Method for manufacturing glass units

Abstract

The present invention relates to a curved glass unit (1) comprising a first glass sheet (2) having a thickness of less than 1.6 mm and more preferably less than 1.2 mm, a second glass sheet (3) having a thickness of less than 1.6 mm and more preferably less than 1.2 mm, an intermediate film (4) having a thickness less than the minimum thickness of the glass sheet of the glass unit and disposed between the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet, the glass unit further comprising a seal (5) for encapsulating all sides of the glass unit.

Description

Background Technology

[0001] The method of forming shaped car windows, particularly automotive side windows, using a ring-shaped bending technique is well-known. These traditional automotive side windows are monolithic glass panels that are heated to 650°C and then rapidly cooled to temper them, simultaneously giving them a ring-shaped form. These tempered glass units offer the dual advantages of better resistance to mechanical stress and the ability to shatter into many smaller pieces upon breakage.

[0002] The laminated glass unit, built on the basis of these traditional automotive side windows, consists of a sandwich of two glass sheets connected by an elastic interlayer sheet made of PVB, which are shaped and hardened (in the sense that they are scalded).

[0003] The manufacture of small windows uses the same tools as traditional windows, but it presents some challenges in terms of logistics (handling and storing small glass panes) and industrial production (using large, energy-intensive equipment to produce small glass units).

[0004] Furthermore, for thin glass sheets, all forming is carried out by cold bending, but a supporting glass sheet is systematically utilized: either by using thick tempered glass as a support for lamination, or by using verres pistons to form the interlayer of thin glass sheets. The forming of thin glass sheets is very complex, and therefore cold bending seems to be the best option to achieve it. The proposed solution systematically involves a "master" glass sheet to ensure good geometry of the interlayer (in the case of small quarter-pane type glass units, it is therefore necessary to continue forming small tempered glass sheets so that there are components with thin glass sheets on one of the sides).

[0005] Therefore, alternative solutions need to be found. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This invention seeks to provide an alternative to the prior art, namely a method for producing thin, curved, laminated glass units in a simple and industrialized manner.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention relates to a curved glass unit comprising a first glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm and more preferably less than 1.2 mm, a second glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm and more preferably less than 1.2 mm, an intermediate film with a thickness less than the thickness of the thinnest glass sheet of the glass unit and disposed between the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet, the glass unit further comprising a seal encapsulating all sides of the glass unit.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a curved laminated glass unit assembled from a first flat glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, more preferably less than 1.2 mm, an intermediate layer sheet, and a second glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, more preferably less than 1.2 mm, the second glass sheet being flat prior to assembly with the first glass sheet and the intermediate layer sheet. The glass unit further includes seals encapsulating all its sides, and the assembly is performed to give the glass unit its shape and place the seals in place.

[0009] According to one example, the first glass sheet and / or the second glass sheet are chemically or thermally strengthened.

[0010] According to one example, the seal is reinforced by a reinforcing member.

[0011] According to one example, the reinforcement includes at least one metal wire embedded in the seal.

[0012] As an example, the intermediate layer film is a sheet made of PVB or PET type material.

[0013] According to one example, the intermediate layer film is a layer deposited on one of the two glass sheets of the glass unit.

[0014] According to one example, the layer forming the intermediate film is OCA resin or natural rosin.

[0015] According to one example, the glass unit has a maximum deflection of 70 mm.

[0016] According to one example, the thickness of the glass unit is no more than 4 mm, more preferably 3 mm, and even more preferably 2 mm.

[0017] According to one example, the glass unit has a maximum surface area of ​​0.8 square meters.

[0018] The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a glass unit having a curved shape, the glass unit comprising a first glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, more preferably less than 1.2 mm, a thermoplastic interlayer sheet, and a second glass sheet with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, more preferably less than 1.2 mm, the method comprising:

[0019] - Provides a first glass sheet in the form of a flat plate, a second glass sheet in the form of a flat plate, and an intermediate film;

[0020] - Assemble a first glass sheet in the form of a flat plate, a second glass sheet in the form of a flat plate, and an interlayer film to form an assembly with the interlayer film located between two glass sheets;

[0021] - Place the component in an encapsulation device that can surround the sides of the component with a seal;

[0022] - Place the seal in place;

[0023] The feature is that the encapsulation device is capable of deforming the glass unit during the placement of the sealing element.

[0024] According to one example, the method also includes a step of chemically or thermally strengthening the first glass sheet and / or the second glass sheet prior to the assembly step. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Other specific features and advantages will become clear from their following description, which is given by way of illustration and in a completely non-limiting manner with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0026] - Figure 1 The image shows a curved laminated glass unit;

[0027] - Figure 2 A curved laminated glass unit according to the present invention is shown;

[0028] - Figures 3 to 9 The different steps of the method for manufacturing glass units according to the present invention are shown schematically in cross-section. Detailed Implementation

[0029] According to the present invention, glass unit 1 is a laminated glass unit, such as... Figure 1 As can be seen, it includes an outer glass plate 2 or a first sheet, an inner glass plate 3 or a second sheet, and an intermediate film 4. The intermediate film 4 is disposed between the outer glass plate and the inner glass plate.

[0030] The outer glass plate 2 is a glass plate with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, and more preferably less than 1.2 mm.

[0031] The inner glass plate 3 is a glass plate with a thickness of less than 1.6 mm, and more preferably less than 1.2 mm.

[0032] Glass unit 1 comprises two glass sheets of the same or different thicknesses.

[0033] The thickness of the interlayer film 4 is less than the thickness of the thinnest glass sheet in the interlayer, or in other words, its thickness is less than 50% of the overall thickness of the glass unit. Preferably, the thickness of the interlayer film is less than the thickness of the thinnest glass sheet, having a minimum thickness. The interlayer film 4 can be in the form of a sheet or film, and can be made of thermoplastic materials such as PVB or PET.

[0034] The thickness of glass unit 1 is no more than 4 mm, more preferably 3 mm, and even more preferably 2 mm.

[0035] Glass unit 1 is first produced by obtaining outer glass and inner glass.

[0036] In the second step, the inner glass 3 and the outer glass 2 are assembled with the interlayer film 4, which is placed between the two glass plates 2 and 3 for a conventional assembly process, such as... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As can be seen in the image. The assembly process may include a rolling step, followed by a heating step in an autoclave. Once glass unit 1 has been formed, the method includes shaping it to form a curved glass unit.

[0037] Ingeniously, according to the present invention, the forming of the glass unit 1 and its encapsulation are performed simultaneously. In fact, the encapsulation includes providing an outer sealing element 5 to the glass unit 1, such as... Figure 2 As can be seen, the seal surrounds and extends on all sides of the glass unit. This encapsulation can be used for glass units intended to be inserted into window openings. This seal 5 is made of a vulcanized TPE type material, such as PP / EPDLM or SEBS.

[0038] For this purpose, the encapsulation step uses an encapsulation device including a mold 6, in which at least a portion of the glass unit is inserted and a sealing material is injected, such as... Figure 5 As can be seen, this mold 6 includes, for example, at least two molds that surround the glass unit to form a space 61 in which material is injected. A seal 5 extends over the entire periphery of the glass, and the mold 6 is arranged accordingly.

[0039] According to the invention, the encapsulation device further includes a means for deforming the glass unit 7 to impart curvature to the glass. This deforming means 7 for the glass unit includes at least one actuator 70, such as... Figure 9 As can be seen, it is computer-controlled to apply at least one force F to the glass unit to deform it. This can be at least one suction force and / or at least one physical contact (such as stretching, pushing, etc.). Figure 6 and Figure 7 The combined force (visible in the image) is the resultant force. In practice, the encapsulation device can be equipped with at least two different actuators 70 to provide curvature to the glass unit. In a non-limiting example, the encapsulation device 7 may include a finger-type actuator 70 that makes contact with the glass unit to initiate the giving it a curved shape. Subsequently, at least one suction-type actuator 70, such as a suction clock, can replace the finger-type actuator.

[0040] Therefore, during the packaging process, such as Figure 8 As shown, the encapsulation device deposits sealant 5 onto both sides of the glass while deforming it.

[0041] The advantage of simultaneous encapsulation and molding is that this invention uses encapsulation to ensure molding. In fact, molding primarily involves cold forming. This cold forming of the glass unit means that when the forces applied to it for molding are reduced or removed, the glass unit will attempt to return to its initial shape.

[0042] However, an advantage of the present invention is that the encapsulation seal 5, which is placed simultaneously during the glass unit molding process, hardens. The hardening of the seal 5 occurs while molding is still in progress; that is, the force applied to it to give the glass the desired shape is continuously applied. When the seal 5 hardens and reaches a certain level of hardness, its position can be fixed by preventing the glass unit 1 from returning to its initial position.

[0043] Therefore, this invention enables the production of thin, laminated glass units 1, thus possessing all the advantages of laminated glass (anti-seepage / sound insulation / UV protection, etc.), while significantly reducing its thickness and mass. Currently, the minimum thickness of laminated products is 3.96 mm (for 8 kg / m²), while this invention can easily reduce the thickness to around 3 mm (7.5 kg / m²), or even 2 mm (5 kg / m²).

[0044] The glass unit according to the invention can have a cylindrical or spherical shape, or a complex shape. The resulting glass unit can have a maximum deflection of 70 mm. The resulting glass unit is further characterized by its surface area, which has a maximum value of 0.8 square meters. Surface area and deflection value can be correlated; that is, the larger the surface area, the greater the deflection. Thus, for example, for a surface area of ​​0.8 square meters, a deflection of 50 mm can be achieved, and for a surface area of ​​0.1 square meters, a deflection of 35 mm can be achieved.

[0045] In the first variation, the outer glass panel (or first sheet) 2 and / or the inner glass panel (or second sheet) 3 undergo a hardening or strengthening process before assembling the glass unit. This strengthening may be chemical or thermal.

[0046] According to the first option, this hardening method is chemical tempering. This involves completely immersing the glass plate used in a molten salt bath, subjecting it to temperatures approaching 400°C. This very special salt bath allows for chemical exchange, which will have a lasting effect on the outer surface of the glass plate.

[0047] According to the second option, this hardening method is a thermal strengthening method. This involves heating the glass and then rapidly cooling it to generate a specified stress within the glass sheet. Unlike thermal tempering on thick glass sheets (where the stress in the glass arises from a high thermal gradient), this thermal strengthening method generates stress via a finite thermal gradient within the glass due to its low thickness.

[0048] In the second variation, seal 5 is reinforced. Therefore, it can be understood that the seal includes a reinforcing member. This reinforcing member includes, for example, a wire placed within the space formed by mold 6, the wire being overmolded and embedded in the material forming the seal. Of course, the reinforcement can be in the form of any component capable of achieving the same function. This reinforcement of the seal helps maintain the curvature of the glass unit, allowing the use of a lower-strength material for the seal. Alternatively, this reinforcement of the seal allows for the application of greater stress to the glass while ensuring that the seal retains this curvature.

[0049] In the third variation, the interlayer film 4 between the two glass plates is chosen to be thinner than the commonly used PVB interlayer film. Therefore, the interlayer is an OCA (Optically Transparent Adhesive) type resin or natural rosin material; that is, the interlayer exists in the form of a layer. In this variation, the method for manufacturing the glass unit includes the following steps:

[0050] - Glass sheets are cut from a large substrate and then optionally chemically tempered.

[0051] - An intermediate layer is deposited on one of two glass plates. The thickness of the layer is less than 100 micrometers, ideally less than 30 micrometers. This layer is dried using ultraviolet light.

[0052] - (At 90°C) Two glass plates are assembled by rolling.

[0053] - Shaped during packaging.

[0054] When glass sheets are hardened through chemical tempering, it can be assumed that the chemical tempering is performed before or after cutting. In reality, the glass sheets that form the glass units come from a giant flat glass sheet called PLF, with dimensions such as 3 meters x 6 meters. These giant sheets are then cut into appropriate shapes and sizes. Therefore, if chemical tempering can be performed after cutting the inner and outer glass sheets, then tempering can be done before cutting.

[0055] Of course, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, but various variations and modifications can be made, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a curved glass unit (1), said glass unit (1) comprising a first glass sheet (2) with a thickness less than 1.6 mm, a thermoplastic interlayer film (4), and a second glass sheet (3) with a thickness less than 1.6 mm, said method comprising: - Obtain the first glass sheet (2) in the form of a flat plate, the second glass sheet (3) in the form of a flat plate, and the intermediate layer film (4). -Assemble the first glass sheet (2) in flat form, the second glass sheet (3) in flat form and the intermediate layer film (4) to form an assembly with the intermediate layer film located between the first glass sheet and the second glass sheet; - The component is placed in an encapsulation device capable of surrounding the sides of the component with a seal, the encapsulation device including at least one actuator for deforming the glass unit; - Place the seal in place; The feature is that the encapsulation device is capable of deforming the glass unit (1) during the placement of the seal so as to perform the molding of the glass unit (1) while encapsulating the glass unit (1), the seal encapsulating all sides of the glass unit (1), and applying a force to the assembly after hardening to fix the position of the glass unit (1) by preventing the glass unit (1) from returning to its initial position, thereby ensuring cold forming.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The method further includes, prior to the assembly step, a step of chemically or thermally strengthening the first glass sheet and / or the second glass sheet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The seal (5) is reinforced by a reinforcing member.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The reinforcing member includes at least one metal wire embedded in the seal (5).

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The intermediate layer film (4) is a sheet made of PVB or PET type material.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The intermediate layer film (4) is a layer deposited on one of the two glass sheets of the glass unit (1).

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The layer forming the intermediate layer film (4) is OCA resin or natural rosin.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The thickness of the intermediate layer film (4) is less than the thickness of the thinnest glass sheet in the glass unit (1).

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The glass unit (1) comprises two glass sheets of the same or different thicknesses.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The glass unit (1) has a maximum deflection of 70 mm.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The thickness of the glass unit (1) does not exceed 4 mm.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The glass unit (1) has a maximum surface area of ​​0.8 square meters.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The glass unit (1) includes a first glass sheet (2) with a thickness of less than 1.2 mm.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The glass unit (1) includes a second glass sheet (3) with a thickness of less than 1.2 mm.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The thickness of the glass unit (1) is no more than 3 mm.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The thickness of the glass unit (1) is no more than 2 mm.

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