APPARATUS AND METHOD CHARACTERIZING GLASS SHEETS

摘要

An apparatus and method for continuous edge separation in a continuous process for a ribbon of flexible brittle material such as a thin ribbon of glass is disclosed wherein an initial flaw or score is formed in the ribbon. The initial flaw is turned into a crack that propagates continuously throughout the processing of the ribbon. The cracking itself results in no material loss. After cracking, the cut side edge is routed along a path different than the interior quality region to avoid contact damage between the quality region and the edge portion. The quality region can be provided for further processing or be stored. The flexible, brittle ribbon can be sourced from a hot forming device or from a roll (spool) of substrate.