WO2024084810A1

WO2024084810A1 - Glass article manufacturing apparatus and glass article manufacturing method

Info

Publication number: WO2024084810A1
Application number: PCT/JP2023/030747
Authority: WO
Inventors: 薫鑑継
Original assignee: 日本電気硝子株式会社
Priority date: 2022-10-18
Filing date: 2023-08-25
Publication date: 2024-04-25

Abstract

A glass article manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises: a conveying device 10 that conveys a glass plate G; and an air knife 15 that blows a gas A1 onto a main surface Gb of the glass plate G being conveyed. The conveying device 10 is provided with roller members 11x which each comprise: a roller shaft 17 that has a central axis line intersecting with the air knife 15, is supported by bearings 19, and has an end portion 17a; and rollers 18 that are disposed on said roller shaft 17. The end portion 17a of the roller shaft 17 is disposed so as to be separated from the air knife 15. A roller 18x that is disposed closest to the air knife 15 is disposed at a location closer to the air knife 15 as compared with a corresponding bearing 19x that is closest to the air knife 15.

Description

Apparatus for manufacturing glass articles and method for manufacturing glass articles

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing glass articles that includes a conveying device for conveying glass articles having a planar main surface, and a gas spraying device for spraying gas onto the main surface of the glass article conveyed by the conveying device.

For example, in the manufacturing process of glass plates, such as glass substrates for displays, the glass plate is washed and then dried to remove the cleaning fluid that adheres to the main surface of the glass plate during washing.

The drying process may be carried out by an apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1. This apparatus is configured to transport the glass sheet using a roller conveyor as a transport device, while blowing gas onto the main surface of the glass sheet from a gas blowing device (referred to as an air blade in the document).

The conveying device disclosed in the document also includes a roller member around the gas spraying tool, the roller member having a roller shaft whose central axis intersects with the gas spraying tool and is supported by bearings, and a roller arranged on the roller shaft. The end of the roller member that is closer to the gas spraying tool is spaced away from the gas spraying tool.

By arranging the roller member in this manner, interference between the roller member and the gas spraying device is avoided.

Chinese Patent Publication No. 107401914

In the conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the end of the roller shaft of the roller member that is closest to the gas spraying tool is supported by a bearing (bearing block). In other words, the bearing that supports the roller shaft is located closer to the gas spraying tool than the roller that is closest to the gas spraying tool among all the rollers arranged on the roller shaft.

With this configuration, the area around the gas sprayer where there are no rollers becomes unduly large. If the area where there are no rollers becomes unduly large, the area supporting the glass sheet also becomes unduly large. This makes the glass sheet more likely to bend in that area. This can make it difficult to transport the glass sheet properly. Furthermore, if one tries to firmly support the roller shaft, the bearings will be larger than the rollers, and so the bearings will be more likely to interfere with the gas sprayer. Therefore, if the bearings are positioned with a sufficient distance between them to prevent interference between them, the area where there are no rollers will become even larger.

In light of the above, the objective of the present invention is to correct the improper transport of glass articles caused by positioning the gas sprayer to avoid interference with the roller members.

(1) A first aspect of the present invention, which has been invented to solve the above problems, is a glass article manufacturing device comprising a conveying device for conveying glass articles, and a gas spraying device for spraying gas onto the glass articles conveyed by the conveying device, the conveying device comprising a roller member having a roller shaft whose central axis intersects with the gas spraying device, supported by bearings, and having an end, and a roller arranged on the roller shaft, the end of the roller shaft being arranged away from the gas spraying device, characterized in that, of all the rollers arranged on the roller shaft of the roller member, the roller closest to the gas spraying device is arranged closer to the gas spraying device than the bearing closest to the gas spraying device among all the bearings supporting the roller shaft of the roller member.

With this configuration, the bearings are no longer located closer to the gas sprayer than the roller closest to the gas sprayer. This makes it possible to narrow the area around the gas sprayer where there are no rollers. As a result, the glass article can be transported properly.

(2) In the configuration of (1) above, the roller members may be arranged on either side of the gas spraying tool.

In this way, there will be no bearings on either side of the gas sprayer closer to the gas sprayer than the roller closest to the gas sprayer. This makes it possible to more reliably narrow the area around the gas sprayer where no rollers are present.

(3) In the configuration of (1) or (2) above, one to four rollers may be arranged between the bearing closest to the gas spraying tool and the end of the roller shaft closest to the gas spraying tool.

In this way, the bearings are positioned near the ends of the roller shafts, so that the glass article is stably supported from below by the rollers around the gas sprayer.

(4) In any of the configurations (1) to (3) above, the diameter of the roller shaft may vary in the axial direction, and the diameter of the roller shaft at a position corresponding to the bearing closest to the gas spraying tool may be smaller than the average diameter of the roller shaft at positions corresponding to all of the rollers.

This prevents the bearings from hitting the glass articles during transport.

(5) A second aspect of the present invention, which has been devised to solve the above problems, is a method for manufacturing a glass article, characterized in that a manufacturing-related process is performed on the glass article using any one of the manufacturing devices described above in (1) to (4).

With this configuration, it is possible to use the manufacturing device described above to properly remove liquid (e.g., cleaning liquid) adhering to the surface of the glass article being transported by spraying gas from a gas spraying device.

The present invention corrects the improper transport of glass articles caused by the presence of a gas spraying device.

1 is a partially cutaway side view showing the overall configuration of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view showing a main part of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an enlarged side view showing a main part of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a partially cutaway front view showing an enlarged view of a main part of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a glass article according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an enlarged plan view showing a main part of a glass article manufacturing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

The glass article manufacturing apparatus and glass article manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing the overall configuration of a glass article manufacturing apparatus 1. In the figure, the conveying direction of a glass sheet G as a glass article is indicated by an arrow X. Therefore, the glass sheet G is conveyed in the direction of the arrow X, and the direction indicated by the arrow X is referred to as the downstream side, and the opposite side is referred to as the upstream side.

The glass plate G has a first principal surface Ga on the upper side and a second principal surface Gb on the lower side, and is rectangular when viewed from a direction perpendicular to both principal surfaces Ga and Gb. In the following description, the direction parallel to both principal surfaces Ga and Gb of the glass plate G and perpendicular to the transport direction X (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1) is described as the "width direction". In this embodiment, the glass plate G has a thickness of 10 to 1000 μm, preferably 100 to 700 μm, and a length in the transport direction X and the width direction of 100 to 5000 mm, preferably 1000 to 4000 mm.

As shown in FIG. 1, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes, in order from the upstream side, a first cleaning section 2, a second cleaning section 3, a first drying section 4, and a second drying section 5. The first cleaning section 2, the second cleaning section 3, the first drying section 4, and the second drying section 5 are partitioned by a bottom wall 6, a ceiling wall 7, a pair of side walls 8, and five end walls 9. Therefore, the first cleaning section 2, the second cleaning section 3, the first drying section 4, and the second drying section 5 are present inside each of the casings C2, C3, C4, and C5, which are configured by the bottom wall 6, the ceiling wall 7, a pair of side walls 8, and five end walls 9. Each end wall 9 is provided with an opening 9a through which the glass sheet G to be transported passes. The ceiling wall 7 may be divided for each of the casings C2, C3, C4, and C5. In that case, each of the divided ceiling walls 7 may be made to be an openable and closable lid.

Furthermore, the manufacturing apparatus 1 includes a conveying device 10 having a roller conveyor. The conveying device 10 includes a plurality of roller members 11 arranged at intervals in the conveying direction X.

The first cleaning section 2 comprises a pair of upper and lower first liquid supply devices 12 that supply cleaning liquid W1 to the glass plate G, and a pair of upper and lower cleaning rollers 13 arranged downstream thereof. The pair of upper and lower first liquid supply devices 12 supply cleaning liquid W1 over the entire area of both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass plate G. The pair of upper and lower cleaning rollers 13 rub both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass plate G to remove dirt such as foreign matter adhering to both main surfaces Ga, Gb, and are formed of an elastic material such as a sponge, a brush, or the like.

The second cleaning section 3 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower second liquid supply devices 14 at two locations in the conveying direction X, which supply rinse liquid (rinsing liquid) W2 for cleaning to the glass sheet G that has passed through the first cleaning section 2. These second liquid supply devices 14 supply rinse liquid W2 for cleaning over the entire area of both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G.

The first drying section 4 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower first gas sprayers 15 that spray gas A1 (e.g., clean dry air) onto the glass sheet G. This pair of upper and lower first gas sprayers 15 sprays gas A1 onto both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G that has passed through the second cleaning section 3.

The second drying section 5 is equipped with a pair of upper and lower second gas blowers 16 that blow gas A1 (e.g., clean dry air) onto the glass sheet G. The pair of upper and lower second gas blowers 16 blow gas A1 onto both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G that has passed through the first drying section 4.

The shape and posture of the first gas sprayer 15 in the first drying section 4 are the same as the shape and posture of the second gas sprayer 16 in the second drying section 5. In this embodiment, the first gas sprayer 15 and the second gas sprayer 16 are both configured as air knives. Therefore, in the following description, the first gas sprayer 15 will be described as the first air knife 15, and the second gas sprayer 16 will be described as the second air knife 16.

The shape and arrangement of each roller member 11 in the first drying section 4 is the same as the shape and arrangement of each roller member 11 in the second drying section 5.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the main parts of the first drying section 4. For convenience, only the lower first air knife 15 (hereinafter simply referred to as the first air knife 15) of the pair of upper and lower first air knives 15 is shown in the figure.

As shown in the figure, the first air knife 15 extends in a straight line and is inclined at an angle α with respect to the conveying direction X of the glass sheet G. This angle α is preferably 20° to 70°, and is set to 45° in this embodiment. Both ends of the first air knife 15 are respectively fixed to a pair of side walls 8 of the casing C4.

The first air knife 15 is formed with a blowing port 15a that extends in a straight line over its entire length. This blowing port 15a is formed on the upstream side edge of the first air knife 15. Therefore, gas A1 is blown from the blowing port 15a toward the glass sheet G (its second main surface Gb) in an upstream and inclined direction as shown in the figure.

All of the roller members 11 of the conveying device 10 include a roller shaft 17 extending in the width direction, and a number of rollers 18 arranged at intervals (at regular intervals in this embodiment) in the axial direction of the roller shaft 17. All of the roller shafts 17 are perpendicular to the conveying direction X of the glass sheet G.

Among all the roller members 11, there is a roller member 11 (hereinafter referred to as a specific roller member 11x) whose central axis of the roller shaft 17 intersects with the first air knife 15. A plurality of these specific roller members 11x are arranged on either side of the first air knife 15 (on both sides in the conveying direction X). In detail, nine of these specific roller members 11x are arranged on the upstream side of the first air knife 15 and nine on the downstream side. Furthermore, all of the ends 17a of the roller shaft 17 of all the specific roller members 11x that are closer to the first air knife 15 are spaced away from the first air knife 15. This prevents interference between all of the specific roller members 11x and the first air knife 15.

Furthermore, the roller shaft 17 of each of the specific roller members 11x is supported by two bearings 19. Of these two bearings 19, the bearing 19 closer to the first air knife 15 (hereinafter referred to as the specific bearing 19x) is installed inside the casing C4. In contrast, the bearing 19 farther from the first air knife 15 is attached to the side wall 8 of the casing C4 (in this embodiment, the outer surface of the side wall 8).

Furthermore, in all of the specific roller members 11x, the roller (hereinafter referred to as the specific roller 18x) closest to the first air knife 15 among all the rollers 18 arranged on the roller shaft 17 is arranged in a position closer to the first air knife 15 than the specific bearing 19x. In the illustrated example, the specific roller 18x and the specific bearing 19x are adjacent to each other in the axial direction of the roller shaft 17. In this case, unlike the illustrated example, the roller shaft 17 of one specific roller 18x may be supported by three or more bearings 19. In this case, the specific roller 18x is arranged in a position closer to the first air knife 15 than the bearing 19 (i.e., the specific bearing 19x) closest to the first air knife 15 among all the bearings 19 supporting the roller shaft 17. By arranging the specific roller 18x and the specific bearing 19x in the above-mentioned positional relationship, the area around the first air knife 15 where no roller 18 exists can be narrowed. If the special bearing 19x were placed closest to the first air knife 15, the first air knife 15 and the special bearing 19 would interfere with each other, so it would be necessary to space the first air knife 15 and the end 17a of the roller shaft 17 sufficiently apart. This would result in a larger area where the rollers 18 are not present, and the area supporting the glass sheet G would also be unduly large. In this way, if there are areas where the rollers 18 are spaced widely apart, the glass article would be more likely to bend in the area where the rollers 18 are not present, which could make it difficult to transport the glass article properly.

Furthermore, the central axis of the roller shaft 17 of the specific roller member 11x arranged on the upstream side of the first air knife 15 does not coincide with the central axis of the roller shaft 17 of the specific roller member 11x arranged on the downstream side of the first air knife 15 in the conveying direction X. In other words, the central axis of the roller shaft 17 of the former specific roller member 11x and the central axis of the roller shaft 17 of the latter specific roller member 11x are misaligned in the conveying direction X. By arranging the specific roller members 11x in such a positional relationship, the area around the first air knife 15 where no rollers 18 exist can be narrowed compared to when the central axes of the roller shafts 17 of the specific rollers 11x on the upstream and downstream sides of the first air knife 15 are aligned.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, for each specific roller member 11x, the distance L between the end 17aa (end face 17aa in the illustrated example) of the roller shaft 17 closest to the first air knife 15 and the specific roller 18x is 100 mm or less, preferably 50 mm or less. This configuration also makes it possible to narrow the area around the first air knife 15 where the roller 18 is not present.

As shown in FIG. 2, both ends of all roller members 11 other than the specific roller member 11x are supported by bearings 19 attached to the outer surfaces 8a of the pair of side walls 8. All roller members 11 (including the specific roller members 11x) are rotationally driven by a drive mechanism (not shown) installed outside the side wall 8 of the casing C4. It is possible that some of the roller members 11 are not provided with a rotational drive force.

Figure 4 illustrates a state in which the glass sheet G is being transported in the X direction. As can be seen from the figure, the area around the first air knife 15 where the rollers 18 are not present is narrow, so the glass sheet G is transported properly. In addition, if the glass sheet G is thin, it is less likely to bend around the first air knife 15. Therefore, even in this case, the glass sheet G is transported properly, and the cleaning rinse liquid W2 adhering to both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G can be properly removed by the gas A1 blown out from the first air knife 15.

Figure 5 is a partially cutaway front view illustrating the detailed structure of the special bearing 19x and the schematic configuration of a supply/discharge device 20 that supplies/discharges lubricating liquid W3 to the special bearing 19x. As shown in the figure, the special bearing 19x comprises a bearing box 21 made of metal or the like, and a resin bearing body 22 that is housed in the bearing box 21 and rotatably supports the roller shaft 17. The bearing body 22 comprises an inner ring 22a fixed to the roller shaft 17, an outer ring 22b fixed to the bearing box 21, and a plurality of rolling elements 22c that roll between the inner ring 22a and the outer ring 22b. The plurality of rolling elements 22c are held by a cage (not shown) so as to maintain a constant distance between them.

The supply and discharge device 20 includes a supply passage 23 that supplies lubricating liquid W3 to the storage chamber 21a in the bearing housing 21, and a discharge passage 24 that discharges the lubricating liquid W3 from the storage chamber 21a.

The supply path 23 includes a tank 25 for storing the lubricating liquid W3, a pump 26, a filter 27, and a flowmeter 28. The tank 25 is configured to collect the lubricating liquid W3 flowing through the discharge path 24. The pump 26 pressurizes the lubricating liquid W3 stored in the tank 25 to the storage chamber 21a. The filter 27 is provided downstream of the pump 26 and collects foreign matter contained in the lubricating liquid W3. The flowmeter 28 is disposed downstream of the filter 27, but the position of the flowmeter 28 is not limited thereto.

The discharge path 24 includes a gas-liquid separation tank 29 and a suction device 30. The gas-liquid separation tank 29 separates the lubricating liquid W3 and gas discharged from the storage chamber 21a. The gas-liquid separation tank 29 includes an exhaust section 31 and a drain section 32. The exhaust section 31 is connected to the suction device 30. The drain section 32 is disposed above the tank 25 in the supply path 23 so as to cause the lubricating liquid W3 to flow into the tank 25. The suction device 30 sucks the gas in the storage chamber 16a through the discharge path 24.

The operation of this supply/discharge device 20 keeps a portion of the rolling elements 22c of the bearing body 22 immersed in the lubricating liquid W3 within the accommodation chamber 21a.

With this configuration, the pipe portion (supply tube) of the supply path 23 and the pipe portion (discharge tube) of the discharge path 24 can be disposed inside the casing C4, and the other components (e.g., the components indicated by the reference numerals 25 to 32) can be installed outside the casing C4. In this way, maintenance and inspection of the supply and discharge device 20 that supplies and discharges the lubricating liquid W3 to the specific bearing 19x can be performed outside the casing C4.

Furthermore, under such a configuration, the bearing 19 that is not the specific bearing 19x can be configured as a metal bearing equivalent to only the above-mentioned bearing body 22, and attached to the outer surface 8a of the side wall 8 of the casing C4. Even in this case, maintenance and inspection of the bearing 19 can be performed outside the casing C4. Note that the bearing 19 may also have the same configuration as the specific bearing 19x and its supply and discharge device 20.

The second drying section 5 (including the supply and discharge device attached thereto) has the same configuration as the first drying section 4 (including the supply and discharge device 20 attached thereto), and therefore has the same effect as the first drying section 4. In addition, the second drying section 5 has the advantage of being able to remove the rinse liquid W2 used for cleaning that was not completely removed by the first drying section 4.

Next, a method for manufacturing a glass sheet G using the manufacturing apparatus 1 described above will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, this manufacturing method includes a processing step S1, a first cleaning step S2, a second cleaning step S3, a first drying step S4, and a second drying step S5. In addition, this manufacturing method also includes a transport step in which the glass sheet G is transported by a transport device 10.

The processing step S1 is a step in which, for example, the end face of the glass sheet G is processed with a grindstone, the surface of the glass sheet G is polished, and the surface of the glass sheet G is roughened. In this manufacturing method, a cutting step in which a glass sheet G of a desired size is cut out from a glass original sheet may be performed as a step preceding the processing step S1.

The first cleaning process S2 is a process in which dirt such as foreign matter adhering to both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G is removed using a pair of upper and lower first liquid supply devices 12 and a pair of upper and lower cleaning rollers 13.

The second cleaning process S3 is a process in which both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G are rinsed with rinsing liquid W2 by a pair of upper and lower second liquid supply devices 14 arranged at two locations in the transport direction X.

The first drying step S4 is a step in which the cleaning rinse liquid W2 adhering to both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G is removed using a pair of upper and lower first air knives 15.

The second drying step S5 is a step in which the cleaning rinse liquid W2 remaining on both main surfaces Ga, Gb of the glass sheet G is removed using a pair of upper and lower second air knives 16.

　The above describes the glass article manufacturing apparatus and glass article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the glass article is a glass sheet G, but instead, the glass article may be a glass ribbon, tube glass, or the like, of a desired length (a length that can be transported by the transport device 10).

In the above embodiment, both the first gas sprayer 15 and the second gas sprayer 16 are configured as air knives, but one or both of them may be configured as a gas sprayer that blows gas in a shower-like manner.

In the above embodiment, for all of the specific roller members 11x arranged on the upstream and downstream sides of the first air knife 15, the specific roller 18x is arranged closer to the first air knife 15 than the specific bearing 19x, but this configuration may be provided only for some of the specific roller members 11x, or only for the specific roller members 11x arranged on either the upstream side or downstream side of the first air knife 15.

In the above embodiment, nine specific roller members 11x are arranged on the upstream side and nine on the downstream side of the first air knife 15, but the number of specific roller members 11x is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, the specific roller 18x and the specific bearing 19x are arranged next to each other in the axial direction of the roller shaft 17, but two to four rollers 18 may be arranged between the end 17a of the roller shaft and the specific bearing 19x. If many rollers 18 are arranged between the end 17a of the roller shaft and the specific bearing 19x, the support of the roller shaft 17 tends to become unstable, so by limiting the number of rollers 18 arranged between the end 17a of the roller shaft and the specific bearing 19x to four or less, the support of the roller shaft 17 is stabilized.

In the above embodiment, the bearing 19 attached to the side wall 8 of the casing C4 shown in FIG. 2 may be attached to the outside of the side wall 8.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, if the diameter of the roller shaft 17 (17x) at the position corresponding to the specific bearing 19x is Lb, the diameter may be smaller than the average diameter of the roller shaft 17 (17b, 17c) at the positions corresponding to the

rollers

18, 18x (in the case of FIG. 7, the average diameter is (L2×3 pieces+L1×1 piece)/4). This allows the bearing 19 to be smaller, and collisions between the glass sheet G and the bearing 19 during transport can be suppressed. In the illustrated example, the diameter Lb of the roller shaft 17 (17x) at the position corresponding to the specific bearing 19x is smaller than the diameter L1 of the roller shaft 17 (17b) at the position corresponding to the specific roller 18x, and is smaller than the diameter L2 of the roller shaft 17 (17c) at the position corresponding to the roller 18.

In the above embodiment, FIG. 2 only illustrates the arrangement of the first air knife 15 and the

roller members

11, 11x of the conveying device 10, but the arrangement of the second air knife 16 and the

roller members

11, 11x of the conveying device 10 is also the same as that shown in FIG. 2.

1 Glass article manufacturing apparatus 10 Conveying device 11 Roller member 11x Specific roller member whose central axis intersects with the gas blowing tool 15 Gas blowing tool (first air knife)
17 Roller shaft 17a End of roller shaft 18 Roller 18x Specific roller closest to gas injector 19 Bearing 19x Specific bearing closest to gas injector Gb First main surface Gb Second main surface

Claims

The glass article conveying apparatus includes a conveying device that conveys a glass article, and a gas blowing tool that blows gas onto the glass article conveyed by the conveying device,
The conveying device includes a roller member having a roller shaft whose central axis intersects with the gas blowing tool, which is supported by a bearing, and which has an end, and a roller disposed on the roller shaft;
An apparatus for manufacturing a glass article, wherein an end of the roller shaft is arranged away from the gas blowing tool,
A glass article manufacturing apparatus characterized in that, of all the rollers arranged on the roller shaft of the roller member, the roller closest to the gas spraying tool is positioned closer to the gas spraying tool than the bearing closest to the gas spraying tool among all the bearings supporting the roller shaft of the roller member.
The glass article manufacturing device according to claim 1, in which the roller members are arranged on either side of the gas spraying tool.
The glass article manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, in which 1 to 4 rollers are arranged between the bearing closest to the gas spraying tool and the end of the roller shaft closest to the gas spraying tool.
The glass article manufacturing device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the diameter of the roller shaft varies in the axial direction, and the diameter of the roller shaft at a position corresponding to the bearing closest to the gas spraying tool is smaller than the average diameter of the roller shaft at positions corresponding to all of the rollers.
A method for manufacturing a glass article, comprising subjecting the glass article to manufacturing-related processing using the manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.