Systems and methods for acid-treating glass articles

摘要

Described herein are various systems and methods for using acidic media to enhance the surface characteristics of glass articles while reducing the adverse effects of precipitate/sludge formation. The systems and methods generally implement a precipitation-capturing device that is configured to 1) permit formation of sludge thereon and 2) reduce formation of the sludge on other solid surfaces involved in the systems and methods.

主权项

1. A system for treating a glass article, the system comprising:
an etching vessel; an acidic medium disposed in the etching vessel; and a precipitation-capturing device disposed in the etching vessel and in fluid communication with the acidic medium; wherein the precipitation-capturing device is formed from a material that is not soluble in the acidic medium and is thermally stable to at least 60 degrees Celsius; wherein the precipitation-capturing device is configured to permit formation thereon of precipitates of constituent components of the glass article that are dissolved in the acidic medium; wherein the precipitation-capturing device is non-porous; wherein at least one surface of the precipitation-capturing device is a non-porous surface for nucleating said precipitates of the constituent components of the glass article on the at least one non-porous surface; and wherein the precipitation-capturing device is configured to reduce formation of the precipitates on a surface of the etching vessel, the glass article, and any other solid article disposed in the etching vessel relative to an identical system for treating the glass article that lacks the precipitation-capturing device.