Patent ID: 8123094
Filing Date: 2012-02-28
Classification: C03B,Y10T

Abstract:
1. A method of cutting a continuously moving glass sheet during production of flat glass with an inhomogeneous thickness distribution across the glass sheet, said method comprising the steps of: a) providing a moving glass sheet that is continuously moving in a travel direction; b) moving a cutting tool across the moving glass sheet at an angle to the travel direction of the moving glass sheet so that the cutting tool traverses different regions of the glass sheet with different glass sheet thicknesses; c) during the moving of the cutting tool across the moving glass sheet over said different regions of said glass sheet, applying different cutting forces to the moving glass sheet in said different regions of the glass sheet so that a fissure is formed in the glass sheet; d) measuring said inhomogeneous thickness distribution across the glass sheet to determine said different thicknesses in said different regions; e) during the moving of the cutting tool across the moving glass sheet to form said fissure, adjusting the different cutting forces applied to said moving glass sheet in said different regions according to said different thicknesses of said glass sheet in said different regions determined during said measuring of step d), so that said different cutting forces are increased when said different thicknesses increase and said different cutting forces are decreased when said different thicknesses decrease; f) applying appropriately adapted cutting forces to the glass sheet with the cutting tool according to position-dependent switchover points predetermined in a fixed manner in a controller for controlling the different cutting forces applied to the glass sheet, and wherein said controller is connected with a position sensor for detecting a position of the cutting tool in order to determine when said cutting tool reaches said switchover points; g) controlling said different cutting forces applied by said cutting tool in said different regions so that said different cutting forces are sufficient to form said fissure but not so large as to cause uncontrolled breaking of said glass sheet during formation of the fissure prior to mechanically breaking of the glass sheet along the fissure; and then h) performing the mechanically breaking of the glass sheet along the fissure.