Glass Sheet Cleaving Using Stretchable Release Sheet
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Solution Overview
Problem
The laser cleaving method for glass sheets faces issues with scratches or fractures occurring due to collisions and sliding between opposing cleaved surfaces during the separation process, leading to quality degradation.
Innovation Solution
The method involves cleaving the glass sheet on a stretchable sheet and separating the pieces by stretching the sheet to avoid direct contact between cleaved surfaces, using preset transverse and longitudinal cleaving lines to create clearance and enhance workability, and optionally tilting the sheet to discard unusable pieces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the laser cleaving method is used to cleave the glass sheet, then the positional accuracy of the cleaving is enhanced and the cleaving speed is increased, but the opposing cleaved surfaces are held in proximity to each other causing collision and sliding during transfer
Solution Approach 1:
A release sheet is introduced as an intermediary between the glass sheet and the support table. The release sheet has one surface that contacts the glass sheet and another surface that contacts the support table, allowing the glass sheet to be transferred without direct contact between opposing cleaved surfaces, thus preventing collision and sliding.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system is segmented into multiple components: the support table, the release sheet, and the glass sheet. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's function, particularly the release sheet which is designed specifically to prevent surface contact while facilitating transfer.
2Ease of manufacture
If the pieces of the cleaved glass sheet are kept in proximity on the working table, then the separation process is simplified, but collision and sliding between cleaved surfaces occur during picking up and transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The release sheet serves as a mediator that enables both close positioning of glass pieces during cleaving and safe transfer without collision. The sheet material is selected to provide appropriate friction characteristics that prevent sliding while allowing easy release.
Solution Approach 2:
The friction characteristics between the release sheet and glass sheet surfaces are optimized to maintain pieces in position during cleaving but allow easy transfer. The release sheet's material properties are selected to change the interaction parameters between glass surfaces during the transfer process.
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 effectively prevents scratches and fractures on cleaved surfaces, maintaining the quality of the glass sheets by avoiding collisions and sliding, and enhances the separation process efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an initial crack formed in an end surface of the glass sheet propagates due to a thermal stress in the range of the overall thickness of the glass sheet
Implementation Method 2
the laser beam is caused to pass through a material in a range of the overall thickness thereof, or to pass through the material in a range of up to a sufficient depth
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method of cleaving and separating a glass sheet (G), the method comprising: a cleaving step of cleaving the glass sheet (G) along preset cleaving lines (X, Y) by a laser cleaving method; and a separation step of separating adjacent pieces of the cleaved glass sheet (G) from each other, wherein the cleaving step is performed under a state in which the glass sheet (G) is placed on a sheet (S) having stretchability, and the separation step is performed by stretching the sheet (S).