PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR SCORING A BRITTLE MATERIAL

• Main Authors: BROWN, JAMES W, MENEGUS, HARRY E
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 02.03.2006
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; CUTTING-OUT; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GLASS; HAND CUTTING TOOLS; MACHINE TOOLS; MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; PERFORATING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PUNCHING; SEVERING; SEVERING BY MEANS OTHER THAN CUTTING; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; STAMPING-OUT; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

The present invention relates to a process for laser scoring of flat glass sheets. The process comprises manipulating a laser beam having a substantially Gaussian intensity profile to produce an elongated heating zone on the glass sheet to be scored, the elongated heating zone having a central portion with a lower temperature than a temperature of an outer portion of the heating zone. An initial crack is made in the glass sheet, the elongated heating zone is traversed across the glass sheet coincident with the initial crack, and the heated glass is thermally shocked by directing a cooled liquid against the heated glass, thus propagating the crack. The scored glass sheet may thereafter be broken by applying bending techniques as are known in the art. La présente invention concerne un procédé d'incision au laser de plaques de verre plat. Le procédé consiste à manipuler un faisceau laser présentant un profil d'intensité substantiellement gaussien pour produire une zone de chauffage allongée sur la plaque de verre à inciser, laquelle zone de chauffage allongée comprend une partie centrale présentant une température inférieure à celle d'une partie extérieure de la zone de chauffage. Une fissure initiale est effectuée dans la plaque de verre, la zone de chauffage allongée traverse la plaque de verre au même endroit que la fissure initiale, et le verre chauffé est soumis à un choc thermique obtenu par l'orientation d'un liquide refroidi contre le verre chauffé, ce qui propage la fissure. On peut ensuite rompre la plaque de verre incisée en appliquant des techniques de pliage connues.