A method for making a glass ribbon that includes: flowing a glass into a caster having a width (W.sub.cast) from about 100 mm to about 5 m and a thickness (t) from about 1 mm to about 500 mm to form an a cast glass; cooling the cast glass in the caster to a viscosity of at least 10.sup.8 Poise; conveying the cast glass from the caster; drawing the cast glass, the drawing comprising heating the cast glass to an average viscosity of less than 10.sup.7 Poise and drawing the cast glass into a glass ribbon having a width (W.sub.ribbon) that is less than W.sub.cast; and thereafter cooling the glass ribbon to ambient temperature. Further, the cast glass during the cooling, conveying and drawing steps is about 50 C. or higher.

A method for making a glass ribbon that includes: flowing a glass into a caster having a width (W.sub.cast) from about 100 mm to about 5 m and a thickness (t) from about 1 mm to about 500 mm to form an a cast glass; cooling the cast glass in the caster to a viscosity of at least 10.sup.8 Poise; conveying the cast glass from the caster; drawing the cast glass, the drawing comprising heating the cast glass to an average viscosity of less than 10.sup.7 Poise and drawing the cast glass into a glass ribbon having a width (W.sub.ribbon) that is less than W.sub.cast; and thereafter cooling the glass ribbon to ambient temperature. Further, the cast glass during the cooling, conveying and drawing steps is about 50 C. or higher.

The present disclosure provides a device and a method with which flat glasses with particularly uniform thickness can be obtained. The methods are drawing methods in which a glass ribbon is drawn. In the method an aperture is used which allows a defined very small slit between the glass ribbon and the aperture also in the case of a change of the position of the glass ribbon.

Apparatuses and methods are described for controlling the thickness of glass during glass sheet production. The apparatuses and methods employ a laser beam to heat a particular portion of the molten glass. In some examples, a laser beam control system controls the laser beam to generate a more consistent glass thickness across the glass sheet. In some examples, the laser beam control system multiplexes the laser beam to heat various portions of the glass, for example, simultaneously.

In some embodiments, apparatus and methods for forming a glass ribbon can comprise a support member to move a draw stack along a support surface. In some embodiments, a housing can define an exterior area positioned outside of the wall of the draw stack and between the downstream portion of the draw stack and the housing. The housing can comprise a vent configured to regulate gas flow through the vent from the exterior area to a location outside of the housing and outside of the draw stack. In some embodiments, the draw stack can comprise first gate and a second gate. Each gate can be provided with a corresponding row of conduits to cool a central edge plate.

A method and apparatus for manufacturing a glass article includes flowing a glass ribbon through a housing having first and second side walls. The first and second side walls extend between the glass ribbon and a cooling mechanism and at least one of the side walls has at least one closeable opening, such that a greater amount of heat is transferred from the glass ribbon when the closeable opening is open than when the closeable opening is closed.

Provided is a glass ribbon manufacturing apparatus in which at least one of support rollers configured to support both sides of a glass ribbon (G) in a width direction in an annealing region and a cooling region is a shape stabilization roller configured to stabilize a shape of the glass ribbon (G) curved in the width direction. The shape stabilization roller includes a first roller (11) arranged on one surface side of the glass ribbon (G) and a second roller (12) arranged on another surface side of the glass ribbon (G). Inner end portions (11c) of rollers (11a) of the first roller (11) are all positioned on an outer side, in the width direction, of outer end portions (12c) of rollers (12a) of the corresponding second roller (12) in the width direction.

A method for controlling the thickness of a glass ribbon and an article produced thereby are provided. The method includes: providing a glass ribbon by drawing from a melt or redrawing from a preform; predefining a nominal thickness of the glass ribbon; determining the thickness of the glass ribbon over its entire net width; determining at least one deviation of the thickness of the glass ribbon from the predefined nominal thickness; identifying the area of the thickness deviation in the glass ribbon; and heating the area of the at least one thickness deviation in the glass ribbon using a laser, so that the glass ribbon attains the predefined thickness.

To provide a method for forming molten glass, capable of easily improving the forming accuracy of molten glass. One embodiment of the method for forming molten glass of the present invention comprises a supplying in which molten glass having a temperature of at least the softening point is discharged in a strip shape and supplied on the surface of molten metal, and a transporting the glass ribbon supplied on the surface of the molten metal, wherein the transporting includes a cooling the glass ribbon being transported, in a region on the upstream side in the transport direction, so that the temperature of the glass ribbon becomes lower than the softening point in the entire width direction.

A sensitized, photo-structurable glasses and methods for producing are provided. The glasses includes Si.sup.4+, one or more crystal-agonist, one or more crystal-antagonist, and one or more pair of nucleating agents. The glasses are sensitized in that the glass reacts more sensitive to irradiation with UV-light and can be crystallized easier and with higher aspect ratios than a non-sensitized glass with equal composition. Furthermore, the sensitized glasses of this invention have smaller crystal sizes after irradiation and tempering than a non-sensitized glass with equal composition. The invention also relates to a structured glass product. Such product can be obtained by submitting the crystallized glass product to a subsequent etching step. The structured product can be used in components or as component for the application fields micro-technology, micro-reaction-technology, electronic packaging, micro-fluidics, FED spacer, bio-technology, interposer, and/or three-dimensional structured antennae.