A conveying device (14) for a glass film (G) includes: a first support (21) configured to support a first portion (Gc) of the glass film (G) having been cut; a second support (22) configured to support a second portion (Gd) of the glass film (G) having been cut; and an opening (23) formed at a position between the first support (21) and the second support (22) and below a laser irradiation apparatus (19). A cutting step for the glass film (G) includes deforming the glass film (G) so as to be convex downward through the opening (23), and radiating a laser beam (LB) from the laser irradiation apparatus (19) to a position which is within a range of the opening (23), and which is prevented from coinciding with a top (GT) of the glass film (G).

A plate-like glass element includes a pair of opposite side faces and an opening having a transverse dimension of at least 200 ?m. 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 method of producing a glass roll, the method including: a conveying step of conveying a glass film (G) along a longitudinal direction thereof; 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) by the conveying step, to thereby separate the glass film (G) into a non-product portion (Gc) and a product portion (Gd); and a take-up step of taking up the product portion (Gd) into a roll shape, to thereby form a glass roll (R). The cutting step includes winding a thread-like peeled material (Ge) generated from an end portion of the product portion (Gd) in a width direction around a rod-shaped collecting member (20a), to thereby collect the thread-like peeled material (Ge).

A laminated, bent, safety glass panel (30) for architectural or interior uses and a method of manufacturing such panels. The panel comprises a single heat-treated bent glass sheet, fully-tempered or heat-strengthened, forming a substrate (32) encapsulated by at least one thin, chemically-strengthened, glass veneer sheet (38). The veneer sheet (38), an alkali-aluminosilicate or other alkali-containing glass recipe strengthened by ion-exchange treatment, is cold-bent over a polymer interlayer (40) and permanently laminated to form a protective barrier on the heat-treated glass that dampens the explosive release of its internal residual stresses in the event of breakage thereby preventing particles dislodging and subsequent disintegration. The vulnerable perimeter (37) and perforation (45) edges of the veneer sheet (38) are equal in size or inset to the edges of the heat-treated substrate (32) with its deeper robust compressive stresses. Veneers may be laminated to both major substrate surfaces.

The present invention relates to a method for producing a contour in a planar substrate and for separating the contour from the substrate, in particular for producing an internal contour in a planar substrate and for removing the internal contour from the substrate, wherein, in a contour definition step by means of a laser beam guided over the substrate along a contour line characterizing the contour to be produced, a large number of individual zones of internal damage is produced in the substrate material, in a crack definition step by means of a laser beam guided over the substrate along a plurality of crack line portions, which, viewed from the contour line, leads away at an angle a>0, and into the contour to be separated, respectively a large number of individual zones of internal damage is produced in the substrate material and, in a material removal step implemented after the contour definition step and after the crack definition step by means of a material-removing laser beam guided over the substrate along a material removal line which extends along the contour line but at a spacing from the latter and also in the contour to be separated, furthermore which preferably cuts the crack line portions, the substrate material is removed over the entire substrate thickness.

The present invention relates to a process for cutting and separating interior contours in thin substrates of transparent materials, in particular glass. The method involves the utilization of an ultra-short pulse laser to form perforation or holes in the substrate, that may be followed by use of a CO.sub.2 laser beam to promote full separation about the perforated line.

A method includes projecting energy onto an annular edge of a glass substrate. The annular edge includes a first roughness. The first roughness is reduced to a second roughness with the energy. The energy reduces the first roughness without changing a roundness of the annular edge of the glass substrate.

An apparatus includes a beam splitter and a plurality of mirrors. The beam splitter is positioned to receive a laser beam from a source and split the received laser beam to a first plurality of split laser beams and a second plurality of split laser beams. The plurality of mirrors is configured to direct the first plurality of split laser beams and further configured to direct the second plurality of split laser beams. The first plurality of split laser beams is directed by the plurality of mirrors is configured to cut a glass substrate. The second plurality of split laser beams is directed by the plurality of mirrors is configured to shape the glass substrate.

A method includes projecting a first energy beam onto an annular edge of a glass substrate. A first portion of the annular edge of the glass substrate is removed with the first energy beam. Removing the first portion increases the roundness of the annular edge of the glass substrate. A second energy beam is projected onto the annular edge of the glass substrate. A second portion of the annular edge of the glass substrate is removed with the second energy beam. Removing the second portion increases the roundness of the annular edge of the glass substrate.

Processes of chamfering and/or beveling an edge of a glass substrate of arbitrary shape using lasers are described herein. Two general methods to produce chamfers on glass substrates are the first method involves cutting the edge with the desired chamfer shape utilizing an ultra-short pulse laser that is followed by mechanical polishing with a compliant polishing wheel.