METHOD FOR PRODUCING PLASTIC PARTS WITH GLASS INSERTS, AND PLASTIC PARTS WITH GLASS INSERTS

Abstract

The invention provides a process for producing plastic parts, each of which has at least one glass insert which is connected to the plastic part along a connecting region, and the glass insert is free of plastic in the region encompassed by the connecting region and forms a glass window. The connecting region of the glass insert is preferably circumferentially closed. The glass window can have through-holes or preferably recesses extending only over a portion of the thickness of the glass window and having microstructures.

Claims

1. A process for producing a plastic part having a glass insert, comprising the steps of: providing a prefabricated plastic part having at least one circumferential weld bar lying in a plane, providing a glass insert having at least one circumferentially closed abutment region in which spaced-apart through-holes are arranged and which has a shape and size matching the weld bar, arranging the glass insert with the at least one circumferentially closed abutment region matched against the weld bar, warming the weld bar and pressing the at least one circumferentially closed abutment region against the weld bar to produce a connecting region in which plastic lies in the at least one circumferentially closed abutment region and has passed through the through-holes, and wherein the connecting region encompasses a plastic-free region of the glass insert.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein at least one recess, which extends only over a portion of the thickness of the glass insert, is produced by spot irradiation with laser radiation and subsequent etching in the plastic-free region, which is surrounded by at least one circumferentially closed abutment region.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein the plastic part, in the area encompassed by the circumferential weld bar, comprises a recess that passes through the plastic part and is covered on one side by the plastic-free region.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the glass insert is arranged towards the recess extending through the plastic part.

5. The process according to claim 4, comprising irradiating laser pulses onto the area of the glass insert encompassed by the at least one circumferentially closed abutment region and subsequently etching the glass insert until the at least one recess comprises a flat bottom extending approximately in parallel to and at a distance from a second surface of the glass insert, which second surface lies opposite to the at least one recess, or a V-shaped cross-section tapering to a pointed bottom, or, in the case of a large aspect ratio, a cross-section tapering with increasing depth in the glass insert, merging into a tapering bottom, conical or round.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the weld bar is formed in one piece and has a foot formed in one piece which projects beyond the weld bar by at least a thickness of the glass insert.

7. The process according to claim 1, wherein at least two glass inserts, each having at least one circumferentially closed abutment region, are contained as integral sections in a single-pieced glass plate, which is arranged against the plastic part which has a weld bar for each abutment region, wherein a circumferentially closed abutment region is arranged each matching a weld bar.

8. The process according to claim 1, wherein the plastic-free region of the glass insert comprises flat, closed surfaces on both sides.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the plastic-free region comprises through-holes filled by electrical conductors.

10. (canceled)

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the glass insert is flat and the through-holes are generated by irradiating the glass insert with laser pulses and subsequent etching, wherein the glass insert prior to irradiation with laser pulses and prior to etching comprises a thickness of up to 800 μm, and after etching has a thickness which is smaller by 50 to 200 μm and the through-holes are located only in the laser-irradiated regions.

12. The process according to claim 7, wherein the glass plate comprises a second weld bar extending along its circumferential outer edge, and the glass plate along its circumferential outer edge has a second circumferentially closed abutment region in which spaced-apart second through-holes are arranged, wherein the glass plate is arranged with the abutment regions of the glass inserts contained as integral portions matching the weld bars of the plastic part, and is arranged with its second abutment region matching the second weld bar extending along the circumferential outer edge of the plastic part so that upon warming of the weld bars and pressing the glass plate against the plastic part a second connecting region is produced from the second abutment region and the second weld bar.

13. The process according to claim 1, wherein the plastic is flat-pressed into a layer extending into a plane at a spacing from the surface of the glass insert.

14. The process according to claim 1, wherein the connecting region consists of plastic of the plastic part and the glass insert.

15. A plastic part comprising a glass insert connected to the plastic part along a connecting region extending around a respective recess, wherein the plastic part consists exclusively of plastic that is solidified and is formed as a single piece with the plastic part, wherein the plastic abuts the glass insert exclusively in the connecting region and extends through through-holes formed in the connecting region, wherein the connecting region encompasses a plastic-free region of the glass insert which has flat, closed surfaces on both sides.

16. The plastic part according to claim 15, comprising at least one recess in the plastic-free region of the glass insert, the at least one recess extending only over a portion of the thickness of the glass insert and facing the respective recess in the plastic part.

17. The plastic part according to claim 15, comprising at least two glass inserts, each comprising through-holes in a connecting region, the at least two glass inserts being integrally contained in a single-pieced glass plate which is connected to a plastic part along the connecting region, the at least two glass inserts comprising plastic-free regions that each cover a recess of the plastic part.

18. The plastic part according to claim 17, wherein the glass plate along its circumferential outer edge comprises a second abutment region having spaced-apart second through-holes, and the plastic part along its circumferential outer edge with said second abutment region forms a second connecting region in which plastic formed as a single piece with said plastic part abuts and extends through the second through-holes to the surface of the glass plate, which surface lies opposite to the plastic part.

19. The plastic part according to claim 15, wherein plastic which has emerged through through-holes on the surface of the glass insert, which surface lies opposite to the plastic part, is flat-pressed into a layer extending into a plane at a spacing from the surface of the glass insert.

20. The plastic part according to claim 15, comprising a foot which is formed as a single piece with the plastic part and which is arranged along the circumferential edge of the plastic part and which projects beyond plastic that has emerged from the through-holes of the glass insert.

Description

[0064] The invention is now described in more detail with reference to the figures, which show schematically in

[0065] FIG. 1 A) to D) embodiments of recesses in the glass window of the glass insert in cross-section in perpendicular to the surface,

[0066] FIG. 2 A), B), C) further embodiments of glass inserts in cross-section in perpendicular to the surface of the first glass plate,

[0067] FIG. 3 A) a glass insert in cross-section, in B) the glass insert in reduced view in elevation,

[0068] FIG. 4 a plastic part in cross-section, [0069] FIG. 5 a plastic part with glass insert, and in [0070] FIG. 6 A) a plastic part of an embodiment and FIG. 6 B) a glass plate having a plurality of glass inserts contained therein.

[0071] FIG. 1 A) in a glass insert 1 shows a recess 2 which is producible by etching a glass insert 1 in the area of the glass window 7 after irradiation with a pulsed laser beam. Therein, the bottom 3 shows concave depressions having an approximately parabolic cross-section. Such concave depressions are formed at each position 12 at which a laser beam has been irradiated in a point-like manner. Presently, a bottom 3 having concave depressions is obtained by spot irradiation of laser beams at positions 12 with a spacing corresponding to the spacing of the centers of the depressions. By the etching, which occurs subsequently to the irradiation, the areas of the first glass plate 1 between positions 12 are removed. For this single-pieced embodiment, the laser beam irradiated onto the first surface 4 of the glass insert 1 can be configured to penetrate only up to a portion into the volume of the glass insert 1, and/or the second surface 5 lying opposite to the first surface 4 can be coated with etch resist over its entire surface. A row of through-holes 6 is arranged along the circumference to form an abutment region 9.

[0072] FIG. 1 B) shows a recess 2 having a large aspect ratio with a cross-section tapering with increasing depth in the glass insert, ending in a tapered bottom, conical or round.

[0073] FIG. 1 C) shows a recess 2 having a V-shaped cross-section, which can be rotationally symmetrically conical or elongated trench-shaped, tapering to a pointed bottom.

[0074] FIG. 1 D) shows a recess 2 having a flat bottom extending approximately in parallel to and at a distance from the second, closed surface 5 of the glass insert, which surface lies opposite to the recess.

[0075] FIG. 2 shows embodiments of a glass insert whose glass window 7 is encompassed by through-holes 6 that form an abutment region 9. In the glass insert 1 is a recess 2 produced single-pieced in the area of the glass window 7. This shows that irradiating laser pulses onto the first surface 4 of the glass insert at a plurality of positions which are spaced apart by, for example, 1 to 10 μm and therefore form one spot, with subsequent etching produces exactly one recess 2. Therein, a concave depression 12 can be produced by the etching at each position 12 on the bottom 3 of the recess 2.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 2 A), a glass tip 11 projecting in perpendicular to the first surface 4 from the bottom 3 into the recess 2 is produced during etching if at least 3 positions 12 at which laser pulses are irradiated are arranged at a greater spacing, e.g. at a spacing of 20 μm. Therein, each position 12 at which a laser pulse was irradiated results in a concave depression in the bottom 3 during etching.

[0077] FIG. 2 B) shows that laser pulses, which are irradiated at individual positions 13 and which penetrate deeper into the thickness of the glass insert 1, form further recesses 14 there during etching, which recesses 14 extend deeper into the glass insert 1 than the depression at other positions 12 where laser pulses were irradiated to a lesser depth into the glass insert 1. The depth of penetration of the laser pulses into the glass insert 1 can be predetermined by adjusting the focus position and/or the strength of the pulse energy of the laser pulses.

[0078] FIG. 2 C) shows that the irradiation of laser pulses penetrating deeper into the glass insert 1 at side-by-side positions 13 during etching forms another recess 14 there which extends deeper into the thickness of the glass insert 1 than the recess whose bottom 3 is formed during etching of other positions 12 where the laser pulses have been irradiated less deeply into the glass insert 1.

[0079] FIG. 3 shows a glass insert 1, along the circumference of which an abutment region 9 with spaced-apart through-holes 6 is formed and in which exemplary recesses 2 are etched in the area of the glass window 7 encompassed by the abutment region 9. The exemplary recesses 2 are shown in sectional view in FIG. 3 A), schematically in plan view in FIG. 3 B).

[0080] FIG. 4 shows a prefabricated plastic part 20 having an integrally formed weld bar 21 that is surmounted by a foot 22, which is also integrally formed and which surrounds the recess 23. The recess 23 passes through the thickness of the plastic part 20 at least in sections, preferably over its entire cross-section. The weld bar 21, as is generally preferred, circumferentially encompasses the recess 23. Further, FIG. 4 shows that generally a weld bar 21 can protrude over a surface 26 of the plastic part 20 which, after warming of the weld bar and which, after forming the connecting region 8 from the material of the weld bar 21, abuts the glass insert 1. Generally preferably, the surface 26 lies in a plane that is lies at a distance from and in parallel to the plane in which a foot 22 extends.

[0081] FIG. 5 shows that after warming the weld bar 21, its plastic flows through the through-holes 6 and forms the connecting region 8 by which the abutment region 9 or the through-holes 6 of the glass insert 1 is positively connected to the plastic part 20. The recesses 2, each extending only through a portion of the thickness of the glass insert 1, and correspondingly the first surface 4 of the glass insert 1 from which the recess 2 extends into the glass insert 1, face the recess 23 of the plastic part, and correspondingly is accessible from the recess 23 or from the cross-sectional opening thereof.

[0082] FIG. 6 A) shows a plastic part which is single-pieced and in 8 rows has 12 continuous breaches each, each of which is encompassed by a circumferential weld bar 21. FIG. 6 B) shows a single-pieced glass plate with an arrangement of abutment regions 9 consisting of through-holes arranged here in a circle-shaped manner. The arrangement of the abutment regions 9 and their sizes correspond to the arrangement and sizes of the weld bars 21 of the plastic part, so that the abutment regions 9 can be aligned matching one weld bar 21 each and can be pressed against it to form the connecting regions. The glass plate 24 has a uniform thickness and contains the plurality of glass inserts in one piece, so that only the abutment region 9 consisting of through-holes 6 and the optional recesses 2 or resp. microstructures 2 contained in the glass window 7 encompassed by the abutment region 9, or through-holes 25 filled by electrical conductors are visible from each glass insert 1.