The glass panel unit includes a first glass panel, a second glass panel, a seal, an evacuated space, and at least one 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 at least one spacer is placed between the first glass panel and the second glass panel. The at least one spacer has a height H1 smaller than a height H2 of the seal between the first glass panel and the second glass panel.

A glass panel unit includes: a first glass pane; a second glass pane facing the first glass pane; a frame member; an evacuated space; and a gas adsorbent. The frame member hermetically bonds the first glass pane and the second glass pane. The evacuated space is surrounded with the first glass pane, the second glass pane, and the frame member. The gas adsorbent is placed in the evacuated space. The gas adsorbent contains a getter material. The getter material contains a plurality of particles of a zeolite crystal. At least one particle accounting for a half or more of a total weight of the plurality of particles has a particle size equal to or greater than 200 nm. An activable temperature of the at least one particle is equal to or lower than 400° C.

The invention relates to a method of providing vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units each comprising at least a first and a second glass pane and a plurality of support pillars distributed between opposing surfaces of said glass panes to provide a gap (8) between the glass panes. A plurality of pane elements are provided, and individual topographic representations (TOPREP_2a-TOPREP_2n) of each of said plurality of pane elements (2a-2n) are obtained based on input (4) from a measuring arrangement (3), and the topographic representations are stored in a data storage (DS). The stored topographic representations are processed and resulting surface distance characteristic between pairs of panes are estimated. Vacuum insulating glass (VIG) assemblies are thus provided based on estimated resulting surface distance characteristics. The invention additionally relates to a system for providing manufacturing layouts and a manufacturing facility.

Embodiments include a method for replacing air with an interpane gas during manufacture of a sealed insulating glass unit (IGU). The method includes forming an unsealed IGU assembly defining an IGU passage for fluid communication between an interpane space and an ambient environment; positioning the unsealed IGU assembly within an enclosure and sealing the enclosure around the unsealed IGU assembly; evacuating air from the enclosure; introducing a first gas into the interpane space through the IGU passage; introducing a second gas into the enclosure, wherein the second gas has a different composition than the first gas; and closing the IGU passage to seal the interpane space. Other embodiments are also included herein.

A glass panel unit manufacturing method includes a bonding step, a pressure reducing step, and a sealing step. The bonding step includes bonding together a first substrate including a wired glass pane and a second substrate including a non-wired glass pane with a first sealant in a frame shape to create an inner space. The pressure reducing step includes producing a reduced pressure in the inner space through an exhaust port that the first substrate has. The sealing step includes irradiating the second sealant with an infrared ray externally incident through the second substrate to seal the exhaust port up with the second sealant that has melted.

A method of manufacturing a gas-filled triple glazing, including: a pre-assembly during which three sheets of glass are positioned beside one another, at least one of the sheets of glass including a spacer, each sheet of glass being positioned inclined by an angle between 0° and 10° with respect to an adjacent sheet of glass, to form two cavities, each of the cavities being between two adjacent sheets of glass; filling the two cavities by injecting gas into the two cavities at a same time using nozzles; pressing the sheets of glass against one another to seal the triple glazing. The method allows triple glazing to be manufactured quickly.

The glass panel unit includes: a first glass panel; a second glass panel; a seal; an evacuated space; and a gas adsorbent. The seal with a frame shape hermetically bonds the first glass panel and the second glass panel to each other. The gas adsorbent is placed in the evacuated space. The gas adsorbent includes a getter. The gas adsorbent is visible through at least one of the first glass panel and the second glass panel. The gas adsorbent has properties of changing its color when adsorbing gas.

Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to edge sealing techniques for vacuum insulating glass (VIG) units. More particularly, certain example embodiments relate to techniques for providing localized heating to edge seals of units, and/or unitized ovens for accomplishing the same. In certain example embodiments, a unit is pre-heated to one or more intermediate temperatures, localized heating via at least one substantially two-dimensional array of heat sources is provided proximate to the peripheral edges of the unit so as to melt fits placed thereon, and cooled. In certain non-limiting implementations, the pre-heating and/or cooling may be provided in one or more steps. An oven for accomplishing the same may include multiple zones for performing the above-noted steps, each zone optionally including one or more chambers. Accordingly, in certain example embodiments, a temperature gradient proximate to the edges of the unit is created, thereby reducing the chances of breakage and/or at least some de-tempering of the substrates.

Certain example embodiments relate to vacuum insulating glass units having edge seals based on solder alloys that, when reactively reflowed, wet metallic coatings pre-coated on the glass substrates' perimeters, and/or associated methods. The alloys may be based on materials that form a seal at temperatures that will not de-temper glass and/or decompose a laminate, and/or remain hermetic and lack porous structures in their bulks. Example alloys may be based on inter-metallics of Sn and one or more additional materials selected from post-transition metals or metalloids; Zintl anions (e.g., In, Bi, etc.) from Group 13, 14, 15 or 16; and transition metals (e.g., Cu, Ag, Ni, etc.); and excludes Pb. Thin film coatings in certain example embodiments work with the solder material to form robust and durable hermetic interfaces. Because low temperatures are used, certain example embodiments can use compliant and visco-elastic spacer technology based on lamellar structures and/or the like.

A low-cost high-performance Vacuum Insulated Glass is produced with three glass panes and bonding fiber mesh structures embedded between the glass panes. Each mesh structure is configured with elongated bonding fiber elements arranged in a grid configuration. The bonding fiber elements are formed with a fiber core covered with a low melting temperature material. The low melting temperature material melts upon heating and creates numerous vacuum sealed cells between the glass panes. The fiber core does not melt, and remains intact bonded to the glass panes, thus creating a support mechanism for supporting the glass panes at a spaced apart relationship.