Apparatuses for manufacturing glass and methods of managing pulling forces applied to glass ribbon

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9315410-B2
Application number	US-201514698414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

Methods and apparatuses for managing pulling forces applied to a glass ribbon in a draw apparatus are disclosed. The method includes applying a front-side and a rear-side drive torque to a glass. The method further includes calculating automatically with the at least one electronic controller a front-side and a rear-side average pulling force applied to the glass ribbon and corresponding to a first time period of at least one rotation of the front-side or rear-side stub roller, respectively. The front-side average pulling force and the rear-side average pulling force are compared to establish a pulling force differential between the front-side average pulling force and the rear-side average pulling force. One or more of the front-side drive torque or the rear-side drive torque are modified to decrease the pulling force differential between the front-side average pulling force and the rear-side average pulling force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A glass manufacturing apparatus for producing glass ribbon comprising:
a draw apparatus for receiving a glass ribbon and drawing the glass ribbon, wherein the draw apparatus includes a plurality of stub roller pairs, each stub roller pair including:
a front-side stub roller coupled to a front-side motor and positioned proximate to an edge of the glass ribbon; and
a rear-side stub roller coupled to a rear-side motor and positioned proximate to the edge of the glass ribbon such that the front-side stub roller and the rear-side stub roller are positioned along opposite sides of the glass ribbon and the front-side stub roller and the rear-side stub roller contact the glass ribbon; and

at least one electronic controller communicatively coupled to the front-side motor and the rear-side motor of each of the stub roller pairs, the electronic controller comprising a processor and a memory for storing computer readable instructions such that, when the computer readable instruction set is executed by the processor, the at least one electronic controller:
receives a front-side instantaneous drive torque signal indicative of a front-side drive torque applied by the front side stub roller to the glass ribbon, wherein the front side instantaneous drive torque signal is based on an electrical current directed to the front-side motor coupled to the front side stub roller;
receives a rear-side instantaneous drive torque signal indicative of a rear-side drive torque applied by the rear-side stub roller to the glass ribbon, wherein the rear side instantaneous drive torque signal is based on an electrical current directed to the rear-side motor coupled to the rear-side stub roller;
calculates a front-side average pulling force of the glass ribbon corresponding to a first time period of at least one rotation of the front-side stub roller;
calculates a rear-side average pulling force of the glass ribbon corresponding to a second time period of at least one rotation of the rear-side stub roller; and
compares the front-side average pulling force to the rear-side average pulling force to establish a pulling force differential between the front-side average pulling force and the rear-side average pulling force.

2. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a melting vessel for melting batch materials and forming molten glass; and
a forming apparatus for receiving the molten glass and forming the glass ribbon.

3. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the forming apparatus forms the glass ribbon in a fusion draw process.

4. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the stub roller pairs of the draw apparatus further comprise a front-side transmission coupling the front-side stub roller to the front-side motor and a rear-side transmission coupling the rear-side stub roller to the rear-side motor.

5. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the draw apparatus further comprises a graphical user interface for monitoring and modifying system control parameters of the at least one electronic controller.

6. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a traveling anvil machine for cutting a glass sheet from the glass ribbon.

7. The glass manufacturing apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising at least one slave stub roller positioned to contact the glass ribbon as the glass ribbon translates along the draw apparatus and communicatively coupled to the electronic controller.

Assignees

• Corning Inc

Inventors

• Kogge Chris Scott
• Kudva Gautam Narendra
• Nishimoto Michael Yoshiya

Classifications

• Y02P40/57

  Improving the yield, e-g- reduction of reject rates · CPC title

• C03B17/064 Primary

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

• C03B33/0215

  the ribbon being in a substantially vertical plane · CPC title

• C03B33/037

  Controlling or regulating · CPC title

• C03B17/068 Primary

  Means for providing the drawing force, e.g. traction or draw rollers · CPC title