JPS6246930A - Apparatus for dividing glass plate - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To divide well a glass plate by scoring the plate with a cutter, fixing it on a work table and irradiating a laser beam on the score from a relatively moving laser beam irradiating part to extend the crevice in the irradiation direction. CONSTITUTION:A glass plate 5 is fixed on the table 6 of a cutting machine 1 and scored 7 in a prescribed pattern with a cuter 8 attached to an X-Y carriage 9. The glass plate 5 is lifted up with a conveyor 3 having conveying belts 4 and conveyed to a laser dividing apparatus 2 placed in connection with the cutting machine 1. The glass plate 5 is lowered on the work table 10 of the apparatus 2 and fixed. A laser beam generated from a laser device 12 is transmitted to a laser beam irradiator 11 by a fiber cable 14 and irradiated on the score 7 or its vicinity by moving the irradiator 11 with an X-Y table 13. The crevice is extended by thermal stress in the irradiation direction and the glass plate 5 is well divided along the score 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, cutting lines are formed on a glass plate in advance using a cutting cutter such as a carbide wheel, and on the cutting lines of the glass plate,
The present invention relates to a device for cleaving a glass plate by irradiating a laser beam to advance the cracks caused by thermal stress. Generally speaking, the most difficult process in cutting a glass plate is to automatically break the glass plate with cut lines along the cut lines using a cutting cutter.

In particular, it is difficult to automatically break glass that is irregularly deformed into uneven shapes, such as side window glass for automobiles.

Breaking using a conventional machine is as follows: (1) Using a suction cup, etc., on the inside of the glass plate with cutting lines, the flame from a gas burner, etc. is sprayed over a wide range from the cutting lines to the outside, that is, to the area to be split. Method by heating. Alternatively, there is a method of grasping the part to be split on the outside of the two-cut line with a handle chuck and bending it.

However, according to these conventional folding methods, incomplete folding often occurs, resulting in a poor production yield, and often the cutting edges are warped diagonally, resulting in a defective cut surface.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a folding method that eliminates the drawbacks of these conventional folding methods. Another object of the present invention is to provide a glass sheet cutting device suitable for automatic cutting of automobile glass such as side window glass of automobiles, and automatic folding line.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows the lines of one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a cutting machine, 2 is a laser cutting device, 3 is a conveyor which conveys the glass plate with cutting lines made by the cutting machine 1 to the laser cutting device 2, and 4 is a conveyor belt.

Now, the cutting machine 1 is the same as the conventional one, and consists of a table 6 for fixing a glass plate 5, a cutting cutter 8 that moves on this table 6 and cuts a cutting line 7 on the glass plate, and a cutting machine 8. hold this cutting cutter 8 on the table 6
- It mainly includes an X-Y carriage device [9] that moves in the Y-axis direction.

This cutting machine 1 is connected to the next laser cutting device 2 by a conveyor 3, and conveys the glass plate 5 with cut lines formed by cutting $111 to the work table 10 of the laser cutting device e2. The conveyor 3 normally has a structure that moves up and down, and travels while lifting the glass plate that has been cut (cut (streaked) in step 1), and when the glass plate is conveyed to the laser cutting device 2, It descends when it stops running.

Now, the laser cutting device 2 is a device that cuts the glass plate by irradiating a laser beam onto the cutting lines 7 of the glass plate 5 carried into the work table 10.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, this cutting device 2 includes a work table 10 that supports and fixes a glass plate, and a laser beam that moves on the work table 10 and directs the laser beam onto or near the cutting line 7. The device includes a laser irradiation unit 11 that irradiates a laser beam, and a laser device 12 that generates a laser beam.

This laser cutting He2 can be performed by fixing the glass plate 5 and the work table 10 and moving the laser irradiation unit 11 (see FIGS. 1 to 3), or of course by fixing the laser irradiation unit 11 and moving the laser irradiation unit 11. Alternatively, the work table 10 may be moved (see FIG. 4).

First, the laser cutting device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, which moves the laser irradiation unit 11, will be explained.

Laser light is guided from the laser device 12 to the laser irradiation section 11 through the fiber cable 13, and the laser irradiation section 11 is connected to the X-
A pulsed laser beam is scanned over the cut line 7 of the glass plate 5 held on the Y table 14 and fixed on the work table 10, and irradiates the cut line 7 or the vicinity of the cut line 7.

The laser device 12 uses a carbon dioxide laser, a YAG laser, etc., and has an output of usually 20W to 2KW.

Further, in order to limit the thermal strain generated by laser irradiation within the irradiation area, the laser device uses a pulsed laser.

Thermal strain is generated in the cutting line 7 to cause the vertical cracks to advance and break along the cutting line 1.

Explanation of the laser cutting device shown in FIG. 4.

A glass plate is fixed on an X-Y work table 10 that moves in the X-Y axis direction, a beam bender 15 connected to a laser device is installed on this work table 10, and the X-Y work table 10 is moved. A laser beam is irradiated onto the cut lines 7 made on the glass plate 5 on the table.

Of course, the laser irradiation unit 11 and the beam bender 15 are the same.

According to the present invention as described above, since the laser beam can concentrate high temperature in a very small spot, it is possible to cause thermal distortion in a very localized area. By causing this to occur on the kerf 7, the progress of the slit in the irradiation direction is effectively carried out, and good cleavage along the kerf 1q is achieved.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a line plan view, FIG. 2 is a front view of the laser cutting rS device, and FIG. 3 is the laser cutting device shown in FIG. 2. plan view of
Figure 4 is a front view of a laser cutting device with a changed structure. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Cutting machine, 2... Laser cutting device, 3... Conveyor, 5... Glass plate, 6... Table, 7... Cutting line, 8... Cutting cutter, 9. ...X-Y carriage device 10... Work table, 11... Laser irradiation device, 12... Laser device, 13... Fiber cable, 14... X-Y table, 15... Beam vendor,

Claims (1)

[Claims] It consists of a cutting machine that creates cutting lines on a glass plate using a cutting cutter, and a laser cutting device that cuts the glass plate with the cutting lines made using this cutting machine. Equipped with a table and a laser irradiation unit installed above the work table,
A glass plate cutting device in which the work table and the laser irradiation unit are moved relative to each other to irradiate a laser beam onto or near the cutting line of the glass plate.