Spacer Frame Recessed Joint Design for Moisture-Tight IGUs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulating glass units (IGUs) face issues with atmospheric water vapor infiltration at frame corners due to discontinuous sealant barriers, leading to vapor leakage paths, and manual operations limit production efficiency and generate scrap.
Innovation Solution
A method and assembly line that includes a feeder press, roll former, and swaging station to form spacer frames with recessed formations, allowing for efficient production of metal and composite spacer frames with improved sealant application and telescopic joints, accommodating different materials through transverse shifting of rollers and dies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual operations are used for frame assembly and sealant application, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but production efficiency is limited and scrap is generated
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous spacer frame is divided into modular sections with standardized corner joints, allowing automated handling and assembly while maintaining production flexibility. The frame is segmented into manageable units that can be efficiently processed by automated equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements adjustable parameters in the automated assembly system, such as variable sealant application rates, adjustable corner joint configurations, and flexible positioning mechanisms, enabling the automated line to adapt to different frame designs and maintain high efficiency.
2Ease of manufacture
If corner keys are used to connect frame elements, then assembly is simplified, but infiltration paths are created at the junctures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the corner key component entirely, replacing it with a continuous corner joint formed directly from the rolled frame material. This eliminates the separate connection element that created infiltration paths while maintaining assembly simplicity through the continuous forming process.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner joints utilize a composite structure combining the frame material with integrated sealant layers, creating a multi-layered barrier that prevents infiltration while maintaining the simplicity of the continuous forming process. The sealant is embedded within the corner joint structure itself.
3Shape
If V-shaped notches are cut in the tube at corner locations, then bending to form mitered corners is enabled, but potential infiltration paths extend along the corner parting lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the V-shaped notch cutting operation entirely by using a continuous rolling process that forms corners without discontinuities. The corner geometry is created through controlled material flow and forming rolls, maintaining continuous material integrity without creating infiltration paths.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner joints are formed with smooth curved transitions rather than sharp angular notches, creating a continuous material flow that eliminates parting lines and infiltration paths. The curved geometry is achieved through progressive forming rolls that gradually shape the material.
4Productivity
If the frame is folded to rectangular configuration with sealant applied, then assembly is completed, but reduced sealant at frame corners creates vapor leakage paths
Solution Approach 1:
The sealant is pre-applied and integrated into the corner joint structure during the continuous forming process, before the frame is folded into its final configuration. This preliminary sealing action ensures uniform sealant distribution at corners, preventing the deficiency that occurs when sealant is applied after folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealant application is integrated into the continuous frame forming process, maintaining uninterrupted sealant deposition along the entire frame including corners. This continuous action ensures uniform sealant distribution without the gaps or deficiencies that occur in discrete post-assembly application methods.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly and method of drawing differing types of sheet stock through one or more assembly stations to make a spacer frame that is used in an insulating glass unit is disclosed. The assembly and method include fabrication of a spacer frame having a recess formation in a portion of a peripheral wall of a connecting structure that allows two ends of the spacer frame to form a lateral connection. The assembly and method further include feeding along a process axis formed by a path of travel of the material an elongated length of sheet stock into a feeder press and a roll former, both having translating rollers that move transversely to the process axis to accommodate different materials used in the sheet stock. The assembly and method also include a swaging assembly for forming a recess formation in a portion of the peripheral wall of the spacer frame.