1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass setting plate for a glass polishing system, and more particularly to a glass setting plate that supports a lower surface of a glass in a glass polishing system for polishing a glass used for liquid crystal displays.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, it is very important that a glass (or, a glass pane) applied to a liquid crystal display keeps its flatness to a certain level so as to accurately realize images of the liquid crystal display. Thus, fine waviness or unevenness existing on a surface of a float glass formed in a float manner should be removed.
Such a glass polishing process may be classified into so-called ‘Oscar’ type polishing in which glasses are individually polished one by one, and so-called ‘inline’ type polishing in which a series of glasses are successively polished. Also, the glass polishing process may be classified into ‘single side polishing’ in which only one surface of a glass is polished, and ‘double side polishing’ in which both surfaces of a glass are polished.
In a conventional glass polishing device, while a polishing plate (or, an upper plate) having a polishing pad installed thereto is moved in a horizontal direction and a polishing stage (or, a lower plate or a glass setting plate) having a glass located thereon is rotated, the glass is polished using a polishing slurry freely falling down onto the polishing plate.
However, as a glass to be polished becomes bigger to cope with the tendency that liquid crystal devices are larger, the upper plate serving as a polishing plate and the glass setting plate serving as a polishing stage naturally become bigger. Here, the glass setting plate should have sufficient flatness in order to ensure flatness of a glass pane completely polished. Also, it is important that the glass setting plate has a sufficient rigidity against deformation so as not to cause permanent deformation. In order to meet such requirements, it is urgently demanded to develop a glass setting plate using light and rigid materials.
A conventional glass setting plate for polishing so-called 8th generation glass panes still has a burden on weight (for example, about 10 tons) though it can ensure good rigidity against deformation, because the conventional glass setting plate is generally made of carbon steel.