Stepped Insulating Glass Assembly with Displaceable Pressing Plates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assembling insulating glass panes struggle to produce stepped panes with large steps, particularly on all edges, due to limited installation space and the inability to easily create steps on the lower edge during the assembly process, restricting the production of insulating glass panes with steps greater than 100 mm.
Innovation Solution
A device with two upright pressing plates, where one plate is slightly inclined to prevent glass panels from tipping, allows for the assembly of glass panels with frame-shaped spacers to create stepped insulating glass panes by adjusting the distance between the plates and using a holding mechanism to position the smaller glass panel within the larger one, enabling the production of panes with steps up to 500 mm on all edges without increasing the horizontal conveyor height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional assembly methods with stationary pressing plates are used, then the assembly process is simple, but the ability to produce stepped panes with large steps is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing plates are made displaceable in multiple spatial directions rather than being stationary. The first pressing plate can be displaced in a first spatial direction perpendicular to the pressing surfaces, and both pressing plates can be displaced in a second spatial direction parallel to the pressing surfaces, enabling dynamic positioning to create stepped panes with large steps
Solution Approach 2:
The displacement functionality is segmented into independent directional movements: displacement in the first spatial direction (perpendicular to pressing surfaces) and displacement in the second spatial direction (parallel to pressing surfaces). This segmentation allows complex stepped configurations to be achieved through coordinated independent movements
2Adaptability or versatility
If the horizontal conveyor height is increased to accommodate larger steps, then stepped panes with large steps can be produced, but the system requires more installation space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing the vertical dimension (conveyor height) to accommodate larger steps, the invention utilizes horizontal displacement of the pressing plates in the second spatial direction. This dimensional shift allows large steps to be produced within the existing vertical space constraints
3Manufacturing precision
If glass panels are held securely during assembly, then positioning precision is improved, but the holding mechanism adds device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
At least one pressing plate is equipped with suction means that utilize pneumatic principles to hold glass panels. The suction means can selectively hold the glass panel at discrete positions during displacement, providing secure positioning without complex mechanical clamping mechanisms
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the industrial production of stepped insulating glass panes with large steps, such as over 200 mm, on all edges, allowing for efficient assembly and integration into existing systems with a short cycle time, and supports the production of triple insulating glass panes, while maintaining the conveyor height and ensuring safe handling of glass panels.
Implementation Method 1
The means for holding a glass sheet to a pressing surface are formed by means for suctioning the glass sheet onto the pressing plate
Data Source
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AI summary
A device and a method for assembling glass sheets into insulating glass units are described. The device comprises a first and a second pressure plate, each with a pressure surface, and the pressure surfaces are arranged facing each other on the upright pressure plates. The device further describes how a first glass sheet is fed to the first pressure plate and placed against its pressure surface; how another glass sheet is fed to the second pressure plate and placed against its pressure surface; how a frame-shaped spacer extending along the edges of at least one of the glass sheets is glued to it before it is fed to the respective pressure plate; how one glass sheet is smaller than the other; and how the smaller glass sheet is held against the pressure surface against which it rests.in which the pressure plate with the smaller glass sheet held to it is displaced relative to the other pressure plate so that the edge of the smaller glass sheet lies within the edge of the larger glass sheet and at a distance from the edge of the larger glass sheet; in which - after the displacement of the pressure plate with the smaller glass sheet held to it - the distance between the two pressure plates is reduced by displacing at least one of the two pressure plates, so that the glass sheets with the spacer between them are joined to form an insulating glass unit and pressed against each other; in which, after the pressing process, the smaller glass sheet is no longer held to the pressing surface and the mutual distance between the two pressure plates is increased again, and in which the assembled insulating glass unit is transported out of the device in a direction running along the pressing surfaces.