Method and apparatus for producing glass precursors and glass products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11919797-B2
Application number	US-201916243999-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 9, 2019
Priority date	Jan 10, 2018
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

A method and apparatus for producing glass products from tubular glass precursors is provided. In particular, a method and apparatus for separating tube glass into sized glass tube portions, produced glass tube portions, glass precursor portions, or glass product portions, and their use as pharmaceutical packaging are provided. The tube glass or the glass precursor or the glass product is provided with filaments along predetermined breaking planes. The filaments extend obliquely to the local wall radius and allow for clean separation of the tube glass or the glass precursor or the glass product.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tubular glass precursor or glass product, comprising a glass tube including filaments, the filaments being provided in a separation plane that is perpendicular a to a longitudinal axis of the glass tube and extending obliquely to local wall radii at an angle that is in a range from 1° to 15°.

2. The tubular glass precursor or glass product of claim 1 , wherein the glass precursor or glass product is in a form selected from the group consisting of an ampoule, a cartridge, and a syringe body.

3. The tubular glass precursor or glass product of claim 1 , wherein the filaments provide a breaking point along the separation plane for later separation.

4. A glass tube or glass tube precursor, comprising a fracture surface produced at an end of a glass tube the fracture surface comprising broken-open filaments that extend obliquely to local wall radii at an angle that is in a range from 1° to 15°.

5. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 4 , wherein the broken-open filaments are arranged with a spacing from each other in a range from 2 μm to 15 μm.

6. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 4 , wherein the broken-open filaments belong to two or more filament areas distributed around a circumference of the fracture surface at the end of the glass tube.

7. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 6 , further comprising unaffected areas between the two or more filament areas that have an extent of at least 50 μm measured in the circumferential direction at the end of the glass tube, wherein the unaffected areas do not include broken-open filaments.

8. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 6 , wherein the two or more filament areas comprise up to twelve areas.

9. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 6 , wherein the two or more filament areas occupy at least 8% of the circumference.

10. The glass tube or glass tube precursor of claim 6 , further comprising at least one predetermined breaking plane with filaments extending obliquely relative to the local radius.

11. A tubular glass precursor or tubular glass product, comprising a glass tube having a local diameter ranging from 3 mm to 50 mm and an end comprising broken-open filaments, wherein the broken-open filaments belong to two filament areas each occupying a 120° segment around a circumference of the glass tube; and
wherein the two filament areas are spaced apart by 60° from each other and separated by unaffected areas having no broken-open filaments.

12. The tubular glass precursor or glass product of claim 11 , wherein the local diameter ranges from 5 to 40 mm.

13. A tubular glass precursor or tubular glass product comprising a glass tube having a clean fracture surface, comprising broken-open filaments that are free of any chipping or particles greater than 150 μm,
wherein the broken-open filaments extend obliquely to local wall radii of the glass tube at an angle that is in a range from 1° to 15°.

14. The tubular glass precursor or tubular glass product of claim 13 , wherein the clean fracture surface is free of any chipping or particles greater than 100 μm.

15. The tubular glass precursor or tubular glass product of claim 13 , wherein the clean fracture surface is free of any chipping or particles greater than 50 μm.

16. The tubular glass precursor or tubular glass product of claim 13 , wherein the clean fracture surface is free of any chipping or particles greater than 20 μm.

Assignees

• Schott Ag

Inventors

• Wagner Fabian
• Kluge Michael
• Ortner Andreas
• Brueckbauer Laura
• Lentes Frank-Thomas

Classifications

• C03B33/0955 Primary

  using a focussed radiation beam, e.g. laser · CPC title

• A61J1/065

  Rigid ampoules, e.g. glass ampoules · CPC title

• A61M5/3129

  Syringe barrels (A61M5/3205 and A61M5/50 take precedence) · CPC title

• B23K26/53 Primary

  for modifying or reforming the material inside the workpiece, e.g. for producing break initiation cracks · CPC title

• C03B33/0222

  Scoring using a focussed radiation beam, e.g. laser · CPC title