Glass film manufacturing method, glass roll manufacturing method, and glass film manufacturing device

Abstract

Provided is a method for producing a glass film G1, said method including at least a cutting step S5 for cutting a strip-shaped glass film G1 while conveying the glass film G1 in a predetermined direction by a conveying device 8, wherein the glass film G1 is cut in a predetermined cutting zone 21 by irradiating the glass film G1 with laser light L at the cutting step S5, and surfaces 23a, 28a for supporting and conveying the glass film G1 in the conveying device 8 are separated by the cutting zone 21 for the glass film G1. Respective first surface plates 38 capable of contacting and supporting glass films G2a, G2b after cutting are disposed at positions located in the width direction of the glass film G1 with respect to the cutting zone 21 and corresponding to the centers of the glass films G2a, G2b in the width direction.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for producing a glass film, a method for producing a glass roll, and an apparatus for producing a glass film, and in particular to a technique for cutting a belt-shaped glass film. [Background technology]

[0002] As is well known, there has been a trend toward thinner sheet glass for use in flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays and organic electroluminescence (EL) displays, sheet glass for use in organic electroluminescence (EL) lighting, sheet glass used in the manufacture of tempered glass which is a component of touch panels, and further sheet glass for use in solar cell panels, etc.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a glass film having a thickness of several hundred μm or less. As described in the document, this type of plate glass is generally continuously formed by a forming device employing a so-called overflow downdraw method.

[0004] In this case, the long glass film continuously formed by the overflow downdraw method has its conveying direction changed from vertical to horizontal, and is then conveyed downstream by the lateral conveying section (horizontal conveying section) of the conveying device. During this conveying, both widthwise ends (thick portions) of the glass film are cut and removed. The glass film is then wound into a roll by a winding roller to form a glass roll.

[0005] As a technique for cutting a glass film, Patent Document 1 discloses a cutting method using a laser beam. This cutting method is so-called laser cutting, in which an initial crack is formed in the glass film by a crack forming means such as a diamond cutter while the glass film is transported in its longitudinal direction, and then this portion is irradiated with a laser beam to heat it, and then the heated portion is cooled by a cooling means. As a result, thermal stress is generated in the glass film, and the initial crack progresses due to this thermal stress, thereby cutting the glass film.

[0006] When an ultra-thin glass film with a thickness of 200 μm or less is cut by the above-mentioned method while being conveyed, numerous wrinkles may occur in the glass film during conveyance. If the glass film is cut in a state where these wrinkles overlap with the laser irradiation position, there is a problem that defective parts due to the wrinkles remain on the edge surface of the glass film produced by the cutting.

[0007] Therefore, Patent Document 2 proposes a method for manufacturing a glass film including a cutting step of cutting a belt-shaped glass film transported in a predetermined transport direction by irradiating the glass film with a laser beam, in which the cutting step supports the lower surface of the glass film with a platen having an opening and irradiates the glass film with a laser beam while sucking the glass film through the opening. According to this configuration, by sucking a part of the belt-shaped glass film transported along the transport direction with the opening of the platen, it is possible to prevent wrinkles from occurring in the sucked part, or to eliminate wrinkles that have occurred in the glass film. Therefore, by irradiating the sucked part of the glass film with a laser beam to cut it, it is expected to have an effect of preventing defects from occurring on the cut surface. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0008] [Patent Document 1] JP 2012-240883 A [Patent Document 2] International Publication No. 2019 / 049646 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] On the other hand, as described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when cutting a belt-shaped glass film conveyed in a predetermined direction by irradiating it with a laser beam, the glass film is conveyed in a predetermined direction while being supported in contact with the belt conveyor, and a laser irradiation area, i.e., a cutting zone for the glass film, is set on the conveying path (also called a path line) of the above-mentioned conveying device. Therefore, even when the glass film passes through the cutting zone, a part of the glass film passing through the cutting zone is conveyed while being supported in contact with the support such as a belt from below. In this case, vibration and up-down movement of the belt are transmitted to the area of ​​the glass film where the laser is irradiated, making it difficult to perform stable cutting. In addition, it is difficult to completely suppress the up-down movement of the belt due to structural problems, and this also causes the laser irradiation position to fluctuate, making it difficult to perform stable cutting. This can also occur even if, as described in Patent Document 2, cutting is performed by irradiating the laser while sucking the area of ​​the glass film where the laser is irradiated.

[0010] In view of the above circumstances, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to avoid the effect of the driving of the conveying device on the laser cutting of the glass film, thereby performing stable cutting on the glass film, and thereby consistently obtaining glass film of good quality. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The above-mentioned problem is solved by the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention. That is, this manufacturing method is a glass film manufacturing method including at least a cutting step of cutting a belt-shaped glass film while conveying it in a predetermined direction by a conveying device, in which in the cutting step, the glass film is cut in a predetermined cutting zone by irradiating the glass film with a laser light, and the support and conveying surface of the glass film in the conveying device is divided at the cutting zone of the glass film, so that the conveying device is divided into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction of the glass film and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction of the glass film, and a first platen capable of contacting and supporting the glass film is disposed at a position that is located in the width direction of the glass film relative to the cutting zone and corresponds to the center side of the width direction of the glass film after cutting. In this specification, the width direction of the glass film means a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and thickness direction of the glass film.

[0012] In this way, in the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention, the support and transport surface of the glass film in the transport device is divided by the cutting zone of the glass film, and the transport device is divided into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in the transport direction of the glass film, and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the transport direction. Therefore, the part of the glass film passing through the cutting zone does not directly receive vibration or up and down movement from a part driven for support and transport, such as a belt. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the influence of vibration and the like on the cutting as much as possible, and to achieve stable laser cutting. In addition, in the present invention, a first constant platen capable of contacting and supporting the glass film after cutting at its widthwise center is provided at the same transport direction position as the cutting zone, so that the glass film during or after cutting can be smoothly transported even in the region (cutting zone) where the support and transport surface of the transport device is interrupted. Therefore, it is possible to cut the glass film in a stable state, and the glass film after cutting can be wound up without positional deviation. Therefore, it is possible to stably obtain a glass film of good quality, and thus a glass roll of good quality.

[0013] Moreover, in the method for producing a glass film according to the present invention, the first platen may have a first supporting surface capable of contacting and supporting the glass film, and a first suction portion capable of sucking the glass film toward the first supporting surface.

[0014] When the cut glass film is wound on the downstream side of the conveying direction to obtain a glass roll, a tensile force accompanying winding acts on the glass film during or after cutting. Therefore, when the support conveying surface of the conveying device is configured to be divided by the cutting zone as in the present invention, the restraining force of the support conveying surface does not act on the portion of the glass film passing through the cutting zone, and only the tensile force accompanying winding acts on the portion. Therefore, the glass film may move as a whole and be displaced from a predetermined position. In response to this, in the present invention, a first suction section capable of sucking the glass film toward the first support surface is provided on a first fixed platen capable of contact-supporting the glass film passing through the cutting zone. With this configuration, the glass film during or after cutting receives a suction force toward the first support surface at the center side in the width direction, and this suction force can act on the portion of the glass film passing through the cutting zone as a force against the tensile force accompanying winding. This can suppress the positional displacement of the glass film, so that the glass film can be accurately cut to obtain a high-quality glass film and thus a glass roll.

[0015] Furthermore, when a first suction section is provided as described above, in the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention, the first suction section may have a groove-shaped first air intake port that opens to the first support surface and extends along the conveying direction.

[0016] By configuring the first suction part as described above, it is possible to apply a suction force evenly to the glass film in the longitudinal direction, thereby making it possible to apply to the glass film a sufficient force against the tensile force associated with the winding described above while preventing the glass film from moving due to suction.

[0017] Furthermore, in the case where the first suction port is provided as described above, in the method for producing a glass film according to the present invention, the first air intake port may have a configuration in which both ends in the longitudinal direction are open.

[0018] In this way, by making the first intake port groove-shaped at both ends in the longitudinal direction open, the first intake port performs suction from both the portion opening to the first support surface and the portion opening to both ends in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, even when the portion opening to the first support surface is blocked by the glass film, the portion opening to both ends in the longitudinal direction is still capable of sucking in outside air. Since the first suction unit performs suction while transporting the glass film in a predetermined direction, if the intake port is completely blocked by the glass film, even if there is even a small amount of leakage, the suction force will fluctuate greatly, and the position of the glass film may not be stable. Therefore, by performing suction (air intake) from both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first intake port groove-shaped as described above, it is possible to reduce the fluctuation of the suction force while adjusting the suction force to an appropriate magnitude.

[0019] In the method for producing a glass film according to the present invention, a second platen having a second support surface capable of supporting the glass film in contact therewith may be disposed in the cutting zone. In this case, the second platen may have a second suction portion capable of sucking the glass film toward the second support surface.

[0020] By providing the second base plate as described above, the glass film can be cut at an accurate position even in a cutting zone where the support and conveying surface of the conveying device is interrupted. In addition, by providing the second suction section having the above configuration on the second base plate, the glass film can be cut while being restrained (positioned) at a predetermined position on the second support surface. This makes it possible to perform better and more stable laser cutting. Furthermore, by sucking the glass film toward the second support surface, wrinkles that have occurred in the sucked portion of the glass film can be eliminated or the occurrence of wrinkles can be prevented. Therefore, the above configuration makes it possible to obtain a glass film with good cutting quality.

[0021] In addition, when a second suction section is provided as described above, in the glass film manufacturing method of the present invention, the second suction section may have a second air intake port opening to the second support surface, and a pair of third air intake ports located on both sides of the second air intake port in the width direction.

[0022] By providing a pair of third air intakes in addition to the second air intakes in this manner, the glass film can be evenly and effectively restrained in the width direction (restrained by local deformation due to suction), which makes it possible to suppress the up and down movement of the glass film in the conveyed state, thereby also enabling stable laser cutting.

[0023] In addition, when a second suction section is provided as described above, in the glass film manufacturing method of the present invention, the suction force by each suction section may be adjusted so that the suction force of the glass film by the first suction section is smaller than the suction force of the glass film by the second suction section.

[0024] By adjusting the suction force of each suction unit in this manner, the glass film can be relatively firmly restrained due to deformation caused by suction in the portion of the glass film where laser cutting is performed, and in the portion of the glass film separated in the width direction from the portion of the glass film where laser cutting is performed, it is possible to provide the glass film with a sufficient restraining force to resist the pulling force caused by winding on the downstream side while ensuring smooth transport of the glass film as a whole.

[0025] In addition, in the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention, all of the contact support surfaces of the glass film located in the width direction of the cutting zone may be in a stationary state. The contact support surfaces referred to here include the contact support surface (first support surface) of the first platen. In addition, when a second platen is provided, the contact support surface (second support surface) of the second platen is also included in the above-mentioned contact support surface. On the other hand, the support and conveying surface provided on a support such as a belt in the conveying device is not included in the above-mentioned contact support surface because the belt functions as a drive part of the conveying device.

[0026] According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, the support and conveying surface of the conveying device is divided by the cutting zone, so that the driven support, such as a belt, is removed from the portion located in the width direction of the cutting zone. In addition, as described above, all of the contact support surfaces, such as the first support surface, are in a stationary state, so that it is possible to prevent the dynamic influence of vibrations, etc. caused by the presence of the driving unit from reaching the portion of the glass film passing through the cutting zone, and therefore it is possible to perform laser cutting of the glass film in a more stable position and posture.

[0027] In the method for producing a glass film according to the present invention, the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor may each have a driving source independent of each other.

[0028] By providing separate and independent drive sources for the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor in this manner, the conveying speed can be made different before and after the glass film is cut, which enables precise adjustment according to the cutting state of the glass film, thereby enabling further improvement in cutting quality.

[0029] Here, in the case where the driving sources are independent of each other as described above, in the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention, each driving source may be adjusted so that the feed speed of the downstream conveyor is greater than the feed speed of the upstream conveyor.

[0030] In this way, by making the feed speed of the downstream conveyor faster than the feed speed of the upstream conveyor, a tensile force can be applied to the portion of the glass film immediately before cutting. This allows, for example, the portion of the glass film introduced into the cutting zone to be stretched, and wrinkles that existed immediately before the cutting can be eliminated. Alternatively, the glass film can be introduced into the cutting zone in a stretched state in which wrinkles are prevented from occurring. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the cutting quality.

[0031] The present invention can also be provided as a method for manufacturing a glass roll, in which a glass roll is obtained by winding up the glass film manufactured by the manufacturing method described above. In this case, the glass film may be pulled out from the glass roll of the glass film located upstream of the upstream conveyor in the transport direction and supplied to a cutting zone, and the cut glass film may be wound into a roll by a winding section located downstream of the downstream conveyor in the transport direction to obtain a glass roll.

[0032] According to the glass roll manufacturing method of the present invention, the influence of vibrations caused by driving of the conveying device on the laser cutting of the glass film can be avoided, and the glass film can be stably cut. Therefore, by supplying the glass film to the cutting zone by the roll-to-roll method as described above and winding up the cut glass film into a roll, it is possible to stably and efficiently obtain a glass roll of good quality.

[0033] The above-mentioned problem is also solved by a glass film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention. That is, the manufacturing apparatus is a glass film manufacturing apparatus for cutting a strip-shaped glass film, and includes a conveying device capable of conveying the glass film in a predetermined direction and a laser cutting device capable of cutting the glass film in a predetermined cutting zone by irradiating a laser light to the glass film conveyed by the conveying device, and the supporting and conveying surface of the glass film in the conveying device is divided at the cutting zone of the glass film, whereby the conveying device is divided into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction of the glass film and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction, and further includes a first platen located in the width direction of the glass film with respect to the cutting zone and disposed at a position corresponding to the center side of the width direction of the glass film after cutting, and capable of contacting and supporting the glass film.

[0034] In this manner, in the glass film manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention, the support and transport surface of the glass film in the transport device is divided by the glass film cutting zone, and the transport device is divided into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in the glass film transport direction and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the transport direction. Therefore, the part of the glass film passing through the cutting zone does not directly receive vibration or up and down movement from a part driven for support and transport, such as a belt. Therefore, the influence of vibration on cutting can be eliminated as much as possible, and stable laser cutting can be achieved. In addition, in the present invention, a first constant platen capable of contacting and supporting the glass film after cutting at its widthwise center is provided at the same transport direction position as the cutting zone, so that the glass film during or after cutting can be smoothly transported even in the glass film cutting zone. Therefore, the glass film can be cut in a stable state, and the glass film after cutting can be wound up without positional deviation. Therefore, it is possible to stably obtain a glass film of good quality and a glass roll of good quality. Effect of the Invention

[0035] As described above, according to the present invention, the effect of the driving of the conveying device on the laser cutting of the glass film is avoided, and stable cutting is performed on the glass film, thereby making it possible to stably obtain glass films of good quality. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing an overall configuration of a glass film manufacturing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the transport device shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the conveying device taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first platen shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first platen taken along the line BB in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the first platen taken along the line CC in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the second platen shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second platen taken along the line DD in FIG. 7. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the second platen taken along the line E-E in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 3 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the action of the support roller shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a plan view of a conveying device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a plan view of a conveying device according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0037] Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a method for producing a glass film according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0038] As shown in Fig. 1, the glass film manufacturing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a forming unit 2 that forms a band-shaped base glass film G, a direction changing unit 3 that changes the traveling direction of the base glass film G from the vertical downward direction to the horizontal direction, a first conveying unit 4 that conveys the base glass film G in the horizontal direction after the direction changing, and a first cutting unit 5 that cuts both widthwise end portions of the base glass film G. In this embodiment, the manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a first winding unit 6 that winds up the glass film (hereinafter referred to as the first glass film) G1 from which both widthwise end portions have been removed into a roll to obtain a first glass roll GRL1, and therefore can also be a glass roll manufacturing apparatus. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is the vertical direction, and the horizontal direction is the horizontal direction.

[0039] In addition, the glass film manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes a pull-out section 7 that pulls out the first glass film G1 from the first glass roll GRL1, a second transport section 8 that transports the first glass film G1 pulled out from the pull-out section 7 in the horizontal direction, a second cutting section 9 that cuts a portion of the first glass film G1, and a second winding section 10 that winds up the glass film (hereinafter referred to as the second glass film) G2 cut by the second cutting section 9 into a roll to obtain second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b.

[0040] In the present embodiment, the first glass film G1 corresponds to the glass film before cutting according to the present invention, and the second glass film corresponds to the glass film after cutting according to the present invention. Thus, the first glass roll GRL1 corresponds to the glass roll obtained by winding up the glass film before cutting according to the present invention, and the second glass roll GRL2 corresponds to the glass roll obtained by winding up the glass film after cutting according to the present invention.

[0041] In addition, the second winding section 10 in this embodiment corresponds to the winding section according to the present invention, the second cutting section 9 corresponds to the laser cutting device according to the present invention, and the second conveying section 8 corresponds to the conveying device according to the present invention.

[0042] The forming section 2 has a forming body 11 which is roughly wedge-shaped in cross section and has an overflow groove 11a formed at its upper end, edge rollers 12 which are arranged directly below the forming body 11 and which clamp the molten glass GM which overflows from the forming body 11 from both the front and back sides, and an annealer 13 which is arranged directly below the edge rollers 12.

[0043] The forming unit 2 allows the molten glass GM overflowing from the overflow groove 11a of the forming body 11 to flow down along both side surfaces and join at the lower end to form a film. The edge rollers 12 regulate the widthwise contraction of the molten glass GM to adjust the widthwise dimension of the base glass film G. The annealer 13 is for performing distortion removal processing on the base glass film G. The annealer 13 has annealer rollers 14 arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction.

[0044] Support rollers 15 that hold the base glass film G from both the front and back sides are disposed below the annealer 13. Tension is applied between the support rollers 15 and the edge rollers 12, or between the support rollers 15 and any one of the annealer rollers 14, in order to promote thinning of the base glass film G.

[0045] The direction change unit 3 is provided below the support rollers 15. In the direction change unit 3, a plurality of guide rollers 16 for guiding the base glass film G are arranged in a curved shape. These guide rollers 16 guide the base glass film G transported in the vertical direction in the lateral direction.

[0046] The first conveying section 4 is disposed in front of (downstream of) the direction of travel of the direction change section 3. The first conveying section 4 drives a driving section having a support and conveying surface to convey the base glass film G that has passed through the direction change section 3 downstream along its longitudinal direction. The first conveying section 4 may have any configuration, and may be configured, for example, with one or more belt conveyors. In this case, the driving section having the support and conveying surface is a belt, and the base glass film G can be conveyed in the above-mentioned manner by driving this belt. Of course, the first conveying section 4 is not limited to the above-mentioned exemplary configuration, and may also use a roller conveyor or other various conveying devices.

[0047] The first cutting unit 5 is disposed above the first conveying unit 4. In the present embodiment, the first cutting unit 5 is configured to be capable of cutting the base glass film G by laser cleaving. Specifically, the first cutting unit 5 has a pair of laser irradiation devices 17a and a pair of cooling devices 17b disposed downstream of the laser irradiation devices 17a. The first cutting unit 5 irradiates a predetermined portion of the base glass film G being conveyed with laser light L from each of the laser irradiation devices 17a to heat the portion, and then releases a refrigerant R from the cooling device 17b to cool the heated portion.

[0048] The first winding unit 6 is disposed downstream of the first conveying unit 4 and the first cutting unit 5. The first winding unit 6 rotates the winding core 18 to wind the first glass film G1 into a roll. The first glass roll GRL1 obtained in this manner is conveyed to the position of the pulling-out unit 7. The pulling-out unit 7 pulls out the first glass film G1 from the first glass roll GRL1 obtained by the first winding unit 6, and supplies it onto the second conveying unit 8.

[0049] The second conveying section 8 conveys the first glass film G1 pulled out from the first glass roll GRL1 in the pull-out section 7 in a lateral direction (hereinafter referred to as the conveying direction X). Here, the second conveying section 8 is composed of two conveyors 19, 20, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. In this case, the support and conveying surface of the second conveying section 8 is divided at a cutting zone 21 (an area surrounded by a dashed line in Fig. 2) of the first glass film G1 by the second cutting section 9. As a result, the second conveying section 8 is configured to be divided into an upstream conveyor 19 located upstream of the cutting zone 21 in the conveying direction of the first glass film G1, and a downstream conveyor 20 located downstream of the cutting zone 21 in the conveying direction.

[0050] Of these, the upstream conveyor 19 has a plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22. All of these plurality of upstream belt conveyors 22 are configured to be capable of supporting and contacting the first glass film G1 in the same direction with belts (hereinafter referred to as first belts 23) and transporting it downstream. Here, each of the first belts 23 is, for example, an endless belt, and is set at the same height position so as to hold the first glass film G1 in a substantially horizontal position over the entire area where it contacts in the longitudinal direction. As a result, a pass line PL (see FIG. 5, etc., described later) of the first glass film G1 along the horizontal direction is formed on the surface 23a of each of the first belts 23, which serves as a support and transport surface for the first glass film G1.

[0051] Here, as shown in Fig. 3, each upstream belt conveyor 22 has the above-mentioned endless belt-like first belt 23, a plurality of pulleys 24 for disposing the first belt 23 at a predetermined position while applying tension to the first belt 23, and a support 25 for supporting the plurality of pulleys 24. The support 25 is fixed to a floor surface. A drive source 26 such as a motor is connected to a predetermined pulley 24 (drive pulley 24a) among the plurality of pulleys 24 (see Fig. 2), and the first belt 23 of each upstream belt conveyor 22 can be driven in a predetermined direction by applying a driving force to the drive pulley 24a by the drive source 26.

[0052] Moreover, the multiple upstream belt conveyors 22 configured as described above are installed at predetermined widthwise positions. Here, assuming that multiple types of first glass films G1 having different widthwise dimensions are transported on the upstream conveyor 19, the widthwise positions of the first belts 23 are set so as to contact and support both ends of each of the first glass films G1. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the upstream belt conveyor 22 is disposed so as to be able to contact and support all of the first glass films G1 at their widthwise center positions regardless of the size of the widthwise dimensions (see FIG. 2), and the upstream belt conveyor 22 is configured so as to be able to adsorb the first glass film G1 to the surface 23a of the first belt 23, which is the support and transport surface. In this embodiment, multiple holes 23b are formed in the surface 23a of the first belt 23, and the first glass film G1 can be adsorbed to the surface 23a by sucking air through the holes 23b.

[0053] The downstream conveyor 20 has a plurality of downstream belt conveyors 27. All of the downstream belt conveyors 27 are configured to be capable of supporting and conveying the first glass film G1, i.e., the second glass films G2a and G2b, after cutting in the same direction with a belt (hereinafter referred to as a second belt 28) in contact with the first glass film G1 after cutting, i.e., the second glass films G2a and G2b, downstream. Here, the second belts 28 are, for example, endless belts, and are set at the same height position so as to hold the second glass films G2a and G2b in a substantially horizontal position over the entire area where they contact in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the surface 23a of each first belt 23, which serves as the support and conveyance surface for the first glass film G1, and the surface 28a of each second belt 28, which serves as the support and conveyance surface for the second glass films G2a and G2b, form a pass line PL along the horizontal direction before and after cutting of the first glass film G1, i.e., a pass line PL by the second conveying section 8.

[0054] Here, as shown in FIG. 3, each downstream belt conveyor 27 has the above-mentioned endless belt-like second belt 28, a plurality of pulleys 29 for disposing the second belt 28 at a predetermined position while applying tension to the second belt 28, and a support 30 for supporting the plurality of pulleys 29. A drive source 31 such as a motor is connected to a predetermined pulley 29 (drive pulley 29a) among the plurality of pulleys 29 (see FIG. 2), and the second belt 28 of each downstream belt conveyor 27 can be driven in a predetermined direction by applying a driving force to the drive pulley 29a by the drive source 31. This drive source 31 is provided separately and independently from the drive source 26 of the upstream belt conveyor 22. Therefore, the drive of each drive source 26, 31, and therefore the upstream belt conveyor 22 and the downstream belt conveyor 27 can be controlled individually without being linked.

[0055] In this embodiment, the downstream belt conveyors 27 can be installed at a predetermined widthwise position, and the position of each second belt 28 can be adjusted in the width direction of the first glass film G1. Specifically, a rail portion 32 extending in the width direction of the first glass film G1 is disposed below each downstream belt conveyor 27. A slide portion 33 that can move relatively between the rail portion 32 is attached to the lower portion of the support 30 constituting each downstream belt conveyor 27. As a result, the slide portion 33 of each support 30 slides in the width direction relative to the rail portion 32, so that the pulleys 29 supported by each support 30 and the second belt 28 supported by these pulleys 29 can slide in the width direction together. The drive pulley 29a of each downstream belt conveyor 27 is supported so as to be slidable in the width direction relative to a common shaft 34. Therefore, it is possible to receive a driving force from the drive source 31 and drive at any widthwise position while freely changing the widthwise position relative to the shaft 34.

[0056] In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 2, the widthwise positions of the second belts 28 (the downstream belt conveyors 27) are adjusted so that the pair of second belts 28 are located near both widthwise ends of the second glass films G2a, G2b, which are the first glass film G1 after cutting. When two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out from one first glass film G1 while cutting out both widthwise ends of the first glass film G1 as in this embodiment, one downstream belt conveyor 27 is not required, so it is preferable to move the downstream belt conveyor 27 located on the outermost side in the widthwise direction to the evacuation space 35, for example. This reliably prevents the unnecessary downstream belt conveyor 27 from interfering with the second glass films G2a, G2b, while the two downstream belt conveyors 27 support and transport the two second glass films G2a, G2b, and each downstream belt conveyor 27 supports and transports the widthwise ends of the cut-off first glass film G1. In this embodiment, the second belts 28 of all the downstream belt conveyors 27 are configured to be capable of adsorbing the second glass films G2a, G2b onto their surfaces 28a, which serve as their supporting and conveying surfaces, as shown in Fig. 2. In this embodiment, a plurality of holes 28b are formed in the surfaces 28a of the second belts 28, and the second glass films G2a, G2b can be adsorbed onto the surfaces 28a by sucking air through the holes 28b.

[0057] The second cutting section 9 is disposed above a region of the second conveying section 8 that is located between the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20 (see FIGS. 1 and 3). In this embodiment, the second cutting section 9 is configured to be able to cut the first glass film G1 by laser cleaving, and includes a plurality of laser irradiation devices 36 and cooling devices 37 disposed downstream of each of the laser irradiation devices 36. In this case, the cooling devices 37 are disposed in the same number as the laser irradiation devices 36. In this embodiment, the cutting zones 21 of the first glass film G1 by the second cutting section 9 are provided at three locations in the width direction (see FIG. 2), so that three laser irradiation devices 36 and three cooling devices 37 are disposed. The second cutting section 9 configured as described above is configured to irradiate a predetermined portion of the first glass film G1 being conveyed with laser light L from each of the laser irradiation devices 36 to heat the portion, and then release a refrigerant R from the cooling device 37 to cool the heated portion. Details will be described later.

[0058] As shown in Fig. 2, a first platen 38 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 being transported by the second transport unit 8 is disposed at a position away from the cutting zone 21 of the first glass film G1 in the width direction. More precisely, the first platen 38 is disposed at a position corresponding to the center side of the width direction of the first glass film G1 (second glass films G2a, G2b) after cutting. In this embodiment, since two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out from one first glass film G1, the first platen 38 is disposed at a position located in the width direction relative to the cutting zone 21 and corresponding to the center of each of the second glass films G2a, G2b in the width direction. Although not shown, these first platens 38 are installed and fixed to a floor surface and are always stationary.

[0059] Here, the first platen 38 has a first supporting surface 39 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1, and a first suction portion 40 capable of sucking the first glass film G1 toward the first supporting surface 39, as shown in FIG.

[0060] The first platen 38 is formed, for example, from metal in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the first support surface 39 is formed from the surface of a sheet member 41 provided on the upper side of the first platen 38, as shown in Fig. 5. This sheet member 41 is formed from a material, such as resin, that has low resistance when in contact with the first glass film G1, or a material that has good slip properties with respect to the first glass film G1. Note that, although the first support surface 39 is formed from the surface of the sheet member 41 in this embodiment, the first support surface 39 may of course be formed from the upper surface of the first platen 38.

[0061] The position of the first supporting surface 39 in the height direction may be the same as the pass line PL of the first glass film G1, but may be set slightly higher (for example, within a range of 3 mm) than the pass line PL as shown in, for example, Fig. 5 and Fig. 6. This makes it possible to more reliably bring the first glass film G1 and the first supporting surface 39 into close contact with each other.

[0062] In this embodiment, the first suction unit 40 includes a first intake port 42 that opens on the first support surface 39, a communication space 43 that communicates with the first intake port 42, an exhaust unit 44 such as a pump that exhausts air from inside the communication space 43, and a connection pipe 45 that connects the communication space 43 and the exhaust unit 44 (see FIG. 3 for all of these). In this embodiment, the first intake port 42 is groove-shaped. The groove-shaped first intake port 42 is formed on the first support surface 39 so as to extend along the longitudinal direction of the first glass film G1, i.e., the conveying direction (see FIG. 4). The first intake port 42 is formed so as to penetrate the sheet member 41 and open on the upper surface of the first platen 38. In this embodiment, both ends of the first intake port 42 in the longitudinal direction open to the side surface of the first platen 38. Thus, the openings 42a, 42a at both ends of the first intake port 42 are always open to the external space (external air).

[0063] A plurality of through holes 42b are formed in the bottom surface of the first intake port 42, and are connected to a communication space 43 formed in a support member 46 that supports the first platen 38. In this case, the through holes 42b are formed in the first platen 38, and the communication space 43 is formed in the support member 46. The connection pipe 45 is attached to the support member 46. For example, the exhaust unit 44 may be common, and one exhaust unit 44 may be connected to the same number of connection pipes 45 as the first platen 38. Alternatively, the communication space 43 may be common, and a plurality of first platens 38 may be supported by one support member 46. In this case, one connection pipe 45 is attached to one support member 46. According to the first suction unit 40 having the above configuration, by driving the exhaust unit 44, air is sucked from the first intake port 42 that opens into the first support surface 39 and the two end openings 42a, 42a located at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the first intake port 42. Therefore, when the first glass film G1 is transported onto the first supporting surface 39 of the first platen 38, the lower surface of the first glass film G1 is sucked onto the first supporting surface 39 by the above-mentioned suction action.

[0064] In the present embodiment, second surface plates 47 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1 are disposed in the above-described cutting zone 21 for the first glass film G1, as shown in Fig. 2. In the present embodiment, the first glass film G1 is cut at three locations in the width direction, and therefore three second surface plates 47 are disposed for each of the three cutting zones 21. Although not shown in the figure, these second surface plates 47 are installed and fixed to the floor surface and are always stationary.

[0065] Here, the second base plate 47 has a second supporting surface 48 capable of contacting and supporting the first glass film G1, and a second suction portion 49 capable of sucking the first glass film G1 toward the second supporting surface 48, as shown in FIG.

[0066] The second base plate 47 is formed of, for example, a metal in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. In this embodiment, the second support surface 48 is formed of a surface of a sheet member 50 provided on the upper side of the second base plate 47 as shown in Fig. 8. The sheet member 50 is formed of a material, such as a resin, that has low resistance when in contact with the first glass film G1, or a material that has good slip properties with respect to the first glass film G1. In this embodiment, the second support surface 48 is formed of the surface of the sheet member 50, but it goes without saying that the second support surface 48 may be formed of the upper surface of the second base plate 47.

[0067] The position of the second supporting surface 48 in the height direction may be the same as the pass line PL of the first glass film G1, but may be set slightly higher (for example, within a range of 3 mm) than the pass line PL as shown in Fig. 8 and Fig. 9. This makes it possible to more reliably bring the first glass film G1 and the second supporting surface 48 into close contact with each other.

[0068] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9, the second suction section 49 has a second air intake port 51 that opens to the second support surface 48, a pair of third air intake ports 52, 52 located on both sides of the width of the second air intake port 51, a communication space 53 that communicates with the second air intake port 51 and the third air intake ports 52, 52, an exhaust section 54 such as a pump that exhausts air from inside the communication space 53, and a connecting pipe 55 that connects the communication space 53 and the exhaust section 54.

[0069] In this embodiment, the second air intake port 51 and the third air intake port 52 are both formed in the second support surface 48 to have an elongated hole shape extending along the conveyance direction X of the first glass film G1. Here, the width and length dimensions of the second air intake port 51 are set to appropriate sizes in consideration of the width and length dimensions of the third air intake port 52. In other words, it is preferable to appropriately set the above-mentioned dimensions, particularly the size relationship between the various dimensions of the second air intake port 51 and the various dimensions of the third air intake port 52, depending on the required suction force (deformation force) on the first glass film G1.

[0070] The second intake port 51 and the pair of third intake ports 52, 52 of the above configuration are formed in the sheet member 50 and the second base plate 47. The second intake port 51 and the third intake port 52, 52 are formed to penetrate the sheet member 50 and the second base plate 47 in the up-down direction, respectively, and are connected to a communication space 53 formed in a support member 56 that supports the second base plate 47 from below. In this case, the communication space 53 is formed in the support member 56, and the connection pipe 55 is attached to the lower side of the support member 56. For example, the exhaust section 54 may be common, and one exhaust section 54 may be connected to the same number of connection pipes 55 as the second base plate 47. Alternatively, the communication space 53 may be common, and a plurality of second base plates 47 may be supported by one support member 56. In this case, one connection pipe 55 is attached to one support member 56. In this embodiment, a slit portion 57 that opens in the width direction of the support member 56 and allows external air to be sucked is formed between the support member 56 and the second base plate 47.

[0071] According to the second suction unit 49 configured as above, by driving the exhaust unit 54, air is sucked in through the second air inlet 51 and the third air inlet 52, 52 that open on the second support surface 48, and the slit portion 57. Therefore, when the first glass film G1 is transported onto the second support surface 48 of the second base plate 47, the lower surface of the first glass film G1 is sucked toward the second support surface 48 by the above-mentioned suction operation.

[0072] Furthermore, when separate and independent exhaust sections 44, 54 are provided for the first suction section 40 and the second suction section 49 as in the present embodiment, it is possible to control the suction force individually. For example, it is possible to individually adjust the suction force by each of the suction sections 40, 49, in other words, the exhaust amount by each of the exhaust sections 44, 54, so that the suction force of the first suction section 40 on the first glass film G1 is smaller than the suction force of the second suction section 49 on the first glass film G1. Of course, it is also possible to simplify the structure by sharing a common exhaust section (not shown) between the first suction section 40 and the second suction section 49.

[0073] The laser irradiation device 36 irradiates a predetermined portion of the first glass film G1 moving along the transport direction X with laser light L, thereby locally heating the portion. As shown in Fig. 9, the laser irradiation device 36 has a plurality of laser irradiation units 36a. Each laser irradiation unit 36a is disposed above the second air intake 51 of the second base plate 47. In this manner, the laser irradiation unit 36a irradiates a plurality of portions of the first glass film G1 passing through the second air intake 51 opening in the second support surface 48 with laser light L. The irradiation position O of the laser light L from each laser irradiation unit 36a is set to be located on a straight line substantially parallel to the transport direction X of the first glass film G1.

[0074] The cooling device 37 is disposed downstream of the laser irradiation device 36 in the transport direction X of the first glass film G1. The cooling device 37 supplies a refrigerant R to a portion of the first glass film G1 that has been locally heated by the irradiation of the laser light L described above, to cool the portion.

[0075] A gap forming section 58 for forming a widthwise gap between a pair of second glass films G2a, G2b adjacent to each other in the widthwise direction is provided downstream of the second conveying section 8. In this embodiment, the gap forming section 58 has barrel-shaped support rollers 59a, 59b having the largest diameter at the center in the widthwise direction so that each of the second glass films G2a, G2b is curved and deformed in a direction that convex upward. In this embodiment, two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out, so that two support rollers 59a, 59b are provided. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, nozzles 60a, 60b for blowing gas such as air from above toward both ends in the widthwise direction of each of the second glass films G2a, G2b supported by the support rollers 59a, 59b are provided.

[0076] The second winding unit 10 is disposed downstream of the second conveying unit 8. Specifically, the second winding unit 10 obtains second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b by winding the second glass films G2a, G2b conveyed by the second conveying unit 8 around the winding cores 61a, 61b. In the present embodiment, two second glass films G2a, G2b are cut out, and therefore, by winding up these two second glass films G2a, G2b, respectively, two second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b are obtained.

[0077] The second glass films G2a, G2b (first glass film G1) manufactured by the manufacturing apparatus 1 having the above configuration may be made of silicate glass or silica glass, preferably borosilicate glass, soda-lime glass, aluminosilicate glass, or chemically strengthened glass, and most preferably alkali-free glass. Here, alkali-free glass refers to glass that does not substantially contain an alkali component (alkali metal oxide), and more specifically, glass having an alkali component weight ratio of 3000 ppm or less. The alkali component weight ratio in the present invention is preferably 1000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, and most preferably 300 ppm or less.

[0078] The thickness of the second glass films G2a, G2b (first glass film G1) is set to 10 μm or more and 300 μm or less, preferably 30 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and most preferably 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less.

[0079] Hereinafter, a method for producing the second glass films G2a, G2b (second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b in this embodiment) will be described using the production apparatus 1 configured as described above. This method includes a forming step S1, a both end removing step S2, a first winding step S3, a drawing step S4, a cutting step S5, and a second winding step S6.

[0080] In the forming step S1, as shown in Fig. 1, the molten glass GM overflowing from the overflow groove 11a of the formed body 11 in the forming section 2 is caused to flow down along both side surfaces of the formed body 11 and merge at the lower end to be formed into a film. At this time, the widthwise contraction of the molten glass GM is regulated by edge rollers 12 to form a base glass film G of a predetermined width. Thereafter, the base glass film G is subjected to a distortion removing process by an annealer 13 (slow cooling step). The tension of the support rollers 15 causes the base glass film G to be formed to a predetermined thickness.

[0081] In the both end removing step S2, as also shown in FIG. 1, while the base glass film G is sent downstream by the direction changing unit 3 and the first conveying unit 4, a part of the base glass film G is irradiated with laser light L from the laser irradiation device 17a in the first cutting unit 5 to heat it. Then, the cooling device 17b sprays a refrigerant R onto the heated part. This generates thermal stress in the base glass film G. An initial crack is formed in the base glass film G in advance, and this crack is propagated by the thermal stress. This removes both widthwise end portions of the base glass film G, and a first glass film G1 is formed.

[0082] In the subsequent first winding step S3, as also shown in Fig. 1, the first glass film G1 is wound around a winding core 18 to obtain a first glass roll GRL1. Thereafter, the first glass roll GRL1 is transferred to the drawing section 7. In the drawing step S4, the first glass film G1 is drawn out from the first glass roll GRL1 transferred to the drawing section 7, and is transported by the second transport section 8 to a cutting zone 21 on the second transport section 8 (see Figs. 2 and 3).

[0083] In the cutting step S5, a portion of the first glass film G1 passing through the cutting zone 21 on the second transport unit 8 is irradiated with laser light L by the laser irradiation device 36, and a refrigerant R is sprayed onto the irradiated area, thereby cutting the first glass film G1 in a direction along the transport direction X. In addition, at this time, the first glass film G1 is transported in a direction along the transport direction X by the upstream conveyor 19, and passes over a first support surface 39 of a first constant platen 38 disposed at a position separated in the width direction from the cutting zone 21 (see FIG. 2). Here, by operating the exhaust unit 44 of the first suction unit 40 (by keeping it constantly operated), a downward suction force acts on the first glass film G1 on the first support surface 39 through the first intake port 42 opening in the first support surface 39, and the first glass film G1 is sucked toward the first support surface 39. As a result, the first glass film G1 is transported along the transport direction X while being supported in contact with the first support surface 39. Depending on the strength of the suction force of the first suction unit 40, the suctioned portion of the first glass film G1 may be deformed (for example, may be curved in a downward convex direction as shown in FIG. 5).

[0084] In addition, in this embodiment, the second platen 47 is disposed in the cutting zone 21, and therefore, as described above, the first glass film G1 passes over the second support surface 48 of the second platen 47 at the same time as passing over the cutting zone 21 (see FIG. 2). Here, by operating the exhaust unit 54 of the second suction unit 49, a downward suction force acts on the first glass film G1 on the second support surface 48 through the second intake port 51 and the pair of third intake ports 52, 52 that open on the second support surface 48, and the first glass film G1 is sucked toward the second support surface 48. As a result, the first glass film G1 is transported along the transport direction X while being supported in contact with the second support surface 48 in a state in which it is subjected to a force (restraining force) toward the second support surface 48. Depending on the level of the suction force by the second suction unit 49, the sucked portion of the first glass film G1 is deformed (for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the portions directly above the intake ports 51, 52 are curved and deformed in a direction that convex downwards).

[0085] In this case, the suction force of the first suction unit 40 is controlled to an appropriate level by, for example, adjusting the output of the exhaust unit 44 and the shapes and sizes of the openings (first intake port 42, and both end openings 42a, 42a). Similarly, the suction force of the second suction unit 49 is controlled to an appropriate level by, for example, adjusting the output of the exhaust unit 54 and the shapes and sizes of the openings (second intake port 51, third intake port 52, and slit unit 57).

[0086] In the above-described adjustment of the suction force, when the suction force is increased, the amount of deformation of the first glass film G1 described above tends to increase while the range of the vertical movement of the first glass film G1 tends to decrease. Conversely, when the suction force is decreased, the amount of deformation described above tends to decrease while the range of the vertical movement tends to increase. Therefore, it is preferable to make the amount of deformation as small as possible within the range of the allowable range of the vertical movement.

[0087] In the cutting step S5, the first glass film G1 is transported by the second transport unit 8 (upstream conveyor 19) while being sucked onto the first support surface 39 of the first base plate 38 and the second support surface 48 of the second base plate 47 as described above, and multiple laser beams L are irradiated onto the first glass film G1 from the laser irradiation unit 36a of the laser irradiation device 36 (laser irradiation step). The laser beams L are irradiated onto a portion of the first glass film G1 that passes over the second air intake 51 of the second base plate 47.

[0088] The first glass film G1 is heated at the irradiation position O (see FIG. 7) by the irradiation of the laser light L as described above. Thereafter, when the heated portion of the first glass film G1 reaches directly below the cooling device 37 located downstream of the second air inlet 51, it is cooled by being exposed to the refrigerant R sprayed downward from the cooling device 37. Thermal stress is generated in the first glass film G1 due to expansion caused by local heating by the laser irradiation device 36 and contraction caused by cooling by the cooling device 37. An initial crack is formed in the first glass film G1 in advance by a means not shown, and the initial crack is developed by utilizing the above-mentioned thermal stress, so that the first glass film G1 is continuously cut (cleaved) at a predetermined position in the width direction. In this embodiment, the above-mentioned laser cutting is performed at three positions in the width direction, whereby both ends in the width direction of the first glass film G1 are cut off, and two second glass films G2a and G2b each having a predetermined width dimension are cut out (see FIG. 2). These second glass films G2a, G2b are transported by a downstream conveyor 20 located downstream of the cutting zone 21 in the transport direction X toward a second winding section 10 located downstream of the downstream conveyor 20 in the transport direction X.

[0089] In the second winding step S6, the second glass films G2a and G2b are wound around the winding cores 61a and 61b disposed at predetermined positions, respectively. The second glass films G2a and G2b of predetermined lengths are wound up to obtain second glass rolls GRL2a and GRL2b.

[0090] In the present embodiment, the support rollers 59a, 59b serving as the gap forming unit 58 are disposed between the downstream conveyor 20 and the second winding unit 10, so that the second glass film G2 passing over each of the support rollers 59a, 59b is transported downstream while being deformed (here, curved and deformed in an upwardly convex direction) following the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the support rollers 59a, 59b. As a result, a predetermined widthwise gap is formed between the second glass films G2a, G2b immediately after being cut (see FIG. 10), so that the cut surfaces can be prevented from interfering with each other while being transported to the second winding unit 10.

[0091] As described above, in the manufacturing method of the glass film (second glass film G2a, G2b) according to the present embodiment, the support and conveyance surface (the surface 23a of the first belt 23 and the surface 28a of the second belt 28) of the first glass film G1 in the second conveyor 8 is divided at the cutting zone 21 of the first glass film G1, and the second conveyor 8 as a conveying device is divided into the upstream conveyor 19 located upstream of the cutting zone 21 in the conveyance direction X of the first glass film G1 and the downstream conveyor 20 located downstream of the cutting zone 21 in the conveyance direction X. Therefore, the portion of the first glass film G1 passing through the cutting zone 21 does not directly receive vibration or up-down movement from the parts that are driven for support and conveyance, such as the belts 23 and 28. Therefore, the influence of vibration and the like on cutting can be eliminated as much as possible, and stable laser cutting can be achieved. In the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, the first constant platen 38 capable of contacting and supporting the second glass films G2a, G2b, which are glass films after cutting, at the center side in the width direction is provided at the same conveying direction position as the cutting zone 21. This allows the first glass film G1 to the second glass films G2a, G2b to be smoothly conveyed even in the region (cutting zone 21) where the support and conveying surface of the second conveyor 8 is interrupted. This makes it possible to cut the first glass film G1 in a stable state, and to take up the second glass films G2a, G2b without positional deviation. This makes it possible to stably obtain the second glass films G2a, G2b of good quality, and thus the second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b of good quality.

[0092] In the present embodiment, the first platen 38 is provided with a first supporting surface 39 capable of contact-supporting the second glass films G2a, G2b, and a first suction section 40 capable of sucking the second glass films G2a, G2b toward the first supporting surface 39. As a result, the second glass films G2a, G2b are subjected to a suction force toward the first supporting surface 39 at the center side in the width direction, and this suction force can act on the portion of the second glass films G2a, G2b passing through the cutting zone 21 as a force that counteracts the tensile force associated with winding. As a result, it is possible to suppress deviation of the second glass films G2a, G2b, and therefore it is possible to accurately cut the second glass films G2a, G2b to obtain high-quality second glass films G2a, G2b and therefore second glass rolls GRL2a, GRL2b.

[0093] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, a second base plate 47 having a second support surface 48 capable of supporting the first glass film G1 in contact therewith is disposed in the cutting zone 21, and a second suction unit 49 capable of sucking the first glass film G1 toward the second support surface 48 is provided on the second base plate 47, and the suction forces of the suction units 40, 49 are adjustable so that the suction force of the first suction unit 40 on the second glass films G2a, G2b is smaller than the suction force of the second suction unit 49 on the first glass film G1. With this configuration, the first glass film G1 can be relatively firmly restrained by deformation associated with suction in the portion of the first glass film G1 where laser cutting is performed (see FIG. 8). Furthermore, in a portion of the first glass film G1 that is separated in the width direction from the portion where laser cutting is performed, it is possible to apply to the second glass films G2a, G2b a sufficient restraining force to resist the tensile force acting on each of the second glass films G2a, G2b as they are wound by the second winding section 10 downstream, while ensuring smooth transport of the second glass films G2a, G2b as a whole.

[0094] In the present embodiment, the upstream belt conveyors 22 constituting the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream belt conveyors 27 constituting the downstream conveyor 20 divided by the cutting zone 21 have driving sources 26, 31 independent of each other. Therefore, the driving sources 26, 31 can be adjusted so that the feed speed of the downstream belt conveyor 27 is greater than the feed speed of the upstream belt conveyor 22. By setting the feed speeds of the belt conveyors 22, 27 in this manner, a tensile force in the direction along the conveying direction X can be applied to the portion of the first glass film G1 immediately before cutting. Thereby, for example, the portion of the first glass film G1 introduced into the cutting zone 21 is stretched, and wrinkles that existed immediately before the first glass film G1 can be eliminated. Alternatively, the first glass film G1 can be introduced into the cutting zone 21 in a state in which the generation of wrinkles is prevented in the stretched state. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the cutting quality.

[0095] While the first embodiment of the glass film manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus according to the present invention has been described above, the manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus can naturally take any form within the scope of the present invention.

[0096] 11 shows a second embodiment of the glass film manufacturing method according to the present invention. That is, in the above-mentioned first embodiment, the configuration in which the present invention is applied when cutting out two second glass films G2a and G2b from one first glass film G1 is illustrated, but in this embodiment, the configuration in which the present invention is applied when cutting out three second glass films G2a, G2b, and G2c from one first glass film G1 is illustrated. That is, in this embodiment, in the manufacturing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 11, the number and width direction positions of the first platen 38 and the second platen 47 are adjusted according to the width direction positions and width direction dimensions of the second glass films G2a to G2c to be cut out. In addition, the number and width direction positions of the laser irradiation device 36 and the cooling device 37 are adjusted according to the width direction positions and width direction dimensions of the second glass films G2a to G2c. That is, although not illustrated, the laser irradiation device 36 and the cooling device 37 are arranged on each second platen 47 after the position adjustment.

[0097] In the present embodiment, the widthwise positions of the downstream belt conveyors 27 are adjusted in accordance with the widthwise positions and widthwise dimensions of the second glass films G2a-G2c. That is, as shown in Fig. 11, when the multiple downstream belt conveyors 27 are configured to be slidable in the widthwise direction along the rail portions 32, the positions of the multiple downstream belt conveyors 27 are adjusted in the widthwise direction in accordance with, for example, the positions of both ends in the widthwise direction of the second glass films G2a-G2c.

[0098] In addition, when a gap forming section 58 is provided between the downstream conveyor 20 and the second winding section 10, as shown in Figure 11, support rollers 59a to 59c having appropriate widthwise dimensions are arranged at appropriate widthwise positions depending on the widthwise position and widthwise dimension of the second glass films G2a to G2c.

[0099] In this way, by adjusting the number and widthwise positions of the first constant platen 38 and the second constant platen 47, it is possible to flexibly respond to changes in cutting conditions for the first glass film G1 in the manufacturing apparatus 1. Furthermore, by adjusting the position of the downstream belt conveyor 27 in the width direction according to the widthwise positions and widthwise dimensions of the second glass films G2a to G2c, it is possible to support and transport the second glass film G2a at an even position in the width direction. This makes it possible to avoid a situation in which the second belt 28 contacts a position biased to one side in the width direction, and to prevent poor transport of the second glass films G2a to G2c, such as skewing of the second glass films G2a to G2c, caused by the biased contact position. Furthermore, if the second glass films G2a-G2c can be transported without being skewed, it is possible to prevent as much as possible a situation in which the cut surface (side end surface) of one of the second glass films G2a (G2c) adjacent to the other in the width direction interferes with the cut surface (side end surface) of the other second glass film G2b, making it possible to obtain the second glass films G2a-G2c and, ultimately, the second glass rolls GRL2a-GRL2c with good cutting quality.

[0100] In the above embodiment, an example is given of cutting two (or three) second glass films G2a, G2b (G2a to G2c) from one first glass film G1. However, it is of course possible to apply the present invention to the case of cutting out one second glass film G2a having a different width dimension, and also possible to apply the present invention to the case of cutting out four or more second glass films G2a....

[0101] In the above embodiment, the first platen 38 is provided at the same position and with the same dimensions as the second platen 47 in the conveying direction X, and is provided with a predetermined widthwise gap between the second platen 47 adjacent thereto in the widthwise direction. However, other configurations are of course possible. For example, as shown in Fig. 12, the first support surface 39 of the first platen 38 can be expanded so as to substantially fill the gap between a pair of second platens 47 adjacent thereto in the widthwise direction (to a position close to the second platen 47). Although not shown in the drawings, the dimension of the first platen 38 in the conveying direction X can be set larger than that of the second platen 47.

[0102] In the above embodiment, the first intake port 42 formed on the first support surface 39 is groove-shaped, but of course other shapes are also possible. For example, although not shown, a plurality of through holes 42b may be formed on the first support surface 39 as the first intake port 42. Even if the first intake port 42 is groove-shaped, it can take any shape other than the shapes shown, such as a shape extending along the width direction. It goes without saying that the second intake port 51 and the third intake port 52 (particularly the third intake port 52 not irradiated with the laser light L) formed on the second support surface 48 of the second base plate 47 can also take shapes other than the shapes shown.

[0103] In the above description, the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20, which are formed by dividing the second conveying section 8 as a conveying device in the cutting zone 21, are both configured as belt conveyors, but other configurations are also possible. For example, at least one of the upstream conveyor 19 and the downstream conveyor 20 can be configured as a roller conveyor or other various conveying devices.

[0104] In the above description, the second surface plate 47 is provided in the cutting zone 21 in addition to the first surface plate 38, but the second surface plate 47 is not an essential component. Depending on the cutting mode of the first glass film G1, the second surface plate 47 may be omitted. Alternatively, even when the second surface plate 47 is provided, a configuration in which the second suction unit 49 is omitted may be adopted.

[0105] In the above description, the present invention is applied to the first glass film G1 obtained by cutting both widthwise ends of the base glass film G by the first cutting unit 5, but the present invention may be applied to cutting of the base glass film G by the first cutting unit 5. In this case, the present invention can be implemented by causing the first conveying unit 4 to have a configuration similar to that of the second conveying unit 8 shown in FIG. 2 and the like.

[0106] In the above description, the present invention is applied to the first glass film G1 having a belt shape, but it is of course possible to apply the present invention to a first glass film G1 having a shape other than this. That is, since the present invention is not limited to a method for manufacturing a glass roll, for example, although not shown, the present invention can be applied to the production of a sheet glass (glass film) having a rectangular or other sheet shape by cutting out a glass film at predetermined lengths from the glass film G1 using a width-direction cutting device instead of the second winding unit 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0107] 1 Manufacturing equipment 2 Molding section 3 Directional conversion section 4 First conveyor section 5 First cutting section 6 First winding section 7 Drawer section 8 Second conveyor section 9 Second cutting section 10 Second winding section 11 Molded body 17a Laser irradiation device 17b Cooling device 19 Upstream conveyor 20 Downstream conveyor 21 Cutting Zone 22 Upstream conveyor belt 23,28 Belt 26,31 Power source 27 Downstream conveyor belt 32 Rail section 33 Slide section 35 Evacuation Space 36 Laser irradiation device 37 Cooling device 38 First edition 39 First support surface 40 First suction part 41,50 Sheet member 42 First air intake 42a, 42a Openings at both ends 42b through hole 43,53 Communication space 44,54 Exhaust section 45,55 Connecting pipe 46,56 Support member 47 Second Plate 48 Second support surface 49 Second suction part 51 Second intake 52 Third air intake 57 Slit section 58 Gap forming part 59a, 59b, 59c Support rollers 60a, 60b Nozzle G Base glass film G1 First Glass Film G2a, G2b, G2c Second Glass Film GM Molten Glass GRL1 First Glass Roll GRL2a, GRL2b, GRL2c Second glass roll L Laser light PL Pass Line R Refrigerant

Claims

1. A method for producing a glass film, comprising at least a cutting step of cutting a belt-shaped glass film while conveying the glass film in a predetermined direction by a conveying device, In the cutting step, the glass film is cut in a predetermined cutting zone by irradiating the glass film with a laser light, a support and conveyance surface of the glass film in the conveying device is divided at a cutting zone of the glass film, thereby dividing the conveying device into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in a conveying direction of the glass film and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction, a first platen capable of contacting and supporting the glass film is disposed at a position in a width direction of the glass film with respect to the cutting zone and corresponding to a center side of the width direction of the glass film after the cutting; The method for manufacturing a glass film, wherein the platen has a first support surface capable of contacting and supporting the glass film, and a first suction portion capable of sucking the glass film toward the first support surface.

2. The method for manufacturing a glass film according to claim 1 , wherein the first suction section has a groove-shaped first air intake port that opens to the first support surface and extends along the transport direction.

3. The method for manufacturing a glass film according to claim 2 , wherein both ends of the first air inlet in a longitudinal direction are open.

4. The method for manufacturing a glass film according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a second platen having a second support surface capable of contacting and supporting the glass film is disposed in the cutting zone, and the second platen has a second suction portion capable of sucking the glass film toward the second support surface.

5. The method for manufacturing a glass film according to claim 4 , wherein the second suction section has a second air intake port that opens to the second support surface, and a pair of third air intake ports located on both sides of the second air intake port in a width direction.

6. The method for producing a glass film according to claim 4 , wherein a suction force of the first suction section on the glass film is adjusted to be smaller than a suction force of the second suction section on the glass film.

7. The method for producing a glass film according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein all of the contact support surfaces of the glass film located in a width direction of the cutting zone are in a stationary state.

8. The method for producing a glass film according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the upstream conveyor and the downstream conveyor each have a driving source independent of each other.

9. The method for producing a glass film according to claim 8 , wherein a feed speed of the downstream conveyor is adjusted to be higher than a feed speed of the upstream conveyor.

10. A method for producing a glass roll, comprising winding a glass film produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 to obtain a glass roll.

11. The glass film is pulled out from a glass roll of the glass film located upstream of the upstream conveyor in the conveying direction and supplied to the cutting zone, The method for producing a glass roll according to claim 10 , wherein the cut glass film is wound into a roll at a winding section located downstream of the downstream conveyor in the transport direction to obtain the glass roll.

12. A glass film manufacturing apparatus for cutting a belt-shaped glass film, A conveying device capable of conveying the glass film in a predetermined direction; a laser cutting device capable of irradiating a laser beam onto the glass film being transported by the transport device and cutting the glass film in a predetermined cutting zone, A support and conveyance surface of the glass film in the conveying device is divided at a cutting zone of the glass film, whereby the conveying device is divided into an upstream conveyor located upstream of the cutting zone in a conveying direction of the glass film and a downstream conveyor located downstream of the cutting zone in the conveying direction, The cutting apparatus further includes a first platen that is located in a width direction of the glass film with respect to the cutting zone and is disposed at a position corresponding to a center side of the width direction of the glass film after the cutting, and is capable of contacting and supporting the glass film; The glass film manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that the constant platen has a first support surface capable of contacting and supporting the glass film, and a first suction portion capable of sucking the glass film toward the first support surface.

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