Laser processing method and glass product

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser processing method and a glass product. The laser processing method comprises the steps that a glass plate is subjected to laser modification along a preset contour track, a preset chamfer contour formed by multi-focus distribution is formed in the glass plate through laser, and the preset chamfer contour transversely penetrates through the glass plate; a carbon dioxide laser is adopted to perform laser expansion cracking on the glass plate along a preset contour track; wherein the coincidence tolerance of the laser expanding and cracking track and the laser modification track is not greater than 0.5 mm. Through the mode, the laser processing method provided by the invention can greatly improve the overall production efficiency of the glass product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of laser cutting technology, and in particular to a laser processing method and a glass product. Background Art

[0002] The selective laser etching process for brittle materials modifies the interior of the brittle material by shaping it into a specific shape using ultrafast lasers. The modified area is etched faster than the unmodified area, and eventually a modified chamfered shape is formed on the edge.

[0003] Conventional etching solutions require at least two hours to etch the upper and lower chamfers, leaving space between the center of the chamfer to support the active material and waste material. This method significantly reduces efficiency compared to laser etching, a major factor limiting the cutting capacity of brittle materials. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present application mainly provides a laser processing method and a glass product to solve the problem that the efficiency of cutting and processing brittle materials is restricted by the etching efficiency, thereby limiting the production capacity.

[0005] To address the above-mentioned technical issues, this application adopts a technical solution: providing a laser processing method. This laser processing method includes: performing laser modification on a glass sheet along a preset contour trajectory, wherein the laser forms a preset chamfer profile composed of a multi-focal distribution within the glass sheet, and the preset chamfer profile traverses the glass sheet; and performing laser crack expansion on the glass sheet along the preset contour trajectory using a carbon dioxide laser. The overlap tolerance between the laser crack expansion trajectory and the laser modification trajectory is no greater than 0.5 mm.

[0006] In some embodiments, the laser expansion process parameters of the carbon dioxide laser include: the spot diameter formed on the glass plate is 5mm~6mm, the laser power is not greater than 250W, the laser scanning speed is 50mm / s~120mm / s, and the laser wavelength range is 9um~11um.

[0007] In some embodiments, after the glass sheet is laser expanded by the carbon dioxide laser, the glass product is directly separated from the glass sheet.

[0008] In some embodiments, in some embodiments, the preset chamfer profile includes a first contour line, a second contour line, and a third contour line that are continuous; The glass plate includes a first surface and a second surface that are parallel to each other, the first contour line forms a first angle with the first surface, the second contour line is perpendicular to the first surface, and the third contour line forms a second angle with the second surface; The first angle and the second angle are both acute angles not less than 75°, and the glass product is directly separated from the glass plate by the laser expansion.

[0009] In some embodiments, after the carbon dioxide laser is used to expand the glass sheet along the preset contour trajectory, the method further comprises: The laser-expanded glass plate is wet-etched to separate glass products from the glass plate.

[0010] In some embodiments, wet etching the laser-expanded glass plate comprises: etching the glass plate using an alkali solution having a concentration of 40% to 70% at a temperature of 100° C. to 170° C. for a first preset time; The glass article is cleaned for a second preset time period using an acid solution having a concentration of 1% to 8%.

[0011] In some embodiments, a hidden crack line adjacent to the preset contour track is formed on the periphery of the preset contour track on the glass plate, and the distance between the hidden crack line and the preset contour track is 10um-100um.

[0012] In some embodiments, the real-time light spot active area on the glass sheet is kept blown during the laser modification and laser expansion processes.

[0013] In some embodiments, the preset chamfer profile is a chamfered angle profile, a rounded angle profile, or an arc profile.

[0014] To solve the above technical problem, another technical solution adopted in this application is to provide a glass product. The glass product is produced by the laser processing method as described above.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: Different from the prior art, the present application discloses a laser processing method and glass product. After laser modification of a glass sheet along a preset contour trajectory, a carbon dioxide laser is used to laser heat and expand the modified area. During the laser modification, the laser forms a preset chamfered contour composed of a multi-focus distribution within the glass sheet. The overlap tolerance between the laser expansion trajectory and the laser modification trajectory is no more than 0.5 mm. The light spot formed by the carbon dioxide laser acts on the modified area where the first preset chamfered contour is located. The microcracks in the modified area can be expanded by focal heating, increasing the material stress in the modified area. The glass product can be directly separated from the glass sheet, or subsequent wet etching can be made more efficient, the wet etching time can be reduced, and damage to other areas of the glass product can be reduced. The efficiency difference between etching efficiency and laser modification efficiency can be greatly reduced, effectively improving the overall production efficiency and yield rate of glass products, and greatly increasing their production capacity per unit time. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can also derive other drawings based on these drawings without inventive work, among which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the process structure of an embodiment of the laser processing method provided by the present application; Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a glass product formed on a glass plate using the laser processing method shown; Figure 3 Yes Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the glass plate shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0018] The terms "first", "second" and "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only used for descriptive purposes and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first", "second" and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally also include steps or units that are not listed, or may optionally also include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0019] References to "embodiments" herein mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiments may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0020] This application provides a laser processing method, see Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 This is a flow chart of an embodiment of the laser processing method provided by this application. Figure 2 Yes Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the structure of glass products formed on a glass plate by the laser processing method shown in FIG. Figure 3 Yes Figure 2 The cross-sectional structure of the glass plate shown is schematically shown. The laser processing method includes: Step 10: The glass plate is laser modified along a preset contour trajectory. The laser forms a preset chamfer contour consisting of a multi-focus distribution in the glass plate. The preset chamfer contour crosses the glass plate.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, a large glass plate 101 can be processed by laser to form at least one glass product 102. Glass product 102 can be a protective glass cover for display components in various electronic devices or a glass cover for a lens assembly. These glass products 102 have specific contours, which constitute the predetermined contour trajectory 301 in this application. In this application, a laser is used to process the glass plate 101 along the predetermined contour trajectory 301 to facilitate separation of the glass product 102 from the glass plate 101.

[0022] The preset contour track 301 is the outer contour line of the glass product 102 , which can be preset in the host computer to guide the trajectory of the laser.

[0023] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The glass plate 101 can be laser-modified along a preset contour trajectory 301 using a laser with a wavelength in the range of 532 nm and 1030 nm to 1080 nm. The laser beam is shaped to form a multi-focus distribution within the glass plate 101. The multi-focus distribution constitutes a preset chamfer profile 103. The preset chamfer profile 103 traverses the glass plate 101 to connect the two side surfaces of the glass plate 101.

[0024] The preset chamfer profile 103 formed by the multi-focus distribution is a continuous and uniform modified area formed inside the glass plate 101. The modified area will be etched faster than the unmodified area and is more likely to form microcracks and expand, so as to facilitate the efficient separation of the glass product 102 from the glass plate 101.

[0025] The preset chamfer profile 103 is the edge profile of the glass product 102. A chamfer transition is adopted between the edge of the glass product 102 and the first surface 104 and the second surface 105 of the glass product 102. The chamfer transition reduces stress concentration at the edge, enhances the structural strength of the glass product 102, and improves the durability and aesthetics of the glass product 102.

[0026] Specifically, the preset chamfer profile 103 is a chamfered profile, a rounded profile or an arc profile.

[0027] Optionally, the preset chamfer profile 103 is a chamfered profile, and a chamfered transition is adopted between the edge 103 and the first surface 104 and the second surface 105. The angle and depth of the chamfer can be adjusted according to actual needs to optimize the stress distribution at the edge 103 of the glass product 102.

[0028] Optionally, the preset chamfer profile 103 is a rounded profile, and a rounded transition is adopted between the edge 103 and the first surface 104 and the second surface 105. The radius and depth of the rounded corners can be adjusted according to actual needs to optimize the stress distribution at the edge 103 of the glass product 102.

[0029] Optionally, the preset chamfer profile 103 is an arc profile, that is, the edge 103 is arc-shaped, and its arc radius and curvature can be set as needed to optimize the stress distribution at the edge 103 of the glass product 102 and improve the overall performance and appearance texture of the glass product 102.

[0030] In this embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the preset chamfer profile 103 is a chamfered profile, which includes a continuous first contour line 106, a second contour line 107 and a third contour line 108; the glass plate 101 includes a first surface 104 and a second surface 105 parallel to each other, a first angle a1 is formed between the first contour line 106 and the first surface 104, the second contour line 107 is perpendicular to the first surface 104, and a second angle a2 is formed between the third contour line 108 and the second surface 105.

[0031] The degrees of the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 can be set as needed to ensure uniform stress distribution at the edges of the glass product 102. The angle values ​​of the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 can be the same or different. For example, the angle values ​​of the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 are both 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, 60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, or 80°, or the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 are a combination of any two of 20°, 25°, 30°, 35°, 40°, 45°, 50°, 55°, 60°, 65°, 70°, 75°, and 80°.

[0032] During the laser modification process, a motion control card is used to control the time interval of each laser pulse through a galvanometer or an X / Y axis motion module. The laser pulse is emitted once, forming a preset chamfer profile at a position point on the preset profile trajectory 301, so that the distance between the preset chamfer profiles actually acting on the glass plate 101 remains unchanged.

[0033] Step 20: Use a carbon dioxide laser to perform laser cracking on the glass sheet along a preset contour trajectory.

[0034] After laser modification, a carbon dioxide laser is used to perform laser crack expansion on the glass sheet 101 along a preset contour trajectory 301 to form a controllable microcrack network and precisely control the fracture path of the glass sheet 101.

[0035] The CO2 laser uses a galvanometer or X / Y motion module to achieve precise scanning of the laser beam along a preset contour trajectory 301, and uses a paraxial vision module to implement visual positioning, so that it can draw a travel trajectory similar to that of the laser modification, accurately controlling the generation of microcracks in the laser modification area, and ensuring that the glass plate 101 fractures evenly along the predetermined path.

[0036] The CO2 laser forms a Gaussian spot on the glass plate 101, which performs laser expansion on the glass plate 101 along a preset contour trajectory 301. The overlap tolerance between the laser expansion trajectory and the laser modification trajectory is no more than 0.5 mm. When the Gaussian spot formed by the CO2 laser directly acts on the modified area where the first preset chamfer contour 103 is located, the microcracks in the modified area can be expanded by focal heating, thereby increasing the material stress in the modified area. Under some conditions, the glass product can be directly separated from the glass plate after laser expansion, or subsequent wet etching can be more efficient for processing the modified area of ​​the glass plate after laser expansion. This can greatly shorten the wet etching time, significantly reduce the efficiency difference between etching efficiency and laser modification efficiency, and greatly improve the production capacity of the glass product 103 per unit time.

[0037] The carbon dioxide laser emits a continuous laser that scans along a preset contour trajectory 301. One or more scans can be performed, and each scanning path is consistent. The overlap tolerance between the scanning trajectory of the laser expansion and the trajectory of the laser modification is no more than 0.5 mm. A dense microcrack network can be formed in the laser modified area within the glass plate 101, which is conducive to achieving precise fracture of the glass plate 101 along the predetermined path, and is also conducive to reducing the difficulty of etching and improving etching efficiency.

[0038] The laser cracking process parameters of the carbon dioxide laser include: a spot diameter of 5 mm to 6 mm formed on the glass plate 101 , a laser power of no more than 250 W, a laser scanning speed of 50 mm / s to 120 mm / s, and a laser wavelength range of 9 μm to 11 μm.

[0039] Optionally, the diameter of the light spot formed on the glass plate 101 is 5 mm, 5.2 mm, 5.5 mm, 5.6 mm, 5.8 mm or 6 mm, and the laser power is 50 W, 80 W, 100 W, 120 W, 150 W, 180 W, 200 W, 220 W, 240 W or 250 W. When the laser power is relatively small, multiple scans can be used, and the laser scanning speed can be 50 mm / s, 60 mm / s, 70 mm / s, 80 mm / s, 90 mm / s, 100 mm / s, 110 mm / s or 120 mm / s.

[0040] By precisely controlling the laser crack expansion process parameters, the resulting microcrack network is evenly distributed, improving the fracture accuracy when separating the glass sheet 101 to form the glass product 102. The laser spot diameter, laser power, and laser scanning speed work together to enhance laser crack expansion efficiency. By adjusting these parameters appropriately, the processing requirements of glass sheets 101 of varying thicknesses can be met.

[0041] Furthermore, during the laser modification and laser crack expansion process, the real-time light spot action area on the glass plate 101 is kept blown. The blowing can remove the water vapor left over from the previous process and accelerate the air flow to prevent the water vapor from adhering to the surface of the field lens or the surface of the glass plate 101 and causing damage to the coating. At the same time, the blowing can also cool the light spot action area of ​​the glass plate 101 to prevent the glass plate from generating additional cracks due to thermal stress concentration.

[0042] In some embodiments, the glass product 102 may be directly separated from the glass sheet 101 after laser cracking the glass sheet 101 using a carbon dioxide laser.

[0043] For example, when the preset chamfer profile 103 is a chamfered profile, wherein the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 are both acute angles not less than 75°, the glass product 102 can be directly separated from the glass plate 101 after laser crack expansion.

[0044] The first angle a1 and the second angle a2 are not less than 75°. For example, both angles a1, a2 and a2 may be 75°, 78°, 82° or 85°. Within this acute angle range, the stress of the microcrack network formed by laser expansion in the laser-modified area by the carbon dioxide laser is more easily released during separation. Therefore, there is no need to use wet etching treatment, and the glass product 102 can be directly separated from the glass plate 101. This is equivalent to eliminating the subsequent wet etching process, thereby improving the production efficiency of the glass product 102.

[0045] In some other embodiments, after step 20, the method further includes step 30: wet etching the laser-expanded glass plate to separate the glass product from the glass plate.

[0046] For example, in order to make the edges of the manufactured glass product 102 have smaller surface roughness and smoother edge surfaces, the glass plate 101 after laser expansion can be further wet-etched to remove burrs at the tips of microcracks and refine the edge profile, thereby ensuring that the edges of the glass product 102 are smoother and have smaller surface roughness.

[0047] For example, in this embodiment, the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 are acute angles not less than 75°. Wet etching can also be performed after laser expansion to refine the edges and reduce the surface roughness of the edges, ensuring that the edges of the glass product 102 are smooth and meet high precision requirements.

[0048] Of course, when at least one of the first angle a1 and the second angle a2 is an acute angle less than 75°, the crack network formed by laser expansion is insufficient to support the direct separation of the glass product 102 from the glass plate 101. Wet etching is required after laser expansion. The microcracks expanded in the laser modified area further reduce the difficulty of etching the laser modified area with the etching solution, which can greatly improve the etching efficiency, reduce the etching time, ensure the edge quality of the glass product 102, and reduce damage to other areas of the glass plate 101. This improves the overall production efficiency and yield of the glass product 102 and can greatly reduce the efficiency difference between etching efficiency and laser modification efficiency.

[0049] Step 30 specifically includes: etching the glass plate with an alkali solution having a concentration of 40% to 70% at a temperature of 100° C. to 170° C. for a first preset time; and cleaning the glass product with an acid solution having a concentration of 1% to 8% for a second preset time.

[0050] The alkali solution can be a sodium hydroxide solution or a potassium hydroxide solution, etc., with a concentration of 40%, 45%, 52%, 60%, 63%, 65%, 68% or 70%, etc. The etching temperature can be 100°C, 105°C, 110°C, 115°C, 120°C, 125°C, 130°C, 135°C, 140°C, 145°C, 150°C, 155°C, 160°C, 165°C or 170°C, etc. The first preset time is controlled at 10 minutes to 30 minutes, which significantly shortens the production cycle compared to the conventional etching time of at least 2 hours.

[0051] The glass plate 101 is cleaned with a weak acid solution, which can be citric acid or acetic acid solution, with a concentration of 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7% or 8%. The cleaning is carried out at room temperature, and the second preset time is controlled within 5 minutes to 15 minutes. The second preset time can specifically be 5 minutes, 8 minutes, 10 minutes, 12 minutes, 13 minutes or 15 minutes, etc., to effectively remove residual alkali solution and ensure that the surface of the glass plate 101 is clean.

[0052] After etching is completed, the glass article 102 is still supported in the glass plate 101 , and then mechanical separation is required to completely separate the glass article 102 from the glass plate 101 .

[0053] Specifically, a hidden crack line 302 adjacent to the preset contour track 301 is produced on the periphery of the preset contour track 301 on the glass plate 101, and the distance between the hidden crack line 302 and the preset contour track 301 is 10um~100um to assist in mechanically separating the glass product 102 from the glass plate 101.

[0054] The number of hidden crack lines 302 can be one, three, four, or more. Their distribution orientation and angle are not limited and they can be positioned adjacent to the preset contour track 301 as needed. The distance between the hidden crack lines 302 and the preset contour track 301 can be 10 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm, or 100 μm. This distance range effectively and quickly assists in mechanically separating the glass product 102 from the glass sheet 101.

[0055] After etching is complete, mechanical force is applied along the crack line 302 to precisely separate the glass product 102, ensuring a smooth and undamaged edge. The provision of the crack line 302 effectively reduces the difficulty of separating the glass product 102, improving its yield rate. It also avoids separation methods that directly damage the glass product 102, thereby improving the production efficiency of the glass product 102.

[0056] Based on this, the present application further provides a glass product 102, which is manufactured using the laser processing method described above. The glass product 102 can be applied to display screens or optical lenses of various electronic devices.

[0057] Different from the prior art, the present application discloses a laser processing method and glass product. After laser modification of a glass sheet along a preset contour trajectory, a carbon dioxide laser is used to laser heat and expand the modified area. During the laser modification, the laser forms a preset chamfered contour composed of a multi-focal distribution within the glass sheet. The overlap tolerance between the laser expansion trajectory and the laser modification trajectory is no more than 0.5 mm. The light spot formed by the carbon dioxide laser acts on the modified area where the first preset chamfered contour is located. The microcracks in the modified area can be expanded by focal heating, increasing the material stress in the modified area. The glass product can be directly separated from the glass sheet, or subsequent wet etching can be made more efficient, the wet etching time can be reduced, and damage to the remaining areas of the glass product can be reduced. The efficiency difference between etching efficiency and laser modification efficiency can be greatly reduced, effectively improving the overall production efficiency and yield rate of glass products, and greatly improving their production capacity per unit time.

[0058] The above description is merely an embodiment of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present application specification and drawings, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A laser processing method, characterized in that: include: Performing laser modification on the glass sheet along a preset contour trajectory, wherein the laser forms a preset chamfer contour consisting of a multi-focal distribution in the glass sheet, and the preset chamfer contour traverses the glass sheet; Using a carbon dioxide laser to perform laser cracking on the glass plate along the preset contour trajectory; The overlap tolerance between the laser expansion trajectory and the laser modification trajectory is no more than 0.5 mm.

2. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The laser expansion process parameters of the carbon dioxide laser include: the spot diameter formed on the glass plate is 5mm~6mm, the laser power is not greater than 250W, the laser scanning speed is 50mm / s~120mm / s, and the laser wavelength range is 9um~11um.

3. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: After the glass plate is laser expanded by the carbon dioxide laser, the glass product is directly separated from the glass plate.

4. The laser processing method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The preset chamfer profile includes a first contour line, a second contour line and a third contour line that are continuous; The glass plate includes a first surface and a second surface that are parallel to each other, the first contour line forms a first angle with the first surface, the second contour line is perpendicular to the first surface, and the third contour line forms a second angle with the second surface; The first angle and the second angle are both acute angles not less than 75°, and the glass product is directly separated from the glass plate by the laser expansion.

5. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: After the carbon dioxide laser is used to expand the glass sheet along the preset contour track, the method further includes: The laser-expanded glass plate is wet-etched to separate glass products from the glass plate.

6. The laser processing method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The wet etching of the laser expanded glass plate comprises: etching the glass plate using an alkali solution having a concentration of 40% to 70% at a temperature of 100° C. to 170° C. for a first preset time; The glass article is cleaned for a second preset time period using an acid solution having a concentration of 1% to 8%.

7. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: A hidden crack line adjacent to the preset contour track is made on the periphery of the preset contour track on the glass plate, and the distance between the hidden crack line and the preset contour track is 10um~100um.

8. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: During the laser modification and laser expansion process, the real-time light spot action area on the glass plate is kept blown.

9. The laser processing method according to claim 1, wherein: The preset chamfer profile is a chamfered angle profile, a rounded angle profile or an arc profile.

10. A glass product, characterized in that: The glass product is produced by the laser processing method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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