In a water-jet cutting installation for machining substantially vertical material panels such as glass panes, at least one section of the high-pressure line is guided, by a guide system including at least one guide element, to the rear of the device in order to improve access to the intake and/or discharge region of the machining installation and to increase operator safety.

A method includes heating a glass preform having a plurality of glass layers and drawing the glass preform in a distal direction to form a drawn glass sheet extending distally from the glass preform and having the plurality of glass layers. The drawn glass sheet is thinner than the glass preform. The drawn glass sheet can be rolled onto a collection spool. At least a portion of a glass layer can be removed from the drawn glass sheet. An exemplary glass sheet includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer adjacent to the first glass layer, and a thickness of at most about 0.1 mm. An exemplary ion exchanged glass sheet includes a thickness of at most about 0.1 mm and a surface layer that is under a compressive stress and extends into an interior of the glass sheet to a depth of layer.

A method produces a structured element by material-removing machining of a workpiece with pulsed laser radiation, the workpiece consisting of a workpiece material transparent to the laser radiation, the laser radiation being radiated into the workpiece from a radiation entry side and, in an area of a rear side of the workpiece located opposite the radiation entry side, being focused within the workpiece in a focus area such that workpiece material is removed in the focus area by multi-photon absorption, and includes bringing the rear side of the workpiece, at least in a machining area currently being machined around the focus area, into contact with a free-flowing liquid transparent to the laser radiation, wherein at least some of the liquid is set to flow in a direction towards the machining area such that the liquid flows into the machining area at an acute angle of 60 or less to the rear side.

Process for removing peripheral portions such as bead regions of a glass sheet including a step of pushing the glass sheet in the peripheral portion using a pushing mechanism such as a pushing bar, and corresponding apparatus. As a result of the use of the pushing mechanism, the engagement completion time for suction cups, if used, are reduced significantly. A process without using suction cups is enabled with enhanced yield. The increased process stability and enlarged process window are particularly advantageous for processing glass sheets having high flexibility.

A method of manufacturing a glass sheet involves forming a scribe in one surface of a glass sheet having a rectangular shape on a periphery of an edge portion of the glass sheet in parallel to the edge portion, and cutting the glass sheet along the scribe as a boundary. The method includes forming the scribe in a region other than both end portions of the glass sheet in a direction along the edge portion; and cutting the glass sheet along a bending portion in which the glass sheet is locally bent, the bending portion being continuously formed in a state of being connected to the scribe and gradually protruding from an edge portion side to an inner side as being shifted away from the scribe.

Process for removing peripheral portions such as bead regions of a glass sheet including a step of pushing the glass sheet in the peripheral portion using a pushing mechanism such as a pushing bar, and corresponding apparatus. As a result of the use of the pushing mechanism, the engagement completion time for suction cups, if used, are reduced significantly. A process without using suction cups is enabled with enhanced yield. The increased process stability and enlarged process window are particularly advantageous for processing glass sheets having high flexibility.

Methods and apparatuses for separating sheets of brittle material are disclosed. According to one embodiment, a separation apparatus for separating a sheet of brittle material includes a first separation cam positioned adjacent to a sheet conveyance pathway and a second separation cam positioned opposite from and downstream of the first separation cam. The first and second separation cams may be rotated such that the contact faces of the separation cams periodically extend across a centerline of the conveyance pathway. Rotation of the first and second separation cams may be synchronized such that at least the portion of the contact face of the first separation cam and at least the portion of the contact face of the second separation cam periodically extend across the centerline of the conveyance pathway at a separation time and periodically do not extend across the centerline of the conveyance pathway at a non-separation time.

A method includes heating a glass preform having a plurality of glass layers and drawing the glass preform in a distal direction to form a drawn glass sheet extending distally from the glass preform and having the plurality of glass layers. The drawn glass sheet is thinner than the glass preform. The drawn glass sheet can be rolled onto a collection spool. At least a portion of a glass layer can be removed from the drawn glass sheet. An exemplary glass sheet includes a first glass layer, a second glass layer adjacent to the first glass layer, and a thickness of at most about 0.1 mm. An exemplary ion exchanged glass sheet includes a thickness of at most about 0.1 mm and a surface layer that is under a compressive stress and extends into an interior of the glass sheet to a depth of layer.