Apparatuses and methods for scoring a glass article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10357843-B2
Application number	US-201515527964-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2015
Priority date	Nov 19, 2014
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed herein are methods and apparatuses for scoring a glass article, including positioning a plasma flame of a plasma torch and the glass article in close proximity to one another; and moving the plasma torch across a surface of the glass article to form at least one indentation in the surface, wherein the at least one indentation is formed from the plasma flame melting at least a portion of the glass surface to form a scoring line, without penetrating through a total thickness of the glass article.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for scoring a glass article, the method comprising:
(a) positioning a plasma torch and the glass article in close proximity to one another; and
(b) moving a plasma flame generated by the plasma torch across a surface of the glass article to form at least one indentation in the surface,
wherein the at least one indentation is formed from the plasma flame melting at least a portion of the surface of the glass article to form a scoring line, without penetrating through a total thickness of the glass article.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining a minimum speed of the plasma torch movement, wherein the minimum speed controls a maximum duration the plasma flame heats discrete portions of the surface of the glass article.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one indentation comprises substantially continuous indentations forming a groove in the surface of the glass article, and further wherein the groove has a depth that is controlled at least partially by a predetermined speed of the plasma torch.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining a minimum gap between the plasma flame and the surface of the glass article, and further wherein the minimum gap at least partially controls a depth of the at least one indentation in the surface.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining the plasma flame at an angle of approximately 90° relative to the surface of the glass article.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the scoring line in the glass article is a straight line.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising cutting the scored glass article at the scoring line.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein forming the at least one indentation provides a temporary stress relaxation in the glass article, and wherein the temporary stress relaxation facilitates cutting the scored glass article at the scoring line.

9. A method for cutting or separating a glass article, comprising:
(a) positioning a plasma torch and the glass article in close proximity to one another;
(b) moving the plasma torch across a surface of the glass article to form at least one indentation in the surface to form a scoring line, and
(c) cutting or separating the glass article at the scoring line,
wherein the at least one indentation is formed from a plasma flame generated by the plasma torch melting at least a portion of the glass surface without penetrating through a total thickness of the glass article.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining a minimum speed of the plasma torch movement, wherein the minimum speed at least partially controls a maximum duration the plasma flame heats discrete portions of the surface of the glass article.

11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the at least one indentation comprises substantially continuous indentations forming a groove in the surface of the glass article, and further wherein the groove has a depth and the depth is at least partially controlled by a predetermined speed.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining a minimum gap between the plasma flame and the surface of the glass article, and further wherein the minimum gap at least partially controls a depth of the at least one indentation in the surface.

13. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the plasma torch across the surface of the glass article comprises maintaining the plasma flame at an angle of approximately 90° relative to the surface of the glass article.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein forming the at least one indentation provides a temporary stress relaxation in the glass article, and wherein the temporary stress relaxation facilitates cutting or separating the glass article at the scoring line.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Barnes Monty Eugene
• Buckley Dennis William
• Lakhkar Ritesh Satish

Classifications

• B23K26/0869

  Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction · CPC title

• B23K2103/54

  Glass · CPC title

• B23K10/003 Primary

  Scarfing, desurfacing or deburring · CPC title

• C03B33/08

  by fusing {, i.e. by melting through the glass} · CPC title

• C03B33/033

  Apparatus for opening score lines in glass sheets · CPC title