阅读说明：本技术 玻璃蚀刻制备方法和系统 (Glass etching preparation method and system ) 是由 J·洛茨 D-H·梅耶 于 2020-03-27 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供了一种制备蚀刻用玻璃的方法。该方法包括提供玻璃型材,并通过用印刷机沉积油墨将掩模直接印刷到玻璃型材上。(The invention provides a method for preparing glass for etching. The method includes providing a glass profile and printing a mask directly onto the glass profile by depositing ink with a printer.)

1. A method of making an etching glass comprising:

providing a glass profile; and

the mask was printed directly onto the glass profile by depositing ink with a printer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the glass profile comprises tinted glass.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass profile is hand blown.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein the glass profile comprises a frit glass having a primary layer and one or more secondary layers.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the printer comprises an inkjet printer.

6. The method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the printer comprises a 3-axis printer.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, a print head of the printer being configured to move in a depth direction of the glass profile, thereby taking into account variations in thickness of the glass profile.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising depositing different thicknesses of ink at different locations on the glass profile.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein once the mask has been printed onto the glass profile, the method comprises exposing the glass profile to an etching solution to remove the tint from the glass profile in areas not covered by the mask.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising performing multiple exposures of a glass profile in the etching solution.

11. The method of claim 10, comprising exposing different areas of the glass profile to the etching solution different times to change the shade of the coloring over the glass profile.

12. The method of any of claims 9 to 11, comprising exposing different areas of the glass profile to the etching solution for different periods of time, thereby changing the shade of the coloring over the glass profile.

13. A method according to any one of claims 9 to 12, comprising washing the glass profile and removing the mask to provide a finished glass product.

14. A printing system for preparing a glass profile for etching, comprising:

a printer configured to print a mask directly onto the glass profile by depositing ink onto the glass profile.

15. A printing system as claimed in claim 14, wherein the glass profile comprises tinted glass.

16. A printing system according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the glass profile is hand blown.

17. A printing system as claimed in any of claims 14 to 16, wherein the glass profile comprises a frit glass having a primary layer and one or more secondary layers.

18. A printing system as claimed in any of claims 14 to 17, wherein the printer comprises an inkjet printer.

19. A printing system as claimed in any of claims 14 to 18, wherein the printer comprises a 3-axis printer.

20. A printing system as claimed in any of claims 14 to 19, wherein a print head of the printer is configured to move in a depth direction of the glass profile to account for thickness variations of the glass profile.

21. A glass etching system, comprising:

the printing system of claim 14; and

an etching bath for receiving the glass profile for exposing at least a portion of the glass profile to an etching solution to remove the tint from the glass profile in areas not covered by the mask.

22. The glass etching system of claim 21, comprising a washing station for washing the glass profile to remove a mask to provide a finished glass product.

23. A method of making an etching glass comprising:

providing a manually blown colored glass profile;

and the mask was printed directly onto the artificially blown colored glass profile by depositing the ink with a printer.

24. A printing system for preparing a manually blown colored glass profile for etching, comprising:

a printer configured to print a mask directly onto a manually blown colored glass profile by depositing ink onto the manually blown colored glass profile.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for preparing glass for etching and a system thereof. More particularly, the invention relates to the preparation of artificially blown colored glass for etching.

Background

Etching is used to create artwork for installations such as architectural installations and other independent artwork and decorative technical glass products. For example, etching can be used to provide additional processing features to tinted glass, such as tinted glass windows and other glass articles.

Etching is a process that utilizes a strong acid to remove portions of the surface of a material to create a design on the surface of the material. It is known to use etching for creating designs on tinted or colored glass. In a known process, a "mask" or "resist" is laid on the glass. Once the mask has been laid down, the glass is placed in an etching solution. Typically, the etching solution comprises an acid, such as hydrofluoric acid. The use of such acids has various safety and environmental concerns. The mask is made of an acid-resistant material so that the coloring of the colored glass is removed in all areas of the glass (except in the presence of the mask) when the glass is immersed in the etching solution. In some embodiments, a wax, such as beeswax, is used as the mask. Alternative materials for the mask include tar, asphalt, plastic vinyl, latex, or other plastic-based glues. Once the glass is removed from the etching solution, the mask can be removed from the glass to expose an etched surface containing the desired design.

In the known process, the laying down of the mask is slow and laborious, which limits the number of workpieces that can be produced. Masks are also usually laid by hand, so they are usually laid in an imperfect way. Manually applied masks are unstable and tend to protrude from the glass surface.

Masks must be designed manually and by hand prior to deposition, which also increases the time taken.

The colored glass is characterized in that it is not flat. Completely flat glass can be made, for example using the float glass process, but not authentic tinted glass. It is hand blown, which produces defects and thickness variations, but the aesthetically desirable etch is difficult to present. Currently, etching on tinted glass is time consuming and it is difficult to achieve high quality finished products.

Disclosure of Invention

According to a first aspect, there is provided a method of producing a glass for etching, comprising: providing a glass profile; and the mask was printed directly on the glass profile by depositing ink with a printer.

According to one embodiment, the glass profile comprises coloured glass.

According to one embodiment, the glass profile is blown manually.

According to one embodiment, a glass profile comprises a frit (flash) glass having a primary layer and one or more secondary layers.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises an inkjet printer.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises a 2-axis printer.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises a 3-axis printer.

According to one embodiment, the print head of the printer is configured to move in the depth direction of the glass profile in order to take into account the thickness variations of the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, the method includes depositing different thicknesses of ink at different locations on the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, once the mask is printed onto the glass profile, the method includes exposing the glass profile to an etching solution to remove the tint from the glass profile in areas not covered by the mask.

According to one embodiment, the method comprises performing multiple exposures of the glass profile in an etching solution.

According to one embodiment, the method includes exposing different areas of the glass profile to the etching solution different times to change the shade of the coloring over the glass profile. Each different region may have a different mask. In some embodiments, each different mask is printed in a separate printing process.

According to one embodiment, the method includes exposing different areas of the glass profile to the etching solution for different periods of time to change the shade of the coloring over the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, the method includes exposing different areas of the glass profile to different volumes of etching solution per minute to change the shade of the coloring over the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, the method includes washing the profile of the glass workpiece and removing the mask to provide a finished glass product.

According to a second aspect, there is provided a printing system for preparing a glass profile for etching, comprising: a printer configured to print a mask directly onto a glass profile by depositing ink onto the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, the glass profile comprises coloured glass.

According to one embodiment, the glass profile is blown manually.

According to one embodiment, the glass profile comprises a frit glass having a primary layer and one or more secondary layers.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises an inkjet printer.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises a 3-axis printer.

According to one embodiment, the printer comprises a 2-axis printer.

According to one embodiment, the print head of the printer is configured to move in the depth direction of the glass profile, thereby taking into account the thickness variation of the glass profile.

According to one embodiment, the printing system comprises a print bed (print bed) for receiving the glass profile for printing.

According to a third aspect, there is provided a glass etching system comprising: a printing system according to the second aspect; and an etching bath for receiving the glass profile for exposing at least a portion of the glass profile to the etching solution to remove the tint from the glass profile in areas not covered by the mask.

According to one embodiment, a glass etching system includes a washing station for washing a glass profile to remove a mask to provide a finished glass product.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method of producing a glass for etching, comprising: providing a manually blown colored glass profile; and the mask was printed directly onto the artificially blown colored glass profile by depositing the ink with a printer.

According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a printing system for preparing a colored glass profile for etching by hand-blowing, comprising: a printer configured to print a mask directly onto a manually blown colored glass profile by depositing ink onto the manually blown colored glass profile.

Drawings

The present invention may be more completely understood in consideration of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows an example of a finished decorative tinted glass product produced using the present invention described in more detail below;

FIG. 2 schematically shows an apparatus for producing an etch mask according to the present invention;

figures 3 to 5 schematically show stages in the production of an etched glass article according to the invention;

FIG. 6 schematically illustrates a system for printing an etch mask according to the present invention;

fig. 7 shows an example of a glass profile on which the invention can be implemented.

Detailed Description

According to the invention, a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) printer is used for forming a mask on the colored glass profile to be etched. In some embodiments, the colored glass profile can be referred to as a glass work piece. In some embodiments, the printer is an ink jet printer with ink used as a mask. Some examples of printers that may be used include high end inkjet printers, for exampleJFX200, TECKET 6090 flatbed printer andoc 1280 XT. In some embodiments, the ink used is a carbon-based ink. One example of an ink that may be used includesAnd (3) printing ink. In some embodiments, the ink used is a white ink. The white ink is cost effective and includes oxidation resistant titanium molecules. However, it should be understood that different coloring inks may be used in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the colored glass pieces are hand blown (rather than produced by a float glass process). Any artificially blown glass will have surface defects, for example, having a non-uniform or wavy surface.

Can be arranged inhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_sheet_glassAnd https:// www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.2011080303100214564 find information about hand blown tinted glass.

In some embodiments, a 3-axis printer is used to lay down the mask. The 3-axis printer has a print head that is movable in the X-Y plane to print a mask design or pattern onto the glass. Additionally, the print head can be moved in the z direction to adjust the glass thickness. In some embodiments, the print head does not print while moving in the z-direction, and printing is started or resumed once the correct position relative to the glass profile is reached. That is, in some embodiments, the height of the print head may be changed prior to printing, but not during printing.

In some embodiments, a 2-axis printer is used to lay down the mask.

In practice, the shape of the mask may be designed on a computer user interface using known computer design tools. In some embodiments, a computer design tool is used that can provide files suitable for a Rater Imaging Processor (RIP). The designed mask may then be transferred to a printer, which may print the mask onto the glass. This enables the formation of a more complex mask on the glass (design resolution etched into the glass) than is normally possible by hand. It also significantly speeds up the process of preparing and laying the mask compared to known manual techniques. Of course, the stored data set for the mask can also be reused, meaning that the mask can also be easily reproduced on a different or other glass profile. In an example, using and reusing the same data set for a mask (e.g., mask data that a designer on a computer designs a mask, the computer formats and sends to a drive printer) also provides certainty of the results and promotes repeatability and quality control of the finished product.

The present invention can reduce the labor time for producing etched glass products from hours (even days or weeks for high detail masks) to minutes. Although the time taken depends on size and complexity, for example, 0.5m is produced²The complex etched glass profiles of (a) will take about 8 hours or so using known manual methods. With the present invention this can be reduced to 4 or 5 minutes. Multiple tiles (tiles) or profiles may be printed to make a larger design. For example, the mask design may be printed in two or more sections on the glass profile. The glass can be moved relative to the print head to allow the formation of individual mask portions. In some embodiments, the movement of the workpiece is performed manually by an operator between printing stages.

In addition to the time savings, the present invention may also enable a level of detail in the mask (and thus the finished etch product), which was not previously possible. The mask is created by using a CNC machine, which enables manufacturing using the same piece of numerical information set and volume. This can replace the previous slow and expensive method, where production time is heavily dependent on design. For complex designs, using the old method may require hours to cut the mask, even longer to install the mask, with a high probability of error in the cutting process.

A side view of a glass 700 profile that may be used in some embodiments is shown in fig. 7. Glass 700 includes a major surface 740. Major surface 740 may be transparent. Glass 700 includes a minor surface 742. The sub-surface 742 comprises a colored or tinted layer. In some embodiments, there is more than one secondary layer. That is, one or more secondary layers may be considered to be present. The glass 700 is produced by incorporating the molten or molten profile of the secondary layer 742 into the molten or molten profile of the primary layer 740, and then blowing the glass. This type of glass 700 is referred to as "frit glass" or "colored glass". The sub-layer 742 is a layer removed with an acid. The secondary layer 742 may also be referred to as a "color jacket layer".

A plan view of an example of a tinted glass product or article 100 formed by the disclosed method is shown in fig. 1. The tinted glass product 100 is formed on a profile of a glass or glass work piece 102.

In this example, the shaded areas (i.e., areas 104,106,108,110,112,114) correspond to areas covered by the print mask prior to placing the glass 102 in an etching bath containing an etching solution (acid). The areas that are not shaded (e.g., area 116) correspond to areas where the coloration was removed during the etching process.

It should be noted that there is a varying shade (e.g., darkness) of coloration across the product 100. For example, in the region 104, the region 103 is darker than the region 105. Likewise, band 106 is darker than band 108. In some embodiments, the darkness change is caused by varying the etching time (i.e., the amount of time the glass is subjected to the acid). The longer the region remains in solution, the lighter the color of the region. Additionally or alternatively, the change in darkness may be caused by repeating the "immersion" in the acid multiple times, and may have different amounts of immersion on different areas of the glass. In some embodiments, the method includes exposing different regions of the glass profile to different volumes of etching solution per minute to vary the color shade over the glass profile.

Additionally or alternatively, the darkness variation may be caused by varying the thickness of the printing mask across the glass. In some embodiments, each different region may have a different mask. In some embodiments, each different mask is printed in a separate printing process.

Once the glass is removed from the etching solution, the glass is washed to remove any remaining acid. In some embodiments, an isopropyl alcohol glass cleaner can be used to clean glass. The mask is then removed to expose the finished glass product (e.g., colored glass product 100).

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of a system incorporating the present invention. The glass (e.g. a tinted glass profile) to be printed on is schematically shown at 200. The glass 200 may be a frit glass profile as previously described. The color or tint of the glass 200 is represented schematically by an array of dots. The glass 200 rests on the table 206 of a 3-axis CNC inkjet printer. The print head of the ink jet printer is schematically shown at 208. As described above, the print head 208 may be moved in the x, y, and z directions (the z direction being in and out of the document when viewing FIG. 2). That is, the print head 208 may be moved across the length, width, and depth of the glass 200. The glass 200 may be sized to match the size of the printing table 206. Alternatively, if the glass 200 is too large for the printing station 206, then appropriate supports may be used to support the glass, and then the glass is moved around the printing station in a series of printing operations until the necessary printing is completed.

As discussed above, the CNC printer may be programmed so that the print head 208 prints a design that has been made with the appropriate computer design tools.

Fig. 3 shows an example of sending computer instructions to the print head 208 to print the triangle 210 onto the glass 200 by moving the print head 208 over the glass as ink is deposited. The deposited ink is shown schematically by black triangles, but it will be appreciated that in practice the ink may be a different color (e.g. white).

Once printing of the mask is complete, the glass 200 may be immersed in an etching solution (e.g., in an etching bath) as previously described, causing removal of color (tint) on the glass 200 in the areas not covered by the printing mask (in this case the triangular mask 210). In an embodiment, the glass 200 is placed in the etching solution manually under very controlled conditions due to the health risks presented by the acid. For example, a person placing glass in an etching solution may wear protective clothing, such as space suits. The method is also carried out at a remote location (e.g. remote from a town or city centre), in a suitably constructed installation with suitable air inlets and outlets and suitable cleaning equipment.

Fig. 4 schematically shows the glass 200 after immersion in the etching solution and removal. As schematically shown by the absence of dots (see fig. 3), color has been removed from the glass 200 in areas not covered by the mask 210. In this example, all of the color has been removed in these regions, such that these regions are now clear (or visibly transparent) glass, although as noted above, the degree of color removal may depend on the etch time, number of immersions, mask thickness, and the like. In fig. 4, the mask 210 has not been removed.

Fig. 5 schematically shows the glass 200 after the mask 210 has been removed to expose the respective triangular portions 212, wherein the colour of the tinted glass has been retained.

Fig. 6 schematically illustrates a printing press 300 that may be used to implement the printing method. In this example, the printer 300 comprises an inkjet printer, as previously described. The printer 300 includes a stage 206 for supporting the glass 200. Movement of the print head 208 over the workpiece 200 in the x, y, z directions is effected by a robotic arm 214, the robotic arm 214 controlling movement of the print head 208. The print head 208 includes one or more nozzles 216 for ejecting ink onto the glass 200.

A computing device is schematically shown at 222. The computing device is schematically shown with a memory 218 and a processor 220. The memory 218 may store printer drivers required to control the printer 300. The memory 218 may also store data relating to one or more patterns to be printed on the glass 200. The functionality of the computing device 222 may be in the printer 300, in an external computer in communication with the printer 300, or distributed between the printer 300 and an external computer. The printing system of fig. 6 is configured to perform a printing method of laying down a mask as described in relation to fig. 2 to 5.

The examples described herein are to be understood as illustrative examples of embodiments of the invention. Further embodiments and examples are envisaged. Any feature described in relation to any one embodiment or implementation may be used alone or in combination with other features. In addition, any feature described in relation to any one example or embodiment may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other example or embodiment, or any other combination of any other example or embodiment. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described herein may also be employed within the scope of the invention, which is defined in the claims.