TW201335083A - Glass substrate processing apparatus and processing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A glass substrate processing apparatus is provided. The glass substrate processing apparatus includes: a holding stage 1 for holding a glass substrate G; a rail 2 for keeping the holding stage 1 moving along a predetermined conveyance path; cutting devices 3, 4 and 5 for cutting the glass substrate G held on the holding stage 1 while being on the conveyance path into a rectangular shape with a predetermined size; chamfering devices 7, 8 and 9 for performing chamfering to cut end surfaces of the glass substrate G held on the holding stage 1 while being on the conveyance path. After positioning the cutting devices 3, 4 and 5 and the chamfering devices 7, 8 and 9 based on the holding stage 1, the glass substrate processing apparatus starts processing.

Description

Glass plate processing device and processing method thereof

The present invention relates to a processing technique for a glass sheet, and more particularly to an end surface treatment in which a cut surface of the glass sheet is chamfered after the glass sheet is cut into a rectangular shape having a predetermined size. Improvements in processing technology.

As is well known, glass substrates for flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays or organic electroluminescence (EL) displays are used, and various glass sheets are cut into rectangular shapes. Made.

Further, since the cut end surface of the cut glass sheet is sharpened by the joint portion between the front surface and the back surface, it is a cause of breakage such as a notch in this state, and therefore, after the cutting step, the cut end surface is included. The four sides of the glass substrate are subjected to end surface treatment such as chamfering.

As such a glass sheet processing apparatus, in many cases, the cutting device and the end surface treatment device such as the chamfering device are independent of each other, and after the glass plate cut by the cutting device is transferred to the end surface treatment device, it is necessary to perform positioning again (for example, refer to Patent Document 1 to Patent Document 4).

In the positioning of the glass plate, for example, as disclosed in Patent Document 4, the end surface of the glass plate is usually pressed by a positioning unit provided in a chamfering device (included in the end surface treatment device), and the glass plate is slightly moved while being positioned. Specify the location. Therefore, in this case, in the two steps of the cutting step and the chamfering step (including the end face processing step), the positioning unit is in direct contact with the end faces of the glass sheets.

Prior technical literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 5-185560

Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 10-118907

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-42888

Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-120135

However, in recent years, glass sheets for various fields such as glass substrates for FPD have been promoted and thinned. Therefore, in the positioning of the cutting step or the end surface treatment step, if the end surface of the glass sheet is pressed with a force equal to that of the conventional glass sheet, the pressure applied to the end surface becomes stronger in inverse proportion to the thickness of the glass sheet, and thus the glass is strengthened. The board is easily deformed. Therefore, if the positioning unit is directly in contact with the end surface of the glass sheet as described above, the glass sheet may be damaged due to deformation.

In view of the above-described actual circumstances, the present invention has a technical object of reliably preventing breakage of a glass sheet in a cutting step of cutting a glass sheet into a predetermined size and/or positioning of an end surface treatment step of a cut end surface of the glass sheet. The occurrence of the situation.

The present invention created to solve the above problems is characterized in that it includes: Holding the table, holding the glass plate; moving the unit to move the holding table along a predetermined transport path; and cutting the unit to cut the glass plate held by the holding table to a predetermined size on the transport path a rectangular shape; the end surface processing unit performs end surface treatment on the cutting end surface of the glass sheet held by the holding table on the transport path, and the positioning unit, and the positioning unit is used as a reference for each of the holding units The cutting unit is positioned with the end surface processing unit. The end surface treatment mentioned here includes, for example, chamfering of the end surface of the glass sheet, chamfering of the corner of the glass sheet, surface treatment by the surface treatment agent, heat melting by laser or heater, or the like. Forming, strain removal, etc. (the same applies hereinafter).

According to the above configuration, the glass sheet held by the holding table is cut into a rectangular shape having a predetermined size by the cutting unit, and then the glass sheet is cut by the end surface treatment unit while being held in the same holding stage. The end face is subjected to end face treatment. That is, the relative position of the glass sheet with respect to the holding stage is fixed in the cutting step performed by the cutting unit and the end surface processing step performed by the end surface processing unit without change. Further, since the positioning unit and the end surface treatment unit are positioned with the holding table fixed in the relative positional relationship with the glass plate as described above as a reference, the cutting unit and the end surface treatment can be performed without directly contacting the glass plate. Accurate positioning of the unit. Therefore, in the positioning of the cutting step and the end surface processing step, the glass sheet does not come into contact with the positioning unit, and thus it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of the breakage of the glass sheet during positioning.

Further, in the case where the end surface treatment unit performs chamfering, it may be configured to perform chamfering of the side of the glass sheet and connection of adjacent sides of the glass sheet. The chamfer of the corner (the so-called corner chamfer).

In the above configuration, preferably, the holding table includes a main support portion that supports the product portion of the glass sheet, and an auxiliary support portion that supports the non-product portion of the glass sheet that is cut and removed, and the auxiliary portion The support unit can be separated from the main support unit.

Accordingly, the size of the holding table can be changed by separating the auxiliary support unit from the main support unit. Therefore, the size of the holding table can be appropriately changed in accordance with the change in the size of the glass sheet to be processed. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the glass sheet from the holding table can be minimized, and deformation such as deflection of the glass sheet can be prevented.

The present invention, which has been made to solve the above problems, includes a cutting step of cutting a glass sheet into a rectangular shape of a predetermined size by a cutting unit, and an end surface processing step of the glass sheet by an end surface processing unit Performing the end surface treatment on the cut end surface, and performing the cutting step and the end surface processing step while moving the glass sheet integrally with the holding table while holding the glass sheet in the holding stage, and maintaining the above-mentioned end surface processing steps The stage serves as a reference for performing positioning of the cutting unit in the cutting step and positioning of the end surface processing unit in the end surface processing step.

According to the above method, the same operational effects as those already described can be enjoyed.

In the above method, preferably, the holding table includes a main support portion that supports the product portion of the glass sheet, and an auxiliary support portion that is separable from the main support portion and that cuts the glass sheet Removed non-product parts Supporting the glass plate by the main support portion and the auxiliary support portion before cutting the glass plate; and after cutting the glass plate, separating the auxiliary support portion from the main support portion, only by the main The support unit supports the above glass plates.

According to this, the same operational effects as those already described can be enjoyed.

In the above method, if the thickness of the glass plate is less than 0.4 mm, the effects of the invention of the present application can be maximized.

According to the present invention, as described above, the positioning of the cutting unit and the end surface treatment unit is performed with the holding table holding the glass sheet as a reference, and thus the cutting step of the glass sheet or the end surface of the cut end surface of the glass sheet is performed. When the positioning of the processing step is performed, it is possible to reliably prevent the occurrence of a broken state of the glass sheet.

1‧‧‧ Keeping the table

1a‧‧‧ Keeping the side of the table

2‧‧‧ Track

3‧‧‧Cutter

4, 5‧‧‧ cutting tools

6‧‧‧ Positioning device

7,8,9‧‧‧grinding grindstone

11‧‧‧Main Support Department

12‧‧‧Auxiliary Support Department

13‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

G‧‧‧glass plate

SL‧‧‧

Z1‧‧‧ glass plate supply area

Z2‧‧‧ cut-off area

Z3‧‧‧Chamfering area

Z4‧‧‧ glass plate removal area

Z5‧‧‧Keeping station replacement area

Z21‧‧‧ scribe area

Z22‧‧‧1st cutting area

Z23‧‧‧2nd cutting area

Z31‧‧‧1st chamfering area

Z32‧‧‧2nd chamfering area

Z33‧‧‧Corner chamfering (3rd chamfering) area

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a glass sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2A is a side view showing a holding table of the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

Fig. 2B is a front elevational view showing the holding table of the glass sheet processing apparatus of the first embodiment.

3A is a front view showing a state before positioning of the cutting device of the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

3B is a view showing a cutting device of the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment; A front view of the state after positioning.

4A is a side view showing a holding table of a glass sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a plan view showing a holding table of the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

4C is a side view for explaining the operation of the main support portion and the auxiliary support portion of the holding table of the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiments, the case where the chamfering of the end surface is performed as the end surface treatment of the glass sheet will be described as an example.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a glass sheet processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This glass sheet processing apparatus has a conveyance path for moving the plurality of holding stages 1 holding the glass sheet G. The transport path includes: a track 2 that is laid in a ring shape. On the transport path, a glass plate supply zone Z1, a cut zone Z2, a chamfer zone Z3, a glass plate take-out zone Z4, and a holding table exchange zone Z5 are provided.

In the present embodiment, the cutting zone Z2 includes a scribe zone Z21, a first cutting zone Z22, and a second cutting zone Z23. The chamfering zone Z3 includes a first chamfering zone Z31 and a second chamfering zone. Zone Z32, and corner cut zone Z33. Further, the transport path may further include a cleaning zone for cleaning the glass plate holding surface of the holding table 1.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the holding table 1 is slidably held on the rail On the track 2, a plurality of holding tables 1 are wound on the same track 2 in the direction of the arrow of FIG. Further, the holding table 1 is held by the rail 2 via a rotating table (not shown).

In the present embodiment, the holding table 1 is configured to vacuum-adsorb the glass sheet G on the glass sheet holding surface. For example, a vacuum pump or the like is incorporated in the holding table 1 or a vacuum pump is used as the airtight structure, and an external vacuum source is used for vacuum suction, and then a vacuum or the like is maintained by a valve or the like. In addition, instead of vacuum-absorbing the glass plate G, water may be interposed between the glass plate G and the holding table 1 to adsorb the glass plate G to the holding table 1.

Here, in addition to the configuration in which the moving unit of the holding table 1 is moved by moving on the rail 2, for example, a belt conveyor, a conveying device, or a conveyor device may be used. A configuration in which a trolley or the like is automatically moved.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the processing apparatus has a main configuration on the transport path, and includes a rectangular cutting device that cuts (trimming) the glass sheet G into a predetermined size, and a pair of cutting devices. A chamfering device for chamfering the cut end surface of the cut glass sheet G is performed.

The cutting device includes a cutter 3 that forms a scribe line SL on the glass sheet G, and a cutter 4 and a cutting tool 5 that cut the glass sheet G along the scribe line SL.

When the glass sheet G held by the holding table 1 is conveyed to the scribe line region Z21, the cutter 3 is formed on the surface of the glass sheet G so as to form a rectangular product portion having a predetermined size on the glass sheet G. Line SL.

At this time, after the cutter 3 is positioned with the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G as a reference, the formation of the scribe line SL is started. Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, the positioning of the cutter 3 is performed by the positioning device 6 with the side surface of the holding table 1 (for example, the reference surface provided at a specific position on the side surface) 1a as a reference. In the present embodiment, the positioning device 6 adjusts the position of the cutter 3 such that the distance between the side surface 1a and the cutter 3 becomes a predetermined fixed distance. Here, the positioning device 6 may be configured to detect the position of the holding table 1 by a touch sensor, or may be configured to be detected by a non-contact sensor. Further, the positioning device 6 may be configured to register position information on the transport path of each holding station 1 in advance, and perform positioning of the cutter 3 based on the registration information.

Further, in the cutting device, as long as the relative movement between the cutting device and the glass sheet G is performed, any one of the following configurations may be employed: only the cutting device (specifically, the cutter 3 or the like) is moved. Only the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G is moved, and both the cutting device and the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G are moved. Further, the cutting device may be configured to cut the glass sheet G by using laser cutting or laser fusing, in addition to the configuration in which the scribe line SL is formed by the cutter 3 to perform cutting.

When the glass sheet G held by the holding table 1 is conveyed to the first cutting zone Z22, the first cutting tool 4 is cut along the two scribe lines SL that face each other in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass sheet G. Glass plate G. After the holding table 1 and the glass sheet G are rotated by 90 degrees together, the second cutting tool 5 cuts the glass sheet along the remaining two scribe lines SL of the glass sheet G in the second cutting zone Z23. G. At this time, cut The cutting tool 4 is positioned by using a positioning device (not shown) to hold the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G as a reference, and then cutting is started.

On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 1, the chamfering device includes a chamfering polishing tool that performs chamfering of the four sides of the glass sheet G, and a chamfering of a corner portion that connects the two sides of the glass sheet G that are orthogonal to each other. The corner chamfer is made with a grinding tool.

The chamfering polishing tool includes a first grinding stone 7 that chamfers the opposite sides of the glass sheet G, and a second grinding stone 8 that chamfers the remaining two sides of the glass sheet G. Specifically, when the glass sheet G held by the holding table 1 is conveyed to the first chamfering zone Z31, the first grinding stone 7 is opposed to each other in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the glass sheet G. Perform chamfering on both sides (for example, R chamfer). Then, the holding table 1 and the glass sheet G are rotated together by 90 degrees, and in the second chamfering zone Z32, the remaining two sides of the glass sheet G are chamfered by the second grinding stone 8 (for example, R is inverted angle). At this time, each of the grinding stones 7 and 8 is positioned by the holding device 1 holding the glass sheet G as a reference by a positioning device (not shown), and chamfering is started.

The corner chamfering grinding tool includes a third grinding stone 9 that performs corner chamfering of the four corners of the glass sheet G. Specifically, when the glass sheet G held by the holding table 1 is conveyed to the corner chamfering zone Z33, all the corners of the glass sheet G are obliquely cut by the respective grinding stones 9. At this time, each of the grinding stones 9 is positioned by the holding device 1 holding the glass sheet G by a positioning device (not shown), and chamfering of the corners is started. In addition, the corner chamfering may be omitted.

In addition, as far as the chamfering device is concerned, as long as the chamfering device and the glass plate G The relative movement between the two may be one of the following configurations: only the chamfering device (specifically, grinding stones 7 to 9 and the like) is moved, and only the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G is moved and chamfered. The device moves with both the holding table 1 holding the glass sheet G. In addition to the mechanical polishing, the chamfering device may etch the end portion of the glass sheet G with an etching solution such as hydrofluoric acid, or may melt the end portion of the glass sheet G by heat such as laser light or a heater. Chamfering. In the case of the former, for example, an etching liquid is applied to the end of the glass sheet G by a roller, a brush, a spray, or the like. In this case, masking of the glass sheet G may be used in combination.

Next, the operation of the processing apparatus configured as described above will be described in order.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the glass plate supply zone Z1, the glass plate G is supplied to each holding stand 1 piece by piece, and the glass plate G is hold|maintained in the holding stand 1. In the glass sheet supply zone Z1, the glass plate G can be set to the holding table 1 by a manual, manual or automatic control transfer device or the like. At this time, since the glass plate G is processed with the holding table 1 as a reference as will be described later, it is not necessary to accurately position the glass plate G with respect to the holding table 1.

Here, the glass plate G is a glass substrate for liquid crystal displays having a thickness of 5 μm to 400 μm. In addition, as the glass plate G, a glass substrate for a display such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, for example, a solar cell, an organic EL illumination, a touch panel, a digital signage, or the like can be used. It is used for thin-plate glass substrates in various fields, or laminates of these thin-plate glass substrates and resins.

In the cutting zone Z2, first, in the scribe line zone Z21, the holding station 1 is made After the cutter 3 is positioned for reference, a scribe line SL is formed on the glass sheet G. Then, in the first cutting zone Z22 and the second cutting zone Z23, the cutting tool 4 is positioned with the holding table 1 as a reference, and then the glass plate G is cut along the scribe line SL. Thereby, the non-product portion is cut out from the glass sheet G, and the rectangular product portion having a predetermined size is taken out.

In the chamfering zone Z3, first, in the first chamfering zone Z31 and the second chamfering zone Z32, each of the first grinding stones 7 and each of the second grinding stones 8 are positioned with the holding table 1 as a reference. The four sides of the glass sheet G are chamfered. Then, in the corner chamfering zone Z33, the respective third grinding stones 9 are positioned with the holding table 1 as a reference, and then the corner portions of the glass sheet G are chamfered at the corners. Thereby, the entire circumference of the glass sheet G is chamfered.

When the above-described series of processing is completed, the holding of the glass sheet G by the holding table 1 is released in the glass sheet take-out area Z4, and the glass sheet G is taken out from the holding table 1. In the glass sheet take-out area Z4, the glass sheet G can be taken out from the holding table 1 by a manual, manual or automatically controlled transfer device or the like. At this time, in order to easily remove the glass sheet G, gas (for example, compressed air) or a fluid (for example, water) may be ejected from the holding table 1 to the glass sheet G.

The holding table 1 from which the glass sheet G has been taken is moved to the holding table replacement area Z5, and the new holding stage 1 is replaced with the holding table 1 moving on the rail 2 as necessary. The holding table 1 that has passed through the holding table replacement area Z5 or the newly replaced holding table 1 is moved toward the glass sheet supply area Z1 to convey the glass sheet G.

According to a series of processing steps as described above, cutting or chamfering is performed while the glass sheet G is held in the same holding table 1. That is, the glass plate G The relative position with respect to the holding table 1 is fixed during the period in which the cutting or chamfering is performed without change. Then, the positioning of the cutting device and the chamfering device is performed with the holding table 1 fixed in the relative positional relationship with the glass sheet G as described above as a reference. Therefore, when the cutting device and the chamfering device are positioned, the glass plate G may not be in direct contact with each other, and thus the glass plate G may be prevented from being damaged.

Next, a glass sheet processing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The glass sheet processing apparatus according to the second embodiment differs from the glass sheet processing apparatus according to the first embodiment in the configuration of the holding stage 1. Hereinafter, the configuration of the holding table 1 as a different point will be described, and the description of the common points will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C, in the second embodiment, the holding table 1 includes a main support portion 11 and an auxiliary support portion 12, and the auxiliary support portion 12 is disposed around the main support portion 11, and the auxiliary support portion 12 is It is separated from the main support unit 11. The main support portion 11 supports the glass plate G remaining after trimming, that is, the product portion of the glass plate G, and the auxiliary support portion 12 supports the non-product portion of the glass sheet G that is cut and removed during trimming. Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the glass plate G before trimming is supported by the main support portion 11 and the auxiliary support portion 12, and as shown in FIG. 4C, the trimmed glass plate G is supported only by the main support portion 11.

In the present embodiment, the auxiliary support unit 12 includes an elevating mechanism 13 such as an air cylinder, and has a configuration in which a support position at the same height as the main support portion 11 and a retreat from the same height as the main support portion 11 are retracted downward. Move forward and backward between positions. Further, in the illustrated example, the auxiliary support unit 12 is divided into four and can be independently raised and lowered. In this case, for example, with the addition of the glass plate G In the state where the two auxiliary support portions 12 facing each other in the conveyance direction of the glass sheet G are located at the support position, the remaining two in the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the glass sheet G can be made. The auxiliary support unit 12 is located at the retreat position.

Accordingly, the size of the holding table 1 can be changed by separating the auxiliary support unit 12 from the main support unit 11. Therefore, the size of the holding table 1 can be appropriately changed in accordance with the change in the size of the glass sheet G accompanying the processing. Therefore, the amount of protrusion of the glass sheet G from the holding table 1 can be minimized (for example, 10 mm or less), and deformation such as deflection of the glass sheet G can be prevented.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms. For example, a case has been described in which a plate glass product is cut from a raw material glass plate, and a plurality of plate glass products can be cut from a raw material glass plate. In this case, a plurality of holding stages corresponding to the size of the final sheet glass product are combined to hold the raw material glass sheets, and the respective holding stages can be separated after cutting into the respective sheet glass products.

Further, when a defect such as breakage of the glass sheet occurs in the conveyance path, the defective glass sheet and the holding table 1 may be moved together to the outside of the conveyance path, that is, conveyed to the processing step, thereby Processing outside the steps. According to this, it is possible to minimize the occurrence of scattering of fragments such as glass on the conveyance path through which the normal glass sheet passes.

Moreover, in a series of steps, a size measuring unit or a marking unit may be provided.

Moreover, it is also possible to destroy without using the entire number of glass plates as objects. an examination.

1‧‧‧ Keeping the table

2‧‧‧ Track

3‧‧‧Cutter

4, 5‧‧‧ cutting tools

7,8,9‧‧‧grinding grindstone

G‧‧‧glass plate

SL‧‧‧

Z1‧‧‧ glass plate supply area

Z2‧‧‧ cut-off area

Z3‧‧‧Chamfering area

Z4‧‧‧ glass plate removal area

Z5‧‧‧Keeping station replacement area

Z21‧‧‧ scribe area

Z22‧‧‧1st cutting area

Z23‧‧‧2nd cutting area

Z31‧‧‧1st chamfering area

Z32‧‧‧2nd chamfering area

Z33‧‧‧Corner chamfering (3rd chamfering) zone

Claims (5)

A glass plate processing apparatus comprising: a holding table for holding a glass plate; a moving unit for moving the holding table along a predetermined conveying path; and a cutting unit for holding the glass plate of the holding table, The end surface processing unit cuts a rectangular shape having a predetermined size on the transport path, and performs an end surface treatment on the transport path on the cut end surface of the glass plate held by the holding stage on the transport path; and a positioning unit Each of the cutting unit and the end surface processing unit is positioned with the holding table as a reference. The glass sheet processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding stage includes: a main support portion that supports the product portion of the glass sheet; and an auxiliary support portion that cuts and removes the glass sheet The non-product portion supports the above, and the auxiliary support portion can be separated from the main support portion. A method for processing a glass sheet, comprising: a cutting step of cutting a glass sheet into a rectangular shape of a predetermined size by a cutting unit; and an end surface treating step of cutting the end surface of the glass sheet by the end surface processing unit Implement end face treatment, While the glass plate is held in the holding stage, the glass plate is moved integrally with the holding table, and the cutting step and the end surface processing step are performed, and the above-described holding table is used as a reference. The positioning of the cutting unit in the cutting step and the positioning of the end surface processing unit in the end surface processing step. The method for processing a glass sheet according to claim 3, wherein the holding table includes: a main support portion that supports the product portion of the glass sheet; and an auxiliary support portion that can be separately provided from the main support portion Supporting the non-product portion of the glass sheet that has been cut and removed, and supporting the glass sheet by the main support portion and the auxiliary support portion before cutting the glass sheet, and cutting the glass sheet The auxiliary support unit is separated from the main support unit, and the glass plate is supported only by the main support unit. The glass sheet processing method according to Item 3 or 4, wherein the glass sheet has a thickness of less than 0.4 mm.