A method includes forming a glass structure that has a peripheral edge, wherein an exterior surface of the glass structure includes a compound curvature. The method also includes fractionalizing the glass structure to define a primary portion and one or more panels, wherein the primary portion includes a front window area, a roof area, and a rear window area, and connecting the primary portion and the one or more panels to a body of a vehicle.

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. Better control over the notching process is also achieved by exhaust flow control of a double acting cylinder. A positioning spacer achieve very accurate side to side positioning of a die and anvil to precisely notch and deform the metal strip. 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 from succeeding material still passing through the notching and bending station.

A threaded insulating glass unit plug for sealing an aperture in a spacer frame of an insulating glass unit, method of assembly and installation is provided. The threaded insulating glass unit plug includes a head integrally formed with threaded body. The head has a recess formed for engaging a tool for installation during use. The body includes a cylindrical portion and a conical portion, the cylindrical portion spacing the conical portion from the head. A plurality of threads extend along the entire length of cylindrical portion.

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 a repeatable, straightforward manner. Better control over the notching process is also achieved by exhaust flow control of a double acting cylinder. A positioning spacer achieve very accurate side to side positioning of a die and anvil to precisely notch and deform the metal strip. 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 from succeeding material still passing through the notching and bending station.

An apparatus and method is provided for forming a spacer frame assembly used in the construction of insulating glass unit windows. The apparatus comprises a head arrangement having a body with first and second ends, the first end for coupling to a cylinder that advances and retracts the head arrangement in a reciprocating motion during operation. The second end includes an annular wedge-shaped ridge for coupling to a second annular wedge-shaped ridge of a die support, collectively the wedge-shaped ridge and second wedge-shaped ridge form a contact region to form a torus surface. The die support has at least one die for engaging a spacer frame assembly during operation. The apparatus further comprises a collar having a torus-shaped recess corresponding with the torus surface to nest and couple the body to the die support.

A gripping device is configured to hold an insulating glazing subassembly including a spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet received in an internal peripheral groove of the spacer frame. The gripping device includes, on the one hand, members for gripping the spacer frame and, on the other hand, members for gripping the central glass sheet so as to ensure an independent gripping of the spacer frame and of the central glass sheet while allowing a relative movement of one with respect to the other.

A process includes the assembling of an insulating glazing subassembly which includes a spacer frame and at least one central glass sheet, the spacer frame being formed of four profiles angularly assembled at their ends, where each profile has a groove for receiving one edge of the central glass sheet. The assembling of the insulating glazing subassembly includes successive steps wherein: the four edges of the central glass sheet are inserted into the grooves of the four profiles; the ends of the profiles are assembled by welding at each corner of the spacer frame without an alignment bracket, using the edges of the central glass sheet inserted in the grooves of the profiles as a frame of reference for guiding the profiles at each corner of the spacer frame into a configuration where their end faces are aligned by superposition in one and the same plane.

A corner connector for hollow-profile spacers of insulating glazing units is presented. The corner connector includes first and second legs, connected via a corner region, that include respective leg inner sides, leg outer sides, end faces, and a plurality of side faces. According to one aspect, the leg inner sides, the leg outer sides, and/or the side faces include at least one retaining element; the leg inner sides provide respective inner bearing faces having: inner regions adjacent the corner region, and outer regions adjacent the inner regions and the end faces. The inner bearing face of at least one of the leg inner sides has, in its inner region, a positive gradient starting from the corner region in the direction of its end face.

The present invention relates to a spacer 101 for forming a spacing between glass panes 201, 203, with a top part 103 and a lower metal foil 105, the two parts introduces an overlap 209, 211 parallel to the sidewalls of the spacer. By having overlapping regions at the side walls the spacer is stiffened and thereby spacers can be produced of quite thin material e.g. only thin metal foil.

A dosage device for extruding a monocomponent or a bicomponent polymeric product, particularly for an automatic machine for forming a spacer frame, includes a first dosage assembly and a separate second dosage assembly for the dosage and feeding of the product, which can be activated, in a first feeding step and in a third feeding step, alternately so that one of them provides continuity of flow to an extrusion nozzle while the other one is in the reloading step. The first and second dosage assemblies are activated, in a second swapping step that is intermediate with respect to the first and third feeding steps, simultaneously and jointly, one of them having a flow-rate ramp that passes from the steady-state value to zero and the other one complementarily having a flow-rate ramp that passes from zero to the steady-state value.