A high speed parallel manufacturing line for manufacturing insulated glass units, the manufacturing line including a gas filling topping press that mates a spacer applied lite supplied to the topping press and a topping lite supplied to the topping press to create an insulated glass unit and fills the insulated glass unit with a non-air gas. A heating station applies localized heat to adhesive of the spacer material. A sealing press applies pressure to the insulated glass unit and facilitates further sealing of the spacer material to the spacer applied lite and the topping lite. The line may include a fourth corner sealer that completes sealing of the airspace of the IGU prior to finishing of the IGU.

Disclosed is an apparatus for conveying glass panels contains a conveying device including a feed conveyor and a removal conveyor, and also a region with a processing station. A lifting device for glass panels is provided upstream of the processing station and a lowering device for glass panels is provided downstream of the processing station, wherein a linear-conveying device is provided between the lifting device and the lowering device. It is thus possible for glass panels to be moved, by raising action, linear movement and lowering action, around a first component located in the region in the processing station, the second component therefore passing the first component. During the passing operation, the second component always remains in the conveying plane, which is the same as the plane of the second component.

An insulating glass unit (IGU) assembly line comprising a registration station capable of interleaving double and triple pane IGUs in accordance with an IOU production schedule. Visual indicators or prompts instruct operators at the assembly line in configuring a sequence of IGUs. Triple pane IGUs are assembled with minimal contamination of a center glass lite. A non-contact Bernoulli pad is used to lift a glass lite off from a horizontal or vertical support that conveys it from a glass washer to the registration station. Each of multiple pads has a capacity to lift approximately seven to ten pounds. Use of multiple pads per glass sheet or lite allows lites having dimensions up to 70 by 100 inches (assuming glass thickness of one quarter inch) to be assembled.

A high-productivity line for the automatic production of panels of an insulating glazing unit composed of at least two glass sheets and at least one spacer frame interposed between the glass sheets in a peripheral position, which delimit a closed internal volume in which the air is usually replaced with a gas and delimit an outer peripheral region or joint, along which one or more sealing/adhesive products applied between the faces of the glass sheets and of the spacer frame give tightness and stability to the joint, of the glass sheets at least one, indicated as of the second type, being subjected to a smaller quantity of processes than the other or others of the glass sheets, indicated as of the first type, the sheet or sheets of the glass sheets of the second type, subjected to the smaller quantity of processes, converging, by means of an oscillating conveyor, from a secondary line for the washing process in a main line for the process of edging, washing, laying of the spacer frame, optional closing of its fourth corner in the case of a flexible profile, placement of a grille only where and when their involvement begins, jointly with the glass sheets of the first type, in the composition of the insulating glazing unit.

Disclosed is an apparatus for conveying glass panels contains a conveying device including a feed conveyor and a removal conveyor, and also a region with a processing station. A lifting device for glass panels is provided upstream of the processing station and a lowering device for glass panels is provided downstream of the processing station, wherein a linear-conveying device is provided between the lifting device and the lowering device. It is thus possible for glass panels to be moved, by raising action, linear movement and lowering action, around a first component located in the region in the processing station, the second component therefore passing the first component. During the passing operation, the second component always remains in the conveying plane, which is the same as the plane of the second component.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to evacuation and sealing techniques for VIG units, and/or multi-chamber vacuum ovens for accomplishing the same. In certain example embodiments, a VIG assembly is inserted into a multi-chamber apparatus to successively reduce the chamber pressure and thus the pressure between substrates comprising the VIG assembly until a final evacuation pressure is reached. Once the final evacuation pressure is reached, a pump-out port or tube of the VIG assembly is sealed forming a VIG unit while the VIG assembly is still in the vacuum chamber. After sealing, chamber pressures are gradually increased to atmospheric while the gap between the substrates of the VIG unit remains at a pressure less than atmospheric which is close to the final evacuation pressure.

A high speed parallel manufacturing line for manufacturing insulated glass units, the manufacturing line including a gas filling topping press that mates a spacer applied lite supplied to the topping press and a topping lite supplied to the topping press to create an insulated glass unit and fills the insulated glass unit with a non-air gas. A heating station applies localized heat to adhesive of the spacer material. A sealing press applies pressure to the insulated glass unit and facilitates further sealing of the spacer material to the spacer applied lite and the topping lite. The line may include a fourth corner sealer that completes sealing of the airspace of the IGU prior to finishing of the IGU.

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.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to evacuation and sealing techniques for VIG units, and/or multi-chamber vacuum ovens for accomplishing the same. In certain example embodiments, a VIG assembly is inserted into a multi-chamber apparatus to successively reduce the chamber pressure and thus the pressure between substrates comprising the VIG assembly until a final evacuation pressure is reached. Once the final evacuation pressure is reached, a pump-out port or tube of the VIG assembly is sealed forming a VIG unit while the VIG assembly is still in the vacuum chamber. After sealing, chamber pressures are gradually increased to atmospheric while the gap between the substrates of the VIG unit remains at a pressure less than atmospheric which is close to the final evacuation pressure.

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.