High-strength vacuum glass is provided. The vacuum glass includes an air-cooled tempered first glass plate; an air-cooled tempered second glass plate that faces the first glass plate via a depressurized layer; and an outer peripheral sealing portion joining an outer peripheral edge portion of the first glass plate and an outer peripheral edge portion of the second glass plate together so as to seal the depressurized layer. The outer peripheral sealing portion contains solder.

An object is to enable sealing of a peripheral portion of a glass panel with less effort and time. A first metal introduction device 5A is moved from one first corner A at which two sides intersect each other of a pair of rectangular glass plates, toward another end of a first side Vab of the two sides, while performing filling with a metal material. Before the metal material filling the first corner A is solidified, a second metal introduction device 5B is moved from the first corner A toward another end of another second side Vad, while performing filling with a metal material. After the first side Vab and the second side Vad are filled with the metal material, both glass plates are rotated by 180 degrees, and the first metal introduction device 5A is moved toward another end of a fourth side Vcd of two sides intersecting each other at a second corner C diagonal to the first corner A, while performing filling with a metal material. Before the metal material filling the second corner C is solidified, the second metal introduction device 5B is moved from the second corner C toward another end of another third side Vbc, while performing filling with a metal material.

A method of manufacturing a glass sheet assembly for a vacuum insulated glass unit includes applying an edge seal made of a first material to a perimeter of a first surface of a first glass sheet. The edge seal defining a discontinuity. The method also includes disposing a first surface of a second glass sheet on the edge seal such that a gap is defined between the first surface of the first glass sheet and the first surface of the second glass sheet. The method further includes evacuating the gap through the discontinuity and locally heating the edge seal to at least partially seal the discontinuity.

The present disclosure relates to a vacuum insulated glazing unit, to the use thereof and to a method of manufacturing such a unit. The vacuum insulated glazing comprises a first glass pane, having a first interior major surface and a first exterior major surface and a second glass pane having a second interior major surface and second exterior major surface, the glass panes being arranged in parallel with said interior major surfaces facing each other. The VIG unit further comprises a low emissivity coating deposited on at least the first interior major surface, an edge region in proximity to the edge of the first glass pane, defined as where none or a reduced part of the low emissivity coating is present, and a side seal comprising a glassy seal material arranged at a minimum separation distance (d1_min) from said low emissivity coating, so that an intermediate part of said edge region between said glassy sealing material and said low emissivity coating is not bonded to said glassy sealing material, or a side seal arranged at a minimum separation distance (d1_min) of at least 1.5 mm, such as at least 2 mm, or such as at least 3 mm from said low emissivity coating.

A vacuum insulating glazing unit (VIGU) comprises two or more glass lites (panes) spaced apart from one another and hermetically bonded to an edge seal assembly therebetween. The resulting cavity between the lites is evacuated to create at least one insulating vacuum cavity within which are disposed a plurality of stand-off members to maintain separation between the lites. The edge seal assembly is preferably compliant in the longitudinal (i.e., edgewise) direction to allow longitudinal relative motion between the two lites (e.g., from thermal expansion). The longitudinal compliance may be obtained by imprinting a three-dimensional pattern into the edge seal material. The edge seal assembly is preferably bonded to the lites with a first bond portion that is hermetic and a second bond portion that is load-resistant. Methods for producing VIGUs and/or compliant edge seal assemblies and VIGU and edge seal apparatus are disclosed.

A method for manufacturing a glass panel unit includes an assembling step, a bonding step, a gas exhausting step, a sealing step, and an activating step. The bonding step includes melting a peripheral wall in a baking furnace at a first predetermined temperature to hermetically bond a first glass pane and a second glass pane together with the peripheral wall thus melted. The gas exhausting step includes exhausting a gas from an internal space through an exhaust port in the baking furnace to turn the internal space into a vacuum space. The sealing step includes locally heating to a temperature higher than a second predetermined temperature, and thereby melting, either a port sealing material or an exhaust pipe to seal the exhaust port and thereby obtain a work in progress. The activating step includes activating a gas adsorbent after the sealing step to obtain a glass panel unit.

The present invention provides a panel assembly, a refrigerator, and home appliances. The panel assembly of the present invention comprises: a first panel formed of a glass material; a second panel spaced apart from the first panel and formed of a glass material; a plurality of spacers provided between the first panel and the second panel so as to maintain a gap between the first panel and the second panel, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other; a sealing member disposed between the first panel and the second panel for sealing a space between the first panel and the second panel; an exhaust hole provided in at least one of the first panel and the second panel so as to discharge air such that the space between the first panel and the second panel becomes a vacuum insulation space; and a cover member covering the exhaust hole.

A glass panel unit includes: a first panel; a second panel facing the first panel; a sealing member bonded to respective facing peripheral portions of the first panel and the second panel; and at least one spacer provided in a reduced pressure space between the first panel and the second panel. The at least one spacer includes a resin body and at least one ultraviolet protective layer provided on a surface of the resin body.

An assembly includes a plurality of partitions to partition an internal space, surrounded with a pair of glass substrates arranged to face each other and a the peripheral wall having a frame shape and provided between the pair of glass substrates, into an evacuation space and a ventilation space. The plurality of partitions includes a first partition and a second partition, of which lengths are defined in two different directions. An end of the second partition faces a side portion of the first partition with a predetermined gap left between them. A space between the end of the second partition and the side portion of the first partition constitutes an air passage to evacuate the evacuation space through an evacuation port. The second partition includes, at the end thereof, a swollen portion protruding toward the evacuation space at least along the width of the second partition.

A glass panel unit assembly includes: a pair of glass substrates arranged to face each other; a peripheral wall; a partition; an air passage; and an evacuation port. The peripheral wall has a frame shape and is disposed between the pair of glass substrates. The partition partitions an internal space, surrounded with the pair of glass substrates and the peripheral wall, into a first space and a second space. The air passage connects the first space and the second space together. The evacuation port connects the second space to an external environment. The partition is lower in height than the peripheral wall.