A plate support body detachably supports a plate in a vertical position. The plate support body comprises a base body disposed in a direction along a peripheral edge of the plate, and a plurality of placing members which are juxtaposed in the direction along the peripheral edge and respectively protrude from the base body, a peripheral edge part of the lower side of the plate being placed on the placing members. A first placing member corresponding to a central part of the peripheral edge part of the lower side of the plate in the direction along the peripheral edge has the shortest protruded length from the base body, and a second placing member corresponding to either end of the peripheral edge part of the lower side of the plate in the direction along the peripheral edge has a constant protruded length from the base body.

A method for separating and transporting a glass sheet from a glass ribbon includes drawing the glass ribbon along a draw path in a conveyance direction, scoring the glass ribbon with a scoring device, to produce a score line across at least a portion of a width of the glass ribbon, engaging a first edge of the glass ribbon at a first position downstream of the score line in the conveyance direction with a first robotic handling device, engaging a second edge of the glass ribbon at a second position downstream of the score line in the conveyance direction with a second robotic handling device, and synchronously moving the first robotic handling device and the second robotic handling device to bend the glass ribbon about the score line and separate the glass sheet from the glass ribbon.

In a substrate arrangement apparatus, a holder elevating mechanism disposes each first substrate between each pair of second substrates, with the first and second substrates being alternately arranged front-to-front and back-to-back. Each substrate is curved in a first radial direction to one side in a thickness direction with a minimum curvature, and curved in a second radial direction orthogonal to the first radial direction to the one side in the thickness direction with a maximum curvature. The first radial direction of the first substrates, each arranged between each pair of the second substrates, is approximately orthogonal to the first radial direction of the second substrates. This improves uniformity in the up-down direction of the distance in the direction of arrangement between the first and second substrates that are alternately arranged adjacent to each other in the direction of arrangement.

A glass cutting line includes automatic remnant storage and retrieval including cutting table with integrated squaring stop and y-break breaking bar facilitating sub-plate cutting. The cutting table is configured for sub-plate cutting mode which provides the ability to cut portions of a stock sheet and release the cut portion in the form of a remnant and or individual workpieces to breakout before the entire sheet is finished scoring without the sub-plate leaving the cutting table.

Provided are a glass transportation apparatus and a system including the glass transportation apparatus for manufacturing a multi-pane glass unit. The glass transportation apparatus includes a plate including a main surface facing a main surface of a glass pane, a gas blowing device configured to blow a gas towards the main surface of the glass pane such that the main surface of the glass pane is spaced apart from the main surface of the plate, and a conveyer including a belt having an upper surface and a plurality of pulleys configured to circulate the belt.

An apparatus for manufacturing a multi-pane glass unit is provided. The apparatus includes a first plate, a second plate, and a conveyor. The first plate is configured to hold a first glass pane. The second plate is configured to hold a second glass pane such that the second glass pane faces the first glass pane. The conveyer includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is configured to convey the first glass pane onto the first plate and the second portion configured to convey the second glass pane onto the second plate.

A device for conveying a sheet of substrate having two opposed main faces linked b y an edge face, wherein one of the main faces of the sheet of substrate is positioned along a reception plane of the device, the reception plane being close to a vertical plane, including a plurality of lower rollers positioned side by side along a conveying direction, each of them being able to rotate about a lower rotation axis extending perpendicularly to the conveying direction in a conveying plane and being arranged to receive a part of the edge face of the sheet of substrate, a plurality of upper rollers, each of them being arranged to receive one of said main faces of the sheet of substrate and being able to rotate about an upper rotation axis orthogonal to the conveying direction.

The present invention provides a positioning device configured to position a glass substrate. The positioning device comprises a support base, a pair of first positioning mechanisms located on two neighboring sides of the glass substrate, a pair of second positioning mechanisms located on another two neighboring sides of the glass substrate, respectively, a pair of connecting bars, a driving member, a gear group and a conveying belt sleeved on the gear group. One end of the one of the pair of connecting bar is fixed with the conveying belt, and another end is fixed with one of the pair of first positioning mechanisms. One end of another one of the pair of connecting bar is fixed with the conveying belt, and another end is fixed with another one of the pair of first positioning mechanisms.

Non-contact, liquid-ejecting bearings (3) are provided for conveying flexible glass sheets (13), such as LCD substrates, at high conveyance speeds, e.g., speeds of 15 meters/minute and above. The operating parameters and physical properties of the bearings satisfy at least one of the following conditions: (a) the average flow rate from the bearing's orifices (22) is in the range of 100-800 milliliters/minute/orifice; (b) the orifices' average horizontal pitch (P) is in the range of 20-55 millimeters; and/or (c) the orifices' average size (e.g., D.sub.0) is in the range of 1.0-4.5 millimeters. The bearings (3) can reduce the time-averaged, peak-to-peak variation in the spacing between a LCD substrate (13) traveling at 15 meters/minute and the face (20) of the bearing (3) to less than 100 microns, thus reducing the chances that the bearing (3) will lose control of the substrate (13) or that the substrate (13) will hit the bearing (3).

The present invention provides a positioning device configured to position a glass substrate. The positioning device comprises a support base, a pair of first positioning mechanisms located on two neighboring sides of the glass substrate, a pair of second positioning mechanisms located on another two neighboring sides of the glass substrate, respectively, a pair of connecting bars, a driving member, a gear group and a conveying belt sleeved on the gear group. One end of the one of the pair of connecting bar is fixed with the conveying belt, and another end is fixed with one of the pair of first positioning mechanisms. One end of another one of the pair of connecting bar is fixed with the conveying belt, and another end is fixed with another one of the pair of first positioning mechanisms.