Vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units, edge seals for VIG units and methods for forming the edge seals are provided. The VIG units include an edge seal that includes a viscous material, which serves to restrict the rate at which gas permeates into a vacuum space defined between the glass sheets of the VIG unit. The edge seals are configured to allow the glass sheets to move laterally relative to one another when the glass sheets experience differential thermal strain and further configured such that viscous shear occurs within at least a portion of the viscous material when there is relative lateral movement between the glass sheets.

A spacer is provided that is shapable into a spacer frame, and during manufacture of an insulating glass unit, can be mounted on the glass panes. The spacer is formed having an inner surface, an outer surface and two lateral surfaces extending at either side of the spacer from the inner surface to the outer surface, and comprises a profiled body. The profiled body comprises two mutually spaced lateral faces running parallel to its longitudinal direction and a base body that extends between the lateral faces and has an outer and an inner face. The profiled body comprises at least in one part of its volume a quantity of particulate desiccant that is embedded in a plastics material. The spacer is coilable about an axis, perpendicularly to the lateral surfaces, and takes a flexurally rigid form in a plane perpendicular to the lateral surfaces.

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.

The glass panel unit includes a first glass panel, a second glass panel, a seal, an evacuated space, and a spacer. The second glass panel is placed opposite the first glass panel. The seal with a frame shape hermetically bonds the first glass panel and the second glass panel to each other. The evacuated space is enclosed by the first glass panel, the second glass panel, and the seal. The spacer is placed between the first glass panel and the second glass panel. The spacer contains polyimide represented by chemical formula (1):

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The present invention relates to a system for the production of a sealant composite made of a primary sealing material and a curable secondary sealing material, the use of the system for the production of insulating glass or solar modules, an edge seal for the production of double-pane or multi-pane insulating glass or solar modules comprising the sealant composite and an insulating glass unit comprising at least two glass panes and the edge seal.

A method and device for assembling an insulating glass panel includes: a TPS station for applying a paste-like TPS strand onto a standing glass sheet edge which includes a horizontal conveyor; a rotation station with a horizontal conveyor rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation; a pressing station for joining two glass sheets that have each been provided with a TPS strand to form the insulating glass panel including two horizontal conveyors running parallel to one another; and a controller for directing two glass sheets that are supplied to the rotation station one after another and each provided with a TPS strand into the pressing station by rotating one of the glass sheets and for joining same in said pressing station to form the insulating glass panel.

A method and device for assembling an insulating glass panel includes: a horizontal conveyor and primer station for applying a strip-like primer along a standing glass sheet edge; a horizontal conveyor and TPS station for applying a paste-like TPS strand, that subsequently solidifies, onto a standing glass sheet edge; a rotation station for rotating glass sheets arranged downstream of the TPS station having a horizontal conveyor rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation; a pressing station for joining the glass sheets together including two parallel horizontal conveyors; and a controller for directing two glass sheets supplied to the rotation station one after another into the pressing station by rotating one of the glass sheets and for joining same in said pressing station to form the insulating glass panel. One glass sheet has a primer strip and TPS strand and the other has a primer strip.

This disclosure provides connectors for smart windows. A smart window may incorporate an optically switchable pane. In one aspect, a window unit includes an insulated glass unit including an optically switchable pane. A wire assembly may be attached to the edge of the insulated glass unit and may include wires in electrical communication with electrodes of the optically switchable pane. A floating connector may be attached to a distal end of the wire assembly. The floating connector may include a flange and a nose, with two holes in the flange for affixing the floating connector to a first frame. The nose may include a terminal face that present two exposed contacts of opposite polarity. Pre-wired spacers improve fabrication efficiency and seal integrity of insulated glass units. Electrical connection systems include those embedded in the secondary seal of the insulated glass unit.

An impact-resistant window may include features that reduce the forces exerted on the edges of related panes, thereby preventing breakage due to impacts. In a described embodiment, the in pact-resistant window comprises at least one pane made of a transparent material and a frame including a first frame portion, a second frame portion, and a third frame portion. In this embodiment, the connection between the first frame portion and the third frame portion may be configured to allow movement between the first frame portion and the third frame portion.

This disclosure provides spacers for smart windows. In one aspect, a window assembly includes a first substantially transparent substrate having an optically switchable device on a surface of the first substrate. The optically switchable device includes electrodes. A first electrode of the electrodes has a length about the length of a side of the optically switchable device. The window assembly further includes a second substantially transparent substrate a metal spacer between the first and the second substrates. The metal spacer has a substantially rectangular cross section, with one side of the metal spacer including a recess configured to accommodate the length of the first electrode such that there is no contact between the first electrode and the metal spacer. A primary seal material bonds the first substrate to the metal spacer and bonds the second substrate to the metal spacer.