A glass sheet processing apparatus includes a first gantry assembly that extends across a glass sheet in a cross-machine direction. The first gantry assembly includes a processing head that moves along a length of the first gantry assembly and includes a laser comprising 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 second gantry assembly extends across the glass sheet in the cross-machine direction. The second gantry assembly includes a processing head that moves along a length of the second gantry assembly.

A method for separating and releasing a closed-form piece from a workpiece made of a brittle material is disclosed. A first pulsed laser-beam creates defects along the outline of the closed-form piece. A second laser-beam selectively heats the closed-form piece for a first time that is sufficient to initiate cracking between the defects. The heating is stopped for a period sufficiently long for the cracks to propagate completely between the defects. The second laser-beam is applied for a second time that causes melting and deformation of the closed-form piece. The deformation opens a gap between the closed-form piece and the rest of the workpiece, thereby allowing release of the closed-form piece.

A method of cutting a combined structure of a glass substrate and a light absorbing plate includes providing a glass substrate on a metal plate, providing a light absorbing material at an edge of the glass substrate, and cutting the glass substrate and the light absorbing plate by irradiating a laser beam to the glass substrate from the edge to which the light absorbing material is provided.

Methods of separating a glass web include exposing a separation path on the glass web to a laser beam that produces thermal stress along the separation path without damaging the glass web. The methods further include redirecting a portion of the laser beam to create a defect on the separation path while the separation path is under thermal stress produced during the exposing the separation path on the glass web to the laser beam, whereupon the glass web separates along the separation path in response to creating the defect. Apparatus are further provided for separating a glass web with at least one laser beam generator that produces a laser beam to heat a separation path and a mirror configured to reflect an end portion of the laser beam to create a defect at a location of the separation path on the glass web.

A method for separating a portion from a sheet glass element having a thickness of at least 2 millimeters along an intended separation line that divides the sheet glass element into the portion and a remaining main part is provided. The method includes producing filamentary damages comprising sub-micrometer hollow channels in a volume of the glass sheet element adjacently aligned along the separation line; and heating and/or cooling the glass sheet element to cause expansion and/or contraction so that the portion detaches from the main part along the separation line. The portion and the remaining main part each remain intact as a whole. The step of producing the filamentary damages includes generating a plasma within the volume with laser pulses of an ultrashort pulse laser; and displacing points of incidence of the laser pulses over a surface of the glass sheet element along the separation line.

Provided is a method comprises: continuously forming an elongated, glass film having marginal portions from molten glass into a given shape having two marginal portions, in width-directional opposite edge regions thereof, wherein the glass film having marginal portions has the marginal portions, and an effective portion formed in a width-directional central region of the glass film having marginal portions; annealing the glass film having marginal portions; continuously forming resin tapes on the glass film having marginal portions at positions adjacent to and away by a given distance from the respective marginal portions, to extend in a length direction of the glass film having marginal portions; and continuously removing each of the marginal portions from the glass film having marginal portions, along a position between the marginal portion and a corresponding one of the resin tapes, or at a given width-directional position within the corresponding resin tape.

Provided is a method comprises: continuously forming an elongated, glass film having marginal portions from molten glass into a given shape having two marginal portions, in width-directional opposite edge regions thereof, wherein the glass film having marginal portions has the marginal portions, and an effective portion formed in a width-directional central region of the glass film having marginal portions; annealing the glass film having marginal portions; continuously forming resin tapes on the glass film having marginal portions at positions adjacent to and away by a given distance from the respective marginal portions, to extend in a length direction of the glass film having marginal portions; and continuously removing each of the marginal portions from the glass film having marginal portions, along a position between the marginal portion and a corresponding one of the resin tapes, or at a given width-directional position within the corresponding resin tape.

A component of glass or glass ceramic having predamages arranged along at least one predetermined dividing line is provided. The dividing line has a row of predamages lying one behind the other. The predamages pass continuously through the glass or the glass ceramic with at least 90% of the predamages being cylindrically symmetrical. The glass or the glass ceramic has a material compaction of at least 1% relative to an actual material density in a radius of 3 μm about a longitudinal axis of respective pre-damaged points. The relative weight loss per pre-damaged point is less than 10% and the component has a thickness of at least 3.5 mm.

The present invention concerns a method of determination of specific points of a rotary fibre forming spinner wheel (10) used in a fibre forming device (1), said method comprising the following steps: obtaining measurements of temperatures of the fibre forming spinner wheel obtained by means of a temperature measuring device (40) adapted to take measurements of temperatures of the spinner wheel at a plurality of angular positions of said measuring device in order to supply data to at least one calculation unit (30, 45) that constructs a curve representing the temperature as a function of the angular position of a temperature measuring device; processing said measurements by effecting a calculation of the second derivative of the curve of the temperature as a function of the angular position by means of a calculation unit (30); searching for at least one specific point for which the second derivative satisfies a predefined condition.

A pane-shaped glass element having two opposing side surfaces which are edge-wise interconnected by a number of edge surfaces, wherein in the or each edge surface there are provided filamentary damages forming side-by-side elongate depressions, and wherein the or each edge surface lies obliquely to the side surfaces, is to be further formed for particularly good usability in a plurality of possible applications. For this purpose, according to the invention, the respective edge surface has a surface roughness with a mean roughness value of at least 0.3 μm, and preferably of at most 2 μm, in a particularly advantageous embodiment of about 1 μm, in its region provided with the filamentary damages.