by circulating the gas. Therefore, the temperature in each room can be lowered appropriately.

In the above embodiment, the case where the exhaust mechanism 41 is provided in the first chamber 6a and the air supply mechanism 51 is provided in the second chamber 6b has been described, but any one of the exhaust mechanism 41 and the air supply mechanism 51 has been described. Only one may be provided.

(Third Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 3, the difference between the glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 and the manufacturing method according to the third embodiment of the present invention from the second embodiment is the gas supply by the pressurizing mechanism 16 and the exhaust mechanism. The point is that the gas is exhausted by 41 from above the first chamber 6a.

Specifically, the pressurizing mechanism 16 supplies cold air C into the room from above the first room 6a on one side of the transport booth 9. The exhaust mechanism 41 exhausts hot air (cold air warmed by the influence of the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3) W to the outside of the room from above the first chamber 6a on the other side of the transport booth 9. Here, the cold air C is, for example, room temperature (20 ° C. ± 15 ° C.), and the hot air W is, for example, 80 ° C. ± 20 ° C.

In this way, the cold air C tends to have a high density and tends to fall, and the hot air W tends to have a low density and rises, so that the gas can be efficiently circulated in the first chamber 6a. Therefore, the air temperature in the first chamber 6a, which tends to become high due to the influence of the molding furnace 2 and the slow cooling furnace 3, can be efficiently lowered.

In the above embodiment, the pressurizing mechanism 16 supplies cold air into the room from above the first chamber 6a, and the exhaust mechanism 41 is used to supply cold air from above the first chamber 6a at a position different from the pressurizing mechanism 16. Although the case where the hot air is exhausted to the outside of the room has been described, the configuration can also be applied to the second room 6b. That is, the air supply mechanism 51 supplies cold air into the room from above the second chamber 6b, and the exhaust mechanism 20 exhausts hot air from above the second chamber 6b to the outside at a position different from that of the air supply mechanism 51. You may.

Further, the air supply position of cold air and the exhaust position of hot air are not limited to the upper side, and may be supplied and exhausted from the side to the upper part of the first chamber 6a and / or the second chamber 6b.

(Fourth Embodiment)
As shown in FIG. 4, the difference between the glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 and the manufacturing method according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention from the second embodiment is that the cooling unit 4 is also provided with the exhaust mechanism 61. is there.

The exhaust mechanism 61 includes a return air duct 62 connected to the cooling unit 4, an exhaust fan 63 that takes in the gas in the cooling unit 4 from the return air duct 62, and an exhaust duct that exhausts the gas taken in by the exhaust fan 63 to the outside. It includes 64.

In the cooling unit 4, it is preferable to keep the pressurizing mechanism 24 and the exhaust mechanism 61 as far apart as possible in consideration of the influence of particles from the cutting chamber 5. Further, it is preferable that the pressurizing mechanism 24 is arranged above the cooling unit 4 and the exhaust mechanism 61 is arranged below the cooling unit 4. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the exhaust mechanism 61 (return air duct 62) is arranged diagonally to the pressurizing mechanism 24 (air supply duct 27) arranged above the cooling unit 4. In this way, since the gas circulates in the cooling unit 4, the particles can be reliably captured and easily discharged to the outside.

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

The first pressurizing mechanism 16 is not limited to a configuration in which gas is taken in from the outside of the building X. For example, in the case of the outside of the first room 6a, the first pressurizing mechanism 16 is configured to take in gas from any place in the building X. You may. When gas is taken in from the room of the building X in this way, there is an advantage that the

ducts

17 and 19 can be shortened. The configuration for taking in gas from the room of the building X in this way can be similarly applied to the pressurizing mechanism 24 and the air supply mechanism 51.

The exhaust mechanism 20 is not limited to a configuration in which gas is exhausted to the outside of the building X. For example, in the case of the outdoor of the second room 6b, the exhaust mechanism 20 is configured to exhaust the gas to any place in the room of the building X. May be good. When the gas is exhausted into the room of the building X in this way, there is an advantage that the

ducts

21 and 23 can be shortened. Further, the exhaust mechanism 20 may have a configuration in which the gas in the second chamber 6b is exhausted to the outside by utilizing the differential pressure between the second chamber 6b and the portion where the gas is exhausted (for example, the outside of the building X). .. That is, for example, the exhaust mechanism 20 may be configured to exhaust the gas of the second chamber 6b to the outside through an opening provided in the wall portion of the second chamber 6b without providing the exhaust fan 22. These configurations can be similarly applied to the

exhaust mechanisms

41 and 61.

The exhaust mechanism 20 may further include a filter unit like the second pressurizing mechanism 24. If foreign matter (iron powder, etc.) is removed from the exhausted gas by the filter unit, a highly clean gas can be exhausted outdoors. For the same reason, the

exhaust mechanisms

41 and 61 may further include a filter unit.

The first pressurizing mechanism 16 may further include a filter portion like the second pressurizing mechanism 24. If the filter unit removes foreign matter from the gas supplied to the first chamber 6a, a highly clean gas can be supplied to the first chamber 6a. For the same reason, the air supply mechanism 51 may further include a filter unit.

The first pressurizing mechanism 16 may further include a temperature control portion like the second pressurizing mechanism 24. If the temperature of the gas supplied to the first chamber 6a is adjusted by the temperature control unit, even if the gas in the first chamber 6a invades the molding furnace 2 or the upper part 3a of the slow cooling furnace 3, the molding conditions and slow cooling are performed. It is thought that the disturbance of conditions can be reduced. For the same reason, the air supply mechanism 51 may further include a temperature control unit.

A pressurizing mechanism (air supply mechanism) and / or an exhaust mechanism may be provided in the cooling chamber 7 and / or the cutting chamber 5. In this way, it becomes easy to adjust the air pressure in the cooling chamber 7 and the cutting chamber 5. That is, the differential pressure can be easily managed.

A collection chamber for dropping and collecting waste glass from the cutting chamber 5 may be provided on the lower floor of the cutting chamber 5.

The glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a second cutting apparatus for cutting both ends in the width direction including the ears of the glass plate G, an end face processing apparatus for processing the end face of the glass plate G, and a glass plate on the downstream side of the cutting chamber 5. A cleaning device for cleaning G, an inspection device for inspecting the glass plate G, and the like may be further provided. Similarly, in the method for manufacturing a glass article, on the downstream side of the cutting step, a second cutting step of cutting both ends in the width direction of the glass plate G, an end face processing step of processing the end face of the glass plate G, and cleaning of the glass plate G are performed. It may further include a cleaning step for inspecting the glass plate G and an inspection step for inspecting the glass plate G.

In the above embodiment, the glass plate G is illustrated, but the glass article is not limited to this, and a glass roll or the like in which the glass ribbon Gr is wound around the winding core in a roll shape may be used. In this case, the glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 winds the glass ribbon Gr, which is a cutting apparatus for cutting and removing both ends in the width direction including the ears of the glass ribbon Gr, in a roll shape on the downstream side of the cooling unit 4. A winding device for obtaining a glass roll may be further provided. Similarly, the method for manufacturing a glass article is a cutting step of cutting and removing both ends of the glass ribbon Gr in the width direction on the downstream side of the cooling step, and winding the glass ribbon Gr into a roll to obtain a glass roll. It may be further provided with a process or the like.

In the above embodiment, the case where the glass ribbon Gr (or the glass article) is formed by the overflow down draw method is illustrated, but other down draw methods such as the slot down draw method and the redraw method can also be used.

1 Glass article manufacturing equipment 2 Molding furnace 3 Slow cooling furnace 4 Cooling section 5 Cutting chamber 6 Molding slow cooling chamber

6a First chamber

6b Second chamber 7 Cooling chamber 9 Conveyance booth 11 Molded body 16 First pressurizing mechanism 20 Exhaust mechanism 24 No. (Ii) Pressurization mechanism G glass plate (glass article)
Gr glass ribbon

Claims

A molding furnace that forms a glass ribbon by a down-draw method, a slow cooling furnace that communicates below the molding furnace to slowly cool the glass ribbon, and a cooling unit that communicates below the slow cooling furnace to cool the glass ribbon. A method for manufacturing a glass article using a manufacturing apparatus including a molding slow cooling chamber in which the molding furnace and the slow cooling furnace are arranged, and a cooling chamber in which the cooling unit is arranged inside.
The molding slow cooling chamber is divided into a first chamber in which the molding furnace and the upper part of the slow cooling furnace are arranged inside, and a second chamber in which the lower part of the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside.
A method for manufacturing a glass article, which comprises exhausting gas in the second chamber to the outside by an exhaust mechanism while pressurizing the first chamber by a pressurizing mechanism.
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure in the first chamber is higher than the air pressure in the second chamber, and the air pressure in the second chamber is lower than the air pressure in the cooling chamber.
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the atmospheric pressure at the lower part of the slow cooling furnace is higher than the atmospheric pressure in the second chamber.
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 3, wherein the position corresponding to the strain point temperature of the glass ribbon is included in the upper part of the slow cooling furnace.
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a flow path for guiding a part of the gas in the slow cooling furnace to the second chamber is provided on the lower side wall of the slow cooling furnace.
The glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the first chamber is pressurized by the pressurizing mechanism and the gas in the first chamber is exhausted to the outside at a position different from the pressurizing mechanism. Production method.
The glass according to claim 6, wherein cold air is supplied into the room from the upper part of the first chamber by the pressurizing mechanism, and hot air is exhausted to the outside from the upper part of the first chamber at a position different from the pressurizing mechanism. Manufacturing method of goods.
The production of the glass article according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the gas in the second chamber is exhausted by the exhaust mechanism and the gas is supplied to the second chamber at a position different from the exhaust mechanism. Method.
A molding furnace that forms a glass ribbon by a down-draw method, a slow cooling furnace that communicates below the molding furnace to slowly cool the glass ribbon, and a cooling unit that communicates below the slow cooling furnace to cool the glass ribbon. A glass article manufacturing apparatus including a molding slow cooling chamber in which the molding furnace and the slow cooling furnace are arranged, and a cooling chamber in which the cooling unit is arranged inside.
The molding slow cooling chamber includes a first chamber in which the molding furnace and the upper portion of the slow cooling furnace are arranged inside, and a second chamber in which the lower portion of the slow cooling furnace is arranged inside.
An apparatus for manufacturing a glass article, further comprising a pressurizing mechanism for pressurizing the first chamber and an exhaust mechanism for exhausting gas in the second chamber to the outside.