Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for supporting a source glass sheet and defining an at least partially non-straight cutting line that establishes a closed pattern that circumscribes a desired final shape; scoring the glass sheet at an initiation line using a mechanical scoring device; applying a laser beam to the glass sheet starting at the initiation line and continuously moving the laser beam relative to the glass sheet along the cutting line to elevate a temperature of the glass sheet at the cutting line to a substantially consistent temperature, where the laser beam is of a circular shape; and applying a cooling fluid simultaneously with the application of the laser beam, such that the cooling fluid at least reduces the temperature of the glass sheet in order to propagate a fracture in the glass sheet along the cutting line.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for supporting a source glass sheet and defining an at least partially non-straight cutting line that establishes a closed pattern that circumscribes a desired final shape; scoring the glass sheet at an initiation line using a mechanical scoring device; applying a laser beam to the glass sheet starting at the initiation line and continuously moving the laser beam relative to the glass sheet along the cutting line to elevate a temperature of the glass sheet at the cutting line to a substantially consistent temperature, where the laser beam is of a circular shape; and applying a cooling fluid simultaneously with the application of the laser beam, such that the cooling fluid at least reduces the temperature of the glass sheet in order to propagate a fracture in the glass sheet along the cutting line.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for supporting a source glass sheet and defining an at least partially non-straight cutting line that establishes a closed pattern that circumscribes a desired final shape; scoring the glass sheet at an initiation line using a mechanical scoring device; applying a laser beam to the glass sheet starting at the initiation line and continuously moving the laser beam relative to the glass sheet along the cutting line to elevate a temperature of the glass sheet at the cutting line to a substantially consistent temperature, where the laser beam is of a circular shape; and applying a cooling fluid simultaneously with the application of the laser beam, such that the cooling fluid at least reduces the temperature of the glass sheet in order to propagate a fracture in the glass sheet along the cutting line.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for supporting and fixing a pane made of a brittle material such as a glass pane (12), in particular a thin glass pane (12), during a cutting process in which the glass pane (12) is cut along a cutting edge (34), comprising a main part (14) through which a gas can flow, a gas conducting device (18) for supplying gas to the main part (14) and conducting the gas through the main part (14), said glass pane (12) being supportable on the gas exiting the main part (14), and a fixing unit (20) for fixing the glass pane (12) relative to the device (101), said fixing unit interacting with the glass pane (12) such that the glass pane (12) comes into contact with the main part (14) in a contact area (24) during the cutting process and the cutting edges (34) are lifted by the exiting gas outside of the contact area (24) and positioned at a distance from the main part (14). Moreover the invention relates to a respective method.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus provide for supporting a source glass sheet and defining an at least partially non-straight cutting line that establishes a closed pattern that circumscribes a desired final shape; scoring the glass sheet at an initiation line using a mechanical scoring device; applying a laser beam to the glass sheet starting at the initiation line and continuously moving the laser beam relative to the glass sheet along the cutting line to elevate a temperature of the glass sheet at the cutting line to a substantially consistent temperature, where the laser beam is of a circular shape; and applying a cooling fluid simultaneously with the application of the laser beam, such that the cooling fluid at least reduces the temperature of the glass sheet in order to propagate a fracture in the glass sheet along the cutting line.

Abstract: The method for mechanically breaking a flat workpiece of brittle fracturing material includes scribing spaced-apart parallel scribed lines in respective perpendicular cutting directions on the flat workpiece, especially a flat glass plate, with a laser and, after that, mechanically breaking the flat workpiece along the laser-scribed lines. In this way the flat workpiece can be divided into smaller rectangular workpieces. At least one breaking roller is used to break the flat workpiece along the scribed lines in one cutting direction. To improve the break edge quality and provide a higher yield a breaking bar that is shorter than the smaller of the width and the length of the flat workpiece is used to break the flat workpiece along the scribed lines in the other cutting direction and the breaking bar is pressed against each of those scribed lines in successive overlapping steps.

Abstract: A method and a device are described to break thin glass sheets, especially compound and sandwich sheets (double sheets) in which the scratched glass is placed scratched side down on a glass cutting table that is provided with an elastic cover. The sheets are fixed to the glass cutting table by means of a vacuum, and they are broken by applying pressure to the unscratched side with a cutter. The elastic cover has a Shore A hardness of 60 to 100 and a rebound resilience according to DIN 53 512 of 35% to 70%.