GB1341231A - Spacer plates having a regular array of through apertures - Google Patents

Abstract

1341231 Forming channels in glass spacer plates FERRANTI Ltd 18 Feb 1972 [26 Feb 1971] 5529/71 Heading C1M In the manufacture of apertured glass or ceramic spacer plates for gas discharge visual display devices, members 2 of rectangular section with pairs of opposite parallel faces 3, 4 are assembled and seamed together so that the faces (4) combine to form parallel surfaces, a series of parallel channels 8 are formed in one or both of these surfaces in a direction normal to the faces (3), the members 2 then being separated and reassembled so that the channels 8 in each member co-operate with an adjacent member to form the apertures 9. With one set of channels, the apertures have one flat face. With two sets, the apertures may be in lines, as in Fig. 4, or they may be off-set to give a staggered series. As shown in Fig. 4, the strips may be reassembled in a carbon jig, with positioning pegs 13 engaging the end channels 12 and a number of the apertures 9. A low melting point glass foil 14 is then placed in end apertures 9(A) of each strip and fused to band the strips together and also thereby to form a gas-tight seal round the edges of the plate. The channels 8 may be of any suitable crosssection such as the semi-circular shown, or V- or rectangular section, and may be formed by etching or by cutting. The strips 2 may be temporarily secured together either by clamping means or by wax or cellulose caprate and the block 1 secured to a base plate as by wax.