Methods of producing a glass sheet each comprise the step of creating a vacuum to force the entire lateral portion of the glass ribbon to engage an anvil portion of a breaking device in the elastic zone. The vacuum is provided by a plurality of pressure zones that are operated independent from one another, wherein each pressure zone is provided with a set of suction cups. In further examples, glass ribbon breaking devices each include a plurality of pressure zones that are configured to be operated independent from one another with each pressure zone being provided with set of suction cups.

According to one embodiment, a floating conveyor is configured to convey a substrate while floating the substrate. The floating conveyor includes a lower floating section and an upper floating section with a conveying path of the substrate therebetween. A plurality of floating blocks that constitute at least one of the lower floating section and the upper floating section are arranged to be separated by a space, and a floating block that constitutes the other is arranged to face the space.

A glass manufacturing apparatus may be configured to facilitate a process of separating a glass ribbon along a separation path extending across a width of the glass ribbon. In one example, the glass manufacturing apparatus comprises at least one anvil-side vacuum port defined by an elongated nose and an elongated anvil member. The anvil-side vacuum port is configured to remove glass debris during the process of separating the glass ribbon. In another example, the glass manufacturing apparatus comprises a scoring device and a score-side vacuum port configured to remove glass debris generated during the process of separating the glass ribbon.

Device (1) for carrying an object (2) having a smooth surface, which device comprises a first frame (3) that is arranged to be able to manipulate the device and the object to be carried, as well as a second frame (5) onto which a number of suction cups (6) is attached. The second frame is planar rotatably with respect to the first frame. Furthermore a number of vacuum sources (8, 9) is provided for evacuating the suction cups. The vacuum sources and suction cups are interconnected by means of at least one spiral-shaped hose assembly (10) of which the hoses (11), each being connected to a vacuum source (8) and a suction cup (6), are in the same spiral plane (14).

A glass sheet processing apparatus includes a glass sheet processing station including a laser cutting assembly that includes an optical arrangement positioned in a beam path of the laser providing a laser beam focal line that is formed on a beam output side of the optical arrangement. A glass holding conveyor belt carries a glass sheet by the laser cutting assembly so that the laser beam focal line is positioned on the glass sheet with the glass sheet on the glass holding conveyor belt. The glass holding conveyor belt is configured to carry multiple glass sheets to the laser cutting assembly for cutting the multiple glass sheets on the glass holding conveyor belt in a repeated fashion.

In a laser irradiation apparatus 1 according to one embodiment, each of first and second flotation units 30a, 30b includes a base 31, and a porous plate 32 bonded to an upper surface of the base 31 by an adhesive layer 34, the base 31 includes a rising portion 312 protruding upward at an outer periphery facing at least the gap, and the porous plate 32 includes a cutout portion 321 configured to fit to the rising portion 312, and the adhesive layer 34 is formed along an inner wall of the rising portion 312 having fitted to the cutout portion 321.

Suction equipment is provided with a swirl flow-forming body, a baffle plate, and connecting members that connect swirl flow-forming body and baffle plate. Baffle plate obstructs a member to which suction is applied from entering a concave part provided in swirl flow-forming body. Connecting members form, between end face and baffle plate, a flow path for fluid to flow out of concave part.

A carrying method of carrying a substrate with a substrate holder, including: holding a part of the substrate located above the substrate holder using holding pads; controlling and driving downward the holding pads holding the substrate so that the substrate is supported on the support surface of the substrate holder, when releasing the hold of an other part of the substrate by a substrate carry-in hand that holds the other part of the substrate located above the substrate holder. Accordingly, the substrate carriage to the substrate holder can be swiftly performed.

Methods of producing a glass sheet each comprise the step of creating a vacuum to force the entire lateral portion of the glass ribbon to engage an anvil portion of a breaking device in the elastic zone. The vacuum is provided by a plurality of pressure zones that are operated independent from one another, wherein each pressure zone is provided with a set of suction cups. In further examples, glass ribbon breaking devices each include a plurality of pressure zones that are configured to be operated independent from one another with each pressure zone being provided with set of suction cups.

A cut-out glass plate positioning apparatus includes: a cut line forming device 4 provided in a cut line forming position 4a; a bend-breaking and separating device 6 for cutting out unworked plate glasses 5 from an unworked plate glass 2 along the cut lines 3; a pair of position and angle correcting devices 8 for effecting correction of the position and angle with respect to the unworked plate glass 5; a pair of sucking and transporting devices 9 for suckingly lifting and transporting the unworked plate glass 5 to each position and angle correcting device 8; and two CCD cameras 10 respectively installed above the position and angle correcting devices 8.