A manufacturing method for a band-shaped glass includes a forming step, which forms a band-shaped glass, an annealing step, which performs an annealing treatment on the band-shaped glass, a cooling step, which cools the annealed band-shaped glass, a direction-changing step, which changes a feeding direction of the cooled band-shaped glass from a longitudinal direction to a horizontal direction, and a horizontal conveying step, which conveys the band-shaped glass in the horizontal direction while supporting the band-shaped glass at a horizontal conveyance part. In the horizontal conveying step, the band-shaped glass is conveyed in the horizontal direction while a first propulsion for driving the conveyance in the horizontal direction is provided at both sides in the width direction of the band-shaped glass by the horizontal conveyance part, the first propulsion being larger than a second propulsion provided at a center in the width direction of the band-shaped glass.

A method is disclosed for dividing a composite material in which a brittle material layer and a resin layer are laminated, including: a resin removing step of irradiating the resin layer with a laser beam oscillated from a first laser source along a scheduled dividing line of the composite material to form a processing groove along the scheduled dividing line; a brittle material removing step of irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from an ultrashort pulsed laser source along the scheduled dividing line to form a processing mark along the scheduled dividing line; and a brittle material layer dividing step of generating thermal stress in the brittle material layer by irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from a second laser source from the opposite side to the resin layer to thereby divide the brittle material layer.

A method is disclosed for dividing a composite material in which a brittle material layer and a resin layer are laminated, including: a resin removing step of irradiating the resin layer with a laser beam oscillated from a first laser source along a scheduled dividing line of the composite material to form a processing groove along the scheduled dividing line; a brittle material removing step of irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from an ultrashort pulsed laser source along the scheduled dividing line to form a processing mark along the scheduled dividing line; and a brittle material layer dividing step of generating thermal stress in the brittle material layer by irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam oscillated from a second laser source from the opposite side to the resin layer to thereby divide the brittle material layer.

Various aspects of systems and methods are provided herein wherein a method, is provided including the steps of: depositing a hot, flexible ribbon material along a plurality of sequentially conveyed molds; rolling a pinch roller over the surface of the ribbon, such that at least one pinch region is actuated in the ribbon as the ribbon is pinched between a pinch edge of the pinch roller and the surface of the mold; and rolling a pin roller over the surface of the ribbon, cooling the ribbon to thereby separate the ribbon along the pinch region into discrete parts.

Various aspects of systems and methods are provided herein wherein a method, is provided including the steps of: depositing a hot, flexible ribbon material along a plurality of sequentially conveyed molds; rolling a pinch roller over the surface of the ribbon, such that at least one pinch region is actuated in the ribbon as the ribbon is pinched between a pinch edge of the pinch roller and the surface of the mold; and rolling a pin roller over the surface of the ribbon, cooling the ribbon to thereby separate the ribbon along the pinch region into discrete parts.

Methods and apparatus provide for: conveying a glass web from a source toward a destination in a transport direction; scoring the glass web in a width direction thereof to produce a score line having a plurality of separated score segments, thereby defining a section of the glass web between the score line and a leading edge of the glass web; supporting the glass web such that an increasing portion of the section of the glass web becomes cantilevered as the glass web is conveyed such that the portion of the section of the glass web is sufficiently large to generate stress in the respective score segments and drive respective cracks through the thickness of the glass web; and permitting the section of the glass web to separate from the glass web along the score line.

Methods and apparatus provide for: conveying a glass web from a source toward a destination in a transport direction; scoring the glass web in a width direction thereof to produce a score line having a plurality of separated score segments, thereby defining a section of the glass web between the score line and a leading edge of the glass web; supporting the glass web such that an increasing portion of the section of the glass web becomes cantilevered as the glass web is conveyed such that the portion of the section of the glass web is sufficiently large to generate stress in the respective score segments and drive respective cracks through the thickness of the glass web; and permitting the section of the glass web to separate from the glass web along the score line.

A method and system for laser pre-cutting a layered material (31) with a laser beam (14) is disclosed. The layered material (31) comprises at least one tensile stress layer (TSL), at least one compression stress layer (CSL1, CSL2), and at least one interface region (IR1, IR2) between the at least one tensile stress layer (TSL) and the at least one compression stress layer (CSL1, CSL2) and is transparent to allow propagation of the laser beam (14) through the layered material (31). The method may comprise setting an optical beam path (8) and a laser characteristic of the laser beam (14) such that an interaction of the laser beam (14) with the layered material (31) generates an elongate damage region (57) in the layered material (31), and, for each of a series of pre-cut positions (X.sub.N−1, X.sub.N, X.sub.N+1) of the layered material (31), pre-cutting the layered material (31) by positioning the layered material (31) and the laser beam (14) with respect to each other and irradiating the laser beam (14) such that the respective elongate damage regions (57) extend across the at least one interface region (IR1, IR2).

A break-out process includes scoring a cutting line in the surface of the glass using a cutting tool, which cutting line delimits the outer contour of the inner shape and the inner contour of a peripheral shape; bringing the peripheral shape of the glass sheet into contact with a bearing system along the outer contour of the inner shape; the use of a deformation system for deforming one of the inner shape and of the peripheral shape by convex bending toward the side opposite the cutting line. The differential deformation between the inner shape and the peripheral shape is sufficient to break out the inner shape along the cutting line and create the distance needed for the contactless extraction of the inner shape relative to the peripheral shape. The extraction is carried out while maintaining the convex bending.

A break-out process includes scoring a cutting line in the surface of the glass using a cutting tool, which cutting line delimits the outer contour of the inner shape and the inner contour of a peripheral shape; bringing the peripheral shape of the glass sheet into contact with a bearing system along the outer contour of the inner shape; the use of a deformation system for deforming one of the inner shape and of the peripheral shape by convex bending toward the side opposite the cutting line. The differential deformation between the inner shape and the peripheral shape is sufficient to break out the inner shape along the cutting line and create the distance needed for the contactless extraction of the inner shape relative to the peripheral shape. The extraction is carried out while maintaining the convex bending.