Glass Material Manufacturing via Laser Levitation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Containerless levitation techniques face challenges in achieving homogeneity and consistency in glass material production, with issues like temperature unevenness, volatilization, and crystal precipitation due to vibrations during the melting and cooling processes.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using a control gas jetted in a direction different from the levitation gas to control the position and attitude of the glass raw material and molten glass, ensuring uniform laser irradiation and preventing contact with the forming die, while adjusting gas flow rates to stabilize levitation and reduce positional changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a large area of glass raw material is irradiated with laser light using multiple lasers, then the glass material can be melted, but temperature unevenness occurs causing volatilization of glass components or generation of unmelted matter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a control gas jet that dynamically adjusts the position and attitude of the levitated glass raw material block during laser irradiation. This dynamic control ensures uniform distribution of laser energy across the block surface, preventing temperature unevenness while maintaining high productivity in the melting process.
Solution Approach 2:
The control gas jet system provides real-time feedback control on the position and orientation of the glass raw material block. By monitoring and adjusting the block's position during irradiation, the system ensures uniform temperature distribution and prevents both volatilization and unmelted regions, resolving the contradiction between melting efficiency and temperature uniformity.
2Reliability
If glass raw material is levitated and melted, then container contact is avoided, but molten glass vibrates or oscillates to come into contact with forming die, precipitating crystals
Solution Approach 1:
The control gas jet acts as an intermediary substance that interacts with the molten glass to dampen vibrations and oscillations. By introducing this gas flow, the system stabilizes the molten glass without requiring physical containment, thus preventing crystal precipitation while maintaining the benefits of containerless processing.
3Reliability
If containerless levitation techniques are used, then crystal precipitation is reduced, but variations in properties among lots are significant
Solution Approach 1:
The control gas jet system provides consistent feedback control across multiple production batches. By maintaining stable position and attitude control of the glass raw material block throughout the melting and cooling processes, the system ensures uniform processing conditions for each batch, thereby reducing variations in glass properties among lots while preserving the high quality enabled by containerless techniques.
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 results in glass materials with improved homogeneity and reduced variations among lots, minimizing crystal precipitation and volatilization, thereby enhancing the quality of the glass products.
Implementation Method 1
with a block of glass raw material held levitated above a forming surface of a forming die by jetting gas through a gas jet hole opening on the forming surface
Implementation Method 2
the block of glass raw material is heated and melted by irradiation with laser beam
Implementation Method 3
the block of glass raw material is heated and melted by irradiation with laser beam, thus obtaining a molten glass
Implementation Method 4
Control gas is jetted to the block of glass raw material along a direction different from a direction of jetting of the levitation gas for use in levitating the block of glass raw material or the molten glass
Implementation Method 5
the molten glass is then cooled to obtain a glass material
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method that can manufacture a glass material having excellent homogeneity by containerless levitation. With a block (12) of glass raw material held levitated above a forming surface (10a) of a forming die (10) by jetting gas through a gas jet hole (10b) opening on the forming surface (10a), the block (12) of glass raw material is heated and melted by irradiation with laser beam, thus obtaining a molten glass, and the molten glass is then cooled to obtain a glass material. Control gas is jetted to the block (12) of glass raw material along a direction different from a direction of jetting of the levitation gas for use in levitating the block (12) of glass raw material or the molten glass.