Durability of glass thinning

As a widely used material, glass plays an indispensable role in many fields such as architecture, electronics, automobile, etc. In recent years, with the progress of technology, Glass thinning Technology has gradually become an important direction to improve glass performance and meet new application requirements. Especially in mobile phones, tablets, displays and other electronic products, the thin glass can not only improve the appearance and feel of products, but also reduce weight and improve portability. However, with the decrease of glass thickness, its durability has become a problem that must be concerned. this paper Dinghongrun From the perspective of technical logic and engineering value, the impact of glass thinning process on durability and how to improve its durability will be deeply discussed.

1、 Brief Introduction of Glass Thinning Process

Glass thinning refers to reducing the thickness of glass by physical or chemical means. Common methods include chemical etching, mechanical grinding and laser cutting. With the continuous development of industrial technology, the glass thinning process is gradually mature, and the application scope is also expanding. For example, in smart phone screens, car mirrors and display devices, thin glass can not only provide better visual effects and comfort experience, but also meet the requirements for high strength and durability.

In the process of thinning, the thickness of glass is usually reduced from a few millimeters to a few microns, which means that the glass after thinning will experience greater stress and physical challenges. How to ensure that the thinned glass can maintain sufficient strength and durability in long-term use is an important topic of current technology development.

2、 Durability challenges after glass thinning

The durability of glass after thinning is mainly affected by the following factors:

Decrease of bending strength
With the decrease of glass thickness, its bending strength will also decrease. When the thin glass is impacted by external force, it is more likely to bend and break, especially under a small range of local impact, it is easy to produce microcracks, which further expand and cause glass damage. For display screens of intelligent devices, bending resistance and impact resistance are key indicators to evaluate their durability.
Reduced scratch resistance
After the glass is thinned, its surface hardness may be affected to some extent, especially if the glass surface has not been specially treated. The thin glass surface is prone to scratches caused by sharp objects, which seriously affects the transparency and beauty of the glass. Especially in daily use, mobile phone screens or flat glass are often exposed to various possible scratch sources. Protecting the glass surface from scratches has become a challenge to improve durability.
Effect of temperature change
The coefficient of thermal expansion of glass is low, so it is easy to generate thermal stress in the environment with large temperature changes. The structure of the thinned glass is more likely to crack or fracture when subjected to rapid temperature changes. Especially in electronic equipment, glass often needs to withstand the alternating cold and hot environment, which puts forward higher requirements for its durability.
Microcrack during machining
In the process of glass thinning, mechanical grinding or laser cutting are usually used. These processes will inevitably produce microcracks on the surface and inside of the glass. These microcracks will gradually expand during the use of glass, and eventually affect its strength and durability. So, how to Glass processing It is an important link to improve the durability of glass to avoid the generation of microcracks in the process or to eliminate cracks through subsequent treatment.

3、 Technical methods for improving the durability of glass thinning

In order to improve the durability of thinned glass, researchers and engineers have developed a variety of methods to enhance its strength and stability by improving the processing technology and the performance of the glass material itself.

Surface strengthening treatment
Strengthening treatment of glass surface, such as chemical strengthening or physical strengthening (such as tempering treatment), can significantly improve the bending strength and scratch resistance of glass. By introducing a compressive stress layer on the surface of the glass, the toughness of the glass is enhanced, so that the glass can withstand greater external forces without being easy to break. Tempered glass, ion exchange strengthened glass and other technologies have been widely used in mobile phones, tablets and other equipment, effectively improving the durability of thin glass.
Micro crack detection and repair technology
Advanced microcrack detection technology can monitor the existence of internal microcracks in the glass production process in real time, and eliminate these microcracks through the corresponding repair process. For example, the use of laser melting repair technology can effectively repair microcracks on the glass surface, avoid crack growth, and thus improve the durability of glass.
Nano coating technology
Nano coating technology can form an ultra-thin protective film on the surface of glass to enhance the scratch resistance, stain resistance and fingerprint resistance of glass. Nano coating can not only improve the hardness and transparency of glass, but also improve its chemical corrosion resistance, providing more protection for thin glass.
Optimize glass composition
Adding special alloys or material components, such as boron and aluminum, into the raw materials of glass can enhance the temperature resistance and strength of glass. These improved glass can maintain high strength and durability after thinning. For example, high alumina glass and borosilicate glass have excellent performance in bending resistance and thermal shock resistance, and are suitable for application scenarios with high strength requirements after thinning.

4、 Engineering value of glass thinning

Glass thinning technology can not only improve the appearance and performance of products, but also has important value in many engineering applications.

Improve product lightweight
Glass thinning technology can significantly reduce the weight of products. In the fields of aerospace, automobile and consumer electronics, lightweight has always been an important direction of design. Thin glass can effectively reduce the overall weight of the product, reduce energy consumption, and improve the portability and convenience of the product.
Meet high-performance display requirements
Modern display equipment has higher and higher requirements for glass materials, especially in the manufacturing of high-resolution, ultra-thin and flexible displays, glass thinning technology has become a key technology. By thinning glass and adopting high-performance strengthening technology, it can meet the high requirements of ultra-high resolution display equipment for materials, while maintaining excellent tactile and visual effects.
Improve device security
Although thin glass faces challenges in strength, through strengthening treatment and optimization design, thin glass can also withstand greater external forces without cracking, thus improving the safety of equipment. For example, after the use of tempered glass technology, the device screen is not easy to break when falling or impacted by external forces, effectively ensuring the safety of device users.

5、 Summary

Glass thinning technology has important engineering value in many industries, but its durability problem needs to be solved through continuous improvement of technology and materials. Through surface strengthening, microcrack repair, nano coating and other technical means, the durability of glass after thinning can be significantly improved. With the progress of technology, thin glass in the future can not only meet higher performance requirements, but also provide support for the development of more high-end products.