JP2025099578A - Method for manufacturing glass articles and method for manufacturing glass products - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a glass article that makes it possible to improve the quality of a plate-shaped glass article used in applications where the glass article will be bent and deformed, and a method for manufacturing a group of glass products.
[Solution] A plate-shaped glass article 11 is used in applications where it is bent and deformed into a folded state. A manufacturing method for the glass article 11 includes a cutting step of cutting the glass article 11 from a mother glass G1 having a sheet drawing direction D1. In the cutting step, the glass article 11 is cut out so that a planned folding line L1 along which the glass article 11 is to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1.
[Selected figure] Figure 3

Description

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing glass articles and a method for manufacturing a group of glass products.

As described in Patent Document 1, for example, a plate-shaped glass article is known that is used for display applications such as foldable displays and rollable displays. Such glass articles are bent and deformed when the display is folded or wound into a roll.

JP 2022-166863 A

As described above, a plate-shaped glass article used in applications involving bending deformation is obtained, for example, by cutting it from mother glass. Mother glass may be formed, for example, by a method of drawing molten glass in a predetermined direction. Mother glass formed in this way has a plate drawing direction, which is the direction in which the molten glass is drawn. It is desirable to improve the quality of the above glass article obtained from mother glass having such a plate drawing direction.

The object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing glass articles and a method for manufacturing glass products that can improve the quality of plate-shaped glass articles used in applications where the glass articles are bent and deformed.

Various aspects of a method for producing a glass article and a method for producing a group of glass products that solve the above problems will be described below.
The method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 1 is a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped glass article used in applications in which the glass article is bent and deformed into a folded state, and includes a cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a plate drawing direction, and in the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned folding line along which the glass article is to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the plate drawing direction of the mother glass.

The thickness of mother glass having the above-mentioned sheet drawing direction changes as follows. The thickness change is smallest along the sheet drawing direction, while the thickness change is largest along the perpendicular direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction. Therefore, by cutting out a glass product from the mother glass as described above, it is possible to reduce the thickness change along the planned folding line of the glass product.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 2, in aspect 1, the angle of the intended folding line with respect to the sheet drawing direction may be within a range of 0° or more and 20° or less. This method can further reduce the change in thickness of the glass article along the intended folding line.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 3, in aspect 1 or aspect 2, the shape of the main surface of the glass article may be a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides, and the intended folding lines may be provided in a direction along the short sides.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 4, in aspect 1 or aspect 2, the shape of the main surface of the glass article may be a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides, and the intended folding lines may be provided in a direction along the long sides.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 5, in any one of aspects 1 to 4, the mother glass is an alkali aluminosilicate glass having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less, the shape of the main surface of the mother glass is a quadrilateral shape having two first sides along the sheet drawing direction and two second sides along an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction, the length of each of the four sides of the mother glass is within a range of 200 mm or more and 2000 mm or less, and in the cutting process, 2 or more and 400 or less glass articles may be cut out from one sheet of the mother glass.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 6, in any one of aspects 1 to 5, the shape of the main surface of the glass article may be a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides, the length of each of the two long sides of the glass article may be in the range of 100 mm or more and 500 mm or less, and the length of each of the two short sides of the glass article may be in the range of 50 mm or more and 450 mm or less.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 7, in any one of aspects 1 to 6, the mother glass may be provided with an identification portion for identifying the sheet drawing direction. According to this method, in the cutting step, the position for cutting out the glass article can be easily aligned with the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 8, in aspect 7, the shape of the main surface of the mother glass is a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides, the identification portion includes the long sides and the short sides of the mother glass, and the sheet drawing direction may extend in a direction along one of the long sides or the short sides.

In the method for manufacturing a glass article of aspect 9, in aspect 7 or aspect 8, the identification portion includes at least one of a notch portion formed on the outer edge of the mother glass and a mark provided on the mother glass, and the mark may include at least one selected from a printed portion, a laser engraved portion, a portion where a through hole is formed, and a portion where a sealing member is attached.

The method for manufacturing a glass article according to aspect 10 may further include an ion exchange step of subjecting the glass article to an ion exchange treatment after the cutting step in any one of aspects 1 to 9.

The method for manufacturing a glass product group of aspect 11 is a method for manufacturing a glass product group including a plurality of plate-shaped glass articles used for applications in which the glass articles are bent and deformed into a folded state, and includes a cutting step of cutting the glass articles from a mother glass having a plate drawing direction, in which the glass articles are cut out so that a planned folding line along which the glass articles are to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the plate drawing direction of the mother glass, and the glass product group may include, as one unit, a plurality of glass articles cut out in a row along the plate drawing direction of the mother glass. This method makes it possible to increase the uniformity of the thickness of the plurality of glass articles included in one unit.

The method for manufacturing a group of glass products of aspect 12 may be the same as that of aspect 11, in which a plurality of rows of cut-out sections are pre-set in a direction intersecting the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass, and then in the cutting step, a plurality of glass articles are cut out from each of the plurality of rows of cut-out sections, thereby manufacturing a plurality of the units from a single sheet of the mother glass. This method makes it easy to increase the productivity of the group of glass products.

The method for manufacturing a glass article according to aspect 13 is a method for manufacturing a plate-shaped glass article used for applications in which the glass article is bent and deformed in a rolled state, and includes a cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a plate drawing direction, and in the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned winding axis along which the glass article is to be wound intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the plate drawing direction of the mother glass.

The method for manufacturing a glass product group of aspect 14 is a method for manufacturing a glass product group including a plurality of plate-shaped glass articles used for applications in which the glass articles are bent and deformed in a rolled-up state, and includes a cutting step of cutting the glass articles from a mother glass having a sheet-drawing direction, in which the glass articles are cut out so that a planned winding axis along which the glass articles are to be wound into a roll intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet-drawing direction of the mother glass, and the glass product group includes, as one unit, a plurality of glass articles cut out in a row along the sheet-drawing direction of the mother glass.

The present invention has the effect of making it possible to improve the quality of plate-shaped glass articles used in applications where they are bent and deformed.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a glass article in a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a glass article in a folded state. FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the method for manufacturing a glass article. FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the manufacturing method of the glass products. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a glass article in the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a glass article in a folded state. FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the method for manufacturing a glass article. FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a method for manufacturing a glass article in the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a glass article in a rolled state.

[First embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the method for manufacturing a glass article and a method for manufacturing a glass product group will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings, for the convenience of explanation, some of the configurations may be shown exaggerated or simplified. Furthermore, the dimensional ratios of each part may differ from the actual ones.

<Glass Articles>
1 and 2, a plate-shaped glass article 11 is used for applications in which it is bent and deformed into a folded state. The plate-shaped glass article 11 before folding has a planned folding line L1 along which the glass article 11 is to be folded. The folded glass article 11 has a folding portion F1 that is bent and deformed along the planned folding line L1.

The shape of the main surface of the glass article 11 is a rectangle having two long sides 11a and two short sides 11b. The planned folding line L1 and folding portion F1 of the glass article 11 are provided in a direction along the short sides 11b. It is preferable that the planned folding line L1 and folding portion F1 are provided so as to extend parallel to the short sides 11b of the glass article 11.

The length of each of the two long sides 11a of the glass article 11 is preferably in the range of 100 mm or more and 500 mm or less, and more preferably in the range of 100 mm or more and 200 mm or less. The length of each of the two short sides 11b of the glass article 11 is preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 450 mm or less, and more preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

The upper limit of the thickness of the glass article 11 is 0.2 mm or less, 0.1 mm or less, 0.085 mm or less, 0.060 mm or less, 0.055 mm or less, 0.040 mm or less, or 0.035 mm or less. The lower limit of the thickness of the glass article 11 is, for example, 0.005 mm or more, or 0.01 mm or more.

Examples of the glass constituting the glass article 11 include soda glass, soda lime glass, borosilicate glass, aluminosilicate glass, and alkali-free glass. The glass constituting the glass article 11 may be glass for chemical strengthening. Examples of the glass for chemical strengthening include soda glass and alkali aluminosilicate glass containing an alkali metal oxide as a glass composition. The alkali metal oxide component contained in the alkali aluminosilicate glass as a glass composition is preferably at least one selected from Li ₂ O, Na ₂ O, and K ₂ O. The glass for chemical strengthening is preferably alkali aluminosilicate glass.

The alkali aluminosilicate glass preferably contains, in mole percent, the following glass composition: SiO ₂ : 50-75%, Al ₂ O ₃ : 1-20%, B ₂ O ₃ : 0-30%, Li ₂ O: 0-15%, Na ₂ O: 1-25%, K ₂ O: 0-10%, and P ₂ O ₅ : 0-15%.

It is more preferable that the alkali aluminosilicate glass contains, in mole percent, the following glass composition: SiO ₂ : 50-75%, Al ₂ O ₃ : 7-20%, B ₂ O ₃ : 0.1-30%, Li ₂ O: 5-15%, Na ₂ O: 5-25%, K ₂ O: 0-10%, and P ₂ O ₅ : 0-15%.

<Method of manufacturing glass article>
As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the manufacturing method of the glass article 11 includes a cutting step of cutting the glass article 11 from a mother glass G1. The mother glass G1 has a sheet drawing direction D1. The sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 is the direction in which molten glass is drawn or the direction in which softened sheet glass is pulled in forming the mother glass G1. In other words, the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 is the machine direction (MD) of a forming device that forms the mother glass G1.

In mother glass G1 having a sheet drawing direction D1, the change in thickness along the sheet drawing direction D1 is the smallest. In addition, in mother glass G1 having a sheet drawing direction D1, the change in thickness along the orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 is the largest. For example, the thickness dimension of both ends of mother glass G1 in the orthogonal direction D2 is larger than the thickness dimension of the center of mother glass G1 in the orthogonal direction D2. For this reason, the sheet drawing direction D1 of mother glass G1 can be confirmed, for example, by measuring the thickness of mother glass G1.

Among the methods for forming the mother glass G1, examples of the methods for drawing molten glass in a predetermined direction include the overflow downdraw method, the slot downdraw method, and the float method. Among the methods for forming the mother glass G1, examples of the methods for pulling the softened sheet glass in a predetermined direction include the redraw method. From the viewpoint of increasing the uniformity of the thickness of the mother glass G1 along the sheet drawing direction D1, the method for forming the mother glass G1 is preferably the overflow downdraw method or the slot downdraw method.

The mother glass G1 of this embodiment is a cut portion of the plate-shaped glass formed by the above-mentioned forming method. The plate-shaped glass formed by the above-mentioned forming method can also be used as the mother glass G1 without being cut.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, in the cutting process, the glass article 11 is cut out so that the planned folding line L1 along which the glass article 11 is to be folded intersects with the orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1. As shown in Figure 1, the angle θ of the planned folding line L1 with respect to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 is preferably within a range of 0° or more and 20° or less.

In this embodiment, an example of a cutting process is shown in which the glass article 11 is cut out so that the angle θ of the planned folding line L1 relative to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 is 0°. That is, in the cutting process of this embodiment, the glass article 11 is cut out so that the planned folding line L1 along which the glass article 11 is to be folded completely coincides with the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1.

Methods for cutting out the glass article 11 from the mother glass G1 include, for example, thermal cleavage, thermal melting, division along a scribe line, cutting with a short pulse laser, and division by etching. For thermal cleavage and thermal melting, for example, a laser can be used. For division along a scribe line, a scribe line is first formed in the mother glass G1 using a tool. For example, the tool may be a rotatable scribing wheel or a non-rotatable scribe tip. The mother glass G1 with the scribe line formed thereon can be divided by applying an external force along the scribe line. For example, a nanosecond laser or a picosecond laser of various wavelengths can be used as the short pulse laser. For division by etching, a method that combines laser modification and etching with an HF-based etchant can be used.

In the cutting process, it is preferable to cut out 2 or more and 400 or less glass articles 11 from one sheet of mother glass G1. In this embodiment, a cutting process in which 12 glass articles 11 are cut out from one sheet of mother glass G1 is shown as an example.

The thickness of the mother glass G1 is the same as the thickness of the glass article 11 described above. The composition of the glass constituting the mother glass G1 is the same as the composition of the glass constituting the glass article 11 described above.

The shape of the main surface of the mother glass G1 is not particularly limited, but is preferably, for example, a quadrilateral shape having two first sides G1a along the sheet drawing direction D1 and two second sides G1b along an orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1. The length of each of the four sides of the mother glass G1 is preferably within a range of 200 mm or more and 2000 mm or less. The shape of the mother glass G1 in this embodiment is a rectangle having short sides that are the first sides G1a and long sides that are the second sides G1b.

The mother glass G1 is provided with a first identification portion A1 and a second identification portion A2 for identifying the sheet drawing direction D1. The first identification portion A1 is formed by the long side and short side of the mother glass G1. The sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 extends in a direction along the first side G1a, which is the short side of the mother glass G1, and therefore the sheet drawing direction D1 can be identified by the extension direction of this first side G1a.

The second identification portion A2 is a notch formed on the outer edge of the mother glass G1. The length of the notch of the second identification portion A2 along the first side G1a of the mother glass G1 is longer than the length along the second side G1b. The sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 can be identified by the direction in which the length of the notch of the second identification portion A2 is relatively long.

The manufacturing method of the glass article 11 may further include an ion exchange step as a step following the cutting step. The ion exchange step is a step of subjecting the glass article 11 to an ion exchange treatment to chemically strengthen it. Specifically, the ion exchange is performed by immersing the glass article 11 in a molten salt. The molten salt is typically an alkali metal nitrate at 350 to 490° C., and the immersion time of the glass article 11 is, for example, 0.1 to 100 hours. The alkali metal nitrate may be, for example, any one salt selected from KNO ₃ , NaNO ₃ , and LiNO ₃ , or a mixed salt of these salts.

<Manufacturing methods for glass products>
As shown in Fig. 4, the glass product group GP includes a plurality of plate-shaped glass articles 11 as one unit U. The manufacturing method of the glass product group GP includes the cutting step described above. One unit U of the glass product group GP is composed of a plurality of glass articles 11 cut out in a line along the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 in the cutting step. In detail, in the manufacturing method of the glass product group GP, a plurality of cut-out portions lined up in a line along the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 are set in advance, and then, in the cutting step, the glass article 11 is cut out from each of the plurality of cut-out portions.

In this embodiment, one unit U of the glass product group GP is composed of multiple glass articles 11 cut out from the mother glass G1 so that the planned folding lines L1 are aligned on the same straight line along the sheet drawing direction D1.

The planned folding lines L1 of the multiple glass articles 11 may be inclined with respect to the sheet drawing direction D1. In this case, the multiple glass articles can be cut out from the mother glass G1 so that a portion of the planned folding lines L1 of each of the multiple glass articles 11 are arranged on the same straight line along the sheet drawing direction D1. In other words, in the multiple glass articles 11 cut out in a row as described above, at least a portion of each planned folding line L1 is arranged on the same straight line along the sheet drawing direction D1.

In the manufacturing method of the glass product group GP, one unit U may be manufactured from one sheet of mother glass G1, or multiple units U may be manufactured from one sheet of mother glass G1 as in this embodiment. In more detail, in the manufacturing method of the glass product group GP of this embodiment, multiple rows of intended cutting portions are set in advance in a direction intersecting with the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1. In the cutting process, multiple units U are manufactured by cutting out multiple glass articles 11 from each of the multiple rows of intended cutting portions.

<Uses of glass articles>
The glass article 11 may be subjected to post-treatment such as edging and strengthening as necessary. At this time, the multiple glass articles 11 included in the unit U of the glass product group GP may be post-treated under the same conditions. The glass article 11 may be used, for example, as a foldable display that can be folded. Examples of foldable displays include foldable liquid crystal displays and foldable organic EL displays.

<Actions and Effects of First Embodiment>
Next, the operation and effects of the first embodiment will be described.
(1-1) A plate-shaped glass article 11 is used in an application in which it is bent and deformed into a folded state. A manufacturing method for the glass article 11 includes a cutting step of cutting the glass article 11 from a mother glass G1 having a sheet drawing direction D1. In the cutting step, the glass article 11 is cut out so that a planned folding line L1 along which the glass article 11 is to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1.

The thickness of the mother glass G1 having the sheet drawing direction D1 changes as follows. The thickness change is smallest along the sheet drawing direction D1, while the thickness change is largest along the perpendicular direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1. Therefore, by cutting out the glass article 11 from the mother glass G1 as described above, the thickness change along the planned folding line L1 of the glass article 11 can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality of the plate-shaped glass article 11 used for applications in which bending deformation is performed as described above. By increasing the uniformity of the thickness of the folding portion F1 of the glass article 11, it is possible to increase the strength, such as the bending strength along the planned folding line L1 and the impact strength of the folding portion F1.

(1-2) It is preferable that the angle θ of the planned folding line L1 of the glass article 11 relative to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 is within the range of 0° or more and 20° or less. In this case, the change in thickness along the planned folding line L1 of the glass article 11 can be made smaller. Therefore, it is possible to further improve the quality of the plate-shaped glass article 11 used in applications where it is bent and deformed as described above.

(1-3) The mother glass G1 is provided with an identification portion for identifying the sheet drawing direction D1. In this case, in the cutting process, the position for cutting out the glass article 11 can be easily aligned with the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1. Therefore, the glass article 11 can be easily manufactured.

(1-4) The shape of the main surface of the mother glass G1 is a rectangle having two long sides which are the second sides G1b and two short sides which are the first sides G1a. The first identification portion A1 of the mother glass G1 includes the long sides and short sides of the mother glass G1, and the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 extends in a direction along the first side G1a which is the short side of the mother glass G1. In this case, the sheet drawing direction D1 can be easily identified by utilizing the external shape of the mother glass G1.

(1-5) The mother glass G1 has a second identification portion A2, which is a notch formed on the outer edge of the mother glass G1. In this case, the sheet drawing direction D1 can be easily identified by using the notch of the mother glass G1.

(1-6) The manufacturing method for the glass product group GP includes a cutting process for cutting out multiple glass articles 11 as described above. The glass product group GP includes multiple glass articles 11 cut out in a row along the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1 as one unit U. This method makes it possible to improve the uniformity of the thickness of the multiple glass articles 11 included in one unit U. This makes it easier to handle the multiple glass articles 11. For example, by post-processing the multiple glass articles 11 included in one unit U under the same conditions, it is possible to easily obtain multiple processed products with improved uniformity of quality.

(1-7) In the manufacturing method of the glass product group GP, multiple rows of cut-out sections are set in advance in a direction intersecting with the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G1. In the cutting process, multiple glass articles 11 are cut out from each of the multiple rows of cut-out sections, thereby manufacturing multiple units U from a single sheet of mother glass G1. In this case, the productivity of the glass product group GP can be easily increased.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment of the method for producing a glass article will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the planned folding line L2 and folding portion F2 of the glass article 12 of the second embodiment are provided in a direction along the long side 12a of the glass article 12. It is preferable that the planned folding line L2 and folding portion F2 are provided so as to extend parallel to the long side 12a of the glass article 12. The length of each of the two long sides 12a of the glass article 12 is preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 500 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 100 mm or more and 200 mm or less. The length of each of the two short sides 12b of the glass article 12 is preferably in the range of 20 mm or more and 450 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

As shown in FIG. 7, the manufacturing method of the glass article 12 includes a cutting process for cutting the glass article 12 from the mother glass G2. As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 7, in the cutting process, the glass article 12 is cut out so that the planned folding line L2 along which the glass article 12 is to be folded intersects with the orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G2.

The shape of the main surface of the mother glass G2 is, for example, a rectangular shape having long sides that are the two first sides G2a along the sheet drawing direction D1 and short sides that are the two second sides G2b along the perpendicular direction D2. The sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G2 extends in a direction along the first side G2a, which is the long side of the mother glass G2, so the sheet drawing direction D1 can be identified by the direction in which this first side G2a extends.

Next, the operation and effects of the second embodiment will be described.
(2-1) In the cutting step of the second embodiment, the glass article 12 is cut out so that the planned folding line L2 along which the glass article 12 is to be folded intersects with the orthogonal direction D2 that is orthogonal to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G2. According to this method, the same effects as those described in section (1-1) of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(2-2) The method for producing the glass article 12 of the second embodiment also provides the same effects as those described in sections (1-2) to (1-5) of the first embodiment.
[Third embodiment]
A third embodiment of the method for producing a glass article will be described, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

As shown in Figures 8 and 9, the plate-shaped glass product 13 is used in applications where it is bent and deformed while wound into a roll. Before being wound into a roll, the plate-shaped glass product 13 has a planned winding axis L3 along which the glass product 13 is to be wound into a roll. The glass product 13 in the rolled state has a roll-shaped portion F3. The roll-shaped portion F3 is formed by winding at least a portion of the glass product 13 around a winding axis L3a that is parallel to the planned winding axis L3.

The planned winding axis L3 and winding axis L3a of the glass article 13 are arranged in a direction along the short side 13b of the glass article 13. It is preferable that the planned winding axis L3 and winding axis L3a are arranged to extend parallel to the short side 13b of the glass article 13. For example, the length of each of the two long sides 13a of the glass article 13 for mobile device use is preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 500 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 100 mm or more and 200 mm or less. The length of each of the two short sides 13b of the glass article 13 is preferably in the range of 20 mm or more and 450 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 50 mm or more and 150 mm or less.

When the glass article 13 is intended for use as a large stationary display device, the side dimensions of the glass article 13 may be set to dimensions even larger than the above dimensions. That is, the length of each of the two long sides 13a of the glass article 13 for this use is preferably within the range of 300 mm or more and 4000 mm or less, and more preferably within the range of 1000 mm or more and 3000 mm or less. Also, the length of each of the two short sides 13b of the glass article 13 for this use is preferably within the range of 250 mm or more and 4000 mm or less, and more preferably within the range of 1000 mm or more and 3000 mm or less.

As shown in FIG. 8, the manufacturing method of the glass article 13 includes a cutting process for cutting the glass article 13 from the mother glass G3. In the cutting process, the glass article 13 is cut out so that the planned winding axis L3 along which the glass article 13 is to be wound into a roll intersects with the orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G3. It is preferable that the angle θ of the planned winding axis L3 with respect to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G3 is within a range of 0° or more and 20° or less. The planned winding axis L3 is set so as to pass through the center of the glass article 13 in the sheet drawing direction D1 and the center in the orthogonal direction D2.

The shape of the main surface of the mother glass G3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably a quadrilateral shape having two first sides G3a along the sheet drawing direction D1 and two second sides G3b along the perpendicular direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1. The shape of the mother glass G3 in this embodiment is a rectangular shape having a long side which is the first side G3a and a short side which is the second side G3b. The length of each of the four sides of the mother glass G3 is preferably in the range of 200 mm or more and 5000 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 250 mm or more and 2000 mm or less, and even more preferably in the range of 280 mm or more and 1000 mm or less.

The drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G3 extends in a direction along the first side G3a, which is the long side of the mother glass G3, so the drawing direction D1 can be identified by the extension direction of this first side G3a.

The glass article 13 can be used, for example, as a rollable display that can be wound into a roll. Examples of rollable displays include a rollable liquid crystal display and a rollable organic EL display.

Next, the operation and effects of the third embodiment will be described.
(3-1) In the cutting process of the third embodiment, the glass article 13 is cut out so that the planned winding axis L3 along which the glass article 13 is to be wound into a roll intersects with the orthogonal direction D2 perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G3. This method can reduce the change in thickness along the planned winding axis L3 of the glass article 13. Therefore, it is possible to improve the quality of the plate-shaped glass article 13 used for applications in which bending deformation is performed as described above. For example, by improving the uniformity of the thickness along the winding axis L3a of the roll-shaped portion F3 of the glass article 13, it is possible to increase the strength of the roll-shaped portion F3.

(3-2) The method for producing the glass article 13 of the third embodiment also provides the same effects as those described in sections (1-2) to (1-5) of the first embodiment.
<Example of change>
The above embodiment can be modified as follows: The above embodiment and the following modifications can be combined with each other to the extent that no technical contradiction occurs.

- The identification unit for the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3 can be omitted. For example, the conveying direction in which the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3 are conveyed from the forming device that forms the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3 can be set to a predetermined direction in advance, so that the sheet drawing direction D1 can be identified by the conveying direction.

- The cutout portion, which is the second identification portion A2 of the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3, can also be formed so that the length along the first side G1a, G2a, and G3a of the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3 is shorter than the length along the second side G1b, G2b, and G3b. In this case, the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glasses G1, G2, and G3 can be identified by the direction in which the length of the cutout portion is relatively short.

The identification portion of the mother glass G1, G2, G3 may be a mark provided on the mother glass G1, G2, G3. The mark preferably includes at least one selected from a printed portion, a laser engraved portion, a portion where a through hole is formed, and a portion where a sealing material is attached. Examples of the shape of the mark include a symbol such as an arrow, a letter, and the like. Such a mark can be provided on a non-product portion of the mother glass G1, G2, G3 other than the product portion for obtaining the glass article 11, 12, 13.

In the manufacturing method of the glass product group GP according to the first embodiment, the glass product group GP made up of a plurality of units U is manufactured. However, a glass product made up of a single unit U may be manufactured.
A single unit U of the glass product group GP is composed of a plurality of glass articles having the same outer dimensions, but may include glass articles having different outer dimensions. However, it is preferable that a single unit U is composed of a plurality of glass articles having the same outer dimensions.

The manufacturing method of the glass product group GP of the first embodiment can also be applied to the manufacturing of a glass product group including the glass article 12 of the second embodiment. The manufacturing method of the glass product group GP of the first embodiment can also be applied to the manufacturing of a glass product group including the glass article 13 of the third embodiment. For example, one unit including the glass article 13 of the third embodiment is composed of a plurality of glass articles 13 cut out in a line along the sheet drawing direction D1 of the mother glass G3 in the cutting process. In the plurality of glass articles 13 cut out in a line like this, at least a part of each of the planned winding axis lines L3 is arranged on the same straight line along the sheet drawing direction D1. The manufacturing method of the glass product group including the glass article 12 of the second embodiment and the manufacturing method of the glass product group including the glass article 13 of the third embodiment can also obtain the same effects as those described in sections (1-6) and (1-7) of the first embodiment.

- The glass article obtained by the method of the present disclosure can be used for a foldable display or a rollable display as described above. Applications of foldable displays and rollable displays include, for example, mobile devices, electronic devices (display devices), etc. Examples of mobile devices include smartphones and tablet computers, etc. Examples of electronic devices include in-vehicle displays, displays for personal computers, television displays, etc.

11, 12, 13... Glass article 11a, 12a, 13a... Long side 11b, 12b, 13b... Short side A1... First identification part A2... Second identification part D1... Sheet drawing direction D2... Orthogonal direction G1, G2, G3... Mother glass G1a, G2a, G3a... First side G1b, G2b, G3b... Second side GP... Glass product group L1, L2... Planned folding line L3... Planned winding axis U... Unit θ... Angle

Claims (14)

A method for manufacturing a plate-shaped glass article used in applications where the glass article is bent and deformed into a folded state, comprising the steps of:
A cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a sheet drawing direction,
In the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned folding line along which the glass article is to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the planned folding line relative to the sheet drawing direction is within a range of 0° to 20°. The shape of the main surface of the glass article is a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides,
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1 , wherein the intended folding line is provided in a direction along the short side. The shape of the main surface of the glass article is a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides,
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1 , wherein the intended folding lines are provided in a direction along the long sides. The mother glass is an alkali aluminosilicate glass having a thickness of 0.2 mm or less,
a main surface of the mother glass has a quadrilateral shape having two first sides along the sheet drawing direction and two second sides along a direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction,
The length of each of the four sides of the mother glass is within a range of 200 mm or more and 2000 mm or less,
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1 , wherein in the cutting step, 2 or more and 400 or less glass articles are cut out from one sheet of the mother glass. The shape of the main surface of the glass article is a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides,
The length of each of the two long sides of the glass article is within the range of 100 mm or more and 500 mm or less;
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each of the two short sides of the glass article is within a range of 50 mm or more and 450 mm or less. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, wherein the mother glass is provided with an identification portion for identifying the sheet drawing direction. The shape of the main surface of the mother glass is a rectangle having two long sides and two short sides,
The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 7 , wherein the identification portion includes the long sides and the short sides of the mother glass, and the sheet drawing direction extends in a direction along one of the long sides or the short sides. the identification portion includes at least one of a notch portion formed on an outer edge of the mother glass and a mark provided on the mother glass,
The method for producing a glass article according to claim 7 , wherein the mark includes at least one selected from a printed portion, a laser engraved portion, a portion where a through hole is formed, and a portion where a seal member is attached. The method for manufacturing a glass article according to claim 1, further comprising an ion exchange step of subjecting the glass article to an ion exchange treatment after the cutting step. A method for manufacturing a group of glass products including a plurality of plate-shaped glass articles used for applications in which the glass articles are bent and deformed into a folded state, comprising the steps of:
A cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a sheet drawing direction,
In the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned folding line along which the glass article is to be folded intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass,
A method for manufacturing a group of glass products, wherein the group of glass products includes, as a single unit, a plurality of glass articles cut out in a row along the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass. The method for manufacturing a group of glass products according to claim 11, in which a plurality of rows of cut-out sections are pre-set in a direction intersecting the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass, and then in the cutting process, a plurality of glass articles are cut out from each of the rows of cut-out sections, thereby manufacturing a plurality of the units from a single sheet of the mother glass. A method for producing a plate-shaped glass article used in applications where the glass article is bent and deformed in a rolled state, comprising the steps of:
A cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a sheet drawing direction,
In the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned winding axis along which the glass article is wound into a roll intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass, in accordance with a method for manufacturing a glass article. A method for manufacturing a group of glass products including a plurality of plate-shaped glass articles to be used in an application in which the glass articles are bent and deformed in a rolled state, comprising:
A cutting step of cutting the glass article from a mother glass having a sheet drawing direction,
In the cutting step, the glass article is cut out so that a planned winding axis along which the glass article is to be wound into a roll intersects with an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass,
A method for manufacturing a group of glass products, wherein the group of glass products includes, as a single unit, a plurality of glass articles cut out in a row along the sheet drawing direction of the mother glass.

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