Methods and apparatus provide for: supporting a source glass sheet of 0.3 millimeters (mm) or less in thickness; scoring the glass sheet at an initiation line using a mechanical scoring device; applying a carbon monoxide (CO) laser beam to the glass sheet starting at the initiation line and continuously moving the laser beam relative to the glass sheet along a cutting line to elevate a temperature of the glass sheet to provide stress at the cutting line sufficient to cut the glass; and separating waste glass from the glass sheet to obtain a desired shape.

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 method of cutting a glass sheet comprising a transparent oxide glass includes directing a laser beam from a middle-infrared (mid-IR) laser source onto a major surface of the glass sheet. A wavelength of the laser beam is tuned thereby adjusting an absorption depth of the laser beam in the glass sheet. The glass sheet is cut using the laser beam.

A method for cutting, separating and removing interior contoured shapes in thin substrates, particularly glass substrates. The method involves the utilization of an ultra-short pulse laser to form defect lines in the substrate that may be followed by use of a second laser beam to promote isolation of the part defined by the interior contour.

A method of manufacturing a glass film includes a forming step of forming a band-shaped glass film by pulling down a glass ribbon flowing down from a forming trough while sandwiching the glass ribbon from both front and back sides through use of roller pairs and a conveyance direction changing step of changing a conveyance direction of the glass film from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction by conveying the glass film along a conveyance path having an arc shape while supporting the glass film from a back surface side with a roller conveyor so that a front surface of the glass film after having passed through the conveyance path faces upward. A first roller to be brought into abutment against the glass film from the front surface side is arranged between a roller pair arranged in a lowermost stage and the roller conveyor.

A system for forming glass rolls is provided. The system includes a glass ribbon supply system configured to supply a glass ribbon, a cutting system configured to cut the glass ribbon to a first portion and a second portion, a first glass winding system configured to wind the first portion of the glass ribbon to form a first glass roll, and a second glass winding system configured to wind the second portion of the glass ribbon to form a second glass roll.

The invention relates to a process for inscribing a three-dimensional structure formed from variations in refractive index in the bulk of a transparent oxide glass comprising silver ions by femtosecond-laser-beam irradiation, the method comprising: generating a laser beam made up of a series of ultra-brief light pulses of pulse duration shorter than the characteristic time of thermalization of the glass so as to achieve an excitation at the point of irradiation via multi-photon interaction; focusing said beam at a desired depth in the glass; irradiating point by point the glass with said beam so as to form the structure in the glass along a predetermined path, the number of pulses, the repetition rate of the pulses and the irradiance at each irradiation point being controlled to induce an accumulation of silver aggregates localised in an annular peripheral region around an irradiation point, said accumulation of aggregates generating a variation in refractive index in the annular peripheral region around the irradiation point, and to erase a variation in refractive index in a segment of an annular peripheral region generated around another irradiation point when said segment of the peripheral region coincides with a region of the laser beam.

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.

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.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a glass film, including: a conveying step of conveying an elongated glass film (G) along a longitudinal direction thereof; and a cutting step of irradiating the glass film (G) with a laser beam (L) from a laser irradiation apparatus (19) while conveying the glass film (G) through the conveying step, to thereby separate the glass film (G). The cutting step includes generating a thread-like peeled material (Ge) in a helical shape from an end portion of the separated glass film (G) in a width direction. The thread-like peeled material (Ge) has a width (W) of 180 μm or more and 300 μm or less. In addition, the thread-like peeled material (Ge) has a helical diameter (D) of 80 mm or more and 200 mm or less.