3D glass-ceramic articles and methods for making the same
Methods of forming a glass-ceramic article, the method are provided. Embodiments of the method may include initially nucleating a precursor glass composition at a first nucleation temperature and maintaining the first nucleation temperature for a pre-nucleating time period to produce a pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition, wherein the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition comprises 5 wt % to 20 wt % crystalline phase ASTM C1365-18, forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition into an initial 3D shape; further nucleating the initial 3D shape for a nucleating time period to a second nucleation temperature to produce a nucleated crystallizable glass composition; and ceramming the nucleated crystallizable glass composition to a crystallization temperature and maintaining the ceramming temperature for a crystallization time period to produce the glass-ceramic article. The glass-ceramic article may have a final 3D shape is within 0.1 mm of the original design specifications.
1. A method of forming a glass-ceramic article, the method comprising:
pre-nucleating a precursor glass composition at a first nucleation temperature and maintaining the first nucleation temperature for a pre-nucleating time period to produce a pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition, wherein the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition comprises 5 wt % to 20 wt % crystalline phase;
cooling the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition;
forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition into a pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with an initial three-dimensional (3D) shape;
nucleating the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with the initial 3D shape at a second nucleation temperature for a nucleating time period to produce a nucleated crystallizable glass composition;
ceramming the nucleated crystallizable glass composition at a crystallization temperature and maintaining the crystallization temperature for a crystallization time period to produce the glass-ceramic article having a final 3D shape,
wherein the glass-ceramic article has a dimensional control of the final 3D shape within 0.1 mm of an original design specification of the final 3D shape.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein pre-nucleating the precursor glass composition comprises heating the precursor glass composition to the first nucleation temperature and maintaining the first nucleation temperature for the pre-nucleating time period.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleated crystallizable glass composition comprises greater than 20 wt % crystalline phase.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition has a viscosity from 10 8 poise to 10 9.9 poise at the first nucleation temperature for the pre-nucleating time period.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the nucleated crystallizable glass composition has a viscosity greater than 10 10 poise at the second nucleation temperature.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first nucleation temperature is from 500° C. to 650° C.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second nucleation temperature is from 500° C. to 750° C.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition into the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with the initial 3D shape occurs while heating the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition at the second nucleation temperature, where the second nucleating temperature is higher than the first nucleating temperature.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition into the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with the initial 3D shape occurs before nucleating the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with the initial 3D shape.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition with the initial 3D shape comprises one or more of a sagging process or a rolling process.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises cooling the glass-ceramic article from crystallization temperature to an intermediate temperature at a first cooling rate, and from the intermediate temperature to room temperature at a second cooling rate, wherein the first cooling rate is lower than the second cooling rate.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein cooling the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass composition to room temperature.
13. A method of forming a glass-ceramic article, the method comprising:
positioning a pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet comprising 5 wt % to 20 wt % of a crystalline phase onto a molding apparatus;
forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet into a pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet with an initial three dimensional (3D) shape;
nucleating the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet with the initial 3D shape at a nucleation temperature for a nucleating time period to produce a nucleated crystallizable glass composition;
ceramming the nucleated crystallizable glass composition to a crystallization temperature and maintaining the crystallization temperature for a crystallization time period to produce the glass-ceramic article having a final 3D shape; and
cooling the glass-ceramic article from crystallization temperature to an intermediate temperature at a first cooling rate, and from the intermediate temperature to room temperature at a second cooling rate, wherein:
the first cooling rate is lower than the second cooling rate, and
the glass-ceramic has a dimensional control of the final 3D shape within 0.1 mm of an original design specification of the final 3D shape.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet has a viscosity from 10 7.6 poise to 10 9.9 poise during the forming into the initial 3D shape.
15. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet with the initial 3D shape comprises one or more of sagging process and a rolling process.
16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the nucleation temperature is from 500° C. to 750° C.
17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the crystallization temperature is from 650° C. to 900° C.
18. The method of claim 13 , wherein forming the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet into the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet with the initial 3D shape occurs simultaneously with nucleating the pre-nucleated crystallizable glass sheet with the initial 3D shape by heating the initial 3D shape to the nucleation temperature.