An apparatus for making a glass ribbon can include a heating plane including a heat footprint facing the surface of an edge director. A projection of the heat footprint in a resultant direction of the heating plane within the heat footprint can intersect the surface of the edge director. In further embodiments, a fusion draw method of making a glass ribbon can include radiating heat within a heat footprint of a heating plane toward a surface of an edge director. At least a portion of the heating plane within the heat footprint can face the surface of the edge director so that the surface of the edge director is intersected with heat radiating from the heat footprint of the heating plane.

A system includes an overflow distributor (200) including a weir (245, 247). The system further includes a thermal exchange unit positioned in proximity to the weir. The thermal exchange unit (300) includes a tubular focusing member (310) and a thermal member (330) disposed at least partially within a lumen of the focusing member. The focusing member extends distally beyond a distal end of the thermal member by a distance It. In an embodiment the thermal exchange unit comprises several focusing members and thermal members to control a thermal profile of a glass stream flowing over the weir, particularly of a portion of the glass stream in contact with the weir.

A method of forming a glass sheet comprises: (a) forming a ribbon of glass from molten glass with a pair of forming rollers; (b) reducing horizontal temperature variability of the ribbon of glass to be 10° C. or less across 80 percent of an entire width of the ribbon of glass before the ribbon of glass cools to a glass transition temperature; (c) controlling a cooling rate of the ribbon of glass while the ribbon of glass moves vertically downward within a setting zone such that the ribbon of glass has a first average cooling rate before the ribbon of glass cools to the glass transition temperature and a second average cooling rate after the ribbon of glass cools to the glass transition temperature, the first average cooling rate being less than the second average cooling rate; and (d) separating a glass sheet from the ribbon of glass.

A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a forming apparatus defining a travel path extending in a travel direction. The forming apparatus conveys a ribbon of glass-forming material along the travel path in the travel direction of the forming apparatus. The glass manufacturing apparatus includes a cooling tube extending substantially parallel to the travel path and extending across the travel direction. The cooling tube includes a plurality of orifices spaced apart along the cooling tube and facing the travel path. Methods of manufacturing glass can comprise flowing a coolant from an outlet of a conduit in a direction toward a target location of a flowing ribbon of molten material. Methods can also include changing a phase of the coolant while the coolant is flowing towards the target location. The change in phase can cool the target location.

In a method of manufacturing a glass film, in a cutting step, a crack (CR) formed in a non-product portion (Gc1, Gc2) along a longitudinal direction of a glass film (G2) is guided by a guiding member (17a, 17b) so as to propagate to an outer end portion (Gd) of the non-product portion (Gc1, Gc2) in a width direction.

Methods of manufacturing a glass ribbon include moving a ribbon of glass-forming material along a travel path in a travel direction. Methods include sensing a thickness of the ribbon of glass-forming material at a plurality of locations of the ribbon of glass-forming material. Methods include identifying a location of the plurality of locations in which a corresponding thickness at the location exceeds a target thickness. Methods include correlating a rate of thickness change and a thickness difference between the corresponding thickness and the target thickness to a laser power. Methods include directing a laser beam at the laser power toward the ribbon of glass-forming material to decrease a viscosity at the location and attain the target thickness at the location.

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.

A glass manufacturing apparatus includes a forming vessel including a first end and a second end. The first end includes a vessel surface defining a recess. The glass manufacturing apparatus includes a compression block positioned within the recess and including a first surface and a contact surface that contacts the vessel surface. The compression block applies a force to the forming vessel. The first surface includes a non-planar shape. The glass manufacturing apparatus includes a support apparatus including a support surface supporting the compression block. The support surface is in contact with a portion of the first surface.

Glass forming devices can comprise a first outer surface of a first wall, a second outer surface of a second wall, and a heater. Glass forming methods can comprise flowing a first stream of molten material over a first outer surface of the first wall and flowing a second stream of molten material over a second outer surface of the second wall. Methods can further comprise drawing a glass ribbon. Methods can also comprise heating the first wall with the heater to heat an inner portion of the first stream of molten material contacting the first outer surface of the first wall to maintain a viscosity of the inner portion of the first stream of molten material below the liquidus viscosity of the first stream of molten material.

Provided is a method comprises: continuously forming an elongated, glass film having marginal portions from molten glass into a given shape having two marginal portions, in width-directional opposite edge regions thereof, wherein the glass film having marginal portions has the marginal portions, and an effective portion formed in a width-directional central region of the glass film having marginal portions; annealing the glass film having marginal portions; continuously forming resin tapes on the glass film having marginal portions at positions adjacent to and away by a given distance from the respective marginal portions, to extend in a length direction of the glass film having marginal portions; and continuously removing each of the marginal portions from the glass film having marginal portions, along a position between the marginal portion and a corresponding one of the resin tapes, or at a given width-directional position within the corresponding resin tape.