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.

The invention relates to a device and a method for trimming a float glass strip that has a normal or structured surface, comprising the following features: a) a cutting slide having a lower running rail and a cutting slide having an upper running rail for a bottom cut for a structured surface or a top cut for a normal surface, wherein both running rails are arranged at an acute angle to the running direction of the glass strip and this angled position can be adjusted; b) a number of counter pressure rollers for the lower cutting slide; c) a hold-down apparatus (6) having a breaking roller (20) and a front hold-down roller (21) for a bottom cut; d) a hold-down apparatus (15) having a breaking roller (14) and a rear hold-down roller (18) for a top cut; e) apparatuses (10, 11, 12) for measuring the advance speed of the glass strip (11) and the current length of the glass strip.

A method includes: providing a plate-like glass element having side faces and an ultrashort pulse laser having a laser beam; directing the laser beam onto one of the side faces; concentrating the laser beam by focusing optics to form an elongated focus in the glass element; producing a filament-shaped flaw in a volume of the glass element by a radiated-in energy of the laser beam, a longitudinal direction of which runs transverse to one of the side faces, and the ultrashort pulse laser radiates in a pulse or a pulse packet having at least two successive laser pulses to produce the filament-shaped flaw; widening the filament-shaped flaw to form a channel by exposing the glass element to an etching including an etching medium which removes glass at a rate of less than 8 m per hour; and introducing rounded, hemispherical depressions in a wall of the channel by the etching.

A method includes: providing a plate-like glass element having side faces and an ultrashort pulse laser having a laser beam; directing the laser beam onto one of the side faces; concentrating the laser beam by focusing optics to form an elongated focus in the glass element; producing a filament-shaped flaw in a volume of the glass element by a radiated-in energy of the laser beam, a longitudinal direction of which runs transverse to one of the side faces, and the ultrashort pulse laser radiates in a pulse or a pulse packet having at least two successive laser pulses to produce the filament-shaped flaw; widening the filament-shaped flaw to form a channel by exposing the glass element to an etching including an etching medium which removes glass at a rate of less than 8 m per hour; and introducing rounded, hemispherical depressions in a wall of the channel by the etching.

A method for the production of glass ribbon portions is provided that includes: transporting a glass ribbon at a velocity v.sub.1, wherein the velocity v.sub.1 is dependent on the predetermined glass thickness (d.sub.1), with the application of a tensile stress parallel to the edges of the glass ribbon, in a plane E.sub.1, and cooling the glass ribbon at a cooling rate that is dependent on the predetermined glass thickness (d.sub.1), inserting a score on the surface of the glass ribbon in at least one edge area by scoring the glass surface with a scoring tool, wherein the score has an angle a to the transport direction of the glass ribbon, deflecting the glass ribbon in a plane E.sub.2 to generate a bending stress and separating a glass ribbon portion with the formation of edges by breaking the glass ribbon on the extension of the score running transversely to the glass ribbon.

A method of manufacturing a glass film using a roll-to-roll process in which a long glass film from a feed roll is wound on a winding roll through a plurality of steps, the plurality of steps comprising: a step of cutting the glass film along a feed direction at a predetermined position in a width direction; and a step of polishing cutting surfaces of glass films into which the glass film is cut.

Methods for manufacturing a glass ribbon include moving the glass ribbon along a travel path in a travel direction. Methods include directing a first ribbon portion of the glass ribbon to a winding apparatus to wind the first ribbon portion into a roll. Methods include detaching the first ribbon portion from a second ribbon portion of the glass ribbon. Methods include separating the second ribbon portion into a plurality of separated ribbon portions. Methods include directing a first set of the plurality of separated ribbon portions toward a disposal apparatus to crush the first set of the plurality of separated ribbon portions. Methods include forming a stack with a second set of the plurality of separated ribbon portions. A glass manufacturing apparatus is provided.

Various aspects of methods and systems are provided, which detail: a method, comprising: depositing a hot, flexible glass-containing ribbon along a plurality of sequentially conveyed molds; rolling a pinch roller over the surface of the glass-containing ribbon, such that at least one pinch region is actuated in the glass ribbon as the glass ribbon is pinched between a pinch edge of the pinch roller and the surface of the mold; and cooling the glass ribbon, separating the glass ribbon along the pinch region into discrete glass parts.

A method for producing a flat thin glass ribbon is provided. The method includes the steps of drawing melted glass downward away from a tank in a pulling direction while applying tensile forces which act in the pulling direction to form the thin glass ribbon having a thickness of at most 250 m and cooling the thin glass ribbon until a temperature of the thin glass ribbon undershoots a glass transition temperature. The tensile forces are transferred to the thin glass ribbon by at least two pairs of drawing rollers. The at least two pairs of drawing rollers are spaced apart transversely to the pulling direction and contact the thin glass ribbon on longitudinal edges of the thin glass ribbon. The thin glass ribbon only makes contact with the at least two pairs of drawing rollers at a position where the temperature of the thin glass ribbon is at most at or below 500 C.

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing blades with a cutting edge from glass by subjecting a strip glass to a controlled breaking force. Before breaking the glass is scored to create a line of weakness at which the break is made. The glass is broken by striking the glass with a breaking force that causes the glass on either side of the score line to pivot away from one another. This controlled breaking of the glass strip creates a broken off portion of glass that has a sharp cutting edge. The present invention also provides an apparatus that creates glass blades in accordance with the method.