Schott Glas

Torsten Otto

Andreas Habeck

Roland Buerkle

Oliver Scherer

A method and an apparatus for cutting a laminate made of a brittle material and a plastic with a cutting tool is described. The plastic is heated up, thereby lowering its viscosity, at least in the region of a predetermined cutting line. A cutting tool is placed onto the plastic side of the laminate, the loading pressure being adjustable. By moving cutting tool relative to the laminate along the predetermined cutting line, the plastic is severed; at the same time the brittle material is scored, thereby inducing a mechanical stress. If appropriate, the mechanical stress along the cutting line is subsequently increased to exceed the rupture strength of the scored brittle material. A preferred application is the cutting of thin glass or glass-ceramic/plastic laminates.

Method and apparatus for cutting a laminate made of a brittle material and a plastic

The apparatus for cutting a laminate, which is made of a brittle material and a plastic, has a cutting tool for severing the plastic along a predetermined cutting line and simultaneously scoring the brittle material; a heating device for heating the plastic along the cutting line; a device for pressing the cutting tool with an adjustable pressure on the laminate; a device for moving the engaged cutting tool along the cutting line to simultaneously sever the plastic and score the brittle material and a controller for controlling the heating device so that during the severing and scoring a temperature of the cutting tool is maintained constant and the heating is sufficient to lower viscosity of the plastic along the cutting line so that a predetermined loading pressure of the cutting tool on the laminate necessary for simultaneously scoring the brittle material and severing the plastic is not exceeded, whereby uncontrollable fracture of the brittle material does not occur.

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Heidesheim, Germany

Torsten Otto