Glass is fragile. Yet it is one of the most
important materials in the modern world. Whether in the form of display
screens, operating elements, touchscreens, building façades and equipment, in
vehicles or in white goods, glass is truly ubiquitous – with or without an
integrated function. Glass must be shaped into the right form and cut. And this
process must be precise, fast and cost-effective. With this goal in mind, VDMA
member companies will showcase a variety of possibilities and applications at
the glasstec trade fair in Düsseldorf at the end of October. These include waterjet
cutting as well as numerous laser cutting techniques, including laser cold
cutting.
MDI Advanced Processing GmbH from Mainz has been focusing on the use of
lasers in glass processing for 20 years. The company primarily uses two
technologies: the CO2 laser and the “green” laser. CO2 lasers are the most
frequently used lasers for industrial applications. Because the cut edge they
produce is precise and clean, no post-processing is necessary. The contactless
cutting process enables the very highest edge qualities here, with the edge
strength being three to four times greater than an edge cut mechanically using a
cutting wheel. This technology is also suitable for cutting thin and ultra-thin
glass.
Along with a perfect cutting result, the profitability of a system is among the
most important requirements. MDI has developed a processing method with the
green laser which works in a wave range of 532 nanometres and significantly
reduces cycle times while maintaining a high degree of precision. Drilling,
marking, texturing and ablation are among the fields of application here. This
technique enables the drilling of holes and inner cut-outs and can be used for
processing outer edges and contours. The green laser can decoat, bevel or
mark interior glass and works up to a glass substrate size of 900 x 600 mm.
MDI is currently working on a process that would enable flat glass with
dimensions of 1,500 mm x 2,500 mm to be processed. The laser cutting
technique offers a range of advantages to users. As there are no additional
costs due to disposal and wear parts, the higher acquisition costs are amortized
quickly. At the same time, energy consumption is very low according to MDI.
Out in the cold
The “laser cold cutting” technique (LCC) from Glamaco GmbH in Coswig is an
exciting development for manufacturers of tableware. The idea behind this is
already in use for cutting flat glass to be used as displays. This procedure
utilizes the advantages of ultrashort pulse lasers (USP), which are distinguished
by a very high intensity at relatively low pulse energy levels as well as a beam
wavelength in the region of 1 μm. Moreover, because they work with pulse
lengths between 10 ps and 100 fs, the pulse duration is lower than the time
required for most energy transport processes within glass. This minimizes the
thermal energy input in the cutting area of the glass article, once again
considerably reducing the risk of stress-induced micro-cracks occurring. The
newly developed technology achieves degrees of roughness of
< 2 μm in the area of cut edges. Furthermore, because it is no longer necessary
to finish the edges through grinding, the resulting process costs for abrasives
and grinding water treatment are also a thing of the past. The modified USP
laser is therefore ideally suited for cracking off caps during goblet glass
production.
Water power
Another “cold” process is water jet cutting. Among the other advantages of this
technique, the edges remain free from burrs, there is no thermal influence on
the material to be cut and the periodic maintenance of a tool is no longer
necessary. As such, it can be used for virtually all geometric forms. At glasstec,
LISEC Austria GmbH will present its MRX-B WJ vertical milling and drilling
machine with precisely this technology. The clever arrangement of mechanical
tools, the tool changer and the water jet cutting head minimise the required
auxiliary process times. According to the manufacturer, this guarantees very
fast cycle times. The milling and drilling centre can process glass thicknesses
from 4 to 20 mm at a maximum glass height of 2,700 mm. Flat cut-outs can be
started with the smallest mechanical drilling tool, with the water jet immediately
following in the resulting borehole. This considerably reduces contamination of
the system with water and abrasive sand. The system can be used as a standalone
device or integrated into the production line.
The major focuses at glasstec 2018 will be Industrie 4.0, thin glass, façades and
smart glass, as well as skilled crafts and interiors. Numerous VDMA member
companies have already registered as exhibitors. VDMA is also supporting
Messe Düsseldorf with its own prestigious event: The VDMA “TECHNOLOGY
by VDMA” conference will take place on Wednesday, October 24 from 10:00
am to 5:00 pm.
Important links: www.glasstec-online.com, glass.vdma.org/en/
Do you have any questions? If so, Gesine Bergmann, Glass Technology Forum
(+49 69 6603 1259 or gesine.bergmann@vdma.org), will be happy to assist.
VDMA represents more than 3,200 mostly medium-sized companies in the mechanical engineering industry.
With over 1.35 million employees and sales of around 226 billion euros (2017), the sector is the largest
industrial employer in Germany and one of the leading German industrial sectors.
VDMA PR Contact
Martina Scherbel
Phone: +49 69 66 03-1257
mail: martina.scherbel@vdma.org
