Vacuum bag, apparatus and process for the production of laminated glass elements

Abstract

A bag for producing laminated glass elements by vacuuming includes an upper portion and a lower portion, the lower portion being stiffer than the upper portion, which is more resilient. A lamination process that uses such bag is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A lamination process for producing a laminated glass element (2), comprising the steps of: pre-assembling the laminated glass element (2) by superimposing glass panes (8, 8) with one sheet of polymeric material (9) interposed therebetween to form a pre-assembled laminated glass element (2) comprising an upper pane (8) and a lower pane (8); providing a vacuum bag (1) comprising an upper portion (3) and a lower portion (4) having different elasticities, the upper portion being more resilient and the lower portion being less resilient; introducing the pre-assembled laminated glass element (2) into said vacuum bag (1) so that the more resilient upper portion (3) of the vacuum bag (1) will be placed above said upper pane (1), and the less resilient lower portion (4) of the vacuum bag (1) will be placed below said lower pane (8); connecting together said upper and lower portions (3, 4) of the vacuum bag having different elasticities at a base of a vertical perimeter edge (8c, 8c) of the glass panes (8, 8) being laminated; hermetically closing the vacuum bag (1); connecting the vacuum bag to a vacuum generating system; generating vacuum inside the vacuum bag (1) within a lamination chamber to cause the upper portion (3) of said vacuum bag to adhere (1) to the upper surface (8a) of the upper pane (8) and to perimetric side surfaces (8c, 8c) of said upper and lower panes (8, 8); and introducing the vacuum bag into the lamination chamber and carrying out a heating cycle for lamination, thus providing the laminated glass element (2) with no leakage of bonding material from perimeter edges (8c, 8c) of the upper and lower panes (8, 8).

2. The lamination process as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of: before introducing the pre-assembled laminated glass element (2) into said vacuum bag (1), manually cleaning the perimeter edges (8c, 8c) of the upper and lower panes (8, 8) from excess bonding material (9); and applying a high temperature adhesive tape on all the perimeter edges (8c, 8c), to protect the vacuum bag (1) from contact with the polymeric material and to assist in obtaining polished perimeter edges (8c, 8c) with no leaked bonding material.

3. The lamination process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper portion (3) and said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) are made of a same material but have different thicknesses, the lower portion (4) being thicker than the upper portion (3).

4. The lamination process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper portion (3) and said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) are made of a same silicone material but with different silicone hardnesses and/or different thicknesses of the upper and lower portions.

5. The lamination process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said upper portion (3) comprises an upper membrane (5) made of silicone rubber and the lower portion (4) comprises at least one first lower membrane (6) made of silicone rubber aramid, PVC, or latex.

6. The lamination process as claimed in claim 1, wherein said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) comprises a first lower membrane (6), a second lower membrane (6), and a stiff element (7) interposed between said first lower membrane (6) and said second lower membrane (6), the stiff element being characterized by a higher rigidity than the upper and lower membranes.

7. The lamination process as claimed in claim 6, wherein said stiff element (7) comprises a metal mesh or panels made of plastic materials.

8. The lamination process as claimed in claim 6, wherein the stiff element (7) is associated with said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1).

9. The lamination process as claimed claim 6, wherein said lower portion (4) is formed as a single piece which comprises the first lower membrane (6), the second lower membrane (6), and the stiff element (7) interposed therebetween.

10. An apparatus for producing laminated glass elements (2), said apparatus comprising: a vacuum pump; and a vacuum bag (1) for receiving two superimposed glass panes (8, 8), the two superimposed glass panes (8, 8) comprising an upper pane (8) and a lower pane (8), with at least one sheet of polymeric bonding material (9) interposed therebetween, said vacuum bag (1) being in fluid connection with said vacuum pump, wherein said vacuum bag (1) comprises an upper portion (3) which is designed to contact, during use, an upper surface (8a) of said upper pane (8) and perimeter side surfaces (8c, 8c) of said two superimposed glass panes (8, 8), and a lower portion (4) which is designed to be placed, during use, under said lower pane (8), and wherein said upper portion (3) of said bag (1) has a greater elasticity than said lower portion (4).

11. A vacuum bag (1) for producing laminated glass elements (2) by vacuuming, said bag (1) comprising: an upper portion (3); and a lower portion (4), wherein said upper portion (3) has a greater elasticity compared with said lower portion (4).

12. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said upper portion (3) and said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) are made of a same material but have different thicknesses, the lower portion (4) being thicker than the upper portion (3).

13. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said upper portion (3) and said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) are made a the same silicone material but with different silicone hardnesses and/or different thicknesses of the upper and lower portions.

14. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said upper portion (3) comprises an upper membrane (5) made of silicone rubber and the lower portion (4) comprises at least one first lower membrane (6) made of silicone rubber, aramid, PVC, or latex.

15. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said upper portion (3) of said vacuum bag (1) has, on an inner face designed to contact an upper surface (8a) of an upper pane (8) of a laminated glass element, a textured or non-smooth structure, for facilitating air exhaust during creating vacuum inside the vacuum bag (1).

16. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said lower portion (4) of said vacuum bag (1) comprises a first lower membrane (6), a second lower membrane (6), and a stiff element (7) interposed between said first lower membrane (6) and said second lower membrane (6), the stiff element being characterized by a higher rigidity than the upper and lower membranes.

17. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 16, wherein said stiff element (7) comprises a metal mesh or panels made of plastic materials.

18. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 16, wherein said lower portion (4) is formed as a single piece which comprises the first lower membrane (6), the second lower membrane (6), and the stiff element (7) interposed therebetween.

19. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 16, wherein said stiff element (7) comprises a wire cloth.

20. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 11, wherein said lower portion (4) is placed below said a glass element (2) to be laminated and is attached to a plate designed to be introduced into a lamination chamber of a lamination apparatus.

21. The vacuum bag (1) as claimed in claim 16, wherein the upper portion (3) and the lower portion (4) can be coupled by closure means which, in a closed position, hermetically close the vacuum bag, said closure means being arranged at least at one side (17) of the vacuum bag (1) and comprising: a male closure means (10), which is fixed to one of said upper portion (3) or said lower portion (4); and a corresponding female closure means (11), which is fixed to another one of said upper portion (3) and said lower portion (4), wherein the male or female closure means fixed to the lower portion (4) has a groove (12) defined therein, which is designed to fix the male or female closure means level with the first and the second lower membranes (6, 6) and with the stiff element (7).

Description

LIST OF FIGURES

[0057] Further characteristics and advantages will be more apparent from the following description of a few preferred, non-limiting embodiments of the bag for producing laminated glass elements and of the corresponding lamination process, which are described by way of example and without limitation with the help of annexed drawings, in which:

[0058] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a laminated glass element obtained with prior art lamination bags;

[0059] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of a laminated glass element obtained with a lamination bag of the present invention;

[0060] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a prior art lamination bag, during a step of a prior art lamination process;

[0061] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a lamination bag according to one embodiment of the present invention, during a step of the lamination process of the present invention;

[0062] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the bag of FIG. 4, when not in use;

[0063] FIG. 6 shows a plan view of the bag of FIG. 5;

[0064] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of a system for closing the bag of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0065] A bag for producing laminated glass elements according to the present invention, is generally designated by numeral 1.

[0066] A laminated glass element is generally designated by numeral 2.

[0067] The element 2 comprises at least two glass panes 8, 8 and at least one sheet of a polymeric bonding material 9, which is interposed between said two panes 8, 8.

[0068] The bag 1 comprises an upper portion 3 and a lower portion 4. As mentioned above, the upper portion 3 is located above the element 2 and the lower portion 4 below it, during use.

[0069] The upper portion 3, during use, is preferably in direct contact with the upper surface 8a of the upper pane 8 of the element 2, whereas the lower portion 4 is in indirect contact with the lower surface 8b of the lower pane 8 of the element 2. A Teflon mesh 13 or an equivalent means for assisting air removal inside the bag 1 is preferably interposed between the lower surface 8b of the element 2 and the lower portion 4 of the bag 1, thereby reducing the friction between the silicone components.

[0070] According to the present invention, the upper portion 3 has a greater elasticity than the lower portion 4, so that the upper portion 3 will be more easily deformable than the lower portion 4, which may therefore be deemed to be stiffer and less deformable.

[0071] As more particularly noted with reference to FIG. 4, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said upper portion 3 is connected to said lower portion 4 of said bag 1 at the base of the vertical perimeter edge 8c, 8c of the glass panes 8, 8 being laminated, and this arrangement, in combination with the fact that the lower portion 4 is stiffer than the upper portion 3 of the bag, assists in keeping the upper portion 3 firmly adherent to the vertical perimeter edge 8c, 8c of the glass panes being laminated, thereby forming an effective mechanical barrier against the leakage of the polymeric bonding material 9 during the lamination process.

[0072] If the upper portion 3 and the lower portion 4 are made of the same material, the different elasticity may be obtained by suitably modifying the thicknesses of the two portions, i.e. by providing a greater thickness for the lower portion and/or the presence of inserts of different material in the lower portion.

[0073] Alternatively, the upper portion 3 and the lower portion 4 may be made of different materials, and in this case the two materials may be selected with a suitable elastic modulus to diversify the deformability of the two portions as described herein.

[0074] For the purposes of the technical result achieved with the bag of the present invention, the absolute values of elasticity of the two portions that form the bag are not critical, as long as there is a stiffer i.e. less deformable lower portion and an upper portion that is more resilient, i.e. more easily deformable than the first portion.

[0075] The product being laminated will comprise an upper pane 8 and a lower pane 8, said upper pane 8 having in turn an upper surface 8a adapted to be covered by the upper portion 3 of the bag 1, a lower surface 8b in contact with said polymeric bonding material 9, and a perimeter side surface 8c, and said lower pane 8 in turn comprises an upper surface 8a in contact with said polymeric bonding material 9, a lower surface 8b and a perimeter side surface 8c.

[0076] The deformability of the two portions 3, 4 of the bag must be designed to allow the upper portion 3 of the bag to conform with the upper surface 8a and the vertical perimeter edge 8c, 8c of the glass panes being laminated, thereby affording optimum adhesion of the bag to the perimeter side edge 8c, 8c to cover the gap between the two glass panes filled with a plastic material 9, which physically prevents it from leaking out.

[0077] As described herein, this allows the upper portion 3 to adhere to the upper surface 8a of the element 2 and especially to its side edges 8c, 8c, thereby preventing the polymeric material 9 from leaking out of its seat during the lamination process, because the upper portion 3 will be caused to deform by adhering to the perimeter edges of the panes without forming those pockets occurring in prior art bags and apparatuses and leading to the formation of excess material as shown in FIG. 1, which illustrates a portion of a laminated glass element 2 obtained with conventional lamination bags.

[0078] As easily noted in the figure, the leaking plastic bonding material 9 forms defects 15 that affect the shape and hence the functionality and appearance of the element 2.

[0079] Conversely, the element 2 obtained with a bag 1 of the present invention does not have such defects 15, as shown in FIG. 2 which illustrates an element 2 immediately after removal from the bag 1 of the present invention.

[0080] Furthermore, by avoiding the material leakage of FIG. 1, the bag of the present invention achieves the additional advantage of enabling to reduce the number of layers and/or the thickness of the plastic bonding material between the panes, while complying with the standard requirements for safety laminated glass.

[0081] More specifically, with prior art bags, material leakage from perimeter edges occurring as a result of the pane lamination process requires the operator to compensate for the reduced thickness of the plastic material, caused by the material leaking out of the edges of the lamination, by using an additional sheet of plastic bonding material between the panes and/or providing a greater thickness as compared with the thickness that might be used without such material loss.

[0082] The thicknesses of the bonding material are dictated by the standards, and for example UNI EN ISO 12543-5 imposes tolerance on the difference between the nominal thickness and the actual thickness as detected after lamination. The leakage of plastic material from the edges occurring with prior art bags and methods requires the amount and/or thickness of each additional plastic bonding sheet to be increased to meet the requirements of UNI 7697:2015 standards (where the minimum thickness of the safety plastic layer for safety glass is 0.76 mm). With the bag of the present invention, the thickness value of the plastic bonding material after lamination, may be equal or very close to the nominal value in the assembled product.

[0083] In the example of laminated glass, whose quality is regulated by UNI EN ISO 12543-5, the tolerances on the thickness of the plastic material are +/0.1 mm. Compliance with the standard requires the use of systems that affect the final quality of the product (e.g. reduction of the vacuum pressure, resulting in air bubbles inside the laminated product), and also affect the exterior appearance result.

[0084] The Applicant found that the problem of the prior art is caused by the the fact that the upper portion 3 and the lower portion 4 of the prior art bag 1 are deformed in the same manner during lamination, because they are substantially identical in prior art bags. Therefore, both tend to adhere to the element 2 under the action of pressure. This generates a symmetrical deformation of the contact zone of the two portions at half the height of the element 2, whereby neither of the two portions adheres to the edges of the element 2 in this contact zone This will form a gap 16 that will be filled with the polymeric material 9 during the lamination process, as shown in FIG. 3, which will lead to the defect 15 of FIG. 1.

[0085] Therefore, the Applicant sought to create an asymmetric deformation which would avoid the formation of gaps 16 between the element 2 and the bag 1 during lamination, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0086] The Applicant achieved such result by using an upper portion 3 and a lower portion 4 with different deformabilities, i.e. by providing either portions of the same thickness made of materials having different elastic modules, or portions made of the same material, therefore having the same elastic modulus, and having different thicknesses, or by introducing a stiffening element inside the thickness of one of the two elements to make it stiffer than the other element, or by applying a stiffening element at the inner or outer surface of one of the two elements to increase its stiffness as compared with the other element.

[0087] Preferably, referring to the embodiment as shown in the accompanying figures, the result is obtained by providing a stiffer lower portion 4 and a more deformable upper portion 3.

[0088] This characteristic causes the bag of the present invention to be deformed as shown in FIG. 4.

[0089] This deformation causes a good adhesion of the bag 1 on all the side edges of the element 2, as well as on the lower and upper surfaces thereof.

[0090] According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, the bag 1 may consist of two portions of equal thicknesses and of different materials, having different mechanical properties. Here, the upper portion 3 will be made of a material that is different from and more resilient than the material that forms the lower portion 4, which is stiffer.

[0091] Furthermore, according to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, the upper 3 and lower 4 portions may be made of the same material and have different thicknesses.

[0092] Also, according to a further alternative embodiment of the present invention, the upper 3 and lower 4 portions may be made of the same silicone material but having different silicone hardness (expressed in Shores) and/or different thicknesses of the portions.

[0093] Preferably, the upper portion 3 comprises an upper silicone rubber membrane 5 and the lower portion 4 comprises at least a first silicone rubber lower membrane 6.

[0094] Advantageously, said upper portion 3 is textured at its inner face which is intended to contact the upper surface 8a of the upper pane 8. This particular conformation of the inner face of the upper portion 3 assists air exhaust when removing air and creating vacuum inside the bag, thereby optimizing adhesion of the upper portion 3 of the bag to the upper pane 8 and escape of air during vacuum creation, and the adhesion of the upper portion 3 of the bag to the side faces 8c, 8c of the glass panes is also optimized, which will optimize the technical result achieved by the invention in terms of preventing the leakage of the plastic material used for bonding, such as ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).

[0095] As an alternative to silicone rubber, different materials may be used, such as hard Kevlar or the like below, and high temperature PVC or latex above.

[0096] Furthermore, as an alternative, the lower portion of the bag, preferably made of silicone may be fixed to the lamination plane, thus stiffening the lower portion of the bag.

[0097] Preferably, the upper membrane 5 and the lower membrane 6 both have a rectangular shape and are joined together at least at one side 17 (see FIG. 6). At least one of the four sides 17 of each rectangle, or at least a portion thereof, shall be open to allow insertion of the element 2 to be laminated into the bag 1. However, two independent membranes might be provided, i.e. they may be coupled but not joined together.

[0098] According to alternative embodiments, the membranes, and hence the bag 1, might be of any shape and/or size.

[0099] Should the lower portion 4 comprise a single lower membrane 6 made of the same material as the upper membrane 5, its thickness would be greater than the thickness of the upper membrane 5.

[0100] As a non-limiting example of the present invention, when the lower portion 4 comprises a single lower membrane 6, the latter may advantageously have a thickness of 1.5 mm to 5 mm, depending on the Shore value,

[0101] In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the lower portion 4 is not made of a single layer but comprises a first lower membrane 6, a second lower membrane 6 and a stiff element 7 interposed between said first lower membrane 6 and said second lower membrane 6. The stiff element 7 will have a greater mechanical stiffness as compared with the upper membrane 5 and preferably comprises a metal mesh or panels made of plastic materials such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride), PA (polyamides) or PC (polycarbonate) or the like, which are able to resist high temperatures.

[0102] Advantageously, said stiff element 7, whether consisting of a metal mesh or panels of plastic materials, may have thicknesses preferably, but without limitation, ranging from 0.5 mm to 2 mm.

[0103] In this preferred embodiment in which the lower portion 4 has a multilayer design, the silicone membranes 6, 6 may advantageously have a thickness ranging from 1 mm to 3 mm.

[0104] At least one of the upper portion 3 and the lower portion 4 is formed of one piece.

[0105] Advantageously, the upper portion 3 is a single silicone rubber element with a thickness preferably ranging from 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm, depending on the mechanical properties of the material.

[0106] The lower portion 4 is preferably formed of one piece and comprises said first lower membrane 6 and second lower membrane 6 and said stiff element 7 interposed therebetween.

[0107] Nevertheless, the lower portion 4 may comprise a first lower membrane 6, preferably formed of one piece with the upper membrane 5, and a removable stiffening means comprising at least one stiff element 7 disposed (i.e. bonded) at the top or on the bottom of the first lower membrane 6.

[0108] Preferably, said stiffening means also comprises a second lower membrane 6, placed on top of the stiff element 7 so that the glass element 2 will rest thereon during lamination and be thus more protected.

[0109] The bag 1 can be opened to receive the element 2 and can be hermetically closed to allow vacuum generation therein and has closure means for this purpose.

[0110] According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the upper portion 3 and the lower portion 4 can be coupled by means of said closure means which, in the closed position, hermetically close the bag 1. These closure means are arranged at the open sides 17 of the bag 1, hence at least at one side 17 of the bag 1, but they can be arranged along two or three sides 17 or along its entire perimeter.

[0111] The closure means comprise a male closure means 10 which is fixed to one of said upper portion 3 and said lower portion 4 and a corresponding female closure means 11 which is fixed to the other of said upper portion 3 and said lower portion 4. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the male closure means 10 is fixed to the lower portion 4 and the female closure means 11 is fixed to the upper portion 3.

[0112] According to the present invention, the closure means fixed to the lower portion 4 has a groove 12 which is designed to fix it level with a lower membrane 6, 6 and with the stiff element 7, as shown in FIG. 7.

[0113] In this cross-sectional figure, said groove 12 is schematically represented by a step located at the base of the male closure means. The female closure means 11 in turn comprises a groove 18 for fixation to the upper membrane 5.

[0114] The closure means are formed by extrusion. They are also fixed to their respective upper portion 3 and lower portion 4 by curing.

[0115] Alternatively, the closure means may be of different type and may be applied to the bag 1 with different methods.

[0116] The bag 1 is also equipped with at least one valve 14 for generating vacuum therein.

[0117] The bag 1 is highly versatile, as it can be applied to new or existing lamination plants of any brand and model. The dimensions of the bag 1 and the layout will depend on user requirements. Nevertheless, most frequent applications will use silicone membranes with thicknesses ranging from 0.5 mm to 5 mm, advantageously with a thickness of 0.7 mm for the upper portion and 1.5 mm for each of the lower membranes 6, 6, a mesh of about 1 mm, summing up to a total thickness of preferably about 5 mm.

[0118] The present invention also relates to a lamination plant having such a bag 1. In particular, a lamination plant of the present invention comprises at least one lamination chamber, preferably having at least one horizontal base plate on which at least one bag 1 is laid, as described above. The plant is also equipped with vacuum-generating means and associated suction tubes connected with the bag 1, as well as means for heating the lamination chamber and hence the bag 1.

[0119] A lamination process for producing of a laminated glass element 2 according to the present invention will be now described.

[0120] This process comprises a first step of pre-assembling an element 2 by superimposing glass panes 8 with at least one sheet of polymeric material 9 interposed therebetween.

[0121] The polymeric material 9 may comprise polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or any other polymer having good properties in terms of adhesion, stability, filtration and thermomechanics.

[0122] The pre-assembled element 2 is then introduced into a bag 1 as described above, preferably placed on a Teflon reinforcing mesh 13 laid on the lower portion 4 of said bag 1.

[0123] Advantageously, the pre-assembled element 2 is introduced into said bag 1 with its upper pane 8 at the top and its lower pane 8 at the bottom, so that the upper portion 3 of said bag 1 will contact the upper surface 8a of said upper pane 8 and said edges and said lower portion 4 of said bag 1 will contact the lower surface 8b of said lower pane 8.

[0124] The bag 1 was previously placed on a horizontal pull-out base plate contained inside a lamination chamber.

[0125] Then, the process of the invention includes hermetically closing the bag 1 by coupling the aforementioned male closure means 10 with the female closure means 11 by press-fit or interlocking.

[0126] Vacuum is then generated inside the bag 1 by a vacuum pump connected to the bag 1 via the valve 14 and a suction tube. Vacuum is created so that the upper portion 3 will conform with the profile of the element 2 by adhering to its upper surface and to its lateral edges.

[0127] In other words, during lamination, the lower portion 4 retains its shape while the upper portion 3, due to the pressure difference between the vacuum generated inside the bag 1 and the external atmospheric pressure, will conform with the shape of the element 2 and seal its perimeter edges, thereby preventing any leakage of polymeric material 9.

[0128] It will be appreciated from the above description that the bag 1 for producing laminated glass elements 2 as well as the lamination process fulfill the intended purpose and objects.

[0129] It should be noted that the bag 1 and the process that have been described herein in the context of glass lamination might also be used for lamination of similar materials, such as ceramics, metal, wood, marble, plastics and the like.

[0130] It shall be understood that the bag 1 and the lamination process thus conceived are susceptible of many changes and variations within the scope of the invention. Furthermore, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent parts. The materials in use, as well as the contingent dimensions and shapes, may be vary according to requirements and to the state of the art.