Insulating Glass Spacer With Overlapping Metal Foil
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spacers for insulating glass units face challenges with high heat conductivity in metal spacers and instability and gas diffusion issues in plastic spacers, leading to misalignment and complex manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
A spacer design featuring overlapping regions at the side walls, allowing for the use of thin materials and enhanced stiffness, with the top part made from metal or plastic, and overlapping surfaces that are fastened to prevent gas diffusion and ensure secure attachment between glass panes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal foil is used for spacers, then gas diffusion resistance is improved, but heat conductivity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer combines a plastic main body with a metal foil layer, creating a composite structure that leverages the gas diffusion resistance of metal while reducing heat conductivity through the plastic material. The metal foil is applied to the plastic body through coating or lamination processes, forming a multi-layer composite spacer that addresses both thermal and gas barrier requirements simultaneously.
2Loss of energy
If plastic material is used for spacers, then heat conductivity is reduced, but gas diffusion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a composite spacer structure where a plastic main body provides thermal insulation while a metal foil layer provides gas diffusion resistance. The metal foil is applied to the plastic body through coating or lamination, forming a multi-layer structure that simultaneously achieves low heat conductivity and high gas barrier properties that neither material could provide alone.
3Ease of operation
If plastic material is used for spacers, then ease of bending is improved, but manufacturing stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of plastic body with metal foil reinforcement provides both the bending flexibility needed for assembly and the dimensional stability required for precise manufacturing. The metal foil layer acts as a stabilizing element that prevents excessive deformation while allowing controlled bending, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and stability.
4Manufacturing precision
If glass fibre reinforced plastic material is used, then manufacturing stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses a composite of plastic and metal foil, which is structurally simpler than glass fibre reinforced plastic. The metal foil layer provides the necessary stability and reinforcement without requiring complex fiber reinforcement technologies, thereby achieving manufacturing stability with lower device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a spacer (101) for forming a spacing between glass panes (201, 203), with a top part (103) and a lower metal foil (105), the two parts introduces an overlap (209, 211) parallel to the sidewalls of the spacer. By having overlapping regions at the side walls the spacer is stiffened and thereby spacers can be produced of quite thin material e.g. only thin metal foil. The invention further relates to a method of producing such a spacer (101) for forming a spacing between glass panes (201, 203), comprising the steps of: providing an elongated top part having overlap surfaces at each end for connecting to a metal foil, providing a metal foil with sidewalls having overlap surfaces, attaching said metal foil and said top part to each other in such a way that the overlap surfaces at each end of the elongated top part and the overlap surfaces of the sidewalls of the metal foil are overlapping, and mutually fastening said overlap surfaces.