Apparatus and methods for separating a glass ribbon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10479718-B2
Application number	US-201615772252-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2016
Priority date	Oct 30, 2015
Publication date	Nov 19, 2019
Grant date	Nov 19, 2019

Abstract

A glass manufacturing apparatus may be configured to facilitate a process of separating a glass ribbon along a separation path extending across a width of the glass ribbon. In one example, the glass manufacturing apparatus comprises at least one anvil-side vacuum port defined by an elongated nose and an elongated anvil member. The anvil-side vacuum port is configured to remove glass debris during the process of separating the glass ribbon. In another example, the glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a scoring device and a score-side vacuum port configured to remove glass debris generated during the process of separating the glass ribbon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A glass manufacturing apparatus configured to facilitate a process of separating a glass ribbon along a separation path extending across a width of the glass ribbon, the glass manufacturing apparatus comprising:
an elongated anvil member including an elongated support surface configured to engage a first major surface of the glass ribbon along the separation path; and
at least one elongated nose provided with an engagement device comprising at least one of a nonmetallic bumper and a roller recessed with respect to the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member,
wherein the elongated nose and the elongated anvil member define at least one anvil-side vacuum port including an elongated length and a width extending perpendicular to the elongated length between the elongated nose and the elongated anvil member, and wherein the anvil-side vacuum port is configured to remove glass debris during the process of separating the glass ribbon.

2. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engagement device is recessed a distance from the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member within a range of from about 2 mm to about 20 mm.

3. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the width of the anvil-side vacuum port is within a range of from about 1 mm to about 12 mm.

4. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engagement device is removably attached to the elongated nose.

5. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engagement device comprises a resilient member configured to absorb energy from an impact.

6. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the resilient member comprises an elastomeric material.

7. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the engagement device comprises a roller configured to rotate about an axis.

8. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the roller is removably attached to the elongated nose.

9. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the roller comprises an elastomeric material.

10. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the roller comprises a plurality of rollers.

11. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of rollers are disposed in series along a common axis.

12. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the at least one elongated nose includes:
a first elongated nose including an outer elongated surface recessed with respect to the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member; and
a second elongated nose provided with the engagement device recessed with respect to the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member,
wherein the elongated anvil member is disposed between the first elongated nose and the second elongated nose, and wherein the at least one anvil-side vacuum port includes a first anvil-side vacuum port defined by the first elongated nose and the elongated anvil member and a second anvil-side vacuum port defined by the second elongated nose and the elongated anvil member.

13. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the first anvil-side vacuum port includes a first width defined between the elongated anvil member and the first elongated nose and the second anvil-side vacuum port includes a second width defined between the elongated anvil member and the second elongated nose.

14. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first width is different than the second width.

15. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the first width is substantially equal to the second width.

16. A method of separating a glass ribbon along a separation path extending across a width of the glass ribbon with the glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , the method comprising the steps of:
(I) moving the elongated anvil member and the elongated nose relative to the glass ribbon to engage the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member with the first major surface of the glass ribbon along the separation path while the engagement device of the elongated nose is spaced from the first major surface of the glass ribbon;
(II) drawing fluid into the anvil-side vacuum port to create a fluid flow across the width of the glass ribbon, wherein the fluid flow is drawn along the first major surface of the glass ribbon in a direction toward the elongated anvil member;
(III) bending the glass ribbon about the elongated anvil member to break a glass sheet from the glass ribbon along the separation path;
(IV) entraining glass debris generated during step (III) into the fluid flow; and
(V) drawing the fluid flow with entrained glass debris into the anvil-side vacuum port.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein step (III) includes bending the glass ribbon about the elongated anvil member until the engagement device engages the first major surface of the glass ribbon.

18. A method of separating a glass ribbon along a separation path extending across a width of the glass ribbon with the glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 12 , the method comprising the steps of:
(I) moving the elongated anvil member, the first elongated nose and the second elongated nose relative to the glass ribbon to engage the elongated support surface of the elongated anvil member with the first major surface of the glass ribbon along the separation path while the outer elongated surface of the first elongated nose and the engagement device are each spaced from the first major surface of the glass ribbon;
(II) drawing fluid into the first anvil-side vacuum port to create a first fluid flow across the width of the glass ribbon, wherein the fluid flow is drawn along the first major surface of the glass ribbon in a direction toward the elongated anvil member;
(III) drawing fluid into the second anvil-side vacuum port to create a second fluid flow across the width of the glass ribbon, wherein the second fluid flow is drawn along the first major surface of the glass ribbon in a direction toward the elongated anvil member;
(IV) bending the glass ribbon about the elongated anvil member to break a glass sheet from the glass ribbon along the separation path;
(V) entraining glass debris generated during step (IV) into at least one of the first fluid flow and the second fluid flow; and
(VI) drawing the first fluid flow into the first anvil-side vacuum port and drawing the second fluid flow into the second anvil-side vacuum port, wherein entrained glass debris is drawn into at least one of the first anvil-side vacuum port and the second anvil-side vacuum port.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein step (IV) includes bending the glass ribbon about the elongated anvil member until the engagement device engages the first major surface of the glass ribbon.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Brown James William
• Brown Tatyana Vyacheslavovna
• Kemmerer Marvin William
• Luo Weiwei

Classifications

• C03B35/18

  Construction of the conveyor rollers {; Materials, coatings or coverings thereof} · CPC title

• C03B33/03

  Glass cutting tables; Apparatus for transporting or handling sheet glass during the cutting or breaking operations · CPC title

• C03B17/064

  by the overflow downdraw fusion process; Isopipes therefor · CPC title

• C03B33/027

  Scoring tool holders; Driving mechanisms therefor · CPC title

• C03B33/0215 Primary

  the ribbon being in a substantially vertical plane · CPC title