Variable thickness flexible glass forming apparatus and glass production apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of unequal thickness flexible glass forming device and glass production equipment, it is related to flexible glass production technical field.The unequal thickness flexible glass forming device includes feed pipe, uniform material hopper and discharge nozzle.Uniform material hopper includes buffer casing and two drainage channels, two drainage channels are oppositely connected to the two sides of feed pipe, two drainage channels are connected with buffer casing, drainage channel is set to the top of buffer casing, the end of drainage channel away from feed pipe is lower than the end of drainage channel close to feed pipe, discharge nozzle is connected to the lower of buffer casing, flange is provided in discharge nozzle.The unequal thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the application can realize the one-time forming of unequal thickness flexible glass, cancel etching processing step, save time and effort, improve production efficiency, reduce production cost, suitable for large-scale commercial production, and discharge uniformly, forming effect is good, avoid various product defects, and the yield is high.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of flexible glass production, in particular to a non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device and a glass production equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] The rapid development of flexible AMOLED display technology not only expands the application scenarios of intelligent mobile terminals, but also becomes the focus of the future terminal folding display field with its unique characteristics. As a key link in the flexible AMOLED display panel, the flexible display material is distinguished from other materials by its special manufacturing process due to its own light, thin and flexible characteristics, and among them, the ultra-thin flexible glass "UTG-Ultra Thin Glass" and the emerging non-uniform thickness flexible glass "UFG-Ultra Fold Glass" are the main ones.

[0003] For non-uniform thickness flexible glass, the technical pain point lies in the thickness control of the bending area, that is, the ultra-thin thickness control of the groove part of the bending area is difficult, and the existing process manufacturing process is to obtain by secondary processing on the bending area in the middle of the ordinary flat glass, and the thickness of the bending area groove often needs to be controlled by etching and thinning for many times. This process has product defects such as non-smooth thickness transition between the bending area and the non-bending area, uneven stress, easy wrinkling, low yield, and is time-consuming and laborious, low in production efficiency, high in production cost, and not suitable for large-scale commercial production.

[0004] Therefore, it is particularly important to design and manufacture a non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device and a glass production equipment which can be formed at one time and has a high yield, especially in the production of flexible glass. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present application is to provide a non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device which can realize one-time forming of non-uniform thickness flexible glass, cancel the etching processing step, save time and labor, improve production efficiency, reduce production cost, be suitable for large-scale commercial production, and have uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoid various product defects, and high yield.

[0006] Another purpose of the present application is to provide a glass production equipment which can realize one-time forming of non-uniform thickness flexible glass, cancel the etching processing step, save time and labor, improve production efficiency, reduce production cost, be suitable for large-scale commercial production, and have uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoid various product defects, and high yield.

[0007] The present application is realized by adopting the following technical solutions.

[0008] The application discloses a non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device, which comprises a feeding pipe, a material homogenizing hopper, a discharging nozzle and a calender mechanism, the material homogenizing hopper comprises a buffer shell and two flow guide channels, the two flow guide channels are oppositely connected to two sides of the feeding pipe, and the two flow guide channels are connected with the buffer shell; the flow guide channels are arranged above the buffer shell, and an end of the flow guide channel away from the feeding pipe is lower than an end of the flow guide channel close to the feeding pipe, so that part of the glass melt entering from the feeding pipe is guided to the end of the buffer shell; the discharging nozzle is connected below the buffer shell, a flange is arranged in the discharging nozzle, and the flange extends in the width direction of the nozzle mouth of the discharging nozzle; and the calender mechanism is arranged below the discharging nozzle in a spaced mode, and the discharging nozzle and the calender mechanism are used for forming the non-uniform thickness flexible glass belt.

[0009] Optionally, the flow guide channel is arranged at a preset angle with the horizontal plane, and the preset angle ranges from 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

[0010] Optionally, the cross section of the flow guide channel is in an arc shape, the buffer shell is arranged in the center of the flow guide channel in the thickness direction, and the thickness of the buffer shell is less than or equal to the diameter of the arc of the flow guide channel.

[0011] Optionally, the central angle of the arc of the flow guide channel ranges from 180 degrees to 320 degrees.

[0012] Optionally, the side of the discharging nozzle away from the buffer shell is provided with an extension block, and the flange extends to the extension block in the direction away from the buffer shell.

[0013] Optionally, the flange is arranged at the middle part of the discharging nozzle; the ratio of the length of the flange to the length of the nozzle mouth of the discharging nozzle ranges from 0.05 to 0.15; and / or the ratio of the protruding height of the flange to the width of the nozzle mouth of the discharging nozzle ranges from 0.7 to 0.95.

[0014] Optionally, the buffer shell comprises a flat section and a tapered section, the two flow guide channels are connected with the flat section, and the tapered section oppositely has a large end and a small end, the large end is connected with the flat section, and the small end is connected with the discharging nozzle.

[0015] Optionally, the ratio of the thickness of the large end to the thickness of the small end ranges from 1.1 to 2.

[0016] Optionally, the non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device further comprises two electric heating elements, the two electric heating elements are oppositely arranged at two ends of the material homogenizing hopper and are connected with the material homogenizing hopper.

[0017] Optionally, the calendering mechanism comprises a first forming calendering roller and a second forming calendering roller arranged in parallel and spaced apart, a first pair of roller gaps are formed between the first forming calendering roller and the second forming calendering roller, the first pair of roller gaps are arranged below the discharge nozzle, a forming ring is arranged on the roller surface of the first forming calendering roller, the position of the forming ring corresponds to the position of the flange, the first pair of roller gaps are used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the discharge nozzle to pass through, and the forming ring is used for profiling the thin area of the flexible glass ribbon.

[0018] Optionally, the calendering mechanism comprises a third forming calendering roller and a fourth forming calendering roller arranged in parallel and spaced apart, a second pair of roller gaps are formed between the third forming calendering roller and the fourth forming calendering roller, the second pair of roller gaps are arranged below the first pair of roller gaps, an annular groove is arranged on the roller surface of the third forming calendering roller, the position of the annular groove corresponds to the position of the flange, the second pair of roller gaps are used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the first pair of roller gaps to pass through, the annular groove is used for giving way to the thin area of the flexible glass ribbon, and the third forming calendering roller and the fourth forming calendering roller are used for profiling the flat area of the flexible glass ribbon.

[0019] Optionally, the ratio of the first pair of roller gaps to the second pair of roller gaps ranges from 1 to 3.

[0020] Optionally, the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device further comprises a temperature adjusting furnace arranged below the discharge nozzle, the temperature adjusting furnace is used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the discharge nozzle to pass through and controls the temperature of the flexible glass ribbon.

[0021] Optionally, the temperature adjusting furnace comprises a slow cooling chamber and an annealing chamber, the slow cooling chamber is arranged above the annealing chamber, the slow cooling chamber is used for slow cooling of the flexible glass ribbon, and the annealing chamber is used for annealing of the flexible glass ribbon.

[0022] A glass production equipment comprises the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device, the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device comprises a feeding pipe, a uniform material hopper, a discharge nozzle and a calendering mechanism, the uniform material hopper comprises a buffer shell and two flow guide channels, the two flow guide channels are connected to the two sides of the feeding pipe, the two flow guide channels are connected to the buffer shell, the flow guide channels are arranged above the buffer shell, the end of the flow guide channel away from the feeding pipe is lower than the end of the flow guide channel close to the feeding pipe, so as to guide part of the glass melt entering from the feeding pipe to the end of the buffer shell, the discharge nozzle is connected below the buffer shell, the discharge nozzle is provided with a flange extending in the direction of the nozzle width of the discharge nozzle, the calendering mechanism is arranged below the discharge nozzle, and the discharge nozzle and the calendering mechanism are used for forming the unequal-thickness flexible glass ribbon.

[0023] The unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device and the glass production equipment provided by the application have the following beneficial effects:

[0024] The unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the application comprises an equalizing hopper, the equalizing hopper comprises a buffer casing and two flow guide channels, the two flow guide channels are oppositely connected to the two sides of the feeding pipe, the two flow guide channels are connected with the buffer casing, the flow guide channels are arranged above the buffer casing, the end of the flow guide channel away from the feeding pipe is lower than the end of the flow guide channel close to the feeding pipe, so as to guide part of the glass melt entering from the feeding pipe to the end of the buffer casing, a discharge nozzle is connected below the buffer casing, the discharge nozzle is provided with a flange, the flange is arranged in the width direction of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle, and a calender mechanism is arranged below the discharge nozzle, the discharge nozzle and the calender mechanism are used for forming the unequal-thickness flexible glass belt together. Compared with the prior art, the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the application can realize one-time forming of the unequal-thickness flexible glass, cancel the etching processing step, save time and labor, improve production efficiency, reduce production cost, be suitable for large-scale commercial production, and has uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoids various product defects, and has high yield.

[0025] The glass production equipment provided by the application comprises the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device, can realize one-time forming of the unequal-thickness flexible glass, cancel the etching processing step, save time and labor, improve production efficiency, reduce production cost, be suitable for large-scale commercial production, and has uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoids various product defects, and has high yield. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the application, and therefore should not be regarded as a limitation to the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can also be obtained without creative labor.

[0027] Figure 1 The isometric view of the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiments of the application;

[0028] Figure 2 The front view of the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiments of the application;

[0029] Figure 3 The structure schematic view of the flexible glass belt formed by the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiments of the application;

[0030] Figure 4 The first perspective view of the connection of the feeding pipe with the discharge nozzle through the equalizing hopper in the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiments of the application;

[0031] Figure 5 A second perspective view of the structure of the feeding pipe connected to the discharge nozzle through the uniform material hopper in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 A third perspective view of the structure of the feeding pipe connected to the discharge nozzle through the uniform material hopper in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 A perspective view of the structure of the uniform material hopper connected to the discharge nozzle in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 8 A perspective view of the structure of the first forming compression roller cooperating with the second forming compression roller in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 9 A perspective view of the structure of the third forming compression roller cooperating with the fourth forming compression roller in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 10 A simulation effect diagram of the glass melt flowing in the uniform material hopper in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 11 A simulation effect diagram of the glass melt flowing in the discharge nozzle in the uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device provided by the embodiment of the present application.

[0038] Icon: 100-uneven-thickness flexible glass forming device; 110-feeding pipe; 120-uniform material hopper; 121-buffering shell; 122-drainage channel; 123-straight section; 124-tapered section; 1241-large end; 1242-small end; 130-discharge nozzle; 131-flange; 132-extension block; 140-electric heating element; 150-first forming compression roller; 151-forming ring; 160-second forming compression roller; 170-first roller gap; 180-third forming compression roller; 181-annular groove; 190-fourth forming compression roller; 200-second roller gap; 210-temperature adjusting furnace; 211-annealing chamber; 212-annealing chamber; 220-drawing roller; 300-flexible glass ribbon; 310-straight section; 320-thin section. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application but not all the embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0040] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present application, but only represents selected embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present application without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0041] It should be noted that: similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0042] In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the orientations or positional relationships indicated by the terms "inner", "outer", "upper", "lower", "horizontal", etc. are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings or the orientations or positional relationships in which the products of the present application are usually placed, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and therefore cannot be understood as indicating or implying that the devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present application. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used for differentiation and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0043] In the description of the present application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "set", "connected", "mounted", "connected" should be understood broadly, for example, can be fixedly connected, can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or the internal communication of two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0044] The following will describe some embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the drawings. The features in the following embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0045] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3The embodiment of the present application provides a glass production equipment (not shown in the figure) for producing flexible glass. The glass production equipment can realize one-time forming of the flexible glass with different thicknesses, cancels an etching processing step, saves time and labor, improves production efficiency, reduces production cost, is suitable for large-scale commercial production, and has uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoids various product defects, and high yield.

[0046] It should be noted that the glass production equipment comprises a feeding channel (not shown in the figure) and the flexible glass forming device 100 with different thicknesses. The feeding channel is connected with the flexible glass forming device 100 with different thicknesses, and the feeding channel is used for feeding the glass melt into the flexible glass forming device 100 with different thicknesses. The flexible glass forming device 100 with different thicknesses is used for forming the flexible glass with different thicknesses.

[0047] The flexible glass forming device 100 with different thicknesses comprises a feeding pipe 110, a uniform material hopper 120, a discharge nozzle 130 and a calender mechanism (not shown in the figure). The feeding pipe 110, the uniform material hopper 120 and the discharge nozzle 130 are sequentially arranged from top to bottom, the feeding channel is connected with the feeding pipe 110, and the feeding pipe 110 is connected with the discharge nozzle 130 through the uniform material hopper 120. The feeding channel is used for inputting the glass melt into the feeding pipe 110, so that the glass melt enters the uniform material hopper 120 through the feeding pipe 110. In this process, the glass melt is uniformly diffused in the uniform material hopper 120 and continuously flows downward, so as to realize the buffering function of the glass melt. Then the glass melt in the uniform material hopper 120 uniformly flows out through the discharge nozzle 130, so as to form the flexible glass ribbon 300. In this process, the discharge nozzle 130 can limit the glass melt, so that the flexible glass ribbon 300 has the flat area 310 and the thin area 320 (the thickness of the thin area 320 is less than the thickness of the flat area 310), so as to form the rough shape of the flexible glass with different thicknesses, and facilitate subsequent production.

[0048] Please refer to Figures 4 to 7 , and refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11The uniformizing hopper 120 comprises a buffer casing 121 and two flow guide channels 122. The feeding pipe 110 and the two flow guide channels 122 are connected with each other, the two flow guide channels 122 are oppositely connected to the two sides of the feeding pipe 110, the feeding pipe 110 is arranged above the two flow guide channels 122, and the uniformizing hopper 120 is vertically placed, that is, the feeding pipe 110 is arranged in the vertical direction, and the glass melt flowing into the feeding pipe 110 from the feeding channel can flow into the two flow guide channels 122 at the same time. The two flow guide channels 122 are connected with the buffer casing 121, the flow guide channel 122 is arranged above the buffer casing 121, and the discharge nozzle 130 is connected below the buffer casing 121, so that the glass melt in the flow guide channel 122 can flow into the buffer casing 121 to realize the buffering function of the glass melt, and the glass melt in the buffer casing 121 can flow out through the discharge nozzle 130 to realize the forming function of the glass melt. Specifically, the end of the flow guide channel 122 away from the feeding pipe 110 is lower than the end of the flow guide channel 122 close to the feeding pipe 110, so as to guide part of the glass melt entering from the feeding pipe 110 to the end of the buffer casing 121, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the flow of the glass melt in the uniformizing hopper 120, so that the flow rates of the glass melt at different positions in the uniformizing hopper 120 are basically the same.

[0049] It should be noted that in the flow process of the glass melt, the glass melt in the feeding pipe 110 flows into the two flow guide channels 122 under the action of gravity at the same time, and the flow conditions of the glass melt in the two flow guide channels 122 are the same, and the flow condition of the glass melt in one of the flow guide channels 122 is described below. The glass melt entering the flow guide channel 122 is divided into two parts, wherein the first part of the glass melt directly flows downward along the vertical direction under the action of gravity and the pressure of the subsequent glass melt, that is, directly enters the buffer casing 121; the second part of the glass melt flows forward along the length direction of the flow guide channel 122 under the action of tension, that is, flows toward the end of the buffer casing 121, and in this process, part of the glass melt in the second part of the glass melt continues to flow downward along the vertical direction under the action of gravity and the pressure of the subsequent glass melt, and enters the buffer casing 121. In this way, by arranging the flow guide channel 122 inclined to the buffer casing 121, the glass melt can be uniformly dispersed in the length direction of the buffer casing 121, so that the glass melt flows downward uniformly, thereby uniformly discharging the glass melt through the discharge nozzle 130, and further improving the forming effect, avoiding various product defects, and improving the yield.

[0050] Further, the discharge nozzle 130 is provided with a flange 131 extending towards the width direction of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130, i.e. the flange 131 protrudes in the width direction of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130 in the discharge nozzle 130, and the flange 131 is used to form the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300. During the process of discharging the glass melt through the discharge nozzle 130, the flange 131 will stop part of the glass melt, so that the glass melt flow through the flange 131 is lower than that of other positions, so that the flexible glass ribbon 300 formed thereby forms a thin area 320 corresponding to the position of the flange 131, and other positions form a flat area 310. In addition, the calender mechanism is arranged below the discharge nozzle 130, and the flexible glass ribbon 300 with different thicknesses output from the discharge nozzle 130 is further formed under the action of the calender mechanism, improving the forming precision and ensuring the forming effect. In this way, the discharge nozzle 130 and the calender mechanism jointly act to form the flexible glass ribbon 300 with different thicknesses, thereby realizing one-time forming of the flexible glass with different thicknesses, canceling the etching processing step, saving time and effort, improving production efficiency, reducing production cost, and being suitable for large-scale commercial production.

[0051] Preferably, the drainage channel 122 is arranged at a preset angle with the horizontal plane, and the range of the preset angle is 10 degrees to 30 degrees. A reasonable preset angle can make the drainage channel 122 flow a sufficient amount of glass melt towards the end of the buffer housing 121, avoid the situation that the flow in the middle of the buffer housing 121 is large and the flow at both ends is small, and ensure the uniformity of the glass melt flowing in the buffer housing 121. In order to facilitate understanding, the preset angle is denoted as a.

[0052] Preferably, the cross section of the drainage channel 122 is in the shape of a circular arc. The circular arc-shaped drainage channel 122 can effectively increase the contact area with the glass melt, thereby increasing the surface tension of the glass melt, so that more glass melt flows forward along the length direction of the drainage channel 122, ensuring that the volume of the glass melt flowing to the end of the buffer housing 121 meets the requirements, and improving the drainage effect. Specifically, the buffer housing 121 is centrally arranged with the drainage channel 122 in the thickness direction thereof, so as to improve the uniformity and stability of the glass melt flowing from the drainage channel 122 to the buffer housing 121, and realize smooth transition.

[0053] Further, the thickness of the buffer housing 121 is less than or equal to the diameter of the circular arc of the flow channel 122. When the thickness of the buffer housing 121 is less than the diameter of the circular arc of the flow channel 122, the cross-sectional area of the glass melt flowing from the flow channel 122 to the buffer housing 121 is reduced to limit the flow of the glass melt, facilitating uniform feeding of the glass melt into the discharge nozzle 130. When the thickness of the buffer housing 121 is equal to the diameter of the circular arc of the flow channel 122, the cross-sectional area of the glass melt flowing from the flow channel 122 to the buffer housing 121 remains unchanged, further achieving a smooth transition and improving the uniformity and stability of the glass melt flow.

[0054] Preferably, the central angle of the circular arc of the flow channel 122 ranges from 180 degrees to 320 degrees, and when the thickness of the buffer housing 121 is equal to the diameter of the circular arc of the flow channel 122, the central angle of the circular arc of the flow channel 122 is 180 degrees. A reasonable central angle of the circular arc of the flow channel 122 can maximize the contact area between the flow channel 122 and the glass melt while ensuring a smooth transition between the flow channel 122 and the buffer housing 121, improving the flow of the glass melt along the length of the flow channel 122, and ensuring the uniformity of the glass melt flow in the buffer housing 121. For ease of understanding, the preset angle is denoted as b.

[0055] The buffer housing 121 includes a flat section 123 and a tapered section 124. Both flow channels 122 are connected to the flat section 123, and the glass melt in both flow channels 122 can flow downward into the flat section 123. The flat section 123 is used to receive and buffer the glass melt flowing from the two flow channels 122, and the glass melt in the flat section 123 can flow uniformly downward under the action of gravity and subsequent pressure of the glass melt. The tapered section 124 is oppositely provided with a large end 1241 and a small end 1242. The large end 1241 is connected to the flat section 123, and the small end 1242 is connected to the discharge nozzle 130. The glass melt in the flat section 123 flows into the large end 1241 and reduces in cross-sectional area under the action of the tapered section 124, limiting the flow of the glass melt. The glass melt in the small end 1242 flows into the discharge nozzle 130 and forms the flexible glass ribbon 300 through the discharge nozzle 130.

[0056] In the embodiment, the flat section 123 is substantially triangular, one of the two oblique sides of the triangle is connected with one of the flow channels 122, the other oblique side is connected with the other flow channel 122, and the bottom side is connected with the large end 1241. Specifically, the glass melt in the flow channel 122 can flow vertically downward from the oblique side of the flat section 123 into the flat section 123, and the glass melt in the flat section 123 can flow vertically downward from the bottom side into the large end 1241 of the tapered section 124, so as to realize the transition function of the glass melt flowing from the flow channel 122 to the tapered section 124, thereby enabling the glass melt to flow uniformly into the tapered section 124 in the length direction of the buffer housing 121.

[0057] Preferably, the ratio of the thickness of the large end 1241 to the thickness of the small end 1242 ranges from 1.1 to 2, and the thickness of the large end 1241 is the same as the thickness of the flat section 123. A reasonable ratio of the thickness of the large end 1241 to the thickness of the small end 1242 can enable the glass melt to enter the discharge nozzle 130 smoothly under the condition of ensuring the flow of the glass melt, meet the forming thickness requirement of the flexible glass ribbon 300, and improve the forming effect.

[0058] Preferably, the discharge nozzle 130 is protrudingly provided with an extension block 132 away from the buffer housing 121, and the flange 131 extends to the extension block 132 away from the buffer housing 121, that is, a part of the flange 131 is located in the nozzle opening of the discharge nozzle 130, and the other part is located on the extension block 132. The extension block 132 is used to increase the spreading property of the part of the glass melt corresponding to the flange 131 at the outlet position of the discharge nozzle 130, that is, to assist in supporting and shaping the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 at the root area of the output of the flexible glass ribbon 300, facilitate the outward spreading of the flexible glass ribbon 300, and improve the forming precision of the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300. Specifically, the discharge nozzle 130 and the extension block 132 are integrally formed to ensure the connection strength and transition smoothness, thereby ensuring the forming quality of the thin area 320 and improving the yield.

[0059] In an alternative embodiment, the flange 131 is arranged at the middle part of the discharge nozzle 130, that is, the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 is located at the middle part of the flat area 310. Specifically, the position of the flange 131 corresponds to the position of the feeding pipe 110 in the height direction of the uniformizing hopper 120, and part of the glass melt flowing from the feeding pipe 110 can flow directly to the flange 131 through the uniformizing hopper 120, so as to ensure the flow of the glass melt through the flange 131 and improve the forming effect of the thin area 320.

[0060] In an optional embodiment, the ratio of the length of the flange 131 to the length of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130 is in the range of 0.05 to 0.15, i.e. the ratio of the width of the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 to the total width of the flexible glass ribbon 300 is in the range of 0.05 to 0.15. A reasonable ratio of the length of the flange 131 to the length of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130 can ensure the forming effect of the thin area 320, so that the transition between the thin area 320 and the flat area 310 is smooth and the stress is uniform, avoiding product defects and ensuring product quality.

[0061] In an optional embodiment, the ratio of the height of the flange 131 to the width of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130 is in the range of 0.7 to 0.95, i.e. the ratio of the thickness of the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 to the thickness of the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 is in the range of 0.05 to 0.15. A reasonable ratio of the height of the flange 131 to the width of the nozzle mouth of the discharge nozzle 130 can ensure the forming effect of the thin area 320, so that the transition between the thin area 320 and the flat area 310 is smooth and the stress is uniform, avoiding product defects and ensuring product quality.

[0062] Preferably, the non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming device 100 further comprises two electric heating elements 140. The two electric heating elements 140 are oppositely arranged at the two ends of the length direction of the uniformizing hopper 120, and are connected with the uniformizing hopper 120. Specifically, the uniformizing hopper 120 is made of metal material, and the electric heating elements 140 are used to supply power to the uniformizing hopper 120, so that the uniformizing hopper 120 generates heat and warms up under the work of its own resistance, thereby keeping the glass melt in the uniformizing hopper 120 warm.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 8 and Figure 9, preferably, the calendering mechanism comprises a first forming roller 150 and a second forming roller 160 arranged in parallel and spaced apart, the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 are capable of rotating towards each other to realize the function of calendering the flexible glass ribbon 300. A first pair of roller gap 170 is formed between the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160, the first pair of roller gap 170 is arranged below the discharge nozzle 130, the first pair of roller gap 170 is used for the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130 to pass through, and the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 are used for calendering the flexible glass ribbon 300 during the passing process. Specifically, the roller surface of the first forming roller 150 is convexly provided with a forming ring 151, that is, the roller surface of the first forming roller 150 is a flat annular surface, the forming ring 151 is arranged outside the roller surface of the first forming roller 150, the axial direction of the forming ring 151 is the same as that of the first forming roller 150, the outer diameter of the forming ring 151 is greater than the diameter of the roller surface of the first forming roller 150, the forming ring 151 is arranged to extend into the first pair of roller gap 170, the position of the forming ring 151 corresponds to that of the flange 131 in the vertical direction, and during the rotation of the first forming roller 150, the forming ring 151 cooperates with the roller surface of the second forming roller 160 to extrude the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130, so as to accurately calender the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 (the flange 131 preliminarily forms the thin area 320), thereby realizing the accurate forming of the thin area 320 and improving the forming precision of the thin area 320. While the part of the roller surface of the first forming roller 150 without the forming ring 151 and the roller surface of the second forming roller 160 cooperate to preliminarily calender the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130, slightly thinning the flat area 310 to form the outline of the flat area 310, facilitating the accurate calendering of the flat area 310 in the subsequent process, thereby realizing the preliminary shaping of the flat area 310.

[0064] Further, the calender mechanism further comprises a third forming roller 180 and a fourth forming roller 190 arranged in parallel and at intervals, the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190 are capable of rotating towards each other to realize the function of profiling the flexible glass ribbon 300. A second roller gap 200 is formed between the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190, the second roller gap 200 is arranged below the first roller gap 170 at intervals, the second roller gap 200 is used for the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the first roller gap 170 to pass through, and the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190 are used to profile the flexible glass ribbon 300 in the process of passing through. Specifically, the roller surface of the third forming roller 180 is provided with an annular groove 181, that is, the roller surface of the third forming roller 180 is a flat annular surface, the annular groove 181 is embedded in the third forming roller 180, the axial direction of the annular groove 181 is the same as that of the third forming roller 180, the inner diameter of the annular groove 181 is smaller than the diameter of the roller surface of the third forming roller 180, the annular groove 181 is in communication with the second roller gap 200, the position of the annular groove 181 corresponds to that of the flange 131 in the vertical direction, and in the rotating process of the third forming roller 180, the annular groove 181 gives way to the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the first roller gap 170 to prevent the third forming roller 180 from affecting the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300. The part of the roller surface of the third forming roller 180 without the annular groove 181 and the roller surface of the fourth forming roller 190 cooperate to accurately profile the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130 to thin the flat area 310 to the required thickness, thereby realizing accurate profiling of the flat area 310 and improving the profiling accuracy of the flat area 310.

[0065] Preferably, the ratio of the first roller gap 170 and the second roller gap 200 ranges from 1 to 3, that is, the ratio of the distance between the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 to the distance between the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190 ranges from 1 to 3, the first roller gap 170 can be equal to the second roller gap 200 or smaller than the second roller gap 200, and a reasonable ratio of the first roller gap 170 and the second roller gap 200 can realize the preliminary profiling and accurate profiling of the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 in sequence, thereby accurately controlling the thickness and flatness of the flat area 310 and ensuring product quality.

[0066] In the embodiment, the calendering mechanism includes a first forming roller 150, a second forming roller 160, a third forming roller 180, and a fourth forming roller 190. The first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 precisely form the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 and preliminarily form the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300, and the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190 precisely form the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300, that is, the calendering of the flexible glass ribbon 300 with different thicknesses is realized through two times of forming. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the calendering mechanism only includes the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160, and does not include the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190. In this case, the size of the first pair of roller gap 170 (the distance between the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160) needs to be reasonably controlled, and the temperature of the flexible glass ribbon 300 flowing into the first pair of roller gap 170 needs to be accurately controlled, so that the first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 can precisely form the thin area 320 and the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 at the same time, that is, the calendering of the flexible glass ribbon 300 with different thicknesses is realized through one time of forming, the calendering steps are reduced, the calendering efficiency is improved, and the production efficiency is further improved.

[0067] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 Preferably, the flexible glass forming device 100 further includes a temperature adjusting furnace 210. The temperature adjusting furnace 210 is arranged below the discharge nozzle 130, and is used for the flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130 to pass through and control the temperature of the flexible glass ribbon 300, so that the flexible glass ribbon 300 is maintained within a certain temperature range under the heating action of the temperature adjusting furnace 210, the heat loss is slowed down, and the viscosity of the flexible glass ribbon 300 is kept within the viscosity range of the thixotropic plasticity, so as to facilitate the forming. Specifically, the first forming roller 150, the second forming roller 160, the third forming roller 180, and the fourth forming roller 190 are all installed in the temperature adjusting furnace 210. The first forming roller 150 and the second forming roller 160 precisely form the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 and preliminarily form the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300, and the third forming roller 180 and the fourth forming roller 190 give way to the thin area 320 of the flexible glass ribbon 300 and precisely form the flat area 310 of the flexible glass ribbon 300.

[0068] Further, the temperature adjusting furnace 210 comprises a slow cooling chamber 211 and an annealing chamber 212. The discharge nozzle 130 is arranged above the slow cooling chamber 211, and the slow cooling chamber 211 is arranged above the annealing chamber 212. The flexible glass ribbon 300 output from the discharge nozzle 130 passes through the slow cooling chamber 211 and the annealing chamber 212 in sequence downwardly, wherein the slow cooling chamber 211 is used for slow cooling the flexible glass ribbon 300 to slow down the heat loss, facilitating the compression molding, and the annealing chamber 212 is used for annealing the flexible glass ribbon 300 to release the internal stress and improve the physical properties.

[0069] Specifically, the first compression molding roller 150, the second compression molding roller 160, the third compression molding roller 180 and the fourth compression molding roller 190 are all arranged at the upper half position of the slow cooling chamber 211. During the process that the flexible glass ribbon 300 passes through the temperature adjusting furnace 210, firstly, the first compression molding roller 150 and the second compression molding roller 160 and the third compression molding roller 180 and the fourth compression molding roller 190 compress mold the flexible glass ribbon 300 in sequence to make the flexible glass ribbon 300 become a desired area thickness requirement elastoplastic body; then the flexible glass ribbon 300 continues to move downwardly and passes through the lower half position of the slow cooling chamber 211, during which the flexible glass ribbon 300 is slowly cooled and gradually densified; before the flexible glass ribbon 300 enters the annealing chamber 212, the flexible glass ribbon 300 has preliminarily possessed the flexible glass elastic characteristics; then the flexible glass ribbon 300 continues to move downwardly and passes through the annealing chamber 212 to make the flexible glass ribbon 300 completely change into flexible glass and complete the annealing; finally, the flexible glass ribbon 300 is output from the temperature adjusting furnace 210, starts natural cooling and is transmitted to the next process under the action of the traction roller 220.

[0070] The unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application, the material uniformizing hopper 120 comprises a buffer casing 121 and two flow guide channels 122, the two flow guide channels 122 are oppositely connected to the two sides of the feeding pipe 110, the two flow guide channels 122 are both connected with the buffer casing 121, the flow guide channel 122 is arranged above the buffer casing 121, the end of the flow guide channel 122 away from the feeding pipe 110 is lower than the end of the flow guide channel 122 close to the feeding pipe 110, so as to guide the glass melt entering from the feeding pipe 110 to the end of the buffer casing 121, the discharge nozzle 130 is connected below the buffer casing 121, the flange 131 is arranged in the discharge nozzle 130, the flange 131 extends in the direction of the mouth width of the discharge nozzle 130, the calender mechanism is arranged below the discharge nozzle 130, and the discharge nozzle 130 and the calender mechanism are used for forming the unequal-thickness flexible glass ribbon 300. Compared with the prior art, the unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device 100 provided by the present application can realize the one-time forming of the unequal-thickness flexible glass, cancel the etching processing step, save time and labor, improve the production efficiency, reduce the production cost, is suitable for large-scale commercial production, and has the advantages of uniform discharge, good forming effect, avoidance of various product defects and high yield.

[0071] The above only provides the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not used for limiting the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A variable thickness flexible glass forming apparatus, comprising: The device comprises a feeding pipe, a uniformizing hopper, a discharging nozzle and a calendering mechanism. The uniformizing hopper comprises a buffer casing and two flow guide channels. The two flow guide channels are oppositely connected to the two sides of the feeding pipe. The two flow guide channels are connected to the buffer casing. The flow guide channels are arranged above the buffer casing. The end of the flow guide channel away from the feeding pipe is lower than the end of the flow guide channel close to the feeding pipe, so as to guide the glass melt from the feeding pipe to the end of the buffer casing. The discharging nozzle is connected below the buffer casing. The discharging nozzle is provided with a flange extending towards the width direction of the nozzle. The calendering mechanism is arranged below the discharging nozzle. The discharging nozzle and the calendering mechanism are used for forming a flexible glass ribbon with different thicknesses. The calendering mechanism comprises a first forming roller and a second forming roller arranged in parallel and spaced apart. The first forming roller and the second forming roller form a first pair of roller gap. The first pair of roller gap is arranged below the discharging nozzle. The roller surface of the first forming roller is provided with a forming ring. The position of the forming ring corresponds to the position of the flange. The first pair of roller gap is used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the discharging nozzle. The forming ring is used for the compression molding of the thin area of the flexible glass ribbon.

2. The unequal thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flow guide channel is arranged at a preset angle with the horizontal plane. The preset angle ranges from 10 degrees to 30 degrees.

3. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The cross section of the flow guide channel is in the shape of a circular arc. The buffer casing is arranged in the center of the flow guide channel in the thickness direction. The thickness of the buffer casing is less than or equal to the diameter of the circular arc of the flow guide channel.

4. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The central angle of the circular arc of the flow guide channel ranges from 180 degrees to 320 degrees.

5. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The side of the discharging nozzle away from the buffer casing is provided with an extension block. The flange extends to the extension block in the direction away from the buffer casing.

6. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The flange is arranged in the middle of the discharging nozzle. The ratio of the length of the flange to the length of the nozzle of the discharging nozzle ranges from 0.05 to 0.

15. The ratio of the protruding height of the flange to the width of the nozzle of the discharging nozzle ranges from 0.7 to 0.

95.

7. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The buffer casing comprises a flat section and a tapered section. The two flow guide channels are connected to the flat section. The tapered section oppositely has a large end and a small end. The large end is connected to the flat section. The small end is connected to the discharging nozzle.

8. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 7, wherein, The ratio of the thickness of the large end to the thickness of the small end ranges from 1.1 to 2.

9. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The device for forming a flexible glass ribbon with different thicknesses further comprises two electric heating elements. The two electric heating elements are oppositely arranged at the two ends of the uniformizing hopper and are connected to the uniformizing hopper.

10. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The calendering mechanism further comprises a third forming roller and a fourth forming roller arranged in parallel and in a spaced manner, a second pair of roller gaps are formed between the third forming roller and the fourth forming roller, the second pair of roller gaps are arranged in a spaced manner below the first pair of roller gaps, a ring-shaped groove is arranged on the roller surface of the third forming roller, the position of the ring-shaped groove corresponds to the position of the flange, the second pair of roller gaps are used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the first pair of roller gaps to pass through, the ring-shaped groove is used for the thin area of the flexible glass ribbon to be accommodated, and the third forming roller and the fourth forming roller are used for the flat area of the flexible glass ribbon to be formed.

11. The unequal thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 10, wherein, The ratio of the first pair of roller gaps to the second pair of roller gaps ranges from 1 to 3.

12. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device further comprises a temperature adjusting furnace arranged below the discharge nozzle, the temperature adjusting furnace is used for the flexible glass ribbon output from the discharge nozzle to pass through, and the temperature adjusting furnace is used for the temperature control of the flexible glass ribbon.

13. The non-uniform thickness flexible glass forming apparatus of claim 12, wherein, The temperature adjusting furnace comprises a slow cooling chamber and an annealing chamber, the slow cooling chamber is arranged above the annealing chamber, the slow cooling chamber is used for the slow cooling of the flexible glass ribbon, and the annealing chamber is used for the annealing of the flexible glass ribbon.

14. A glass production apparatus characterized by, The unequal-thickness flexible glass forming device as claimed in any one of claims 1-13.

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