US 6,592,703 B1Granted

Method and apparatus for cutting a laminate made of a brittle material and a plastic

AssigneeSchott Glas

InventorsAndreas Habeck, Roland Buerkle, Torsten Otto, Oliver Scherer

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Abstract

A method and an apparatus for cutting a laminate made of a brittle material and a plastic with a cutting tool is described. The plastic is heated up, thereby lowering its viscosity, at least in the region of a predetermined cutting line. A cutting tool is placed onto the plastic side of the laminate, the loading pressure being adjustable. By moving cutting tool relative to the laminate along the predetermined cutting line, the plastic is severed; at the same time the brittle material is scored, thereby inducing a mechanical stress. If appropriate, the mechanical stress along the cutting line is subsequently increased to exceed the rupture strength of the scored brittle material. A preferred application is the cutting of thin glass or glass-ceramic/plastic laminates.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A method of cutting a laminate to form a cut piece of the laminate, said laminate consisting of a brittle material, a plastic layer extending over one side of the brittle material and, optionally, an adhesive layer bonding the plastic layer to the brittle material, said method comprising the steps of:

a) engaging a cutting tool on the plastic layer on said one side;
b) during the engaging of step a), heating the cutting tool bearing on the plastic layer so that a viscosity of the plastic layer in the vicinity of the cutting tool is lowered sufficiently so that a loading pressure of the cutting tool on the plastic layer that is required to sever the plastic layer is reduced;
c) adjusting the loading pressure of the cutting tool engaged on the plastic layer to a predetermined loading pressure value below that for severing the plastic layer without heating the plastic layer, but which is sufficient for severing the plastic layer heated during the heating of step b) and which is sufficient for scoring the brittle material;
d) during the engaging of the cutting tool on the plastic layer of step a), during the heating of the cutting tool of step b), moving the cutting tool along a predetermined cutting line on the plastic layer on said one side while the cutting tool bears on the plastic layer with said predetermined loading pressure value, whereby the plastic layer is severed along the predetermined cutting line with said cutting tool and the brittle material is scored on said one side with said cutting tool at the same time as the plastic layer is severed, thereby inducing a mechanical stress in the brittle material along the predetermined cutting line;
and
e) additionally, if appropriate, increasing mechanical stress in the brittle material along the predetermined cutting line to exceed a rupture strength of the brittle material;
whereby the cut piece of the laminate is formed without uncontrolled rupture of the brittle material.

4 more elements

A method of cutting a laminate to form a cut piece of the laminate, said laminate consisting of a brittle material, a plastic layer extending over one side of the brittle material, optionally, an adhesive layer bonding the plastic layer to the brittle material, another plastic layer extending over another side of the brittle material opposite from said one side, and, optionally, another adhesive layer bonding said another plastic layer to the brittle material, said method comprising the steps of:

a) engaging a first cutting tool on the plastic layer on said one side and a second cutting tool on said another plastic layer on said another side;
b) during the engaging of step a), heating the cutting tools bearing on the plastic layers so that a viscosity of the plastic layers in the vicinity of the cutting tools is lowered sufficiently so that respective loading pressures of the cutting tools on the plastic layers that are required to sever the plastic layers are reduced;
c) adjusting the respective loading pressures of the cutting tools engaged on the plastic layers to corresponding predetermined loading pressure values below those required for severing the plastic layers without heating the plastic layers, but which are sufficient for severing the plastic layers heated during the heating of step b) and which are sufficient for scoring the brittle material on both sides;
d) during the engaging of the cutting tools on the plastic layers of step a), during the heating of the cutting tools of step b), moving the cutting tools along a predetermined cutting line while the cutting tools bear on the plastic layers with said predetermined loading pressure values, whereby the plastic layers are severed along the predetermined cutting line with said cutting tools and the brittle materials are scored on both sides with said cutting tools at the same time as the plastic layers are severed, thereby inducing a mechanical stress in the brittle material along the predetermined cutting line;
and
e) additionally, if appropriate, increasing mechanical stress in the brittle material along the predetermined cutting line to exceed a rupture strength of the brittle material;
whereby the cut piece of the laminate is formed without uncontrolled rupture of the brittle material.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.