Techniques for debris reduction when performing edge deletion on coated articles having temporary protective coatings applied thereto
View Patent ↗Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to techniques for edge deleting coatings supported by coated articles while a temporary protective coating is applied thereto. More particularly, a stationary, enlarged, and higher powered aspirator is connected to flexible tubing, which itself has an enlarged diameter, that has a nozzle located proximate to a grinding wheel on an edge deletion unit is provided in connection with an edge deletion table. Advantageously, the edge deletion table and aspirator of certain example embodiments are capable of performing edge deletion and removal of a temporary protective coating substantially simultaneously (e.g., from a common area of interest), during which process the debris produced when edge deletion is performed is controlled and removed from the substrate of interest.
1. A method of edge deleting, the method comprising:
providing a low-E coating supported by a first major surface of a substrate having a polymer based temporary protective coating provided over at least the low-E coating on the first major surface of the substrate so that the polymer based temporary protective coating is located directly on and over the low-E coating;
providing an apparatus, the apparatus comprising (1) a substantially horizontally oriented edge deletion table, (2) an edge deletion unit suspended above the edge deletion table, the edge deletion unit comprising a grinding wheel and a nozzle located proximate to the grinding wheel, (3) an aspirator located adjacent to the apparatus, and (4) tubing connecting the aspirator to the nozzle of the edge deletion unit, wherein at least part of the tubing has a diameter and/or opening of at least about 40 mm;
providing the substrate supporting both the low-E coating and the polymer based temporary protective coating to the apparatus such that it advances down the edge deletion table; and
allowing the grinding wheel of the edge deletion unit and the aspirator to cooperate to perform edge deletion on the low-E coating supported by the coated article and remove the polymer based temporary protective coating provided thereto, from a common area of interest.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing, via the aspirator, substantially all debris created by the grinding wheel when the low-E coating supported by the coated article is edge deleted and the temporary protective coating provided thereto is removed.