Apparatus and method for manufacturing glass article, and conveyance device

Abstract

To prevent wrinkles from entering into the effective part of a super thin glass ribbon as much as possible when processing the glass ribbon during conveyance when manufacturing a glass article based on the glass ribbon.SOLUTION: An apparatus M for manufacturing a glass article includes conveyance means (a conveyance device M3) for conveying a glass ribbon G along a conveyance path R in a flat posture and processing means (a cutting device M4) arranged on the conveyance path R and for processing the glass ribbon G. Damming means 15 for damming the movement of wrinkles W toward the center side from the width direction end part Gb side of the glass ribbon G is arranged on the upper stream side of the processing means (the cutting device M4) on the conveyance path R.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for manufacturing a glass article, and a conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] Glass products such as glass films and glass rolls are often manufactured from ultra-thin glass ribbons (e.g., having a thickness of 200 μm or less). Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a method for manufacturing a glass roll from a glass ribbon.

[0003] In this embodiment, first, an ultra-thin glass ribbon is formed using a down-draw method. The glass ribbon has an effective portion located in the center in the width direction, and width-direction ends (unnecessary portions in Patent Document 1) located on both sides of the effective portion. Next, the conveying direction of the formed glass ribbon is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction. After that, a laser is irradiated to the boundary between the effective portion and the width-direction ends of the glass ribbon being conveyed, and the glass ribbon is cut into the effective portion and the width-direction ends. In conjunction with this, a process is performed to separate and remove the width-direction ends from the effective portion. Finally, the glass ribbon consisting of only the effective portion is wound around a winding core to form a glass roll. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-40755 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the above embodiment, when performing the process of dividing and removing the width direction end portions from the useful portion of the glass ribbon, the following problems have arisen.

[0006] An ultra-thin glass ribbon is prone to wrinkles during transportation. As shown in FIG. 8, before the glass ribbon G reaches the irradiation position of the laser L (the position where the effective part Ga and the width direction end Gb are cut), wrinkles W may occur from the width direction end Gb side to the effective part Ga side (center side). In the wrinkles W illustrated in the figure, the tops (shown by thick lines) of the wrinkles W gradually move toward the inside in the width direction of the glass ribbon G as the glass ribbon G moves toward the upstream side of the transport path. If the wrinkles W invade the effective part Ga of the glass ribbon G and reach the irradiation position of the laser L in a state in which the wrinkles W straddle the effective part Ga and the width direction end Gb across the boundary B, there is a problem that the cutting of the glass ribbon G becomes unstable.

[0007] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 9, the wrinkles W cause the irradiation position of the laser L on the glass ribbon G to undulate, and therefore, unlike when the irradiation position is flat (when wrinkles W do not exist), the irradiation conditions of the laser L inevitably become unstable. As a result, the cutting of the glass ribbon G becomes unstable, which causes a problem in that cracks are generated in the glass ribbon G. For this reason, the establishment of a technology that can prevent the wrinkles W from penetrating into the effective portion Ga of the glass ribbon G has been anticipated.

[0008] Here, the problem caused by wrinkles penetrating into the effective portion of the glass ribbon does not only occur when a process of cutting and removing the width direction end portion from the effective portion of the glass ribbon is performed, but also occurs similarly when other processes, such as a film forming process, a coating process, a printing process, an etching process, a cleaning process, a hole making process, a lamination process, a coating process, an optical process, a heat treatment, and an inspection, are performed on the glass ribbon during transportation.

[0009] In view of the above circumstances, the technical problem to be solved is to prevent as much as possible the intrusion of wrinkles into the effective portion of the glass ribbon when processing the glass ribbon during transportation in manufacturing a glass article from an ultra-thin glass ribbon. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The first glass article manufacturing apparatus for solving the above problem is a glass article manufacturing apparatus comprising a conveying means for conveying a glass ribbon in a flat position along a conveying path, and a processing means arranged on the conveying path for processing the glass ribbon, characterized in that a blocking means is arranged upstream of the processing means on the conveying path for blocking the movement of wrinkles from the widthwise end side of the glass ribbon toward the center side.

[0011] In the first glass article manufacturing apparatus, a damming means is disposed on the conveying path of the glass ribbon upstream of the processing means. This makes it possible to block the movement of the wrinkles toward the center side by the damming means even if wrinkles are generated from the width direction end side of the glass ribbon toward the center side (effective portion side) upstream of the processing means. As a result, it is possible to prevent the wrinkles from entering the effective portion of the glass ribbon processed by the processing means as much as possible.

[0012] The second glass article manufacturing apparatus is the above-mentioned first manufacturing apparatus, except that the blocking means comprises at least one of the following (1) to (3). (1) A roller having a peripheral surface capable of contacting the upper surface of the glass ribbon and a side surface capable of contacting the wrinkles from the inner side in the width direction of the glass ribbon. (2) A brush with bristles that can press down wrinkles from above (3) A nozzle capable of spraying fluid from the inside of the glass ribbon in the width direction toward the wrinkles

[0013] In the second glass article manufacturing apparatus, when the blocking means includes a roller, the side of the roller comes into contact with the wrinkles from the inside in the width direction of the glass ribbon, thereby blocking the movement of the wrinkles toward the center (effective portion side). When the blocking means includes a brush, the bristles of the brush press the wrinkles from above, thereby blocking the movement of the wrinkles toward the center. In addition, since the bristles press the wrinkles from above, the wrinkles can also be prevented from becoming larger (increasing in height). When the blocking means includes a nozzle, the fluid sprayed from the nozzle presses the wrinkles from the inside in the width direction of the glass ribbon, thereby blocking the movement of the wrinkles toward the center.

[0014] Here, the roller has the advantage that, among the above members (1) to (3) (roller, brush, nozzle), it has the greatest effect of blocking the movement of wrinkles. The brush has the advantage that the installation position can be easily adjusted because the bristles are appropriately deformed when in contact with the glass ribbon. The nozzle has the advantage that it does not need to come into contact with the glass ribbon, and in addition to being easy to adjust the installation position, it is space-saving. In addition, when comparing the brush and the nozzle, the brush has a greater effect of blocking the movement of wrinkles than the nozzle.

[0015] The third glass article manufacturing apparatus is the above-mentioned second manufacturing apparatus, except that the blocking means is provided with all of the above-mentioned (1) to (3).

[0016] In the third glass article manufacturing apparatus, the blocking means includes all of a roller, a brush, and a nozzle, which is advantageous in blocking the movement of wrinkles toward the center (effective portion side).

[0017] A fourth glass article manufacturing apparatus is configured such that in the third manufacturing apparatus, the rollers are disposed upstream of the brushes and nozzles on the conveying path.

[0018] In the fourth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the roller is disposed upstream of the brush and the nozzle. Therefore, first, the roller, which has the greatest effect of blocking the movement of wrinkles, can effectively block the movement of the wrinkles toward the center (effective portion). Then, even if the wrinkles try to move toward the center again downstream of the roller, the movement of the wrinkles can be blocked by the brush and the nozzle. As a result, the movement of the wrinkles can be blocked more reliably.

[0019] A fifth apparatus for producing a glass article is the third or fourth apparatus described above, further configured such that the brushes are disposed outside the nozzles in the width direction of the glass ribbon.

[0020] In the fifth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the brush, which has a greater effect of blocking the movement of wrinkles, is disposed on the outside of the brush and nozzle, which is further advantageous in blocking the movement of wrinkles.

[0021] A sixth apparatus for producing a glass article is any one of the second to fifth apparatuses described above, except that the rollers are free rollers.

[0022] In the sixth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the rollers are free rollers, so that it is possible to avoid applying an excessive load to the glass ribbon when the rollers come into contact with the glass ribbon, thereby making it possible to eliminate as much as possible the risk of the glass ribbon breaking due to contact with the rollers.

[0023] A seventh glass article manufacturing apparatus is any one of the second to sixth manufacturing apparatuses described above, except that the feed direction of the rollers is inclined outward in the width direction with respect to the transport direction of the glass ribbon.

[0024] In the seventh glass article manufacturing apparatus, the side surface of the roller is also inclined outward in the width direction with respect to the conveying direction of the glass ribbon in accordance with the inclination of the roller in the feed direction. Therefore, wrinkles blocked by the side surface of the roller can be actively released outward in the width direction of the glass ribbon. Therefore, the intrusion of wrinkles into the effective portion of the glass ribbon can be more effectively prevented.

[0025] The eighth glass article manufacturing apparatus is any of the second to seventh manufacturing apparatuses described above, wherein the roller has a core material including a center of rotation, an elastic material arranged on the outer periphery of the core material, and a covering material arranged on the outer periphery of the elastic material to form a circumferential surface.

[0026] In the eighth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the roller has an elastic material, which makes it possible to impart flexibility to the peripheral surface of the roller. Therefore, when the roller comes into contact with the glass ribbon, it is possible to more reliably prevent an excessive load from being applied to the glass ribbon. As a result, it is possible to more reliably eliminate the risk of the glass ribbon cracking due to contact with the roller.

[0027] A ninth glass article manufacturing apparatus is any one of the second to eighth manufacturing apparatuses described above, wherein the roller is installed at a height position such that the peripheral surface is not in contact with the upper surface of the wrinkle-free portion of the glass ribbon.

[0028] In the ninth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the rollers come into contact with wrinkled portions of the glass ribbon, but do not come into contact with wrinkle-free portions (flat portions). In this manner, the rollers can be reduced as much as possible to reduce the chance of contact between the glass ribbon and the glass ribbon, thereby reliably reducing the possibility that the glass ribbon will break due to contact with the rollers.

[0029] A tenth apparatus for producing a glass article is any one of the second to ninth apparatuses described above, wherein the brush is configured so that the installation position thereof can be changed at least in the vertical direction.

[0030] In the tenth glass article manufacturing apparatus, the installation position of the brush can be changed at least in the vertical direction, making it possible to adjust the brush bristles so that they can suitably press down on wrinkles from above according to the state of the wrinkles.

[0031] An eleventh glass article manufacturing apparatus is any one of the second to tenth manufacturing apparatuses described above, wherein the nozzle is capable of spraying gas as a fluid, and the installation position of the nozzle is capable of being changed at least in the vertical direction.

[0032] In the eleventh glass article manufacturing apparatus, the installation position of the nozzle can be changed at least in the vertical direction, making it possible to adjust the gas sprayed from the nozzle so that it can effectively press against the wrinkles according to the state of the wrinkles.

[0033] A twelfth glass article manufacturing apparatus is any one of the second to eleventh manufacturing apparatuses described above, wherein the damming means includes a plurality of nozzles, and the plurality of nozzles are arranged along the conveying direction of the glass ribbon.

[0034] In the twelfth glass article manufacturing apparatus, a plurality of nozzles are arranged along the conveying direction of the glass ribbon, and therefore a fluid wall (curtain) that blocks the movement of wrinkles can be formed by the fluid (gas) jetted from the plurality of nozzles, which is more advantageous in blocking the movement of wrinkles toward the center (effective portion side).

[0035] A thirteenth glass article manufacturing apparatus is any one of the first to twelfth manufacturing apparatuses described above, further comprising, as a processing means, a cutting device that cuts the glass ribbon along the boundary between an effective portion in the widthwise center and the widthwise ends, and performs processing to separate the widthwise ends from the effective portion, and a blocking means is configured to be arranged in the width direction of the glass ribbon outside the cutting device or at a position overlapping with the cutting device.

[0036] In the thirteenth glass article manufacturing apparatus, since the blocking means is disposed outside the cutting device or at a position overlapping with the cutting device, it is possible to reliably prevent wrinkles from entering the effective portion of the glass ribbon, thereby making it possible to avoid poor cutting of the glass ribbon caused by wrinkles that have entered the effective portion.

[0037] A fourteenth glass article manufacturing apparatus is the thirteenth glass article manufacturing apparatus described above, wherein the cutting device is a laser cutter that irradiates a laser onto the boundary between the effective portion and the width-wise end portion of the glass ribbon.

[0038] In the fourteenth glass article manufacturing apparatus, it is possible to avoid unstable laser irradiation conditions for the glass ribbon caused by wrinkles, which in turn makes cutting of the glass ribbon unstable.

[0039] It is possible to carry out a first glass article manufacturing method using any one of the above-mentioned glass article manufacturing apparatuses 1 to 14. The manufacturing method is a glass article manufacturing method including a treatment step of treating an effective portion of a glass ribbon that is transported in a flat position and is located on the inner side of the width direction ends of the glass ribbon.

[0040] According to the first glass article manufacturing method, it is possible to obtain the same functions and effects as the above-mentioned first to fourteenth glass article manufacturing apparatuses.

[0041] The second method for producing a glass article is the above-mentioned first method, except that the thickness of the glass ribbon is 200 μm or less.

[0042] In the second method for producing a glass article, since the thickness of the glass ribbon is as thin as 200 μm or less, wrinkles are likely to occur in the glass ribbon during transport. However, since sufficient measures against wrinkles are taken as described above for the production apparatus, it is possible to avoid problems in the processing of the effective portion of the glass ribbon due to wrinkles entering the effective portion.

[0043] The conveying device for solving the above problem is a conveying device that conveys a glass ribbon in a flat position along a conveying path, and is equipped with a blocking means that blocks the movement of wrinkles from the widthwise end side of the glass ribbon toward the center side, and is characterized in that the blocking means has at least one of the following (1) to (3). (1) A roller having a peripheral surface capable of contacting the upper surface of the glass ribbon and a side surface capable of contacting the wrinkles from the inner side in the width direction of the glass ribbon. (2) A brush with bristles that can press down wrinkles from above (3) A nozzle capable of spraying fluid from the inside of the glass ribbon in the width direction toward the wrinkles

[0044] When transporting a glass ribbon using the above-mentioned conveying device, if a damming means is arranged upstream of a processing means (means for processing the glass ribbon) on the conveying path, it is possible to obtain the same actions and effects as the above-mentioned second glass article manufacturing apparatus. Effect of the Invention

[0045] According to the glass article manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method disclosed herein, when manufacturing a glass article from an ultra-thin glass ribbon, it is possible to prevent wrinkles from entering the effective portion of the glass ribbon as much as possible when processing the glass ribbon during transportation. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0046] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an apparatus and method for manufacturing a glass article. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an apparatus and method for manufacturing a glass article. [Diagram 3] 2 is a plan view showing the periphery of a damming means provided in a glass article manufacturing apparatus. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the periphery of a damming means provided in the glass article manufacturing apparatus (modification). [Diagram 5] 2 is a side view showing the periphery of a damming means provided in the glass article manufacturing apparatus. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a side view showing the periphery of a damming means provided in the glass article manufacturing apparatus. FIG. [Figure 7] 3(a) and 3(b) are cross-sectional views showing the periphery of a blocking means provided in a glass article manufacturing apparatus. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a plan view for explaining a problem in the conventional art. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a problem in the conventional art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0047] Hereinafter, a manufacturing apparatus and a manufacturing method for a glass article, and a conveying device according to an embodiment will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction shown in each drawing referred to in the description of the embodiment are directions perpendicular to each other.

[0048] 1 and 2 show a glass article manufacturing apparatus M (hereinafter simply referred to as the manufacturing apparatus M) and a glass article manufacturing method (hereinafter simply referred to as the manufacturing method) using the manufacturing apparatus M. As shown in both figures, in this embodiment, a glass film Gf as a glass article is cut out from an ultra-thin glass ribbon G formed using a down-draw method (in the illustrated example, an overflow down-draw method) to manufacture the glass article.

[0049] The manufacturing equipment M includes, as main components, a forming device M1, a conveying direction changing device M2, a conveying device M3, and a cutting device M4.

[0050] The manufacturing method using the manufacturing apparatus M includes, as its main processes, a forming process P1 in which a glass ribbon G is formed using a forming apparatus M1, a conveying direction changing process P2 in which the conveying direction of the glass ribbon G is changed using a conveying direction changing device M2, a conveying process P3 in which the glass ribbon G is conveyed using a conveying device M3, an unnecessary portion cutting process P4 in which an unnecessary portion (a widthwise end portion Gb described later) is cut off from the glass ribbon G using a cutting device M4, and an obtaining process P5 in which a glass film Gf is obtained from the glass ribbon G after the unnecessary portion has been cut off.

[0051] The molding device M1 includes a molded body 1 and a roller group 2 consisting of rollers arranged in multiple vertical stages. The roller group 2 includes, in order from the top, an edge roller 3, an annealer roller 4, and a support roller 5.

[0052] In the forming step P1, a glass ribbon G is continuously formed while being drawn out in the vertical direction (Z direction) from the molten glass MG supplied to the forming body 1. A group of rollers 2 is used for drawing out the glass ribbon G.

[0053] Of the rollers included in the roller group 2, the edge rollers 3 come into contact with the glass ribbon G directly below the forming body 1 to suppress contraction of the glass ribbon G in the width direction (X direction). The annealer rollers 4 guide the downward movement of the glass ribbon G which is slowly cooled to a temperature below the strain point in an annealing furnace (not shown). The support rollers 5 support and pull downward the glass ribbon G whose temperature has been reduced to near room temperature in a cooling chamber (not shown).

[0054] The formed glass ribbon G has an effective portion Ga located in the widthwise center thereof and widthwise end portions Gb located on both sides of the effective portion Ga. (The boundary B between the effective portion Ga and the widthwise end portions Gb is indicated by a two-dot chain line.) The effective portion Ga is a portion that is obtained as the glass film Gf in a later obtaining step P5. The widthwise end portions Gb include edge portions that are thicker than other portions of the glass ribbon G. The thickness of the glass ribbon G (thickness of the portions excluding the edge portions) is, for example, 200 μm or less, 100 μm or less, or 50 μm or less.

[0055] The conveying direction changing device M2 includes a roller conveyor 6 made up of a plurality of rollers. The rollers included in the roller conveyor 6 are arranged along a circular arc curve in a side view (viewed from the X direction).

[0056] In the conveying direction changing step P2, the conveying direction of the glass ribbon G formed in the forming step P1 is changed from the vertical direction (Z direction) to the horizontal direction (Y direction).

[0057] The transport device M3 is an example of a transport means that transports the glass ribbon G along the transport path R in a flat position.

[0058] The transport device M3 includes a belt conveyor 7, a support table 8, a belt conveyor 9, a board 10, a plurality of guide rollers 11, and a feeder (not shown) for a strip-shaped protective sheet 12. The feeder is capable of continuously feeding and recovering a strip-shaped protective sheet 12 (e.g., a strip-shaped resin sheet). The strip-shaped protective sheet 12 fed from the feeder moves toward the downstream side of the transport path R over the support table 8, the belt conveyor 9, and the board 10 while being guided by the plurality of guide rollers 11, and is then recovered.

[0059] In the transport step P3, the glass ribbon G is supported from below by the belt conveyor 7, the support base 8, the belt conveyor 9, and the strip-shaped protective sheet 12 on the board 10, and is sent downstream along the transport path R.

[0060] In the present embodiment, the conveying device M3 is adopted as the conveying means, but is not limited thereto. The conveying means may be a device of any configuration as long as it is a device that can convey the glass ribbon G in a flat position along the conveying path R.

[0061] The cutting device M4 is an example of a processing means for processing the useful portion Ga of the glass ribbon G. Specifically, the cutting device M4 cuts the glass ribbon G being conveyed along the boundary B between the useful portion Ga and the width direction end portion Gb, and performs processing for separating the width direction end portion Gb from the useful portion Ga as an unnecessary portion.

[0062] The cutting device M4 is disposed on the transport path R of the glass ribbon G. The cutting device M4 is a laser cutter 13 that irradiates a laser L to a boundary B between an effective portion Ga and a width direction end portion Gb of the glass ribbon G. Two laser cutters 13 are disposed to correspond to each of the two boundaries B (see FIG. 7). The laser cutter 13 is a device that performs cutting by a laser cleaving method on the glass ribbon G passing over a support stand 14, and uses the cleaving method to continuously cut the glass ribbon G along the longitudinal direction.

[0063] In this embodiment, the laser cutter 13 that performs cutting by a laser cleaving method is used as the cutting device M4, but the present invention is not limited to this. As an example, the cutting device M4 may be a laser cutter that performs cutting by a laser melting method.

[0064] On the conveying path R of the glass ribbon G, a damming means 15 is disposed upstream of the cutting device M4, which dams up the movement of wrinkles W (see FIGS. 3 and 7 ) from the width direction end Gb side toward the effective part Ga side (center side) of the glass ribbon G. The damming means 15 in this embodiment is provided in the conveying device M3.

[0065] The wrinkles W are wrinkles that make the glass ribbon G undulate in a wavy manner (the thick lines in FIG. 3 indicate the tops of the wrinkles W). The height of the wrinkles W can be up to about 50 mm. The "height of the wrinkles W" means the height from the conveying surface of the conveying device M3 to the tops of the wrinkles W. When the wrinkles W invade the effective portion Ga of the glass ribbon G and reach the irradiation position of the laser L in a state in which the wrinkles W straddle the effective portion Ga and the width direction end Gb across the boundary B, the cutting of the glass ribbon G becomes unstable. Therefore, the wrinkles W are prevented from invading the effective portion Ga by using the blocking means 15 to block the movement of the wrinkles W toward the effective portion Ga.

[0066] Hereinafter, the damming means 15 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0067] As shown in Fig. 3, two damming means 15 are arranged as a pair on one side and the other side in the width direction of the glass ribbon G. Each of the two damming means 15 includes a roller 16, a brush 17, and a nozzle 18.

[0068] The damming means 15 is disposed outside the laser cutter 13 (only the irradiation position of the laser L is shown in FIG. 3) in the width direction of the glass ribbon G. Explaining this arrangement in detail, the damming means 15 is disposed such that, among the roller 16, brush 17, and nozzle 18 provided in the damming means 15, the member located most inward in the width direction (the roller 16 in the illustrated example) is located outside in the width direction the irradiation position of the laser L. In other words, the damming means 15 is disposed on the width direction end Gb of the glass ribbon G in a plan view (when viewed from the Z direction).

[0069] The arrangement of the damming means 15 shown in FIG. 4 is a modified example of this embodiment. In this modified example, the damming means 15 is arranged at a position overlapping with the laser cutter 13 (only the irradiation position of the laser L is shown in FIG. 4) in the width direction of the glass ribbon G. To describe this arrangement in detail, the damming means 15 is arranged so that the member (the roller 16 in the illustrated example) located on the innermost side in the width direction among the roller 16, the brush 17, and the nozzle 18 provided in the damming means 15 is located at a position overlapping with the irradiation position of the laser L in the width direction (X direction). When this modified example is applied, it is necessary to prevent the roller 16 from interfering with the irradiation of the laser L to the glass ribbon G. Therefore, in the conveying direction (Y direction) of the glass ribbon G, the roller 16 is arranged upstream of the irradiation position of the laser L so that the roller 16 and the irradiation position of the laser L do not overlap.

[0070] Here, for example, in order to enable the damming means 15 to be rearranged between the arrangement in this embodiment and the arrangement in the above-mentioned modified example, the roller 16, brush 17, and nozzle 18 may each be capable of adjusting their installation positions in the width direction of the glass ribbon G.

[0071] The roller 16 is disposed upstream of the brush 17 and the nozzle 18 on the transport path R of the glass ribbon G. On the other hand, the brush 17 and the nozzle 18 are disposed at approximately the same point on the transport path R of the glass ribbon G. The brush 17 is disposed outside the nozzle 18 in the width direction of the glass ribbon G.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 5, roller 16 is disposed to face strip-shaped protective sheet 12 passing over support stand 8, with glass ribbon G sandwiched therebetween. Roller 16 has peripheral surface 16a capable of contacting upper surface Gu of glass ribbon G, and side surface 16b capable of contacting wrinkles W from the inside in the width direction of glass ribbon G. Roller 16 blocks movement of wrinkles W toward effective portion Ga by bringing side surface 16b into contact with wrinkles W (see Fig. 7(a)).

[0073] In this embodiment, the connection portion between the peripheral surface 16a and the side surface 16b of the roller 16 is configured to have an angular shape (see FIG. 7(a)). This makes it easier for the side surface 16b to block the movement of the wrinkles W toward the effective portion Ga, compared to when the connection portion is curved (when the connection portion is chamfered with R). On the other hand, there are cases where it is more important to eliminate the risk of the glass ribbon G breaking due to contact with the roller 16 than to easily block the wrinkles W. In this case, as a modified example of this embodiment, the connection portion between the peripheral surface 16a and the side surface 16b may be curved.

[0074] As shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the roller 16 can adjust the installation position (height position) in the vertical direction (Z direction). By this adjustment, the peripheral surface 16a of the roller 16 is not in contact with the upper surface Gu of the portion of the glass ribbon G where no wrinkles W exist (a flat portion that does not float from the strip-shaped protective sheet 12). On the other hand, the peripheral surface 16a of the roller 16 can be in contact with the upper surface Gu of the portion of the glass ribbon G where wrinkles W exist. The roller 16 rotates with the contact between the peripheral surface 16a and the upper surface Gu of the glass ribbon G. That is, the roller 16 is a free roller. Note that the roller 16 is preferably a free roller, but as a modified example of this embodiment, the roller 16 may be a drive roller connected to a drive source.

[0075] The roller 16 has a core material 19 including a rotation center, an elastic material 20 arranged on the outer circumferential side of the core material 19, and a covering material 21 arranged on the outer circumferential side of the elastic material 20 to form a peripheral surface 16a. An example of the material of the core material 19 is PEEK (polyether ether ketone). The elastic material 20 imparts flexibility to the peripheral surface 16a of the roller 16 so that the glass ribbon G does not crack due to contact with the roller 16. An example of the material of the elastic material 20 is urethane rubber. The covering material 21 is a tape having excellent heat resistance and smoothness, and is attached to the peripheral surface of the elastic material 20. An example of the material of the covering material 21 is a conductive cloth tape.

[0076] Due to the smoothness of the covering material 21, the roller 16 is configured such that, when it comes into contact with the glass ribbon G, the peripheral surface 16a slides against the upper surface Gu of the glass ribbon G. In other words, the peripheral surface 16a of the roller 16 and the upper surface Gu of the glass ribbon G move relative to each other when they come into contact with each other.

[0077] As shown in Fig. 3, the feed direction of the roller 16 is inclined outward in the width direction with respect to the transport direction (Y direction) of the glass ribbon G. As a result, the side surface 16b of the roller 16 is also inclined outward in the width direction with respect to the transport direction of the glass ribbon G. By utilizing this inclination, the wrinkles W blocked by the side surface 16b of the roller 16 are pushed outward in the width direction of the glass ribbon G. Here, the angle θ of the inclination of the feed direction of the roller 16 with respect to the transport direction of the glass ribbon G is preferably greater than 0° and equal to or less than 45°.

[0078] As shown in FIG. 5, brush 17 is disposed to face support base 14 with glass ribbon G sandwiched therebetween. Brush 17 has a large number of bristles 17a capable of pressing wrinkles W from above. Brush 17 has a large number of bristles 17a pressing wrinkles W from above, thereby blocking the movement of wrinkles W toward effective portion Ga and preventing wrinkles W from becoming larger (see FIG. 7(b)). Capillary bristles are typically used as bristles 17a of brush 17, but wide bristles in the conveying direction of glass ribbon G may also be used, or pipe-shaped bristles having a cavity inside may also be used.

[0079] The brush 17 is configured so that the length dimension in the conveying direction (Y direction) of the glass ribbon G is greater than the length dimension in the width direction (X direction) of the glass ribbon G. Therefore, the bristles 17a of the brush 17 are arranged in greater numbers along the conveying direction of the glass ribbon G than along the width direction of the glass ribbon G. As shown by the arrow in FIG. 5, the installation position of the brush 17 can be adjusted in the vertical direction. With this adjustment, the bristles 17a of the brush 17 are not in contact with the upper surface Gu of the portion of the glass ribbon G where no wrinkles W exist (a flat portion that does not float above the support base 14). On the other hand, the bristles 17a of the brush 17 may come into contact with the upper surface Gu of the portion of the glass ribbon G where wrinkles W exist.

[0080] As a modified example of this embodiment, the installation position of the brush 17 may be adjusted so that the bristles 17a (tips of the bristles 17a) come into contact with the upper surface Gu of a portion of the glass ribbon G that does not have wrinkles W. In this case, the installation position of the brush 17 is adjusted so that the glass ribbon G is not unduly restrained by the large number of bristles 17a.

[0081] The bristles 17a of the brush 17 can be bent and deformed by an external force acting on the bristles 17a. However, when the bristles 17a of the brush 17 come into contact with the wrinkles W, the wrinkles W are more likely to deform than the bristles 17a. The material of the bristles 17a of the brush 17 is, for example, PP (polypropylene). The diameter of the bristles 17a is, for example, 100 μm to 2000 μm. The length of the bristles 17a is, for example, 30 mm to 100 mm.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 6 (brush 17 is omitted in the figure), nozzle 18 is disposed to face support table 14 with glass ribbon G sandwiched therebetween. Nozzle 18 is capable of injecting gas A (e.g., air) as a fluid from the inside in the width direction of glass ribbon G toward wrinkles W. Nozzle 18 presses wrinkles W with the pressure of injected gas A, thereby blocking the movement of wrinkles W toward effective portion Ga (see Fig. 7(b)).

[0083] Nozzle 18 is attached to articulated gas supply passage 22 that can be bent at any position. Therefore, the installation position of nozzle 18 can be changed as desired, including the position in the vertical direction, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 6. Furthermore, the direction in which nozzle 18 points can also be changed as desired.

[0084] A plurality of nozzles 18 (three in the illustrated example) are provided, and the multiple nozzles 18 are oriented in the same direction. The direction in which the multiple nozzles 18 are oriented is inclined outward in the width direction of the glass ribbon G with respect to the vertical downward direction (see FIG. 7(b)). The multiple nozzles 18 are arranged along the transport direction of the glass ribbon G. As a result, the gas A sprayed from the multiple nozzles 18 forms a wall (curtain) of gas A that blocks the movement of the wrinkles W.

[0085] As a modified example of the present embodiment, instead of the multiple nozzles 18 arranged in the transport direction of the glass ribbon G, a nozzle having a single nozzle hole (a jet port of gas A) that is long in the transport direction may be employed. As another modified example, instead of the articulated gas supply path 22, multiple nozzle pipes (non-bendable pipes) having nozzle arrangements and orientations different from one another may be prepared, and the installation positions and orientations of the nozzles may be changed by replacing the nozzle pipes.

[0086] 7, in the unnecessary portion cutting step P4, the roller 16, the brush 17, and the nozzle 18 block the movement of the wrinkles W toward the effective portion Ga, preventing the wrinkles W from entering the effective portion Ga, while cutting off the width direction end portion Gb from the effective portion Ga of the glass ribbon G. The cut width direction end portion Gb is separated from the conveying path R of the glass ribbon G downstream of the unnecessary portion cutting step P4 and discarded.

[0087] As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, in the acquisition step P5, the glass ribbon G is repeatedly cut in the width direction (X direction) at the downstream end Re of the transport path R, so that glass films Gf are continuously acquired from the glass ribbon G. The cutting along the width direction of the glass ribbon G can be performed by a known device or a cutting operation by an operator. The multiple glass films Gf acquired from the glass ribbon G are, for example, alternately stacked with buffer sheets and then packaged. This completes the manufacturing method.

[0088] Here, the following modified examples can also be applied to the above embodiment.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the blocking means 15 includes three types of members: the roller 16, the brush 17, and the nozzle 18. However, this is not limited thereto, and the blocking means 15 may include only one of the three types of members: the roller 16, the brush 17, and the nozzle 18, or only two types selected from the three types of members. However, it is preferable that the blocking means 15 includes the roller 16. Therefore, when selecting two types from the above three types of members 16 to 18, it is more preferable to select the two types, the roller 16 and the brush 17, or the two types, the roller 16 and the nozzle 18.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the glass film Gf as a glass article is manufactured by cutting out the glass ribbon G. Of course, this is not limited thereto, and a glass roll obtained by winding the glass ribbon G into a roll may be manufactured as a glass article.

[0091] In the above embodiment, a process is performed to separate the width direction end Gb from the useful portion Ga of the glass ribbon G using a cutting device M4, which is an example of a processing means. Of course, this is not limited to the above, and a device for performing another process on the useful portion Ga may be adopted as the processing means instead of the cutting device M4. For example, a device for performing a film forming process, a coating process, a printing process, an etching process, a cleaning process, a hole making process, a lamination process, a coating process, an optical process, a heat treatment, an inspection, or the like on the useful portion Ga may be adopted as the processing means. In this case, a process step for performing each of the listed processes is performed instead of the unnecessary portion cutting process P4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0092] 13 Laser cutting machine 15 Damping means 16 Roller 16a Circumferential surface 16b Side 17 Brush 17a hair 18 Nozzles 19 Core material 20 Elastic material 21 Covering material A Gas B boundary G Glass ribbon Ga Effective part Gb Width direction edge Gu top surface L Laser M Glass product manufacturing equipment M3 Conveyor M4 cutting device P4 Unnecessary part cutting process R Transport route W wrinkles

Claims

1. A conveying means for conveying the glass ribbon in a flat position along a conveying path; A processing means disposed on the transport path and configured to process the glass ribbon; A glass article manufacturing apparatus comprising: A glass article manufacturing apparatus characterized in that a damming means for damming the movement of wrinkles from the width direction end side of the glass ribbon toward the center side is disposed upstream of the processing means on the conveying path.

2. 2. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the blocking means comprises at least one of the following (1) to (3): (1) A roller having a peripheral surface capable of contacting an upper surface of the glass ribbon and a side surface capable of contacting the wrinkles from an inner side in the width direction of the glass ribbon. (2) A brush having bristles capable of pressing down the wrinkles from above. (3) A nozzle capable of injecting a fluid toward the wrinkles from the inside in the width direction of the glass ribbon.

3. 3. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 2, wherein the blocking means comprises all of the above items (1) to (3).

4. 4. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 3, wherein the roller is disposed upstream of the brush and the nozzle on the conveying path.

5. 5. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 4, wherein the brush is disposed outward of the nozzle in the width direction of the glass ribbon.

6. The damming means comprises the roller, The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the rollers are free rollers.

7. The damming means comprises the roller, The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the feed direction of the rollers is inclined outward in the width direction with respect to the transport direction of the glass ribbon.

8. The damming means comprises the roller, The glass article manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the roller has a core material including a center of rotation, an elastic material arranged on the outer circumferential side of the core material, and a covering material arranged on the outer circumferential side of the elastic material to form the circumferential surface.

9. The damming means comprises the roller, The glass article manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the roller is installed at a height position such that the peripheral surface is not in contact with the upper surface of the wrinkle-free portion of the glass ribbon.

10. The damming means comprises the brush, 6. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 2, wherein the brush is capable of being changed in its installation position at least in the vertical direction.

11. The damming means comprises the nozzle, The nozzle is capable of injecting a gas as the fluid, 6. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle is capable of being changed in its installation position at least in the vertical direction.

12. The damming means includes a plurality of the nozzles, 6. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of nozzles are arranged along a conveying direction of the glass ribbon.

13. The processing means includes a cutting device that cuts the glass ribbon along a boundary between an effective portion in the width direction center and the width direction end portion, and performs a process of dividing the width direction end portion from the effective portion, The glass article manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the damming means is arranged in a width direction of the glass ribbon outside the cutting device or at a position overlapping with the cutting device.

14. 14. The apparatus for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 13, wherein the cutting device is a laser cutter that irradiates a laser onto a boundary between the effective portion and the width direction end portion of the glass ribbon.

15. A method for manufacturing a glass article, comprising a processing step of applying processing to an effective portion of a glass ribbon being transported in a flat position, the effective portion being located inside the width direction ends of the glass ribbon, using the glass article manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

16. The method for producing a glass article according to claim 15, characterized in that the glass ribbon has a thickness of 200 μm or less.

17. A conveying device that conveys a glass ribbon in a flat position along a conveying path, a damming means for damming movement of wrinkles from an end side in a width direction of the glass ribbon toward a center side, A conveying device characterized in that the damming means is provided with at least one of the following (1) to (3). (1) A roller having a peripheral surface capable of contacting an upper surface of the glass ribbon and a side surface capable of contacting the wrinkles from an inner side in the width direction of the glass ribbon. (2) A brush having bristles capable of pressing down the wrinkles from above. (3) A nozzle capable of injecting a fluid toward the wrinkles from the inside in the width direction of the glass ribbon.

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