Abstract: Apparatus and equipment for making glass sheet from a glass ribbon including scoring, bending and separation in vertical state with improved glass ribbon stability provided by edge restrainers located above the score-line that also travel with substantially the same vertical velocity with the elastic ribbon. The edge restrainers on both sides of the glass ribbon serve to limit the motion and perturbation of the ribbon during scoring, bending and separation, advantageously by tensioning the glass ribbon where needed. The invention can reduce disturbance of the glass ribbon in upstream visco-elastic and/or viscous zones due to scoring, bending and separation, therefore enhance forming process stability and product attributes such as thickness variation, stress and stress variation, and the like. The invention can be particularly advantageous for making glass sheet with large width and/or low thickness using the fusion down-draw, slot down-draw, re-draw down-draw, and other down-draw processes.

Abstract: A glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a forming device configured to produce a glass ribbon and a control device configured to independently operate a first pull roll apparatus, a second pull roll apparatus, and a third pull roll apparatus such that at least one of a first upstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant torque, at least one of a first midstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant torque, and at least one of a first downstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant angular velocity. In further examples, methods of manufacturing a glass ribbon are provided.

Abstract: Roller pairs and draw apparatus for processing glass ribbons are disclosed. The roller pairs applying force to a glass ribbon moving through the draw apparatus. The roller pairs include a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly positioned along opposite sides of the glass ribbon. A shaft of the second roller assembly is coupled to an actuation system that includes a repositionable support member allowing translation of the shaft of the second roller assembly in a direction transverse to the draw direction of the glass ribbon, a pneumatic actuator controlling a position of the contact wheel of the second roller assembly in the direction transverse to the draw direction of the glass ribbon, and a pneumatic reservoir in fluid communication with the pneumatic actuator delivering fluid at an elevated pressure to the pneumatic actuator.

Abstract: Non-contact, gas-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 40 meters/minute and above, e.g., 60 meters/minute. Gas is provided to the bearing's orifices (22) from a plenum which operates at a pressure Pplenum and the bearings have a calculated static pressure Pmidpoint at the midpoints (27) between the bearing's centermost orifice (26) and each of its nearest neighbors (28) in a horizontal direction which satisfies the relationship Pmidpoint/Pplenum?0.05. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at, for example, 60 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 500 microns, thus reducing the chances that the substrate (13) will hit and be damaged by the bearing (3).

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses for fabricating continuous glass ribbons are disclosed. The method includes forming the continuous glass ribbon by drawing the continuous glass ribbon from a draw housing in a drawing direction, heating at least one portion of a central region of the continuous glass ribbon at a heating location downstream of the draw housing, sensing a temperature of the continuous glass ribbon at a sensed temperature location downstream of the draw housing, and automatically controlling the heating of the at least one portion of the central region of the continuous glass ribbon based on the sensed temperature to mitigate distortion of the continuous glass ribbon.

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.

Abstract: A glass manufacturing apparatus is described herein that comprises a forming device configured to produce a glass ribbon and a pull roll device which draws the glass ribbon downward from the forming device. The pull roll device has a first roll apparatus, a second roll apparatus, and a third roll apparatus. The pull roll device is configured to at least independently operate the first roll apparatus and the second roll apparatus such that at least one of a first upstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant torque and at least one of a first downstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant angular velocity. In further examples, methods of manufacturing a glass ribbon are provided.

Abstract: Non-contact, gas-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 40 meters/minute and above, e.g., 60 meters/minute. Gas is provided to the bearing's orifices (22) from a plenum which operates at a pressure Pplenum and the bearings have a calculated static pressure Pmidpoint at the midpoints (27) between the bearing's centermost orifice (26) and each of its nearest neighbors (28) in a horizontal direction which satisfies the relationship Pmidpoint/Pplenum?0.05. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at, for example, 60 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 500 microns, thus reducing the chances that the substrate (13) will hit and be damaged by the bearing (3).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for etching flexible glass sheets (13) in which the sheets (13) are transported in a near vertical orientation past non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) which apply an etching solution (e.g., an aqueous NaF/H3PO4 solution) to the sheets (13). In certain embodiments, the uppermost liquid-ejecting bearing (3) is above the top edge of the sheet (13) and thus is able to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet. In other embodiments, a top shower (11), which includes a set of spray nozzles (21) located above and distributed along the length of the apparatus, is used to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet (13). Using the disclosed methods and apparatus, glass sheets (13) produced by a fusion process are provided which have areas greater than five square meters and average surface roughness values in the range of 0.5 nanometers to 1.1 nanometers.

Abstract: A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a control device configured to modify a predetermined diameter of at least one of a first downstream pair of draw rolls in a first downstream equation based on a monitored actual velocity of a first edge portion of a glass ribbon such that a predetermined ribbon velocity of the first edge portion of the glass ribbon in the first downstream equation changes to substantially match the monitored actual velocity without substantially changing a first downstream angular velocity of the at least one of the first downstream pair of draw rolls. In further examples, methods of manufacturing a glass ribbon include the step modifying the predetermined diameter of at least one of a first downstream pair of draw rolls in the first downstream equation based on the monitored actual velocity of the first edge portion of the glass ribbon.

Abstract: Non-contact, gas-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 40 meters/minute and above, e.g., 60 meters/minute. Gas is provided to the bearing's orifices (22) from a plenum which operates at a pressure Pplenum and the bearings have a calculated static pressure Pmidpoint at the midpoints (27) between the bearing's centermost orifice (26) and each of its nearest neighbors (28) in a horizontal direction which satisfies the relationship Pmidpoint/Pplenum?0.05. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at, for example, 60 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 500 microns, thus reducing the chances that the substrate (13) will hit and be damaged by the bearing (3).

Abstract: A glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a forming device configured to produce a glass ribbon and a control device configured to independently operate a first pull roll apparatus and a second pull roll apparatus such that at least one of a first upstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant torque and at least one of a first downstream pair of draw rolls rotates with a substantially constant angular velocity. In further examples, methods of manufacturing a glass ribbon are provided.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for etching flexible glass sheets (13) in which the sheets (13) are transported in a near vertical orientation past non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) which apply an etching solution (e.g., an aqueous NaF/H3PO4 solution) to the sheets (13). In certain embodiments, the uppermost liquid-ejecting bearing (3) is above the top edge of the sheet (13) and thus is able to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet. In other embodiments, a top shower (11), which includes a set of spray nozzles (21) located above and distributed along the length of the apparatus, is used to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet (13). Using the disclosed methods and apparatus, glass sheets (13) produced by a fusion process are provided which have areas greater than five square meters and average surface roughness values in the range of 0.5 nanometers to 1.1 nanometers.

Abstract: Apparatus and equipment for making glass sheet from a glass ribbon including scoring, bending and separation in vertical state with improved glass ribbon stability provided by edge restrainers located above the score-line that also travel with substantially the same vertical velocity with the elastic ribbon. The edge restrainers on both sides of the glass ribbon serve to limit the motion and perturbation of the ribbon during scoring, bending and separation, advantageously by tensioning the glass ribbon where needed. The invention can reduce disturbance of the glass ribbon in upstream visco-elastic and/or viscous zones due to scoring, bending and separation, therefore enhance forming process stability and product attributes such as thickness variation, stress and stress variation, and the like. The invention can be particularly advantageous for making glass sheet with large width and/or low thickness using the fusion down-draw, slot down-draw, re-draw down-draw, and other down-draw processes.

Abstract: Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices (22) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D0) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing (3) will lose control of the substrate (13) or that the substrate (13) will hit the bearing (3).

Abstract: Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices (22) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D0) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing (3) will lose control of the substrate (13) or that the substrate (13) will hit the bearing (3).

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for etching flexible glass sheets (13) in which the sheets (13) are transported in a vertical or near vertical orientation past non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) which apply an etching solution (e.g., an aqueous NaF/H3PO4 solution) to one or both sides of the sheets (13). In certain embodiments, the uppermost liquid-ejecting bearing (3) is above the top edge of the sheet (13) and thus is able to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet. In other embodiments, a top shower (11), which includes a set of spray nozzles (21) located above and distributed along the length of the apparatus, is used to apply etching solution to the top of the sheet (13). Using the disclosed methods and apparatus, glass sheets (13) produced by a fusion process are provided which have areas greater than five square meters and average surface roughness values in the range of 0.5 nanometers to 1.1 nanometers.

Abstract: A method of separating a moving glass ribbon to form an individual sheet of glass is disclosed comprising a plurality of nosing members that move in a direction and at a speed that the moving glass ribbon is moving. The nosing members can be positioned independently of each other, and can be positioned adjacent to but not in contact with the ribbon during the scoring operation to restrict out-of-plane movement of the glass ribbon (movement substantially transverse to the draw direction of the ribbon) during the separation phase of the process.

Abstract: Non-contact, gas-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 40 meters/minute and above, e.g., 60 meters/minute. Gas is provided to the bearing's orifices (22) from a plenum which operates at a pressure Pplenum and the bearings have a calculated static pressure Pmidpoint at the midpoints (27) between the bearing's centermost orifice (26) and each of its nearest neighbors (28) in a horizontal direction which satisfies the relationship Pmidpoint/Pplenum?0.05. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at, for example, 60 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 500 microns, thus reducing the chances that the substrate (13) will hit and be damaged by the bearing (3).

Abstract: Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices (22) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D0) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing (3) will lose control of the substrate (13) or that the substrate (13) will hit the bearing (3).