A method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness, comprising the following steps: S1, coating treatment: an acid-resistant and anti-adhesion film is adhered to the entire surface of the air side of the glass substrate, an etching area is pre-defined on the tin side, and an acid-resistant and anti-adhesion film is adhered to the surface of other areas of the tin side except for the etching area; S2, etching treatment: one end of the coated glass is placed downwards in the etching solution, so that a portion of the etching area is immersed in the etching solution; the glass is pulled upwards until the lower end of the glass is completely removed from the etching solution; the other end of the glass is placed downwards in the etching solution, and the above etching steps are repeated; thus, by alternately placing both ends of the coated glass downwards in the etching solution for etching, the etching area thickness reaches the preset thickness. The method is simple and efficient, and the resulting flexible glass with unequal thickness has good impact resistance and bending performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of flexible glass processing, and particularly relates to a method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness. Background Technology

[0002] With the application of flexible glass in foldable screen phones, more and more foldable screens are circulating in the market. However, the thinness, fragility, and poor impact resistance of flexible glass have become its pain points. Uneven thickness flexible glass can effectively solve this problem.

[0003] There are many ways to prepare flexible glass with unequal thickness. However, preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness through physical methods is complex, inefficient, and results in a low glass yield. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical issues, this invention provides a method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness. The method is simple and efficient, and the resulting flexible glass with unequal thickness exhibits good impact resistance and bending performance.

[0005] The specific solution of this invention is as follows:

[0006] This invention provides a method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness, comprising the following steps: S1, coating treatment: adhering an acid-resistant and anti-adhesion film to the entire surface of the air side of the glass substrate, pre-setting an etching area on the tin side, and adhering an acid-resistant and anti-adhesion film to the surface of other areas of the tin side except for the etching area; S2, etching treatment: placing one end of the coated glass downwards into the etching solution, so that a portion of the etching area is immersed in the etching solution; pulling the glass upwards until the lower end of the glass is completely removed from the etching solution; placing the other end of the glass downwards into the etching solution, and repeating the above etching steps; thus, by alternately placing both ends of the coated glass downwards into the etching solution for etching, the etching area thickness reaches the preset thickness.

[0007] In this invention, the tin surface refers to the tin contact surface; the air surface refers to the air contact surface.

[0008] Preferably, the acid-resistant anti-adhesion film is an acid-resistant UV anti-adhesion film.

[0009] Preferably, in step S2, the coated glass is placed with one end facing down in the etching solution, so that half of the etched area is immersed in the etching solution.

[0010] Preferably, in step S2, the glass is moved upward at a constant speed.

[0011] Preferably, in step S2, the glass is moved upward at a constant speed of 0.5-3 cm / min.

[0012] Preferably, the etching solution is an acid etching solution; the components of the etching solution include hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, and hydrogen fluoride.

[0013] Preferably, the method further includes step S3: immersing the etched glass in an alkaline solution to remove residual acid; then immersing and rinsing it with pure water to remove the acid-resistant and non-sticky film.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0015] (1) This invention combines anti-adhesion film protection and chemical etching to prepare flexible glass with unequal thickness. First, the thicker areas of the unequal thickness glass are protected by an anti-adhesion film, leaving room for etching. Then, a specific method is used for slow chemical etching to gradually form a thickness difference, and finally, the etched area is etched to the target thickness. The unequal thickness flexible glass prepared by this method has no step marks or streaks in the unequal thickness areas; and the thicker areas of the unequal thickness flexible glass have good impact resistance and are not easily broken. The etched groove areas have good bending performance and can be used in foldable screen phones.

[0016] (2) The preparation method described in this invention has high production efficiency, simple process flow and relatively high yield. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the preparation process of the present invention; Detailed Implementation

[0018] The technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below through specific embodiments. However, it should be clearly stated that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0019] Example 1

[0020] A method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness includes the following steps:

[0021] S1, Coating treatment

[0022] Before lamination, large sheets of high-alumina glass are cut into glass substrates of the target size (15.8cm long, 10.8cm wide, and 0.25mm thick), and the tin side and air side are distinguished. The glass substrates are cleaned with the tin side facing down. After cleaning, the glass substrates are transferred to the laminating machine for lamination.

[0023] During the coating process, the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is first applied to the entire air surface of the glass substrate to ensure that there are no air bubbles on the glass surface after coating, and the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is flush with the edge of the glass substrate. Then, the glass with the air surface coated is placed face down on the coating machine, and the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is applied to the tin surface. The tin surface has a pre-set etching area, and the coating area is the area of ​​the tin surface other than the etching area, ensuring that the etching area is not covered by the anti-adhesion film.

[0024] S2, Etching Process

[0025] Place the coated glass with one end down in an etching tank filled with etching solution, so that half of the etching area is immersed in the etching solution and the other half is above the surface of the etching solution; pull the glass upwards at a uniform speed (0.8 cm / min) by adjusting the equipment until the lower end of the glass is completely out of the etching solution.

[0026] Then place the other end of the glass downwards into the etching solution and repeat the above etching steps, so that half of the etched area is immersed in the etching solution and the other half is above the surface of the etching solution; by adjusting the equipment, pull the glass upwards at a uniform speed (0.8cm / min) until the lower end of the glass is completely out of the etching solution.

[0027] The etching solution is an acid etching solution, and its components include hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrogen fluoride.

[0028] Repeat the etching steps described above, alternatingly placing both ends of the coated glass downwards into the etching solution for etching, until the etched area reaches the preset thickness (0.08 mm).

[0029] S3. Remove the glass from the etching solution and immerse it in an alkaline solution to remove residual acid. Then remove the glass from the alkaline solution and immerse it in pure water. After rinsing, rinse it horizontally. Then perform UV debonding to remove the acid-resistant UV anti-adhesion film on the glass surface, thus obtaining unequal thickness flexible glass. Testing shows that the unequal thickness areas of the obtained unequal thickness flexible glass have no step marks or streaks.

[0030] The process flow diagram of the preparation of this invention is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, side A represents the air side; side B represents the tin side.

[0031] Example 2

[0032] A method for preparing flexible glass with unequal thickness includes the following steps:

[0033] S1, Coating treatment

[0034] Before lamination, large sheets of high-alumina glass are cut into glass substrates of the target size (15.8cm long, 10.8cm wide, and 0.25mm thick), and the tin side and air side are distinguished. The glass substrates are cleaned with the tin side facing down. After cleaning, the glass substrates are transferred to the laminating machine for lamination.

[0035] During the coating process, the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is first applied to the entire air surface of the glass substrate to ensure that there are no air bubbles on the glass surface after coating, and the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is flush with the edge of the glass substrate. Then, the glass with the air surface coated is placed face down on the coating machine, and the anti-acid UV anti-adhesion film is applied to the tin surface. The tin surface has a pre-set etching area, and the coating area is the area of ​​the tin surface other than the etching area, ensuring that the etching area is not covered by the anti-adhesion film.

[0036] S2, Etching Process

[0037] Place the coated glass with one end down into an etching tank filled with etching solution, so that two-thirds of the etching area is immersed in the etching solution and one-third of the area is above the surface of the etching solution; pull the glass upwards at a uniform speed (1.5cm / min) by adjusting the equipment until the lower end of the glass is completely out of the etching solution.

[0038] Then place the other end of the glass downwards into the etching solution and repeat the above etching steps, so that two-thirds of the etched area is immersed in the etching solution and one-third of the area is above the surface of the etching solution; by adjusting the equipment, pull the glass upwards at a uniform speed (1.5cm / min) until the lower end of the glass is completely out of the etching solution.

[0039] The etching solution is an acid etching solution, and its components include hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid and hydrogen fluoride.

[0040] Repeat the etching steps described above, alternatingly placing both ends of the coated glass downwards into the etching solution for etching, until the etched area reaches the preset thickness (0.08 mm).

[0041] S3. Remove the glass from the etching solution and immerse it in an alkaline solution to remove residual acid. Then remove the glass from the alkaline solution and immerse it in pure water. After rinsing, rinse it horizontally. Then perform UV debonding to remove the acid-resistant UV anti-adhesion film on the glass surface, thus obtaining unequal thickness flexible glass. Testing shows that the unequal thickness areas of the obtained unequal thickness flexible glass have no step marks or streaks.

[0042] Performance testing

[0043] The bending cycles and pen drop performance of the unequal thickness glass obtained in Examples 1 and 2 above were tested. The test methods and results are shown below:

[0044] (1) Number of bends: The non-bending part of the glass of unequal thickness is fixed to the surface of the bending instrument with tape. The glass is then bent in a flip-book shape using the bending instrument. The bending angle is switched between the two plates being attached and 180°. The bending frequency is 30 times / min. The number of times the glass breaks is recorded.

[0045] (2) Pen drop height: 50μm OCA and 50μm PET (elastic modulus of about 3-4GPa) are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of glass with different thicknesses. The test platform is marble. A 12g M&G pen with a lead diameter of 0.5mm is dropped freely from a certain height. The height at which the glass breaks is the pen drop height.

[0046] Table 1. Test results of the number of bends and the height of the pen drop.

[0047] Example 1 More than 500,000 times 44 Example 2 More than 500,000 times 42

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any equivalent substitutions or modifications made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, based on the technical solution and inventive concept of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for preparing flexible glass of unequal thickness, characterized in that, The process includes the following steps: S1, Coating treatment: An anti-acid and anti-sticking film is adhered to the entire surface of the air side of the glass substrate. An etching area is pre-set on the tin side. An anti-acid and anti-sticking film is adhered to the surface of the other areas of the tin side except for the etching area; S2, Etching treatment: One end of the coated glass is placed downwards in the etching solution, so that half of the etching area is immersed in the etching solution; the glass is pulled upwards until the lower end of the glass is completely out of the etching solution; the other end of the glass is placed downwards in the etching solution, and the above etching steps are repeated; in this way, the two ends of the coated glass are alternately placed downwards in the etching solution for etching until the thickness of the etching area reaches the preset thickness.

2. The method for preparing unequal thickness flexible glass according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acid-resistant and anti-adhesion film is an acid-resistant and UV-resistant anti-adhesion film.

3. The method for preparing unequal-thickness flexible glass according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In S2, the glass is moved upward at a constant speed.

4. The method for preparing unequal-thickness flexible glass according to claim 3, characterized in that, In S2, the glass is moved upward at a constant speed of 0.5-3 cm / min.

5. The method for preparing unequal-thickness flexible glass according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The etching solution is an acid etching solution; the components of the etching solution include hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid and ammonium hydrogen fluoride.

6. The method for preparing unequal-thickness flexible glass according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It also includes S3, immersing the etched glass in an alkaline solution to remove residual acid; then immersing and rinsing it with pure water to remove the acid-resistant and non-sticky film.

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