Processing device and processing method of 3D glass cover plate

Abstract

The invention provides a machining device and method for a 3D glass cover plate. The device comprises a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly. The hot bending assembly comprises an upper die and a lower die which are buckled with each other; the upper die is of a split structure and comprises a plane die and a curved surface die which are spliced, the plane die corresponds to a first surface area with a larger size, the curved surface die corresponds to a second surface area with a smaller size, and a connecting curved surface area for connecting the first surface area and the second surface area; the plane mold is attached to and preassembled in the plane attaching area of the glass sheet, and the curved surface mold is overhead and preassembled above the overhead area of the glass sheet; the lower die comprises a back shore bulge and a positioning insert; the first part of the back shore bulge is of a plane structure and is used for bearing a plane attaching area of the raw glass sheet, and a first surface area is formed by matching with plane mold hot pressing; the original glass sheet is fixed by the positioning insert; the second part of the back shore bulge is located below the overhead area of the glass sheet and is matched with the curved surface die to form a second surface area and a connecting curved surface area through hot pressing. The machining precision and the machining efficiency of the 3D glass cover plate are effectively improved.

Description

3D glass cover processing equipment and processing methods Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D glass cover processing technology, and more specifically, to a processing apparatus and processing method for 3D glass covers. Background Technology

[0002] With fierce competition in the automotive market, manufacturers are increasingly demanding larger screens, multi-screen interaction, and minimalist design to enhance their technological appeal, thus placing higher demands on in-vehicle display screens that embody this technological sophistication. Some models are attempting to eliminate traditional instrument panels, relying instead on HUDs or small steering wheel screens to simplify the interior. Furthermore, the development of flexible screen technology has enabled the implementation of designs with large-angle bends. Compared to traditional flat glass covers, 3D glass covers, processed through hot bending, offer excellent anti-fingerprint and anti-glare properties while maintaining a thin and transparent appearance, significantly improving the user experience. Currently, the core of 3D glass cover processing lies in the hot bending process. Traditional hot bending methods typically employ single-mold hot bending or multi-segment hot bending. The process mainly involves placing the glass sheet in a mold, and through heating, preheating, pressing, and cooling, the glass softens and flows under the mold's constraints, ultimately forming the desired curved shape, as illustrated in Chinese patent document CN118724439B.

[0003] The main challenges it faces are as follows: Traditional processing equipment often uses an integrated hot bending upper mold and a hot bending lower mold for processing, which easily leads to mold height problems, affecting the adaptability of the hot bending mold to the hot bending machine; the integrated hot bending mold is always suspended on the glass sheet before forming, resulting in poor positioning of the glass sheet and easy slippage during hot bending, causing the glass sheet to move and produce dimensional defects or surface defects such as scratches and wrinkles, affecting the processing quality; in addition, there is a lack of effective solutions for surface scratches on curved glass.

[0004] Therefore, given that 3D glass covers have complex curved surfaces and are prone to slippage during hot bending, resulting in dimensional and surface defects, there is an urgent need for a processing device to improve product quality. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a processing apparatus and method for 3D glass covers to solve the problems of excessively high hot bending molds and easy slippage in the prior art for processing 3D glass covers, as well as the lack of surface scratch handling.

[0006] According to the present application, a processing apparatus for a 3D glass cover plate is provided. The processing apparatus includes a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly. The hot bending assembly includes an upper mold and a lower mold that are interlocked with each other. The upper mold is a concave mold and the lower mold is a convex mold.

[0007] The upper mold is a split structure, including a flat mold and a curved mold that are spliced ​​together. The flat mold corresponds to the first surface area of ​​the 3D glass cover plate, which is larger in size, and the curved mold corresponds to the second surface area of ​​the 3D glass cover plate, which is smaller in size, as well as a connecting curved surface area that connects the first and second surface areas. The flat mold is fitted to the flat attachment area of ​​the glass sheet, and the curved mold is suspended above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet. The lower mold includes a top support protrusion and a positioning insert. The first part of the top support protrusion is a flat structure that supports the flat attachment area of ​​the glass sheet and is hot-pressed with the flat mold to form the first surface area. The positioning insert is installed around the first part of the top support protrusion and abuts against the positioning extension edge of the glass sheet to fix the glass sheet. The second part of the top support protrusion sits below the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet and is hot-pressed with the curved mold to form the second surface area and the connecting curved surface area.

[0008] In some embodiments, the lower mold is a tray structure with tray walls around it; the top support protrusion and the positioning insert are both disposed inside the tray wall; the tray wall supports the flat mold and the curved mold, so that the flat mold and the curved mold maintain a hot bending gap with the top support protrusion.

[0009] In some embodiments, the bearing surface of the first portion of the top support protrusion is inclined downward in a first direction toward the tray wall, the first direction being the opposite direction to the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet; the positioning insert is disposed near the bottom of the first portion of the top support protrusion.

[0010] In some embodiments, the pallet wall is provided with a first guide groove, which is located on both sides of the first part of the top support protrusion, and the flat mold is provided with a first guide block corresponding to the first guide groove; the pallet wall is provided with a second guide groove, which is located on both sides of the second part of the top support protrusion, and the curved mold is provided with a second guide block corresponding to the second guide groove, and the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide block is provided with a guide bevel angle.

[0011] In some embodiments, the lower mold is further provided with a positioning groove corresponding to the curved surface mold, and the positioning groove is provided on the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide groove; the curved surface mold is provided with a positioning block corresponding to the positioning groove, and the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the positioning groove is provided with an arc-shaped flared surface corresponding to the positioning block.

[0012] In some embodiments, a lower mold is provided with two sets of top support protrusions, which are symmetrically arranged and can support two glass sheets, and cooperate with two sets of upper molds to perform synchronous hot bending processing.

[0013] In some embodiments, the polishing assembly includes a convex polishing mold, a concave polishing mold, and a grinding mechanism; wherein the concave polishing mold includes two opposing sets of grooves, which can splice the first and second surfaces of two 3D glass cover plates together so that both surfaces are simultaneously located below the grinding mechanism for grinding.

[0014] In some embodiments, the surfaces of both the polishing mold and the concave polishing mold are provided with suction holes, which are circular suction cup holes or strip-shaped suction cup holes.

[0015] In some embodiments, the polishing mechanism includes a flat polishing machine and a curved polishing machine, wherein the flat polishing machine is used in conjunction with a concave polishing mold and the curved polishing machine is used in conjunction with a convex polishing mold.

[0016] According to another aspect of this application, a method for processing a 3D glass cover is provided, using the above-mentioned 3D glass cover processing apparatus. The processing method includes: step S100, designing and fabricating a glass sheet with a positioning outer edge according to the shape of the 3D glass cover to be processed, and setting a positioning insert according to the positioning outer edge; step S200, placing the glass sheet in the lower mold of the hot bending assembly, and fixing it by the positioning insert abutting against the positioning outer edge; simultaneously, placing the upper mold of the hot bending assembly on the fixed glass sheet... On the glass sheet; wherein, the flat mold is pre-installed on the flat attachment area of ​​the glass sheet to press the glass sheet firmly, and the curved mold is pre-installed above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet; in step S300, the placed upper mold, lower mold and glass sheet are pushed into the heating chamber for heating and hot bending, and the bent glass sheet is taken out after forming; in step S400, the hot-bent glass sheet is taken out and the positioning outer edge is removed; in step S500, the formed glass sheet is placed in the polishing assembly for double-sided polishing.

[0017] Applying the technical solution of this application, the processing device for 3D glass covers includes a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly. The hot bending assembly uses an upper mold and a lower mold to interlock and press hot, allowing the glass sheet to be accurately bent into a predetermined curved shape after heating, achieving precise shaping of complex curved surfaces. The upper mold of the hot bending assembly is a split structure, comprising a flat mold and a curved mold. This split design eliminates the need for the upper mold to fully match the shape of the 3D glass cover, allowing it to be broken down into parts. This significantly reduces the overall thickness of the upper mold, thereby reducing the height of the hot bending assembly and improving its adaptability to the hot bending machine. The planar mold is pre-installed on the planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet to form the larger first surface area. By pre-compacting the main body of the first surface area of ​​the glass sheet and cooperating with the positioning insert of the lower mold, the glass sheet can be reliably fixed to prevent slippage, improve the dimensional accuracy of hot bending, and reduce scratches and wrinkles caused by slippage. The curved mold is suspended above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet to form the smaller second surface area and the connecting curved surface area connecting the two surfaces. Due to the split design, the curved mold part is lighter, reducing the pressure on the glass sheet, thus further reducing the risk of scratches and indentations on the curved surface and improving the quality of the 3D glass cover. At the same time, since the upper mold of the hot bending component of this application adopts a split structure, separating the large planar mold from the small planar and curved molds, the upper mold structure can be flexibly adjusted according to the specific structural characteristics of the 3D glass cover, which not only improves the adaptability of the upper mold processing but also ensures the processing quality.

[0018] In addition, the processing device of this application is also equipped with a polishing component, which can finely polish the minor scratches generated by hot bending, effectively address the minor defects of the product, improve the surface quality of the final product, and meet the customer's appearance and size requirements.

[0019] Therefore, this application sets up a hot bending component and a polishing component. The hot bending component can accurately fix and hot bend the glass sheet, so that the glass sheet can be bent according to the predetermined curved shape, thus forming the required curved surface. Combined with the polishing effect of the polishing component, it can achieve efficient and stable quality processing of complex-shaped 3D glass covers, improve product yield, and meet customer needs. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 shows an isometric view of the hot bending assembly of the 3D glass cover processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application before hot bending; Figure 2 shows a top view of the hot bending assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 shows a side view of the hot bending assembly shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the hot bending assembly shown in Figure 2 (AA section); Figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the hot bending assembly shown in Figure 2 (BB section); Figure 6 shows a side view of the hot bending assembly of the 3D glass cover processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application after hot bending; Figure 7 shows an isometric view of the hot bending assembly shown in Figure 6 after removing the upper mold; Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of the change in glass sheet material during the processing of the 3D glass cover according to this application; Figure 9 shows an isometric view of the polishing assembly of the 3D glass cover processing apparatus according to an embodiment of this application; Figure 10 shows a side view of the concave polishing mold in the polishing assembly shown in Figure 9; Figure 11 shows a side view of the convex polishing mold in the polishing assembly shown in Figure 9; Figure 12 shows a flowchart of the processing method of the 3D glass cover according to an embodiment of this application.

[0023] The above-mentioned figures include the following reference numerals: 10, upper mold; 11, flat mold; 111, first guide block; 12, curved mold; 121, second guide block; 122, positioning block; 20, lower mold; 21, top support protrusion; 22, positioning insert; 23, tray wall; 24, first guide groove; 25, second guide groove; 26, positioning groove; 27, stop bar; 30, convex polishing mold; 31, suction hole; 40, concave polishing mold; 41, first concave mold; 42, second concave mold; 50, grinding mechanism; 60, glass sheet; 61, first surface area; 62, second surface area; 63, connecting curved surface area; 64, positioning outer extension edge. Detailed Implementation

[0024] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. This application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0025] It should be noted that the following detailed descriptions are illustrative and intended to provide further explanation of this application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains.

[0026] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "on top of," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation beyond the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures were inverted, a device described as "above" or "on top of" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways, rotated 90 degrees, or in other orientations, and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0027] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to this application. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0028] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0029] Figures 1 to 11 schematically illustrate one embodiment of the processing apparatus for the 3D glass cover of this application.

[0030] As shown in Figures 1 to 11, this application discloses a processing apparatus for a 3D glass cover, including a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly. The hot bending assembly includes an upper mold 10 and a lower mold 20 that interlock with each other. The upper mold 10 is a concave mold, and the lower mold 20 is a convex mold. The upper mold 10 has a split structure, including a planar mold 11 and a curved mold 12 joined together. The planar mold 11 corresponds to the larger first surface area 61 of the 3D glass cover, and the curved mold 12 corresponds to the smaller second surface area 62 of the 3D glass cover, as well as a connecting curved surface area 63 connecting the first surface area 61 and the second surface area 62. The planar mold 11 is fitted to the planar attachment area of ​​the glass substrate 60, and the curved mold 12 is suspended above the suspended area of ​​the glass substrate 60. The lower mold 20 includes a top support protrusion 21 and a positioning insert 22. The first part of the top support protrusion 21 is a planar structure, supporting the planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet 60, and is formed by hot pressing with the planar mold 11 to form the first surface area 61. The positioning insert 22 is installed around the first part of the top support protrusion 21, abutting against the positioning extension edge 64 of the glass sheet 60 to fix the glass sheet 60. The second part of the top support protrusion 21 sits below the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60, and is formed by hot pressing with the curved mold 12 to form the second surface area 62 and the connecting curved area 63.

[0031] Through the above structural design, the embodiments of this application, by setting up a hot bending component and a polishing component, enable the hot bending component to accurately fix and hot bend the glass sheet 60, thereby allowing the glass sheet 60 to be bent according to a predetermined curved shape, thus forming the required curved surface. Combined with the polishing effect of the polishing component, this achieves efficient and stable quality processing of complex-shaped 3D glass covers, improves product yield, and meets customer needs.

[0032] In this embodiment, by pre-compacting the main body of the first surface area of ​​the glass sheet 60 and cooperating with the positioning insert 22 of the lower mold 20, the glass sheet 60 can be reliably fixed to prevent slippage, improve the dimensional accuracy of hot bending, and reduce scratches and wrinkles caused by slippage. The curved mold 12 is suspended above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60 to form a smaller second surface area 62 and a connecting curved surface area 63 connecting the two surfaces. Due to the split design, the curved mold 12 is lighter, reducing the pressure on the glass sheet 60, thus further reducing the risk of scratches and indentations on the curved surface and improving the quality of the 3D glass cover. At the same time, since the upper mold 10 of the hot bending assembly of this application adopts a split structure, separating the large flat mold and the small curved mold, the structure of the upper mold 10 can be flexibly adjusted according to the specific structural characteristics of the 3D glass cover, which improves the processing adaptability of the upper mold 10 and ensures the processing quality.

[0033] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, the lower mold 20 is a tray structure with tray walls 23 around its perimeter. The tray walls 23 form an enclosed hot bending space, providing a relatively controllable area for the stable placement and hot bending of the glass sheet 60, ensuring accurate positioning and consistent hot bending. The top support protrusion 21 and the positioning insert 22 are both located within the tray walls 23. Simultaneously, the tray walls 23 support the planar mold 11 and the curved mold 12, providing precise support and maintaining a preset hot bending gap between the planar mold 11, the curved mold 12, and the top support protrusion 21 through mechanical limiting. This gap can be precisely adjusted according to parameters such as the thickness and thermal expansion coefficient of the glass sheet 60, avoiding both excessive pressure on the glass sheet 60 due to a small gap causing scratches and indentations, and excessive heat deformation of the glass sheet 60 due to a large gap, significantly improving the stability of hot bending and the product qualification rate.

[0034] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, the bearing surface of the first part of the top support protrusion 21 is inclined downward in a first direction toward the tray wall 23, which is the opposite direction to the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60. The positioning insert 22 is disposed near the bottom of the first part of the top support protrusion 21. In this embodiment of the application, the top support protrusion 21 is inclined downward in the opposite direction to the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60, which can keep the main body of the first surface area 61 of the glass sheet 60 stable under the combined action of gravity and the pressing force of the flat mold 11. This provides a reverse stabilizing force for the downward hot bending deformation of the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60, reduces the risk of hot bending slippage of the glass sheet 60, improves the dimensional accuracy of hot bending, and avoids slippage scratches and surface wrinkles. It also ensures the forming accuracy of the planar attachment area and the curved transition area of ​​the glass sheet 60, making the connection between the first surface area 61, the second surface area 62 and the connecting curved area 63 smooth and flat, meeting the stringent requirements of high-end 3D glass cover plates for the precision of curved transition.

[0035] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in FIG5, the tray wall 23 is provided with a first guide groove 24, which is located on both sides of the first part of the top support protrusion 21. The flat mold 11 is provided with a first guide block 111 corresponding to the first guide groove 24. The first guide groove 24 and the first guide block 111 cooperate with each other to ensure that the flat mold 11 accurately fits the flat attachment area of ​​the glass sheet 60, avoids uneven pressure on the flat part of the glass sheet 60 caused by the installation offset of the flat mold 11, and ensures the flatness accuracy of the first surface area 61. The tray wall 23 is also provided with a second guide groove 25, which is located on both sides of the second part of the top support protrusion 21. The curved mold 12 is provided with a second guide block 121 corresponding to the second guide groove 25. The hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide block 121 is provided with a guide bevel angle. The cooperation between the second guide groove 25 and the second guide block 121 provides precise downward guidance for the curved mold 12, allowing the glass sheet 60 to be accurately pressed and shaped under the precise guidance of the curved mold 12 after heating and softening, forming a precise curved profile. More importantly, the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide block 121 is designed with a guide bevel angle, which effectively reduces the frictional resistance encountered by the curved mold 12 during hot bending, preventing jerking and vibration caused by friction or obstruction during the falling process of the curved mold 12. This improves the smoothness and consistency of hot pressing, avoids indentations or fluctuations caused by jerking and vibration, and improves the hot pressing accuracy of the connecting curved area 63 of the 3D glass cover.

[0036] In some embodiments of this application, continuing to refer to FIG5, the lower mold 20 is further provided with a positioning groove 26 corresponding to the curved mold 12. The positioning groove 26 is located on the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide groove 25. The positioning groove 26 and the second guide groove 25 form a double guide positioning structure to enhance the positioning accuracy and hot bending deformation adaptability of the curved mold 12. The curved mold 12 is provided with a positioning block 122 corresponding to the positioning groove 26, and the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the positioning groove 26 is provided with an arc-shaped flared surface corresponding to the positioning block 122. The arc-shaped flared surface can provide clearance space for the small rotation of the curved mold 12 during the hot bending process, avoid uneven force on the glass sheet 60 due to rigid interference between the positioning block 122 and the positioning groove 26, and prevent defects such as edge chipping, scratches, and indentations in the glass.

[0037] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, two sets of support protrusions 21 are provided within a lower mold 20. These two sets of support protrusions 21 are symmetrically arranged and can support two glass sheets 60, cooperating with two upper molds 10 for simultaneous hot bending. By providing two sets of support protrusions 21 within the lower mold 20, the hot bending of two glass sheets 60 can be performed simultaneously, improving processing efficiency. Simultaneously, as shown in Figures 1 to 7, the symmetrical arrangement of the support protrusions 21 on both sides concentrates the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60 in the middle of the lower mold 20, facilitating localized heating and softening of this area, improving energy efficiency, and also making it easier to control the non-bending areas of the glass sheet 60 to maintain a lower temperature and original shape, thereby reducing unnecessary deformation of the glass sheet 60 and saving energy. Therefore, this design improves production efficiency, reduces energy consumption and equipment occupancy time per hot bending cycle, lowers production energy consumption and equipment depreciation costs, and enhances the overall economic efficiency of production.

[0038] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figure 8, the material processing of the glass sheet 60 is as follows: the glass sheet 60 is originally planar, with a positioning extension edge 64 on one side. During hot bending, the side of the glass sheet 60 with the positioning extension edge 64 is inserted into the groove of the lower mold 20 and placed on top of the planar structure of the top support protrusion 21, so that the planar mold 11 can pre-press and fix it, and cooperate with the positioning insert 22 for precise positioning hot bending. The hot-bent glass sheet 60 has a shaped first surface area 61, a second surface area 62, and a connecting curved surface area 63. After hot bending, the glass sheet 60 is further processed by supplementary CNC technology to remove the positioning extension edges 64 on both sides, thus forming an intermediate body. After the intermediate body is placed in the polishing assembly for surface polishing, the surface quality can be improved, and a 3D glass cover plate that meets the requirements can be made. In the embodiments of this application, the positioning extension edges 64 are symmetrically arranged at both ends of the bottom of the glass sheet 60. In the lower mold 20, the positioning insert 22 is located at the upper front part of the positioning extension edge 64 to abut against the positioning extension edge 64, thereby stabilizing and limiting the glass sheet 60 and preventing it from slipping during the pressing process of the curved mold 12. The positioning insert 22 is a replaceable component, which can be replaced according to the shape and size of different glass products. Therefore, by adjusting the size of the positioning insert 22 in the lower mold 20 and the position of the positioning extension edge 64 of the glass sheet 60, the size of the formed 3D glass cover can be adjusted. Furthermore, to match the size and shape variations of different batches of 3D glass covers, the lower mold 20 also includes an insertable baffle 27, which works in conjunction with the positioning insert 22 to limit the glass sheet 60. Similarly, the baffle 27 can also be replaced, with different width designs to provide matching limiting effects for different batches of glass sheets 60.

[0039] In some embodiments of this application, as shown in Figures 9 to 11, the polishing assembly includes a convex polishing mold 30, a concave polishing mold 40, and a grinding mechanism 50. The concave polishing mold 40 includes two opposing sets of grooves. These opposing grooves can join the first surface area 61 and the second surface area 62 of two 3D glass cover plates together, allowing both surface areas to be simultaneously ground below the grinding mechanism 50.

[0040] As shown in Figures 9 and 10, the concave polishing mold 40 has a spliced ​​structure, including a first concave mold 41 and a second concave mold. The first concave mold 41 corresponds to the first surface area 61 of the 3D glass cover plate, and the first surface area 61 is placed almost horizontally. The second concave mold 42 corresponds to the second surface area 62 of the 3D glass cover plate, and the second surface area 62 is placed almost horizontally. Therefore, the concave polishing mold of this application can polish two 3D glass cover plates simultaneously each time. Compared with the traditional single-piece, single-surface polishing method, the processing efficiency is significantly improved. Furthermore, through the above configuration, the concave polishing mold of this application can use a flat polishing machine instead of a curved polishing machine, significantly reducing polishing costs and improving polishing effects. Traditional processes use curved polishing machines to polish 3D glass cover plates. Curved polishing machines use cylindrical rollers that rotate to carry polishing fluid to polish the surface of the glass cover plate. However, for some V-shaped, large-angle bent 3D glass covers, the V-shape depth is large and the chamfer at the bend is small during concave mold polishing. This necessitates the use of custom-made small-diameter polishing rollers for curved surface polishing machines, and the problems of long polishing time and poor polishing effect still cannot be solved. This application addresses this issue by using a double-groove design in the concave polishing mold 40 of the polishing component. This design places the flat area of ​​the glass cover near horizontally, with the first surface area 61 and the second surface area 62 of the two glass pieces facing each other. A small flat polisher is then used in conjunction with a long-bristled polishing disc for flat surface polishing. By using the long-bristled polishing disc to clean the concave bend, this design effectively improves polishing efficiency and effect, increases product yield, and reduces polishing costs.

[0041] In some embodiments of this application, both the convex polishing mold 30 and the concave polishing mold 40 are provided with adsorption holes 31 on their surfaces. The adsorption holes 31 use negative pressure adsorption to tightly fix the glass cover plate to the mold surface. Compared to traditional mechanical clamping methods, this avoids scratches and pressure damage to the glass cover plate caused by excessive clamping force, achieving complete fit and fixation of the glass cover plate. This ensures no relative displacement between the glass cover plate and the mold during polishing, preventing polishing scratches caused by slippage. The adsorption holes 31 can be circular or strip-shaped, and their specific shape and size can be flexibly adapted to the shape, size, and curved surface structure of the glass cover plate. Circular adsorption holes are suitable for large flat surfaces and simple curved surfaces; strip-shaped adsorption holes are better suited for complex curved surfaces and edge areas, improving adsorption stability. In this embodiment of the application, as shown in Figures 9 to 11, circular suction cup holes are distributed in the first surface area 61 of the 3D glass cover plate, and strip-shaped suction cup holes are distributed in the second surface area 62 of the 3D glass cover plate, so as to provide adsorption and positioning effects for the two surface areas respectively, keep the 3D glass cover plate stationary relative to the mold, and improve the surface polishing accuracy.

[0042] In some embodiments of this application, the polishing mechanism 50 includes a flat polishing machine and a curved polishing machine. As shown in Figure 10, the flat polishing machine is used in conjunction with the concave polishing mold 40. After a set of 3D glass covers is polished for the first time, the positions of the set of 3D glass covers on the first concave mold 41 and the second concave mold 42 are swapped to achieve polishing of the entire concave surface. This method is simple to operate and doubles the efficiency. The curved polishing machine is used in conjunction with the convex polishing mold 30. The angle and pressure are adjusted in real time to achieve complex curved surface polishing, meeting the customer's requirements for the surface finish of the glass cover.

[0043] According to another aspect of this application, a method for processing a 3D glass cover is provided, using the 3D glass cover processing apparatus as shown in Figure 12. The method includes: step S100, designing and fabricating a glass sheet 60 with a positioning extension edge 64 according to the shape of the 3D glass cover to be processed, and setting a positioning insert 22 according to the positioning extension edge 64. By adding a positioning extension edge 64 to the glass sheet 60, a reliable basis is provided for subsequent hot bending positioning, avoiding surface damage caused by direct positioning of the forming area of ​​the glass sheet 60. Simultaneously, the positioning accuracy can be precisely controlled through the extension edge, overcoming the slippage phenomenon caused by deformation during the hot bending process, reducing the probability of scratches and indentations, and improving the hot bending quality.

[0044] In step S200, the glass sheet 60 is placed inside the lower mold 20 of the hot bending assembly and fixed by the positioning insert 22 abutting against the positioning outer edge 64; simultaneously, the upper mold 10 of the hot bending assembly is placed on the fixed glass sheet 60. The planar mold 11 is fitted into the planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet 60 to press the glass sheet 60 firmly, while the curved mold 12 is pre-installed above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet 60 to press down on the softened glass sheet to form the desired curved surface. This embodiment utilizes a split upper mold 10, with differentiated design and pre-installation of the planar mold 11 and the curved mold 12. This ensures the stable fixation of the glass sheet 60 while reducing the pre-pressure of the curved mold 12 on the suspended area, thus reducing the risk of scratches and indentations on the glass sheet 60 during hot bending. This helps improve the quality of hot bending and protects the dimensional and surface yield of the finished glass cover.

[0045] In step S300, the placed upper mold 10, lower mold 20, and glass sheet 60 are pushed into the heating chamber for hot bending. After forming, the bent glass sheet 60 is removed. Because this application uses a split-structure upper mold 10, the overall height of the mold is reduced, allowing it to be compatible with more models of hot bending machines, thus improving processing adaptability. Furthermore, the hot bending method of heating the upper mold 10, lower mold 20, and glass sheet 60 as a whole ensures uniform and controllable heating of the glass sheet 60, resulting in smooth deformation and further improving forming accuracy.

[0046] In step S400, the hot-bent glass sheet 60 is removed, and the positioning outer edge 64 is removed. Since the positioning outer edge 64 is for hot bending positioning and is not required for the 3D glass cover, it does not affect the quality of the glass cover forming area. Therefore, in order to ensure that the final product outline meets the design requirements, it is removed in time after hot bending.

[0047] In step S500, the formed glass sheet 60 is placed in the polishing assembly for double-sided polishing. Double-sided polishing can specifically address minor imperfections generated during the hot bending process, improve the surface smoothness of the glass cover, and enhance surface quality to ultimately meet customer requirements.

[0048] Therefore, the method embodiments of this application form a complete 3D glass cover plate processing flow, ensuring the precision control of the entire process from the original glass sheet 60 to the final polished 3D glass cover plate, and realizing efficient and high-quality processing of complex-shaped 3D glass cover plates.

[0049] Referring to Figures 1 to 12, the implementation process of the 3D glass cover processing device and processing method of this application is described as follows: First, the position of the newly added positioning extension edge 64 is confirmed according to the customer's drawings. After the sheet is cut, it is processed by CNC to produce a glass sheet 60 containing the positioning extension edge 64. At the same time, corresponding positioning inserts 22 and stop strips 27 are matched and set according to different product batches to meet the hot bending requirements of the glass sheet 60 for precise positioning.

[0050] Next: Place the processed glass sheet 60 inside the cavity of the lower hot bending mold 20. Place the flat mold 11, aligning its first guide block 111 with the first guide groove 24 of the lower mold 20 for precise positioning, so that the flat mold 11 presses down on the flat attachment area of ​​the glass sheet 60. Place the curved mold 12 on the suspended area (short plane area) of the glass sheet 60, and align the second guide block 121 of the curved mold 12 with the second guide groove 25 of the lower mold 20, so that the curved mold 12 can guide and press down precisely. Push the placed assembly into the hot bending machine for heating. After the glass sheet 60 softens, it will bend under the gravity of the curved mold 12. As the curved mold 12 presses down, it gradually fits against the top support protrusion 21 of the lower mold 20 to form the desired curved surface. After the hot bending process cools down, remove the bent glass sheet 60.

[0051] Next: Place the hot-bent glass sheet 60 on the corresponding CNC base, and perform secondary processing to remove the positioning outer edge 64, thus obtaining the intermediate glass product.

[0052] Finally: The two intermediate pieces obtained after the second CNC machining are grouped together and their concave surfaces are polished. During the initial placement, the first surface area 61 and the second surface area 62 of the two intermediate pieces are placed facing each other. After the first polishing is completed, their positions are reversed and polished again to complete the full concave surface polishing. The concave surface polishing can be performed using the long-bristled polishing disc of a flat surface polishing machine to smooth the concave planar areas and bends. The convex surface of the glass intermediate is polished separately on a curved surface polishing machine and a convex surface polishing mold 30, using polishing rollers or multi-axis polishing arms.

[0053] In summary, this application discloses a processing apparatus for a 3D glass cover plate. The processing apparatus includes a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly. The hot bending assembly includes an upper mold and a lower mold that interlock with each other. The upper mold is a concave mold, and the lower mold is a convex mold. The upper mold has a split structure, including a planar mold and a curved mold joined together. The planar mold corresponds to the larger first surface area of ​​the 3D glass cover plate, and the curved mold corresponds to the smaller second surface area of ​​the 3D glass cover plate, as well as a connecting curved surface area connecting the first and second surface areas. The planar mold is fitted onto a pre-installed... The planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet is pre-installed with a curved mold above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet. The lower mold includes a top support protrusion and a positioning insert. The first part of the top support protrusion is a planar structure that supports the planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet and cooperates with the planar mold to form a first surface area through hot pressing. The positioning insert is installed around the first part of the top support protrusion and abuts against the positioning extension edge of the glass sheet to fix it. The second part of the top support protrusion sits below the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet and cooperates with the curved mold to form a second surface area and a connecting curved area through hot pressing. This application, by setting up a hot bending component and a polishing component, enables the hot bending component to accurately fix and hot bend the glass sheet, thereby bending the glass sheet according to a predetermined curved shape, forming the required curved surface. Combined with the polishing effect of the polishing component, it achieves efficient and stable quality processing of complex-shaped 3D glass covers, improves product yield, and meets customer needs.

[0054] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Various modifications and variations can be made to this application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for 3D glass covers, characterized in that, The processing device includes a hot bending assembly and a polishing assembly; wherein, the hot bending assembly includes an upper mold (10) and a lower mold (20) that interlock with each other, the upper mold (10) being a concave mold and the lower mold (20) being a convex mold; the upper mold (10) is a split structure, including a flat mold (11) and a curved mold (12) spliced ​​together, the flat mold (11) corresponding to the larger first surface area (61) of the 3D glass cover plate, the curved mold (12) corresponding to the smaller second surface area (62) of the 3D glass cover plate and a connecting curved surface area (63) connecting the first surface area (61) and the second surface area (62); the flat mold (11) is attached to the flat attachment area pre-installed on the glass sheet (60), and the curved mold (12) is framed The lower mold (20) is pre-installed above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet (60); the lower mold (20) includes a top support protrusion (21) and a positioning insert (22); the first part of the top support protrusion (21) is a planar structure, which carries the planar attachment area of ​​the glass sheet (60) and cooperates with the planar mold (11) to form the first surface area (61) by hot pressing; the positioning insert (22) is installed around the first part of the top support protrusion (21) and abuts against the positioning outer edge (64) of the glass sheet (60) to fix the glass sheet (60); the second part of the top support protrusion (21) sits below the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet (60) and cooperates with the curved mold (12) to form the second surface area (62) and the connecting curved surface area (63) by hot pressing.

2. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower mold (20) is a tray structure with tray walls (23) around it; the top support protrusion (21) and the positioning insert (22) are both located inside the tray wall (23); the tray wall (23) supports the flat mold (11) and the curved mold (12), so that the flat mold (11) and the curved mold (12) maintain a hot bending gap with the top support protrusion (21).

3. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 2, characterized in that, The bearing surface of the first part of the top support protrusion (21) is inclined downward toward the first direction of the tray wall (23), which is the opposite direction of the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet (60); the positioning insert (22) is disposed near the bottom of the first part of the top support protrusion (21).

4. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pallet wall (23) is provided with a first guide groove (24), which is located on both sides of the first part of the top support protrusion (21). The flat mold (11) is provided with a first guide block (111) corresponding to the first guide groove (24). The pallet wall (23) is provided with a second guide groove (25), which is located on both sides of the second part of the top support protrusion (21). The curved mold (12) is provided with a second guide block (121) corresponding to the second guide groove (25). The hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide block (121) is provided with a guide bevel angle.

5. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 4, characterized in that, The lower mold (20) is also provided with a positioning groove (26) corresponding to the curved mold (12), and the positioning groove (26) is provided on the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the second guide groove (25); the curved mold (12) is provided with a positioning block (122) corresponding to the positioning groove (26), and the hot-pressing rotation outer diameter side of the positioning groove (26) is provided with an arc-shaped flared surface corresponding to the positioning block (122).

6. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two sets of top support protrusions (21) are provided in one of the lower molds (20). The two sets of top support protrusions (21) are symmetrically arranged and can support two glass sheets (60) to perform synchronous hot bending processing in conjunction with the two sets of upper molds (10).

7. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 1, characterized in that, The polishing assembly includes a convex polishing mold (30), a concave polishing mold (40), and a grinding mechanism (50); wherein the concave polishing mold (40) includes two opposing sets of grooves, which can splice the first surface area (61) and the second surface area (62) of the two 3D glass cover plates facing each other, so that the two surface areas are simultaneously located below the grinding mechanism (50) for grinding.

8. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 7, characterized in that, The surfaces of both the convex polishing mold (30) and the concave polishing mold (40) are provided with adsorption holes (31), which are circular suction cup holes or strip-shaped suction cup holes.

9. The processing apparatus for 3D glass covers according to claim 7, characterized in that, The polishing mechanism (50) includes a flat polishing machine and a curved polishing machine. The flat polishing machine is used in conjunction with the concave polishing mold (40), and the curved polishing machine is used in conjunction with the convex polishing mold (30).

10. A method for processing a 3D glass cover, using the processing apparatus for a 3D glass cover as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The processing method includes: step S100, designing and manufacturing a glass sheet (60) with a positioning extension edge (64) according to the shape of the 3D glass cover to be processed, and setting a positioning insert (22) according to the positioning extension edge (64); step S200, placing the glass sheet (60) in the lower mold (20) of the hot bending assembly, and fixing it by the positioning insert (22) abutting against the positioning extension edge (64), while placing the upper mold (10) of the hot bending assembly on the fixed glass sheet (60); wherein, the flat mold (11) fits the pre-installed on the glass sheet (60) In the planar attachment area, the glass sheet (60) is pressed firmly, and the curved mold (12) is pre-installed above the suspended area of ​​the glass sheet (60); in step S300, the placed upper mold (10), lower mold (20) and glass sheet (60) are pushed into the heating chamber as a whole for heating and hot bending. After forming, the bent glass sheet (60) is taken out; in step S400, the hot-bent glass sheet (60) is taken out and the positioning outer extension edge (64) is removed; in step S500, the formed glass sheet (60) is placed in the polishing assembly for double-sided polishing.

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