Curved Glass Panel Corners Without Etching or Cutting Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for forming glass panels with curved corners require additional processes like etching, leading to reduced process efficiency and increased manufacturing costs, and do not effectively prevent damage during cutting or enhance mechanical rigidity.
Innovation Solution
A method involving thermal chamfering of the glass panel's outer surface and corners using a heating rod after tempering, without additional processes like etching, to create rounded or D-cut shapes, while also performing tempering processes to enhance brittleness and mechanical rigidity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If an etching process is used to form curved corner portions, then the corner shape can be rounded, but the process efficiency is reduced and manufacturing cost is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the processing method from chemical etching to thermal processing. By controlling temperature parameters and processing time, the corner portions are rounded through thermal diffusion without requiring additional etching steps, thus maintaining process efficiency while achieving the desired rounded shape
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical etching process with a thermal processing mechanism. Instead of using chemical reactions to remove material and form curved corners, the invention uses controlled thermal diffusion to achieve the same shaping effect, eliminating the need for separate etching equipment and processes
2Shape
If an etching process is used to form curved corner portions, then the corner shape can be rounded, but the manufacturing cost is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the corner rounding operation with the existing thermal processing steps in the glass manufacturing process. By integrating the shaping function into the thermal treatment process, the invention eliminates the need for separate etching operations, thereby reducing manufacturing cost while achieving rounded corner portions
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal processing step serves multiple functions: it both rounds the corner portions and performs necessary thermal treatment of the glass panel. This multi-functionality reduces the total number of processing steps required and eliminates the need for dedicated etching equipment, thereby reducing manufacturing cost
3Strength
If tempering is performed before cutting, then the glass panel mechanical rigidity is enhanced and damage during cutting is prevented, but the process sequence becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs tempering before cutting to pre-strengthen the glass panel. This preliminary thermal treatment creates compressive stresses in the glass surface that enhance mechanical rigidity and prevent damage during subsequent cutting operations, ensuring product quality from the outset
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach prevents process inefficiencies and cost increases by using conventional processes, allows for convenient removal of glass dust, and enhances the glass panel's strength and mechanical rigidity, while preventing damage during cutting.
Implementation Method 1
thermally chamfering an outer surface portion and the corner portion of the glass panel by using a processing member such as a heating rod
Implementation Method 2
after the glass panel is tempered
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Proposed are a glass panel and a method for forming a glass panel having a curved corner portion. More particularly, proposed are a method for forming a glass panel having a corner portion with a rounded shape or a D-cut shape and the glass panel formed by the method. The corner portion with the rounded shape or the D-cut shape is formed by thermally chamfering an outer surface portion and the corner portion of the glass panel by using a processing member such as a heating rod after the glass panel is tempered before or after cutting the glass panel from a mother glass.