JP7802276B2 - Method for producing sculptures and sculptures - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing a shaped object whose main component is a glass body, and in particular to a technique for forming a colored layer inside the glass body.

One common method for coloring glass is to apply a paste containing an inorganic metal compound to the surface of the glass and then heat it (the ion exchange method). The ion exchange method utilizes the phenomenon in which transition metal ions in the paste are exchanged with alkali ions inside the glass, diffusing into the glass and causing the ions to be reduced, resulting in the formation of colloidal particles from which light in a specific wavelength range is absorbed (see Non-Patent Document 1).

The following three patent documents are cited as documents showing other coloring methods.
Patent Document 1 describes the formation of a thin film mainly composed of a metal oxide on the glass surface by baking a glass material coated with a solution containing an organometallic compound as a main component at a temperature of 150 to 700°C.

Patent Document 2 discloses a method in which a coating liquid made from an organic solvent in which a metal compound is dissolved is sprayed onto the surface of glassware at a temperature of 500°C to 650°C before annealing, and the temperature of the glassware surface is used to create a colored coating primarily made of metal oxide.

Patent Document 3 describes a method of producing colored glass pieces separated into individual compartments by overlapping a metal frame with multiple compartments on a glass plate, scattering or applying colored granular glass to each compartment, and then heating the glass plate with the metal frame on top, and pressing the bars of the metal frame against the softened glass to cut it.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-203848 JP 2008-74477 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-204638

Hiroki Ota, "Glass Coloring Technology," Practical Surface Technology, Vol. 32, No. 8, 1985, August 1, 1985, pp. 432-436 (Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.4139/sfj1970.32.432)

All of the techniques described in the above documents color formed glass bodies or unformed glass sheets without significantly changing their shape, and to achieve this, they use chemical reactions using colorants or methods of fusing colored materials. There are no known methods for simultaneously deforming and coloring a glass body by combining it with a standard metal body, or for peeling the metal body from a glass body bonded to a metal body to reveal colored areas on the surface.

With the above in mind, the present invention aims to create a shaped object with a unique shape and a distinct colored layer by heating a glass body to a temperature at which viscous flow occurs, deforming the viscous fluid glass body while adhering it to a metal body, causing a chemical phenomenon that results in coloring, and then peeling the metal body off the glass body that has cooled and is ready to bond with the metal body.

When a glass body is heated to the point where it becomes a viscous fluid, the mesh structure of silicon dioxide ( _SiO2 ), which is the main component of the glass body, loosens, and when a chemical substance with a higher concentration than the glass body comes into contact with the glass body, the particles that make up the substance and the ions ionized from those particles move into the glass body and begin to move actively (diffuse) within the mesh structure.

Therefore, when a metal body containing transition metal elements is heated together with a glass body and the glass body, which has become a viscous fluid, is placed in close contact with the surface of the metal body for a certain period of time, a chemical reaction occurs at the contact point between the oxygen ions in the silicon dioxide on the glass side and the transition metal ions on the metal body, producing metal oxide, and particles of this metal oxide and the transition metal ions contained in this metal oxide diffuse into the interior of the glass body. In particular, the distribution density of these particles and ions becomes high in the surface layer where the glass body is in close contact with the metal body, and a unique color appears that corresponds to the wavelength range of light absorbed by these particles and ions.

Based on the above considerations, in the present invention, a metal body containing a transition metal element and a glass body are placed in a kiln with a predetermined positional relationship, and the kiln is heated. The glass body and the metal body, which have turned into viscous fluids through heating, are then brought into close contact in the high-temperature kiln. This close contact causes the phenomenon described above, and a colored layer derived from the metal oxide produced by the close contact with the metal body is formed on the surface of the area where the glass body is in contact with the metal body.

In this way, the present invention heats a glass body to a temperature high enough to cause viscous flow, deforms the glass, and adheres a portion of it to a metal body, producing a metal oxide that forms the basis of a colored layer through a chemical reaction between the two. The conventional methods described in the aforementioned Patent Documents 1 and 2 and Non-Patent Document 1 all assume that a colored layer is formed without significantly deforming the glass body, and the metal oxide produced for coloring does not contain components derived from the glass. The method described in Patent Document 3 involves heating a glass body and a metal body stacked on top of each other, but makes no mention of using a metal body as a means of coloring, nor of significantly deforming the glass body to be colored.

The heating of the kiln may be stopped at an appropriate time after the temperature of the glass body reaches a predetermined temperature above the working point. Furthermore, if the metal body and glass body are supported in an overlapping state when placed in the kiln, it will be easier to make the fluidized glass body adhere to the metal body, but the relative positions of the two may be set in any way as long as the glass body, which has become a viscous fluid due to heating, can adhere to the metal body.

In the present invention, the glass body and metal body on which the colored layer has been formed are cooled while maintaining their tight contact until they are bonded together, and then at least a portion of the metal body is peeled off from the glass body. This exposes the area on which the colored layer has been formed, allowing it to be observed from the front. Furthermore, if the glass body is transparent or translucent, the removal of the light-blocking metal body makes it possible to see the colored layer through the surface of the glass body in areas where the colored layer has not been formed.

In order to peel the metal body from the glass body that has solidified at a temperature below the glass transition point, the metal body needs to be able to bend relatively easily. From this perspective, it is desirable for the metal body to be thin-walled.

When supporting a metal body and a glass body side by side inside a kiln, it does not matter which is on top. For example, if the metal body is on the bottom and the glass body is on top, the glass body, which has become a viscous fluid when heated, can be caused to flow and deform on the surface of the metal body.

Conversely, if the glass body is placed on the bottom and the metal body on top and both are supported inside the kiln, the glass body, which has turned into a viscous fluid when heated, can be deformed by the pressing force of the metal body.

When using a metal body with at least one through-hole that penetrates its thickness, the metal body is supported at a position higher than the inner bottom surface of the kiln, with the thickness aligned vertically and the opening of the through-hole in the surface that becomes the bottom surface unblocked. A glass body is then placed facing a predetermined area that includes the through-hole in the surface that becomes the top surface of the metal body, and the glass body is allowed to flow in the high-temperature kiln until it adheres to the top surface of the metal body and, after a portion of it enters the through-hole, moves to a predetermined position below the through-hole.

According to the above process, a colored layer is formed in the area that was in close contact with the periphery of the penetration portion of the metal body, and a molded object (for example, molded object 201 in Figure 4 described below) can be obtained in which a convex body is continuously formed in that area.
The above-mentioned through-hole may be formed as a complete hole penetrating the thickness of the metal body, or may be formed at the edge of the metal body as a partially missing hole or a notch (the same applies to the following embodiments).

When using a metal body with a penetration, a second metal body containing a transition metal element may be supported at a position facing the penetration at a height lower than the metal body, and the glass body may be caused to flow so that the tip of the glass body that has entered the penetration adheres closely to the surface of the second metal body. In this way, a colored layer can be formed not only around the penetration but also at the tip of the convex body, due to the diffusion of metal oxide produced by adhesion with the second metal body and the transition metal ions therein to the tip (for example, the shaped object 202 in Figure 6, described below).

The first and second metal bodies may be made of the same type of metal material, but if they are made of different types of metal materials, the color of the part that is in close contact with the metal can be made to differ depending on the type of metal.

It is also possible to use a metal body having a bottomed hole with a curved inner surface, place a glass body on the open end of the bottomed hole, or position the glass body higher than the inner bottom surface inside the hole, and then heat the furnace. In this case, by deforming the glass body so that the flowing glass body conforms to the inner surface of the bottomed hole and adheres closely to the inner bottom surface, a curved surface corresponding to the bottomed hole is formed, and a shaped object can be obtained from the glass body with a colored layer formed on the surface of the curved surface.

In the present invention, a metal body containing a transition metal element can be formed into a shape with a hole with at least one open end (for example, the shape with a bottomed hole described above or a cylinder), and the metal body with multiple glass bodies (glass plates, spherical glass, small glass pieces, etc.) placed in the holes can be placed in a kiln and heating can begin. In this case, the glass bodies, which have turned into viscous fluids through heating, are fused in the high-temperature kiln and transformed into a single glass body that adheres closely to the inner surface of the hole. This allows the metal oxides produced by the adhesion between the glass body and the metal body and the transition metal ions in the metal oxides to diffuse into the glass body, forming a colored layer derived from the metal oxide on the surface of the glass body where it is in contact with the metal body.

When two types of metal bodies containing transition metal elements are used in the present invention, one of them (the first metal body) is the object to be peeled off from the glass body, and the other (the second metal body) has one or more penetrations , and the following method can be carried out.

First, the second metal body is placed on top of the first metal body with the penetration direction of the penetration part aligned vertically, and the glass body is placed so that it faces a predetermined area within the upper surface of the second metal body, including the penetration part. With this in mind, the metal bodies and glass body are supported inside a furnace and the furnace is heated.

The glass body, which has been heated to a viscous fluid, is then flowed in a high-temperature furnace while being held in close contact with the top surface of the second metal body, deforming the glass body so that a portion of the glass body passes through the penetration and also adheres to the surface of the first metal body. This causes the metal oxides produced by the adhesion between the glass body and each metal body, and the transition metal ions in the metal oxides, to diffuse into the glass body, forming a colored layer of metal oxide on the surface of the portion of the glass body that is in close contact with each metal body.

Furthermore, the glass body and each metal body are kept in close contact with each other and cooled until the glass body is bonded to each metal body, after which the first metal body is peeled off from the glass body. The second metal body remains bonded to the glass body.

The above method makes it possible to obtain a shaped object in which a second metal body is integrally formed on a glass body containing a colored layer derived from metal oxides formed by the adhesion between the glass body and the first metal body, and a colored layer derived from metal oxides formed by the adhesion between the glass body and the second metal body. In this case, too, the first metal body and the second metal body may be made of the same metal material, but by using different metal materials, the colors of the colored layers derived from the respective metal oxides can also be made different.

Instead of the second metal body having the above-mentioned through-holes, multiple second metal bodies large enough to fit on the first metal body can be placed on the first metal body with a predetermined distance between them. In this case, too, with the glass bodies arranged facing the area where the second metal bodies are distributed, the metal bodies and glass bodies are supported inside a kiln and the kiln is heated. The heated glass body, which has become a viscous fluid, flows in the high-temperature kiln while adhering to the portions of the second metal body that are not in contact with the first metal body, deforming the glass body so that a portion of the glass body passes through the gaps between the second metal bodies and also adheres to the surface of the first metal body. This allows a colored layer derived from the metal oxides produced by this adhesion to be formed on the surface of the portions of the glass body that are in contact with the metal bodies.

Furthermore, by cooling the glass body and each metal body while maintaining their tight contact until the glass body is bonded to each metal body, and then peeling the first metal body off the glass body, a shaped object can be obtained in which a glass body including a colored layer based on the first metal body and a colored layer based on the second metal body is integrally formed with multiple second metal bodies.

According to the present invention, a glass body that has been heated to become a viscous fluid is brought into close contact with a metal body in a high-temperature environment, and the glass body is deformed by the viscous flow and the pressing force of the metal body, etc., thereby forming a distinct colored layer derived from transition metal ions on the surface of the glass body, which has a unique shape.

Furthermore, in the present invention, by peeling off the metal body, which acts as a light-shielding body, from the glass body that has cooled and become bonded to the metal body, the colored layer can be made visible from various directions.

1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a molding method to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a variation of the method of FIG. 1; 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating a modeling method according to a first application example. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a molded object produced by the first application example. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a modeling method according to a second application example. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a shaped object formed by the second application example. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the first application example. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a modeling method according to a third application example. 10 is a diagram showing a combination of shaped glass and a metal body according to a third application example. FIG. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a molding method according to a fourth application example. 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating an example of a shaped object formed by a fourth application example. 10A to 10C are diagrams illustrating an example of a modeling method and a formed model according to a fifth application example.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a molding method according to the present invention.
In this method, a plate member 1 (hereinafter referred to as "metal plate 1") containing a metal (for example, copper) containing a transition metal element, and a glass plate 2 are used.

Metal plate 1 is a thin plate with a thickness of approximately 1 mm. Plate glass 2 is a transparent glass body made from ordinary soda glass, and although it is thicker than metal plate 1, its main surface is smaller than that of metal plate 1. The main surfaces of both metal plate 1 and plate glass 2 can be made into any shape, and there is no need to match their respective shapes.

In this embodiment, a glass sheet 2 is placed on the metal plate 1, and then these are placed on a heat-resistant support stand 4 and placed in an electric kiln (not shown) (hereinafter simply referred to as the "kiln") (FIG. 1(A)). The internal temperature of the kiln is maintained at approximately 700-800°C and heated for a predetermined period of time. During this time, the glass sheet 2 softens and becomes a viscous fluid, which deforms due to surface tension on the surface of the metal plate 1 (FIG. 1(B)). The surface of the metal plate 1 also oxidizes due to heating, causing a color change.
The furnace used for the heat treatment does not have to be limited to an electric furnace.

In the following, glass that has softened into a viscous fluid will be referred to as "fluid glass" or simply "glass," and is designated by the reference numeral 20 in the figures. Furthermore, deformed fluid glass that has cooled and re-solidified will be referred to as "shaped glass," and is designated by the reference numeral 21 in the figures. When referring to glass 2, 20, and 21 in each state, including plate glass 2, in the text, the reference numerals will be used only when describing the figures in which they are depicted.

In this embodiment, heating is stopped when the fluid glass 20 changes to the shape shown in Figure 1(B), and the fluid glass 20 is slowly cooled in the kiln while maintaining its intimate contact with the metal plate 1. Then, when the fluid glass 20 cools to become shaped glass 21 and bonds with the metal plate 1, the combined body is removed from the kiln and allowed to cool further at room temperature for a while. Then, when the shaped glass 21 and metal plate 1 reach a temperature that allows them to be touched by hand (40-50°C), the metal plate 1 is peeled off from the shaped glass 21, as shown in Figure 1(C), to obtain the final shaped object made only of shaped glass 21.

When the fluid glass 20 has deformed significantly during the heating process, a colored layer 3 of a predetermined color is included in the surface of the glass where it is in close contact with the metal plate 1 (see Figure 1(B)). This colored layer 3 is maintained in the shaped glass 21, and when the metal plate 1 is peeled off, the area where the colored layer 3 was formed becomes visible on the surface.

The colored layer 3 is thought to be formed when metal oxide particles and transition metal ions in the metal oxide generated at the interface between the glass 20, which has become a viscous fluid in which particles and ions actively move, and the metal plate 1 diffuse into the surface layer of the fluid glass 20, causing these particles and ions to absorb light in a specific wavelength range (coloration resulting from the color corresponding to the wavelength range not absorbed by the particles or ions).

The inventors actually placed a 0.1 mm thick copper metal plate 1 and a 3 mm thick glass plate 2 in the support position shown in Figure 1(A) in an electric kiln and heated them. They maintained the internal temperature of the kiln at around 750°C for approximately 5 minutes, and were able to confirm that a dark red colored layer 3 had formed in the area of the fluid glass 20 that was in close contact with the metal plate 1 (copper plate). When the fluid glass 20 had cooled and become shaped glass, the thickness of the colored layer 3 was measured and found to be approximately 100 μm. It is believed that the colored layer 3 in this case is derived from copper oxide.

When the same experiment was conducted, but replacing the copper plate with a stainless steel plate (SUS430), a light green colored layer 3 was formed in the area where the fluid glass 20 was in close contact with the metal plate (stainless steel plate). This colored layer 3 was maintained even after the fluid glass 20 became shaped glass, and measurements confirmed a thickness of approximately 100 μm. In this case, the colored layer 3 is thought to be primarily derived from chromium oxide.

All of the colored layers could be seen through areas of the molded glass where no colored layer was formed. Furthermore, when the molded glass and metal plate reached a temperature (40-50°C) that allowed them to be touched by hand, the metal plate was peeled off from the molded glass, exposing the surface on which the colored layer was formed, and the colored layer was reflected on the convexly curved surface, resulting in a glass object that appeared to be colored almost entirely.

In the basic method shown in Figure 1, a glass sheet 2 is placed on the flat surface of a metal plate 1 and both are heated in a furnace. However, as shown in Figure 2, a method may also be used in which a bowl-shaped metal body 12 is placed on a support table 4 (only the top surface is shown in this figure) with the open end facing downward, and the glass sheet 2 is placed on the convex surface of the metal body 12 and heated. In this case, only the center of the original glass sheet 2 contacts the metal body 12 (Figure 2(A)). However, in the fluid glass 20 transformed by heating, gravity causes almost the entire lower surface to adhere to the metal body 12, and a colored layer 3 is formed on the surface of the adhered area (Figure 2(B)). In this case, the colored layer 3 remains even after the fluid glass 20 cools and becomes the shaped glass 21. When the metal body 12 is peeled off from the shaped glass 21, the area where the colored layer 3 was formed becomes visible (Figure 2(C)).

In the examples of Figures 1 and 2, the glass sheet 2 is placed on top of the metal plate 1 or metal body 12 and then placed in the furnace, but if the glass 20, which has become a viscous fluid, can be made to adhere to the metal surface, the glass sheet 2 may be supported at a height slightly away from the metal surface by a method such as hanging it.

When supporting the metal plate 1 or metal body 12 and the glass plate 2 with a gap therebetween, the glass plate 2 may be placed below and the metal plate 1 or metal body 12 may be supported so as to face its upper surface, in contrast to the examples in Figures 1 and 2 (when the metal body 12 is placed above the glass plate 2, its orientation should be reversed from that in Figure 2). Regardless of the vertical relationship, the metal body and glass body, which are vertically opposed with a predetermined gap between them, can also be brought close to each other and brought into close contact by placing weights on their uppermost surfaces.
Alternatively, the metal plate 1 or metal body 12 and the glass plate 2 may be arranged side by side on the support base 4 .

Below, we will explain an example of applying the manufacturing method shown in Figure 1 to create a shaped object with a unique shape and a colored layer derived from transition metal ions by significantly deforming fluid glass while adhering it to a metal body in a high-temperature environment. Both examples are based on actual attempts by the inventors to successfully form a colored layer.

FIG. 3 shows a molding method corresponding to the first application example.
The metal plate 10 used in this example has the same thickness as the example shown in Fig. 1, but has a through hole h formed in the center in the thickness direction. The metal plate 10 is supported with the area surrounding the through hole h placed on a pair of support stands 4a, 4b arranged opposite each other inside the furnace, with the through hole h facing the space between the support stands 4a, 4b. The glass plate 2 has a configuration similar to that shown in Fig. 1 and is placed on top of the metal plate 10 supported as described above (Fig. 3(A)). However, even in this example, the glass plate 2 may be supported at a position a predetermined distance from the metal plate 10.

When the furnace is heated after the above setting, the glass 20, which has turned into a viscous fluid as the temperature inside the furnace rises, adheres to the surface of the metal plate 10 and flows, and the portion positioned above the through-hole h begins to descend due to the action of gravity (Figure 3(B)). The portion surrounding the through-hole h also follows suit and descends, resulting in the fluid glass 20 taking on a shape with a portion 24 that remains on the surface of the metal plate 10 and a portion 25 that hangs significantly down from the through-hole h (Figure 3(C)).

In the surface layer on the bottom side of the portion 24 of the fluid glass 20 that remains on the surface of the metal plate 10, metal oxide particles and transition metal ions in the metal oxide that are produced by adhesion to the metal plate 10 diffuse into the glass 20, and a colored layer 3 is formed when light in a specific wavelength range is absorbed by these particles. In the portion 25 that does not adhere to the metal and flows into the hole and hangs down, almost no metal oxide particles or transition metal ions diffuse, so no colored layer 3 is formed.

In the first application example, the fluid glass 20 transformed into the state shown in Figure 3(C) is cooled to become shaped glass 21 that bonds with the metal plate 10, and then the metal plate 10 is peeled off from the shaped glass 21 to obtain the final shaped object consisting only of the shaped glass 21.

FIG. 4 shows the shaped glass 21, which corresponds to the final shaped object 201 produced by the first application example, from a diagonal downward direction.
In this object 201, the portion 24 that remained on the surface of the metal plate 10 when it was fluid glass 20 becomes a flange 24a, and the portion 25 that hung down from the through-hole h becomes a transparent convex body 25a with a hollow portion that is continuous with the center of the flange 24a. The bottom surface of the flange 24a is nearly flat, but the top surface and edges include curved and uneven surfaces that reflect the deformation that occurred when it was fluid glass. The surface of the convex body 25a also becomes a curved surface that reflects the shape during flow.

The aforementioned colored layer 3 is formed over almost the entire surface of the bottom surface of the flange 24a. This colored layer 3 can be seen through the shaped glass 21 from above or diagonally above. Depending on the viewing direction, the colored layer 3 can also be reflected in the transparent curved body 25a, creating a sparkling pattern and enhancing its decorativeness.

FIG. 5 shows a molding method corresponding to the second application example.
In this example, a metal plate 10 and a glass plate 2 having the same configuration as in the first application example are placed inside the furnace in the same relationship as in the example of Fig. 3(A). Furthermore, a lower support stand 4c, which is significantly lower than the pair of support stands 4a and 4b that support the metal plate 10, is placed between them, and a second metal plate 11 is placed on top of it (Fig. 5(A)).

The two metal plates 10, 11 may be made of the same type of metal material, but in this example, they are made of different metal materials. For example, the upper metal plate 10 is a stainless steel plate with a through hole h in the center, and the lower metal plate 11 is a copper plate with no hole.

In the second application example, the glass 20, which has become a viscous fluid, is deformed in the same manner as in the first application example so that it hangs down from the through-hole h (Figure 5(B)). Furthermore, the flow of the glass 20 is controlled so that it continues until the tip of the hanging portion 25 reaches the metal plate 11 below and maintains a tight contact state for a predetermined time (Figure 5(C)). As a result, in the deformed fluid glass 20, a first colored layer 3 derived from metal oxides formed by contact with the metal plate 10 is formed on the surface of the bottom surface of the portion 24 that remains on the metal plate 10, and a second colored layer 30 derived from metal oxides formed by contact with the metal plate 11 is also formed on the surface of the tip of the hanging portion 25.

In this embodiment, too, the fluid glass 20, which has been deformed to the state shown in Figure 5(C), is cooled to become the shaped glass 21 bonded to the metal plates 10, 11, and then the metal plates 10, 11 are peeled off from the shaped glass to obtain the final shaped object consisting only of the shaped glass 21.

Figure 6 shows the final product 202 made from shaped glass 21 formed according to the second application example. The shape of this product 202 is similar to the product 201 shown in Figure 4, but the surface of the tip of the convex body 5a (the part that was joined to the metal plate 11) is flat. In addition, different colors appear on the bottom surface of the flange 24a and the tip of the convex body 25a. The former color is due to the first colored layer 3, and the latter color is due to the second colored layer 30.

In this way, by using different types of metal for the two metal plates 10, 11 that are in close contact with the fluid glass 20, it is possible to obtain a shaped object 202 that is colored in two different colors, further enhancing the decorative effect.

Figure 7 shows a modified version of the first application example shown in Figure 3. In this example, the example in Figure 2 is adapted by placing a bowl-shaped metal body 13 with a through hole h in the center on a support stand 4 (only the top surface is shown in this figure) with the open end facing downwards, and then placing a glass sheet 2 over the area including the through hole h, and both are placed in a furnace (Figure 7(A)).

The underside of the glass sheet 2 is separated from the metal body 13 not only in the area corresponding to the through-hole h, but also at its edges. However, when the glass 20 turns into a viscous fluid upon heating, the edges and the area above the through-hole h fall due to gravity, forming a continuous shape consisting of a portion 26 that is in close contact with the curved surface of the metal body 13 outside the through-hole h and a portion 27 that hangs down from the through-hole h (Figure 7(B)). Furthermore, a colored layer 3 derived from metal oxides formed at the interface with the metal body 13 is formed on the surface of the bottom side of the portion 26 that is in close contact with the curved surface.

After this, the fluid glass 20 is cooled and becomes shaped glass bonded to the metal body 13. By peeling the metal body 13 off from the shaped glass, the final glass shaped object (not shown) can be obtained, which has a continuous convex body with a concave portion on the flange portion having the colored layer 3.

Furthermore, in the example of Figure 7, a second metal plate 11 is placed in a position facing the through-hole h of the support base 4, and the portion 27 of the fluid glass 20 hanging down from the through-hole h is brought into close contact with the metal plate 11. By deforming the glass 20 until a predetermined time has passed, the tip of the convex body of the final molded object can be made flat and the surface can contain a second colored layer.

FIG. 8 shows a modeling method corresponding to the third application example.
In this example, a bowl-shaped metal body 14 (a thin body having a bottomed hole 14a with a curved inner surface) is placed on a support base 4 with the open end surface facing upward, and a circular glass plate 2 of a size that allows its lower edge to be caught in the upper end portion of the hole 14a of the metal body 14 is supported in a state where it is caught in the same portion (Figure 8 (A)).

The above support state is maintained inside the kiln, and heating begins. The glass 20, which has become a viscous fluid through heating, gradually descends from the center due to the action of gravity (Figure 8(B)), and eventually comes into close contact with the inner surface of the hole 14a in the metal body 14 (Figure 8(C)). If the glass 20 continues to flow in this state for a while, the metal oxides formed at the interface between the fluid glass 20 and the metal body 14 and the transition metal ions therein diffuse into the interior of the fluid glass 20, resulting in the formation of a colored layer 3 derived from the metal oxides on the surface of the portion of the glass 20 that is in close contact with the metal body 14.

Figure 9 shows an example of a combination of shaped glass 21 and metal body 14 produced by cooling the fluid glass 20 in the state shown in Figure 8 (C). Since the metal body 14 in this example is thin, it can be peeled off from the shaped glass 21 using bare hands or a tool such as pliers, to obtain the final shaped object 203 consisting only of the shaped glass 21.

The outer surface of the shaped glass 21 exposed by peeling away the metal body 14 is curved like the inner surface of the hole 14a in the metal body 14, and the colored layer 3 is formed along almost the entire curved surface. A gently curved, transparent concave surface (corresponding to the part marked with the symbol 28 in Figure 8(C)) is also formed on the top of the shaped glass 21, and the colored layer 3 is reflected on this concave surface as well, creating the interesting effect of the color changing depending on the direction of the line of sight.

In the method according to the third application example, by placing a plurality of finely crushed glass pieces below the glass plate 2 placed above the bottomed hole 14a of the metal body 14, these glass pieces can be fused with the fluid glass 20 that has been transformed from the glass plate 2 to obtain a shaped glass piece large enough to fill almost the entire space created by the inner surface of the metal body 14. By increasing the number of glass pieces or adding larger spherical glass pieces, it is possible to obtain a shaped glass piece with a similar shape by simply fusing a plurality of glass pieces without using the glass plate 2.
In these shaped glasses, a colored layer 3 derived from metal oxide is formed on the surface layer of the outer periphery that is in close contact with the metal body 14 .

In the example of Figure 8, multiple small pieces of metal can be placed in the space below the glass plate 2 of the metal body 14 along with multiple pieces of glass. These glass and metal pieces mix into the fluid glass 20, and a colored layer is formed in the parts of the fluid glass 20 that are in close contact with each metal piece. As a result, in the shaped glass that is completed by cooling, the color of the colored layer 3 from the metal body that was in close contact with the outer periphery is used as the base, and the color of the colored layer from the small metal pieces is distributed as a pattern within it, resulting in a highly decorative effect. The small metal pieces may be made of the same type of metal material as the metal body 14, but using a different type of metal material from the metal body 14 can create a more eye-catching pattern.

The metal body used in the third application example and its modified examples is not limited to those with bottomed holes, and a combination of a metal body with a through hole, such as a cylinder, and a metal plate large enough to cover one open end of the metal body can be used to carry out a method similar to that shown in Fig. 8. Alternatively, by placing the cylinder containing the glass on a support table with the through hole facing sideways without covering the open end, the fluid glass fused from each glass piece can be made to adhere to the inner surface of the hole in a similar manner to that shown in Fig. 8.

FIG. 10 shows a molding method corresponding to the fourth application example.
In this embodiment, as in the second application example, two types of metal plates 101 and 102 are used. One metal plate 102 is smaller than the other metal plate 101 and has two through holes h1 and h2 formed therein. The glass plate 2 has a main surface that is approximately the same size and shape as the metal plate 102.

A metal plate 101 without through holes is placed directly on the support base 4, a metal plate 102 with through holes h1 and h2 is placed on top of that, and then a glass plate 2 is placed on top of the metal plate 102 (Figure 10(A)).

Maintaining the above positional relationship, the support base 4, metal plates 101, 102, and glass plate 2 are placed in a furnace, and the furnace is heated. The glass 20 becomes a viscous fluid and flows over the surface of the metal plate 102. The portion of the fluid glass 20 positioned above the through holes h1, h2 enters the holes h1, h2 and begins to descend (Figure 10(B)). The portion of the fluid glass 20 surrounding the holes h1, h2 also follows suit, moving toward the holes h1, h2 and partially descending. Eventually, the tip of the descending portion reaches the metal plate 101 and comes into close contact with the metal plate 101 (Figure 10(C)).

Metal oxides produced by adhesion to the metal plate 102 and the transition metal ions therein are diffused into the surface layer of the fluid glass 20 in close contact with the metal plate 102, forming a first colored layer 31 due to this diffusion. Furthermore, metal oxides produced by adhesion to the metal plate 101 and the transition metal ions therein are diffused into the surface layer of the fluid glass 20 that descends from holes h1 and h2 and is in close contact with the metal plate 101, forming a second colored layer 32 due to this diffusion.

In the fourth application example, the fluid glass 20 transformed into the state shown in Figure 10 (C) is cooled to become the shaped glass 21 bonded to the metal plates 101 and 102, and then the metal plate 101 is peeled off from the shaped glass 21 to obtain the final shaped object formed by the bonded shaped glass 21 and metal plate 102.

Figure 11(A) shows the final molded object 204 obtained by peeling off the metal plate 101 after carrying out the method shown in Figure 10, with the portion that faced upward in the kiln (hereinafter referred to as the "front surface") shown as the front. Figure 11(B) shows the portion of the molded object 204 that was attached to the metal plate 101 (hereinafter referred to as the "back surface").

The surface is covered with shaped glass 21, and through this glass surface it is possible to see the first colored layer 31 that has formed in the area that is in close contact with the metal plate 102 and the second colored layer 32 that has formed in the area that was in close contact with the metal plate 101.

The back surface includes the surface of the metal plate 102 and the surface of the portion of the shaping glass 21 exposed through the through holes h1 and h2 (the portion that was in close contact with the metal plate 101). The color of the second colored layer 32 appears on this surface of the shaping glass 21.

In the fourth application example described above, instead of the metal plate 102 having through holes h1 and h2, a metal plate with notches at one or more locations on its edge may be used. In this case, too, by flowing the fluid glass on the surface of the notched metal plate and lowering a portion of it through the notched portion to contact the metal plate 101, first and second colored layers can be formed on the surface layer of the fluid glass at the portion that is in close contact with each metal plate. Furthermore, after the fluid glass is cooled to become shaped glass that is bonded to each metal plate, peeling the metal plate 101 from the shaped glass can result in a shaped object having a surface portion that appears colored by the first colored layer shaped according to the notched metal plate and the second colored layer shaped according to the notched portion, and a back surface portion where the second colored layer appears in the notched portion of the notched metal plate.

The above-mentioned metal plate 102 can also be changed to a thin metal body with more through holes. For example, a metal body processed into a grid pattern is placed on the metal plate 101, and a glass plate is placed on top of that and heated. The glass becomes a viscous fluid and is deformed until it passes through each hole in the grid and adheres to the metal plate 101. This adherence state is maintained for a while, resulting in a shaped object having a surface in which the color of the second color layer based on the metal plate 101 appears within the grid pattern holes formed by the color of the first color layer based on the grid-shaped metal body. The back surface of this object also has the color of the second color layer appear within the holes in the grid-shaped metal body.

Instead of the metal plate 102, multiple metal pieces may be placed on the top surface of the metal plate 101 with a predetermined distance between them. In this case, a glass plate is placed on the area where the metal pieces are distributed and heated, causing the glass to become a viscous fluid, which then adheres to each metal piece while passing through the gaps between them and adhering to the metal plate 101. This allows colored layers derived from the metal oxides produced by the adhesion to be formed on the portions of the fluid glass that adhere to the metal pieces and on the portions that adhere to the metal plate 101. Furthermore, after the transformed fluid glass cools and transforms into shaped glass, the metal plate 101 is peeled off from the shaped glass, revealing the color of the colored layer based on the metal plate 101 on both the front and back surfaces, and a pattern due to the distribution of multiple metal pieces appears on the back surface. A similar pattern due to the distribution of colors in the colored layer based on the metal pieces also appears on the front surface.

FIG. 12 shows a molding method corresponding to the fifth application example.
In this embodiment, a metal body 110 is used, which is shaped in such a way that rod pieces 112 of a predetermined length are erected from multiple points on the outer edge of a circular plate portion 111, and a circular plate glass 2 having an area slightly larger than the plate portion 111.

The rods 112 are all the same length, and the distance between them is also approximately the same. The glass sheet 2 is placed on the upper end surfaces of the rods 112 of the metal body 110, and is supported facing the plate portion 111 (Figure 12(A)).

When the two are placed in a furnace while maintaining the above relationship and heated, the portion of the viscous fluid glass 20 facing the plate portion 111 begins to descend, and eventually the central portion reaches the plate portion 111 and comes into close contact with its surface. The portions of the fluid glass 20 that protrude outward from each rod piece 112 also deform, descending while remaining in contact with the upper end surfaces of the rod pieces 112 and deforming so as to encase the upper portions of the rod pieces 112.

The shaped glass 21 produced by cooling the fluid glass 20 using the above method has a vessel-like shape with a bottom connected to the plate portion 111 and walls connected to each rod piece 112 (Figure 12(B)).

The bottom surface of the shaped glass 21 becomes flat along the plate 111, but the outer and inner surfaces of the wall are curved, reflecting the state of the fluid glass 20 when it was flowing toward the plate 111. Furthermore, a colored layer 33 is formed on the surface of the portion of the fluid glass 20 that is in close contact with the plate 111 or the rod 112, due to the diffusion of metal oxide particles and transition metal ions therein that are generated at the interface between that portion and the plate 111 or the rod 112, respectively. These colored layers 33 remain even after the fluid glass 20 cools and becomes the shaped glass 21, and can be seen through the portions of the shaped glass 21 where no colored layer is formed.

In this embodiment, the combination of the shaping glass 21 and the metal body 110 constitutes the final shaped object 205. However, if the plate portion 111 and each rod piece 112 are each made into independent units, and the rod pieces 112 are removably connected to the plate portion 111 by, for example, inserting each rod piece 112 into a slit on the end face of the plate portion 111, the rod pieces 112 can be removed from the plate portion 111 after cooling and then peeled off from the shaping glass 21, so that the colored layer 33 formed at the contact points with the rod pieces 112 appears on the outer surface of the shaping glass 21. The plate portion 111 can also be peeled off from the shaping glass 21 in the same way, but it may also remain attached to the shaping glass 21.

The various metal bodies used in each of the first to fifth application examples and modifications can be metal bodies primarily made of transition metals such as silver, cobalt, titanium, etc., in addition to the copper and stainless steel mentioned above. Furthermore, all of the metal bodies to be peeled off from the shaped glass 21, other than the metal plate 102 in the fourth application example and the metal body 110 in the fifth application example shown in Figure 10, are thin-walled bodies, and the surface to which the shaped glass 21 is bonded is larger than the bonding area. Therefore, even after being bonded to the shaped glass 21, the metal bodies can be peeled off relatively easily by grasping the portion not bonded to the shaped glass 21 with fingers or a tool and applying force.
It is not necessary to remove all of these metal bodies, and some of them may remain bonded to the shaping glass 21 .

The metal plate 102 in the fourth application example and the metal body 110 in the fifth application example are included in the final shaped object while still bonded to the shaped glass 21, so it is desirable to use metal bodies made of a metal with a thermal expansion coefficient close to that of the glass material. If the difference in thermal expansion coefficient between the metal body and the glass material is small, the degree of contraction between the two during cooling is also small, allowing the two to be firmly bonded together, preventing the shaped glass 21 from coming off the metal body. In addition, distortion of the glass body due to tensile and compressive forces from the metal parts during cooling can be reduced, so even if the metal body remaining in the final shape is thick, the shaped glass can be prevented from breaking.

The thermal expansion coefficient of soda glass, which is the raw material of the glass plate 2 used in each example, is generally in the range of 80×10 ⁻⁷ to 120×10 ⁻⁷ /° C. Stainless steel with a thermal expansion coefficient within this range is considered to be a suitable metal material for the metal plate 102 of the fourth application example and the metal body 111 of the fifth application example.
For example, the thermal expansion coefficient of SUS430 is 104×10 ⁻⁷ /° C., and the thermal expansion coefficient of SUS410 is 99×10 ⁻⁷ /° C., so these are suitable metal materials for the metal plate 102 and the metal body 111 .

In the examples described so far, a transparent glass body is heated to deform and color it, but the glass body is not limited to being transparent; translucent or opaque glass body, or colored glass body can also be used. In such cases, a mixed color of the color of the glass and the color of the colored layer 3 can be produced.

In the above example, a glass body is placed on a metal body, and the glass body, which has turned into a viscous fluid upon heating, is deformed while flowing. However, conversely, a metal body with an uneven surface can be supported above the glass body with that surface facing the glass body, and both can be heated. In this case, if the metal body is maintained in close contact with the fluid glass for a predetermined period of time, a force will be generated in which the metal body with a specific gravity of more than 3 tries to penetrate into the glass body due to the action of gravity. This force compresses and deforms the fluid glass, and a colored layer derived from metal oxide is formed on the surface of the contact area. Therefore, after the fluid glass cools and becomes shaped glass bonded to the metal body, the metal body can be peeled off from the shaped glass, resulting in a glass object with a surface shaped to reflect the surface shape of the metal body and colored based on the colored layer.

1, 10, 11, 101, 102 Metal plate 12, 13, 14 Metal body 2 Plate glass 3, 30, 31, 32, 33 Colored layer 14a Bottomed hole 20 Fluid glass 21 Shaped glass 201, 202, 203, 204 Shaped object

Claims (9)

The metal body containing the transition metal element and the glass body are placed in a furnace with a predetermined positional relationship, and the furnace is heated.
The glass body, which has become a viscous fluid by heating, and the metal body are brought into close contact with each other in a high-temperature furnace, whereby the metal oxides produced by the contact and the transition metal ions in the metal oxides are diffused into the glass body, forming a colored layer derived from the metal oxides on the surface layer of the portion of the glass body that is in close contact with the metal body;
The glass body on which the colored layer is formed and the metal body are cooled while maintaining their close contact until they are bonded together, and then at least a portion of the metal body is peeled off from the glass body.
A method for producing a shaped object, comprising: The method for producing a shaped object described in claim 1, in which the metal body is positioned on the bottom and the glass body is positioned on the top, and both are supported inside the kiln, the kiln is heated, and the glass body, which has become a viscous fluid, is caused to flow and deform on the surface of the metal body. The glass body is placed on the bottom and the metal body is placed on the top, and both are supported inside the furnace. The furnace is heated, and the glass body, which has become a viscous fluid, is deformed by the pressing force of the metal body.
A method for producing a shaped object according to claim 1. The metal body is provided with at least one through-hole penetrating through the thickness portion,
The metal body is supported at a position higher than the inner bottom surface of the furnace with the thickness portion aligned in the vertical direction and the opening of the through-hole in the surface that has become the lower surface not blocked, and the glass body is placed so as to face a predetermined range including the through-hole in the surface that has become the upper surface of the metal body,
The glass body is allowed to flow in the furnace at a high temperature until it comes into close contact with the upper surface of the metal body, and a portion of the glass body enters the through-hole and then moves to a predetermined position below the through-hole.
A method for producing a shaped object according to claim 1. A second metal body containing a transition metal element is supported at a position facing the penetration portion in a height range lower than the metal body of the furnace;
The tip portion of the glass body that has entered the penetration portion is brought into close contact with the surface of the second metal body, and the glass body is allowed to flow until a predetermined time has elapsed.
A method for producing a shaped object according to claim 4. The metal body has a bottomed hole with a curved inner surface,
a metal body with the glass body disposed at a position higher than the open end face of the bottomed hole or the inner bottom surface of the hole is placed in a furnace, the furnace is heated, and the flowing glass body is deformed so as to follow the inner surface of the bottomed hole and adhere closely to the inner surface;
A method for producing a shaped object according to claim 1. A metal body containing a transition metal element and having a hole with at least one end surface open, and a plurality of glass bodies of a size that can fit into the hole are placed in a furnace so that each glass body is maintained in its hole, and the furnace is heated;
The glass bodies, which have become viscous fluids through heating, are fused in a high-temperature furnace to form a single glass body that adheres closely to the inner surface of the hole, thereby diffusing metal oxides produced by the adhesion between the glass body and the metal body and transition metal ions in the metal oxides into the glass body, forming a colored layer derived from the metal oxides on the surface of the glass body that is in close contact with the metal body;
The glass body on which the colored layer is formed and the metal body are cooled while maintaining their close contact until they are bonded together, and then at least a portion of the metal body is peeled off from the glass body.
A method for producing a shaped object, comprising: a first metal body containing a transition metal element, a second metal body containing a transition metal element and having one or more through-holes, and a glass body of a size that can face the area where the through-holes are formed, the second metal body being placed on top of the first metal body with the through-hole direction aligned along the vertical direction, and the glass body being placed so as to face a predetermined area including the through-holes within the plane that becomes the upper surface of the second metal body, and the metal bodies and the glass body being supported inside a furnace and the furnace being heated;
The glass body, which has been heated to a viscous fluid, is caused to flow in a high-temperature furnace while being in close contact with the upper surface of the second metal body, and the glass body is deformed so that a portion of the glass body passes through the through-hole and also comes into close contact with the surface of the first metal body. This causes metal oxides produced by the close contact between the glass body and the metal bodies and transition metal ions in the metal oxides to diffuse into the glass body, forming colored layers derived from the metal oxides on the surface layer portions of the glass body that are in close contact with the metal bodies.
the glass body on which the colored layer is formed and the metal bodies are cooled while maintaining their close contact with each other until the glass body is bonded to each metal body, and then the first metal body is peeled off from the glass body;
A method for producing a shaped object, comprising: a first metal body containing a transition metal element, a plurality of second metal bodies containing the transition metal element and sized to be placed on the first metal body, and a glass body having a surface larger than that of the second metal body, the plurality of second metal bodies being arranged on the first metal body with a predetermined gap between them, and the glass body being arranged so as to face the area in which the second metal bodies are distributed, and the metal bodies and the glass body being supported inside a furnace and the furnace being heated;
The glass body, which has been turned into a viscous fluid by heating, is caused to flow in a high-temperature furnace while being brought into close contact with the portions of the second metal body that are not in contact with the first metal body, and the glass body is deformed so that a portion of the glass body passes through the gaps between the second metal bodies and also comes into close contact with the surface of the first metal body. This causes metal oxides produced by the close contact between the glass body and the metal bodies and transition metal ions in the metal oxides to diffuse into the glass body, forming colored layers derived from the metal oxides on the surface portions of the glass body that are in close contact with the metal bodies.
the glass body on which the colored layer is formed and the metal bodies are cooled while maintaining their close contact with each other until the glass body is bonded to each metal body, and then the first metal body is peeled off from the glass body;
A method for producing a shaped object, comprising: