Apparatus for manufacturing glass articles

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing a glass article, comprising: a forming apparatus configured to form a glass article; a film applicator configured to apply a film onto at least a first major surface of the glass article; a film remover configured to remove the film from at least the first major surface of the glass article; and an ion generator configured to direct a flow of ions toward the at least first major surface of the glass article as the film remover removes the film from the at least first major surface of the glass article.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 448,361, filed on February 27, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to an apparatus for improving the surface quality of a glass sheet, and more particularly to an apparatus for reducing particles adhering to the surface of a glass sheet. Background Art

[0004] In the production of glass articles such as glass sheets for display devices, including televisions and handheld devices such as phones and tablets, there are typically multiple processing steps that may involve the adhesion of glass particles, including when the glass sheet is separated from the backing material and moved for further processing. Given the continued trend toward higher resolution displays, it is desirable to minimize the amount of particles present on such articles. Utility Model Content

[0005] Embodiments disclosed herein relate to an apparatus for manufacturing a glass article. The apparatus includes a forming apparatus configured to form a glass article. The glass article includes a first major surface and a second major surface parallel to the first major surface. The apparatus also includes a film applicator configured to apply a film to at least the first major surface of the glass article. In addition, the apparatus includes a film remover configured to remove the film from at least the first major surface of the glass article. The apparatus also includes an ion generator configured to direct an ion flow toward at least the first major surface of the glass article when the film remover removes the film from at least the first major surface of the glass article.

[0006] Additional features and advantages of the embodiments disclosed herein will be set forth in the following detailed description, and in part will be apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or will be appreciated by practicing the disclosed embodiments as described herein, including the following detailed description, the claims, and the accompanying drawings.

[0007] It should be understood that the embodiments described in the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed embodiments. The accompanying drawings are intended to provide a further understanding and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the description serve to explain its principles and operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary fusion-drawn glass manufacturing apparatus and process;

[0009] Figure 2 It is a perspective view of a piece of glass;

[0010] Figure 3 is a side schematic diagram of a film applicator according to embodiments disclosed herein;

[0011] Figure 4 is a side schematic diagram of a film remover according to an embodiment disclosed herein;

[0012] Figure 5 is a side schematic diagram of a membrane remover and an ionizer according to an embodiment disclosed herein;

[0013] Figure 6 is a side schematic view of a liquid barrier chamber surrounding a delivery mechanism according to embodiments disclosed herein; and

[0014] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Top schematic diagram of the liquid barrier chamber and conveying mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to this preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. Where possible, the same reference numerals are used throughout the accompanying drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. However, the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0016] Ranges may be expressed herein as from "about" one particular value and / or to "about" another particular value. When such a range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the one particular value and / or to the other particular value. Similarly, when values ​​are expressed as approximations, such as by using the antecedent "about," it will be understood that the particular value forms another embodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each range are significant relative to the other endpoint, and independent of the other endpoint.

[0017] Directional terms used herein—such as up, down, right, left, front, back, top, bottom—refer only to the figures drawn and do not imply absolute directions.

[0018] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any method described herein is in no way intended to be interpreted as requiring that its steps be performed in a particular order, or that any device be used in a particular orientation. Thus, a method claim that does not actually list the order in which the steps should be followed, or any device claim that does not actually list the order or orientation of individual elements, or a claim or description that does not specifically state that the steps are limited to a particular order, or does not list a particular order or orientation of the elements of the device, is not intended to infer order or orientation in any way. This applies to any possible non-expressive basis for interpretation, including: logical issues related to the arrangement of steps, operational flow, order of elements, or orientation of components; simple meaning derived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or type of embodiments described in the specification.

[0019] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a" element includes aspects having two or more such elements unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0020] As used herein, the term "particles" refers to any type of particles that may be present on a surface, such as glass particles and dust particles.

[0021] Figure 1 1 is an exemplary glass manufacturing apparatus 10. In some examples, the glass manufacturing apparatus 10 may include a glass melting furnace 12, which may include a melting vessel 14. In addition to the melting vessel 14, the glass melting furnace 12 may optionally include one or more additional components, such as a heating element (e.g., a burner or an electrode) that heats the raw materials and converts the raw materials into molten glass. In a further example, the glass melting furnace 12 may include a thermal management device (e.g., an insulation component) that reduces heat loss near the melting vessel. In a further example, the glass melting furnace 12 may include electronic devices and / or electromechanical devices that facilitate melting the raw materials into a glass melt. Further, the glass melting furnace 12 may include a support structure (e.g., a support chassis, a support member, etc.) or other components.

[0022] The glass melting vessel 14 is generally composed of a refractory material such as a refractory ceramic material, for example, a refractory ceramic material including alumina or zirconia. In some examples, the glass melting vessel 14 may be composed of a refractory ceramic brick. Specific embodiments of the glass melting vessel 14 will be described in more detail below.

[0023] In some examples, the glass melting furnace can be incorporated as a component of a glass manufacturing apparatus to manufacture a glass substrate, such as a continuous length of glass ribbon. In some examples, the glass melting furnace of the present disclosure can be incorporated as a component of a glass manufacturing apparatus, including a trough pull apparatus, a float bath apparatus, a down-pull apparatus (such as a fusion process), an up-pull apparatus, a press mill apparatus, a tube pulling apparatus, or any other glass manufacturing apparatus that would benefit from the aspects disclosed herein. As an example, Figure 1 A glass melting furnace 12 is schematically shown as part of a fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus 10 for fusion drawing a glass ribbon for subsequent processing into individual glass sheets.

[0024] The glassmaking apparatus 10 (eg, fusion down-draw apparatus 10) can optionally include upstream glassmaking apparatus 16 located upstream relative to the glass melting vessel 14. In some examples, a portion or all of the upstream glassmaking apparatus 16 can be incorporated as part of the glass melting furnace 12.

[0025] As shown in the illustrated example, the upstream glass manufacturing equipment 16 may include a storage bin 18, a raw material delivery device 20, and a motor 22 connected to the raw material delivery device. The storage bin 18 may be configured to store a certain amount of raw materials 24, which can be fed into the melting vessel 14 of the glass melting furnace 12, as shown by arrow 26. The raw materials 24 generally include one or more glass-forming metal oxides and one or more modifiers. In some examples, the raw material delivery device 20 may be powered by the motor 22 so that the raw material delivery device 20 delivers a predetermined amount of raw materials 24 from the storage bin 18 to the melting vessel 14. In a further example, the motor 22 can power the raw material delivery device 20 to introduce the raw materials 24 at a controlled rate based on the molten glass level sensed downstream from the melting vessel 14. The raw materials 24 in the melting vessel 14 can then be heated to form molten glass 28.

[0026] The glass manufacturing equipment 10 may also optionally include a downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 located downstream relative to the glass melting furnace 12. In some examples, a portion of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may be incorporated as a component of the glass melting furnace 12. In some cases, the first connecting conduit 32 discussed below, or other portions of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30, may be incorporated as a component of the glass melting furnace 12. Elements of the downstream glass manufacturing equipment, including the first connecting conduit 32, may be formed of precious metals. Suitable precious metals include platinum group metals selected from the metal group consisting of platinum, iridium, rhodium, osmium, ruthenium and palladium, or alloys thereof. For example, the downstream elements of the glass manufacturing equipment may be formed of a platinum-rhodium alloy, the alloy including about 70% to about 90% platinum and about 10% to about 30% rhodium by weight. However, other suitable metals may include molybdenum, palladium, rhenium, tantalum, titanium, tungsten and alloys thereof.

[0027] The downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may include a first conditioning (i.e., processing) vessel, such as a fining vessel 34, which is located downstream of the melting vessel 14 and is coupled to the melting vessel 14 via the first connecting conduit 32 described above. In some examples, the molten glass 28 can be gravity-fed from the melting vessel 14 to the fining vessel 34 via the first connecting conduit 32. For example, gravity can cause the molten glass 28 to flow from the melting vessel 14 through the internal passage of the first connecting conduit 32 to the fining vessel 34. However, it should be understood that other conditioning vessels can be located downstream of the melting vessel 14, such as between the melting vessel 14 and the fining vessel 34. In some embodiments, a conditioning vessel can be used between the melting vessel and the fining vessel, wherein the molten glass from the primary melting vessel is further heated to continue the melting process, or is cooled to a temperature below the temperature of the molten glass in the melting vessel before entering the fining vessel.

[0028] Bubbles can be removed from the molten glass 28 in the clarification container 34 by various techniques. For example, the raw material 24 may include a polyvalent compound (i.e., a clarifier), such as tin oxide, which undergoes a chemical reduction reaction and releases oxygen when heated. Other suitable clarifiers include, but are not limited to, arsenic, antimony, iron, and cerium. The clarification container 34 is heated to a temperature higher than the temperature of the melting container, thereby heating the molten glass and the clarifier. Oxygen bubbles generated by the chemical reduction induced by the temperature of the clarifier rise through the molten glass in the clarification container, where the gas in the molten glass produced in the melting furnace can diffuse or condense into the oxygen bubbles generated by the clarifier. Then, the expanded bubbles can rise to the free surface of the molten glass in the clarification container and then be discharged from the clarification container. The oxygen bubbles can further induce mechanical mixing of the molten glass in the clarification container.

[0029] The downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may further include another conditioning container, such as a mixing container 36 for mixing the molten glass. The mixing container 36 may be located downstream of the clarification container 34. The mixing container 36 may be used to provide a uniform glass melt composition, thereby reducing chemical or thermal inhomogeneities that may otherwise exist in the clarified molten glass flowing out of the clarification container. As shown, the clarification container 34 may be coupled to the mixing container 36 via a second connecting conduit 38. In some examples, the molten glass 28 may be conveyed to the mixing container 36 from the clarification container 34 by gravity via the second connecting conduit 38. For example, gravity may cause the molten glass 28 to pass from the clarification container 34 through the internal passage of the second connecting conduit 38 to the mixing container 36. It should be noted that although the mixing container 36 is shown downstream of the clarification container 34, the mixing container 36 may be located upstream of the clarification container 34. In some embodiments, the downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 may include multiple mixing containers, for example, a mixing container upstream of the clarification container 34 and a mixing container downstream of the clarification container 34. These multiple mixing vessels may be of the same design or of different designs.

[0030] The downstream glass manufacturing equipment 30 can further include another conditioning vessel, such as a delivery vessel 40 that can be located downstream of the mixing vessel 36. The delivery vessel 40 can condition the molten glass 28 to be fed into the downstream forming device. For example, the delivery vessel 40 can act as an accumulator and / or a flow controller to regulate and / or provide a consistent flow of molten glass 28 to the forming body 42 through the outlet conduit 44. As shown, the mixing vessel 36 can be coupled to the delivery vessel 40 through a third connecting conduit 46. In some examples, the molten glass 28 can be gravity-fed from the mixing vessel 36 to the delivery vessel 40 through the third connecting conduit 46. For example, gravity can drive the molten glass 28 from the mixing vessel 36 to the delivery vessel 40 through the internal passage of the third connecting conduit 46.

[0031] The downstream glass manufacturing apparatus 30 may further include a forming apparatus 48 including the above-described forming body 42 and an inlet conduit 50. The outlet conduit 44 may be positioned to deliver the molten glass 28 from the delivery vessel 40 to the inlet conduit 50 of the forming apparatus 48. For example, in an example, the outlet conduit 44 may be nested within the inlet conduit 50 and spaced apart from its inner surface, thereby providing a free surface of molten glass between the outer surface of the outlet conduit 44 and the inner surface of the inlet conduit 50. The forming body 42 in the fusion down-draw glass manufacturing apparatus may include a trough 52 located on the upper surface of the forming body and a converging forming surface 54 converging in the drawing direction along the bottom edge 56 of the forming body 42. The molten glass delivered to the forming body trough by the delivery vessel 40, the outlet conduit 44, and the inlet conduit 50 overflows from the sidewalls of the trough as separate streams of molten glass and descends along the converging forming surface 54. The separate streams of molten glass combine below and along the bottom edge 56 to produce a glass ribbon, which is pulled from the bottom edge 56 in a stretching or flow direction 60 by applying tension to the glass ribbon (e.g., by gravity, edge rollers 72, and pull rollers 82) to control the size of the glass ribbon as the glass cools and the viscosity of the glass increases. As a result, the glass ribbon 58 undergoes a viscoelastic transition and acquires mechanical properties, which allow the glass ribbon 58 to have stable dimensional characteristics. In some embodiments, the glass ribbon 58 can be separated into individual glass sheets 62 within the elastic region of the glass ribbon by the glass separation apparatus 100. The robot 64 can then transfer the individual glass sheets 62 to a conveyor system using a gripping tool 65, where the individual glass sheets can be further processed.

[0032] Figure 2 A perspective view of a glass article, specifically a glass sheet 62, is shown, wherein the glass sheet 62 has a first major surface 162, a second major surface 164 (on the opposite side of the first major surface of the glass sheet 62) extending in a direction generally parallel to the first major surface 162, and an edge surface 166, wherein the edge surface 166 extends between the first major surface 162 and the second major surface 164 and extends in a direction generally perpendicular to the first and second major surfaces 162, 164.

[0033] Figure 3 A side schematic view of a film applicator 300 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. The film applicator 300 is configured to apply the film 200 to a glass article, particularly a glass sheet 62, by movement and rotation of a cylindrical applicator 302 indicated by arrows "A" and "B", respectively. The film 200 is wrapped around the circumference of the cylindrical applicator 302, and when the cylindrical applicator 302 moves and rotates relative to the glass sheet 62, the film 200 is applied to the first major surface of the glass sheet 62.

[0034] Figure 4A side schematic diagram of a film remover 400 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. The film remover 400 is configured to remove film 200 from a glass article, particularly a glass sheet 62, by movement and rotation of a cylindrical remover 402 indicated by arrows "C" and "D", respectively. As the cylindrical remover 402 moves and rotates relative to the glass sheet 62, the film 200 is removed from the first major surface of the glass sheet 62 and is wrapped around the outer circumference of the cylindrical remover 402.

[0035] Figure 5 1 shows a side view of a film remover 400 and an ion generator 500 according to an embodiment disclosed herein. The film remover 400 is arranged according to the reference Figure 4 The ion generator 500 operates in the described manner, and when the film remover 400 removes the film 200 from the glass article, particularly the glass sheet 62, the ion generator 500 directs the stream of ions 502 toward the first major surface of the glass sheet 62. Specifically, the ion generator 500 directs the ions 502 toward the region "R" where the film 200 is first separated from the glass sheet 62.

[0036] In certain exemplary embodiments, the ion generator 500 may include a commercially available ion generator known to those skilled in the art. An exemplary ion generator includes the SJ-EH high performance ion generator provided by Keyence Corporation of the United States.

[0037] In certain exemplary embodiments, the ionizer 500 may have a length range of about 500 mm to about 2500 mm, an ionizer effective coverage range of about 100 mm to about 500 mm, a delivery speed of about 100 mm / sec to about 1000 mm / sec, and may reduce surface electrostatic charge by at least 90% in about 1 second, such as from about 0.1 second to about 1 second.

[0038] In certain exemplary embodiments, ion generator 500 directs a stream of ions 502 toward at least the first major surface of glass sheet 62 within about 1 second, such as within about 0.5 seconds, and further such as within about 0.1 seconds, such as from about 0.01 seconds to about 1 second, of removing film 200 from at least the first major surface of glass sheet 62.

[0039] In certain exemplary embodiments, film 200 comprises a polymer. In certain exemplary embodiments, film 200 comprises polyethylene.

[0040] In certain exemplary embodiments, the glass article (e.g., glass sheet 62) includes a glass composition (e.g., an alkali-free glass composition) including 58-65 weight percent (wt%) SiO2, 14-20 wt% Al2O3, 8-12 wt% B2O3, 1-3 wt% MgO, 5-10 wt% CaO, and 0.5-2 wt% SrO. The glass sheet 62 may also include a glass composition (e.g., an alkali-free glass composition) including 58-65 wt% SiO2, 16-22 wt% Al2O3, 1-5 wt% B2O3, 1-4 wt% MgO, 2-6 wt% CaO, 1-4 wt% SrO, and 5-10 wt% BaO. In addition, the glass sheet 62 may include a glass component (e.g., an alkali-free glass component) including 57-61 wt% SiO2, 17-21 wt% Al2O3, 5-8 wt% B2O3, 1-5 wt% MgO, 3-9 wt% CaO, 0-6 wt% SrO, and 0-7 wt% BaO. The glass sheet 62 may also include a glass component (e.g., an alkali-free glass component) including 55-72 wt% SiO2, 12-24 wt% Al2O3, 10-18 wt% Na2O, 0-10 wt% B2O3, 0-5 wt% K2O, 0-5 wt% MgO, and 0-5 wt% CaO, and the glass component may further include 1-5 wt% K2O and 1-5 wt% MgO in some embodiments.

[0041] Figure 6 and 7 Schematic diagrams of a side and top view of a liquid blocking chamber 600 surrounding a conveying mechanism 604 according to embodiments disclosed herein are shown, respectively. The conveying mechanism 604 includes a plurality of conveying rollers 602 configured to convey the glass sheet 62 in the direction indicated by arrow "X". The liquid blocking chamber 600 surrounds the conveying mechanism 604, thereby preventing liquid (such as water or water mist) from contacting the glass sheet 62. The liquid blocking chamber 600 can be configured to prevent liquid from contacting the glass sheet 62 during and / or after the film 200 is removed from at least the first major surface of the glass sheet 62. For example, the liquid blocking chamber 600 can be configured to prevent liquid from contacting the glass sheet 62 during and / or after the flow of ions 502 is directed from the ionizer 500 to the first major surface of the glass sheet 62.

[0042] In certain exemplary embodiments, the walls of the barrier chamber 600 may include a polymer material, such as an acrylic material, including a transparent, resistant, acrylic material.

[0043] Embodiments disclosed herein include embodiments in which adhesion of particles having a diameter of about 0.3 micrometers or less to at least a first major surface of a glass article, such as glass sheet 62, is reduced by at least about 25%, such as at least about 30%, and further such as at least about 35%, and further such as at least about 40%, and further such as at least about 50%, such as from about 25% to about 90%, and further such as from about 50% to about 80%, compared to an apparatus that does not include an ionizer 500 configured to direct an ion flow toward at least a first major surface of the glass article. For example, a synergistic reduction in particle adhesion can be achieved by operating the ionizer 500 during removal of the film 200 from the glass article and treating the glass article in the liquid barrier chamber 600 during and / or after removal of the film 200 from the glass article.

[0044] Although the above embodiments have been described with reference to a fusion down-draw process, it should be understood that such embodiments are also applicable to other glass forming processes, such as a float process, a groove draw process, an up-draw process, a tube draw process, and a press roll process.

[0045] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover these modifications and changes as long as these modifications and changes fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for manufacturing glass products, characterized in that: The device comprises: a forming apparatus configured to form a glass article comprising a first major surface and a second major surface parallel to the first major surface; a film applicator configured to apply a film to at least the first major surface of the glass article; a film remover configured to remove the film from at least the first major surface of the glass article; and An ion generator is configured to direct an ion flow toward at least the first major surface of the glass article when the film remover removes the film from at least the first major surface of the glass article.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises a liquid barrier chamber configured to prevent liquid from contacting the glass article.

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