A spacer for insulating glazing units is presented. The spacer has a polymeric main body with features that include a first pane contact surface, a second pane contact surface, a first glazing interior surface, a second glazing interior surface, an outer surface, a first hollow chamber, and a second hollow chamber. A groove to accommodate a pane is formed between the first glazing interior surface and the second glazing interior surface, with the first hollow chamber being adjacent the first glazing interior surface and the second hollow chamber being adjacent the second glazing interior surface. Lateral flanks of the groove are formed by walls of the first and second hollow chambers.

Method and Apparatus for fabricating a spacer frame for use in an insulating glass unit. One of a multiple number of possible spacer frame materials is chosen for the spacer frame. An elongated strip of the material is moved to a notching station where notches are formed at corner locations. The character of the notches is adjusted based on the selection of the metal strip material and more particularly to achieve bending of the material in an repeatable, straightforward manner. Downstream from the notching station the metal strip is bent into a channel shaped elongated frame member having side walls. Further downstream a leading strip of channel shaped material is severed or separated front succeeding material still passing through the notching and bending station.

An insulated glass assembly line generally includes a first and second automated lite picker, a washer, a vertical gas filling and wetting station, a robot, and an applicator station.

A vacuum insulated glazing includes first and second spaced apart glass panes having perimeter portions defining a vacuum space between the glass panes. A vacuum valve is positioned at the perimeter portions of the glass panes and includes a valve body extending between the perimeter portions of the glass panes, and having first and second ends and a fluid conduit extending from the first end to the second end of the valve body and in fluid communication with the vacuum space. A one-way valve in the fluid conduit permits fluid flow from the vacuum space, and prevents fluid flow into the vacuum space. A suction fitting is provided for connecting the valve body to a suction device. An end seal between the perimeter portions of the glass panes is provided for hermetically sealing the vacuum space. A valve for a VIG and a method of making a VIG are also disclosed.

An insulating glass unit cooling assembly and method of cooling an insulating glass unit is provided. The cooling assembly includes a cooling unit that directs air at insulating glass units and a conveyor that transports insulating glass units along a path of travel defining an axis of travel for the insulating glass units. The conveyor has a conveyor planar surface that supports a corresponding planar glass surface of the insulating glass units as the insulating glass units are conveyed along the axis of travel such that the planar surface of the insulating glass units are substantially horizontal and substantially parallel to the conveyor planar surface. The air from the cooling unit is directed in a path substantially parallel with the conveyor planar surface and the planar glass surface of the insulating glass units as the insulating glass units travel along the conveyor.

A process for obtaining an insulating glazing including first and second glass sheets that are held parallelly spaced apart with a transparent glass spacer adhesively bonded to the periphery of the glass sheets to make a gas-filled interlayer space, includes providing the spacer that is substantially parallelepipedal and including two rough faces opposite one another, and two smooth faces opposite one another, assembling the spacer between the glass sheets so that each rough face of the spacer is positioned close to an edge, and against an inner face of each glass sheet, the interstitial width between the rough faces of the spacer and the inner faces of the glass sheets being less than 0.01 mm, depositing, at the external joint lines between the rough faces and the inner faces, a transparent adhesive, the adhesive moving by capillary action to cover the surface of the rough faces, then curing the adhesive.

An insulating glazing includes a first pane, a second pane, an inner spacer frame arranged between the panes, which, together with the panes, delimits an inner interpane space, a surrounding outer spacer frame arranged between the panes, which is arranged on the outward facing side of the inner spacer frame, wherein the inner spacer frame consists substantially of a first hollow profile spacer and the outer spacer frame consists substantially of a second hollow profile spacer, the inner spacer frame and the outer spacer frame are in each case connected together to the first pane and the second pane via a primary sealant, an outer interpane space between the outer side of the outer spacer frame and the first pane and the second pane is filled with a secondary sealant.

The present disclosure relates to a method of applying a seal material in manufacturing a vacuum insulated glazing (VIG) unit, wherein the VIG unit comprises a first glass sheet, having a first interior major surface and a first exterior major surface, a second glass sheet having a second interior major surface and second exterior major surface, the glass sheets are placed in parallel with said interior major surfaces facing each other and providing a gap therein between, and a seal material for providing a seal of said gap, wherein the method comprises the steps of providing a glass sheet, and arranging said seal material on a major surface of at least one of said glass sheets by means of a nozzle having a nozzle opening of elongated shape, such as a rectangular or oval shape, providing a plurality of support structures on the major surface of at least one of the glass sheets, pairing said first glass sheet and said second glass sheet so that the surface of the at least one of said glass sheets comprising the seal material is the interior surface, and evacuating said gap so as to provide said VIG unit. The present disclosure further relates to a method of manufacturing a VIG unit, an application system and a VIG unit.

A glass panel unit includes: a first panel including a glass pane; a second panel including another glass pane; a sealing portion; an exhaust port; and a printed portion. The second panel is arranged to face the first panel. The sealing portion is formed in a frame shape and hermetically bonds respective peripheral edge portions of the first and second panels to create an evacuated, hermetically sealed space between the first panel and the second panel. The exhaust port is provided for one panel selected from the first and second panels. A port sealing member hermetically seals the exhaust port. The printed portion is provided for the other panel selected from the first and second panels. The printed portion is located in an area, facing the exhaust port, of one surface of the other panel. The one surface either faces toward, or faces away from, the hermetically sealed space.

A spacer construction for insulating glass for windows comprised of thin sheets of metal, such as stainless steel, formed with a first bottom side panel wherein the first bottom side panel joins first and second spaced, typically diverging, lateral side walls or panels. A second inside wall of the spacer assembly is spaced from the bottom side of the first section or channel and joins, typically by welding, to the lateral side walls of the first section thereby forming a tube or chamber into which desiccant may be placed. A cushion material layer is positioned over and on the bottom side panel and is covered by a polymeric sheet affixed or bonded to the lateral sides to form an internal chamber filled with desiccant. The desiccant is positioned to impact against the film or sheet bonded to the bottom side panel and at least a portion of the lateral side walls of the channel enabling the assembly to effectively accommodate bending forces and stress upon bending of the spacer.