A method of field shaping a laminated glass structure is provided. The method includes providing the laminated glass structure comprising a flexible glass sheet having a thickness of no greater than about 0.3 mm laminated to a non-glass substrate by an adhesive material. The laminated glass structure is field cut using a handheld power tool thereby forming a shaped laminated glass structure. An edge strength of a cut edge of the shaped laminated glass structure at least about 20 MPa.

An apparatus for separating a composite safety glass panel along at least one predefinable dividing line, wherein the composite safety glass panel has at least one composite film and at least two glass panels, wherein the composite film is arranged between the glass panels and connects the glass panels to each other, the apparatus having at least one separating means for separating the glass panels along the at least one dividing line and at least one heating means for heating the composite film at least along the dividing line. The invention further relates to a method for separating a composite safety glass panel. A method and an apparatus for separating a composite safety glass panel, wherein the cycle times for separating are shortened, are realized in that the heating means has at least one laser device having at least one plurality of laser radiation sources arranged adjacent to each other, and wherein a plurality of adjacently arranged individual intensity profiles for heating the composite film at least along a portion of the dividing line can be produced by means of the laser device.

Methods and apparatus provide for: sourcing an ultra-thin glass sheet having first and second opposing major surfaces and perimeter edges therebetween, the glass sheet having a thickness between the first and second surfaces of less than about 400 microns; adhering at least one polymer layer directly or indirectly to at least one of the first and second surfaces of the glass sheet to form a laminated structure; and cutting the laminated structure using at least one of the following techniques: shear cutting, burst cutting, slit cutting, and crush cutting.

A plate-like glass element includes a pair of opposite side faces and an opening having a transverse dimension of at least 200 μm. The opening is delimited by an edge. The edge has a plurality of rounded, substantially hemispherical depressions that adjoin one another. The plurality of rounded, substantially hemispherical depressions having abutting concave roundings which form ridges.

Provided is a hole cutting apparatus for forming a hole in a glass laminate substrate including a substrate, an adhesive layer, and the glass layer which are sequentially stacked. The apparatus includes a rotatable body, and a cutter coupled to a lower portion of the body, configured to form a hole in the glass layer by cutting the glass layer and at least a part of the adhesive layer and to deburr a surface of the hole, and including a cutting portion having a cross-sectional area in a horizontal direction that gradually decreases in a downward direction.

Provided is a hole cutting apparatus for forming a hole in a glass laminate substrate including a substrate, an adhesive layer, and the glass layer which are sequentially stacked. The apparatus includes a rotatable body, and a cutter coupled to a lower portion of the body, configured to form a hole in the glass layer by cutting the glass layer and at least a part of the adhesive layer and to deburr a surface of the hole, and including a cutting portion having a cross-sectional area in a horizontal direction that gradually decreases in a downward direction.

Provided is an apparatus for cutting a glass laminated substrate including a glass layer laminated on a substrate and having a first surface, which is a surface of the glass laminated substrate closer to the glass layer, and a second surface, which is a surface that is opposite the first surface. The apparatus includes a support configured to support the glass laminated substrate, a first cutter provided to cut the glass layer from the first surface of the glass laminated substrate, and a second cutter provided to cut the substrate from the first surface of the glass laminated substrate.

Apparatuses and methods for heating moving continuous glass ribbons at desired lines of separation and/or for separating glass sheets from continuous glass ribbons are disclosed. An apparatus includes a translatable support portion and a heating apparatus coupled to the support portion. The heating apparatus is configured to contact the continuous glass ribbon across at least a portion of a width of the continuous glass ribbon at the desired line of separation as the support portion moves in a draw direction, thereby preferentially applying heat to a first side of the continuous glass ribbon at the desired line of separation as the continuous glass ribbon moves in the draw direction.

Methods for protecting transparent electronically conductive layers on glass substrates are described herein. Methods include depositing a sacrificial coating during deposition of the transparent electronically conductive layer, before packing the glass substrate for storage or shipping, after unpacking glass substrates from a stack of glass substrates, and/or after a washing operation prior to fabricating an electrochromic stack on the transparent electronically conductive layer. Methods also include removing the sacrificial coating during a washing operation, during tempering, or prior to depositing an electrochromic stack by, e.g., heating the sacrificial coating or exposing the sacrificial coating to an inert plasma.

A method is disclosed for dividing a composite material in which a brittle material layer and a resin layer are laminated, including: irradiating the resin layer with a laser beam L1 oscillated from a CO.sub.2 laser source along scheduled dividing lines DL of the composite material to form a processing groove along the scheduled dividing lines; and irradiating the brittle material layer with a laser beam L2 oscillated from an ultrashort pulsed laser source along the scheduled dividing lines to form a processing mark along the scheduled dividing lines. In the resin removing step, in a region IS where the scheduled dividing lines intersect, the laser beam oscillated from the CO.sub.2 laser source is not irradiated multiple times, or an irradiation amount of the laser beam is decreased relative to an irradiation amount in a region other than a region where the scheduled dividing lines intersect.