Method and apparatus for producing multiple-pane insulating glass having a high-vacuum insulation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8944308-B2
Application number	US-201113699285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 17, 2011
Priority date	May 21, 2010
Publication date	Feb 3, 2015
Grant date	Feb 3, 2015

Abstract

An apparatus and method for producing an insulating structural element from substrates is provided. The substrates may be connected to one another at a periphery by applied pieces and may be insulated from one another by a vacuum. The apparatus may include a washing device, a cleaning device, a heating device for pre-heating the substrates, a positioning device for positioning the applied pieces on the substrates, an ultrasonic soldering device for soldering the applied pieces to the substrates, an automatic spacer and getter element setting unit, a plasma sputtering device in a vacuum, a substrate displacing device for transporting the substrates, a mechanical substrate placing device for joining the substrates, and a connecting device for welding or soldering the applied pieces of the substrates to each other.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for producing a flat, thermally insulating structural element from substrates, which, spaced apart at a small distance from one another, are connected to one another at the borders of their periphery by applied pieces, and are insulated from one another by means of a vacuum, comprising the following features:
a washing device and a following drying device for precleaning the substrates,
a heating device for preheating the substrates,
an applied piece positioning device having articulated connections and a pick up mechanism for positioning and placing the applied pieces onto the substrates,
an ultrasonic soldering device, which solders the applied pieces placed onto the substrates in a vacuum-tight manner along the periphery,
an automatic spacer and getter setting unit for placing spacers and getter elements onto a first substrate of the substrates,
a shuttle plate having a plurality of fixing elements arranged in a pattern, wherein the shuttle plate is oriented generally horizontally to support the first substrate during placement of the spacers,
a plasma sputtering device located within at least one vacuum chamber for cleaning the inner side of the substrates in a vacuum,
a substrate-displacing device located at least partially within the at least one vacuum chamber for transporting the first substrate and a second substrate of the substrates to a vacuum chamber
a mechanical substrate-placing device located within the at least one vacuum chamber for joining together the first substrate and the second substrate in a vacuum, the substrates having been provided with the applied pieces and the spacers and the getter elements, and
a connecting device for welding or soldering applied piece of the first substrate to applied piece of the second substrate in a vacuum chamber.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fixing elements comprise magnets.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the magnets comprise bar magnets or electromagnets.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the magnets comprise axially magnetized cylindrical bar magnets.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fixing elements are disposed in the shuttle plate below the automatic spacer and getter setting unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pattern is a two-dimensional square grating or grid.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pattern is a two-dimensional hexagonal grating.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pattern includes non-uniform spacing.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fixing elements do not require adhesive.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the automatic spacer and getter setting unit includes a punch for punching spacers from a roll of metal strip.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the automatic spacer and getter setting unit includes a saw or cut-off wheel for cutting supports from a roll of wire.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate-transporting device has a first direction of transportation.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the border heaters are moveable in a second direction that is transverse to the first direction of transportation.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the border heaters are located above the susbtrate-transporting device and the central heaters are located below the substrate-transporting device.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a shuttle plate having a plurality of fixing elements arranged in a pattern, wherein the shuttle plate is configured to support the first substrate during placement of the spacers.

16. An apparatus for producing a flat, thermally insulating structural element from substrates, which, spaced apart at a small distance from one another, are connected to one another at the borders of their periphery by applied pieces, and are insulated from one another by means of a vacuum, comprising the following features:
a first vacuum chamber having a first airlock and a second airlock, wherein the first airlock is openable to a normal atmosphere area;
a second vacuum chamber connected to the first vacuum chamber via the second airlock;
a substrate-transporting device configured to support and transport the substrates generally horizontally,
a washing device and a following drying device, each located in the normal atmosphere area, for precleaning the substrates,
a heating device located in the normal atmosphere area for preheating the substrates, the heating device comprising a border heater and a central heater, wherein the border heater heats the border of the substrates to a first temperature and the central heater heats the substrates to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature, wherein the border heater and central heater are each arranged adjacent the substrate-transporting device,
an applied piece positioning device, located in the normal atmosphere area, having articulated connections and a pick up mechanism for positioning and placing the applied pieces onto the substrates,
an ultrasonic soldering device, located in the normal atmosphere area, which solders the applied pieces placed onto the substrates in a vacuum-tight manner along the periphery,
an automatic spacer and getter setting unit located in the normal atmosphere area for placing spacers and getter elements onto a first substrate of the substrates,
a shuttle plate, located in the normal atmosphere area, having a plurality of fixing elements arranged in a pattern, wherein the shuttle plate is oriented horizontally and is configured to support the first substrate during placement of the spacers,
a plasma sputtering device, located in the first vacuum chamber, for cleaning the inner side of the substrates in a vacuum,
a substrate displacing device located at least partially within the first vacuum chamber for transporting the first substrate and a second substrate of the substrates to the first vacuum chamber
a mechanical substrate placing device, located within the second vacuum chamber for joining together the first substrate and the second substrate in a vacuum, the substrates having been provided with the applied pieces and the spacers and the getter elements, and
a connecting device for welding or soldering applied piece of the first substrate to applied piece of the second substrate in a vacuum chamber.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second vacuum chamber includes a glass window, and the connecting device comprises a laser welding device located in the normal atmosphere area and adjacent the glass window.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a discharge chamber connected to the second vacuum chamber via a third airlock, the discharge chamber having a fourth airlock openable to the normal atmosphere area.

Assignees

• Friedl Wolfgang
• Leitenmeier Stephan
• Grenzebach Maschb Gmbh

Inventors

• Friedl Wolfgang
• Leitenmeier Stephan

Classifications

• E06B3/66357

  Soldered connections or the like · CPC title

• E06B3/677

  Evacuating or filling the gap between the panes {; Equilibration of inside and outside pressure}; Preventing condensation in the gap between the panes (by means of spacing elements E06B3/663); Cleaning the gap between the panes · CPC title

• C03C27/08

  with the aid of intervening metal · CPC title

• E06B3/67334

  by soldering; Preparing the panes therefor · CPC title

• E06B3/6612

  Evacuated glazing units · CPC title