Method of making vacuum insulated panel with optimized laser speed

A method of making a vacuum insulating panel, the vacuum insulating panel comprising a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a plurality of spacers provided in a gap between at least the first and second glass substrates, and a seal provided at least partially between at least the first and second glass substrates, the seal comprising a first seal layer and a second seal layer;

• wherein the method comprises:
• firing and/or sintering second seal material to form the second seal layer;
• providing first seal material for the first seal layer in a location contacting the second seal layer;
• laser heating, using a laser beam from a laser, the first seal material in order to form the first seal layer;
• wherein said laser heating comprises causing the laser beam to move at a lateral speed from about 5-70 mm/second relative to the substrates and the first seal material so that the laser beam at least partially passes through at least one of the glass substrates and impinges upon at least the second seal layer in order to heat the second seal layer and fire and/or sinter the first seal material thereby forming the first seal layer, in a manner so that at least one of (i) induced transient thermal stress in the first seal layer does not exceed about 25 MPa. and/or (ii) the first seal layer has a density from about 2.8-4.0 g/cm3;
• wherein the first seal material comprises tellurium oxide and vanadium oxide, the first seal material comprising more tellurium oxide than vanadium oxide by wt. %, and wherein prior to said laser heating the first seal material comprises from about 20-70 wt. % tellurium oxide, the tellurium oxide comprising TeO4 and TeO3, and wherein the first seal material comprises more TeO4 than TeO3 by wt. % so that TeO4>TeO3 in terms of wt. % in the first seal material;
• and wherein said laser heating causes the TeO4>TeO3 in the first seal material to transform into TeO3 >TeO4 due to said laser heating, whereby an amount of TeO4 decreases and an amount of TeO3 increases due to said laser heating, so that after said laser heating and formation of the first seal layer, the first seal layer comprises more TeO3 than TeO4 by wt. %, and comprises from about 20-80% wt. % tellurium oxide;
• and
• after forming the first seal layer, evacuating the gap to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.

A method of making a vacuum insulating panel, the vacuum insulating panel comprising a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a plurality of spacers provided in a gap between at least the first and second glass substrates, and a seal provided at least partially between at least the first and second glass substrates, the seal comprising a first seal layer and a second seal layer;

• wherein the method comprises:
• firing and/or sintering second seal material to form the second seal layer;
• providing first seal material for the first seal layer in a location contacting the second seal layer;
• laser heating, using a laser beam from a laser, the first seal material in order to form the first seal layer;
• wherein said laser heating comprises causing the laser beam to move at a lateral speed from about 5-70 mm/second relative to the substrates and the first seal material so that the laser beam at least partially passes through at least one of the glass substrates and impinges upon at least the second seal layer in order to heat the second seal layer and fire and/or sinter the first seal material thereby forming the first seal layer, in a manner so that at least one of (i) induced transient thermal stress in the first seal layer does not exceed about 25 MPa, and/or (ii) the first seal layer has a density from about 2.8-4.0 g/cm3;
• wherein the first seal layer comprises from about 40-70 wt. % tellurium oxide and from about 12-40 wt. % vanadium oxide;
• and
• after forming the first seal layer, evacuating the gap to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.

A method of making a vacuum insulating panel, the vacuum insulating panel comprising a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a plurality of spacers provided in a gap between at least the first and second glass substrates, and a seal provided at least partially between at least the first and second glass substrates, the seal comprising a first seal layer, a second seal layer, and a third seal layer;

• wherein the method comprises:
• providing first seal material for the first seal layer at a location at least partially between the second and third seal layers;
• wherein the second and/or third seal layer comprises bismuth oxide and boron oxide, and where the second and/or third seal layer comprises from about 1-40 mol % bismuth and from about 3-40 mol % boron on an elemental basis, and comprises at least two times more boron than bismuth on an elemental basis in terms of mol %;
• laser heating, using a laser beam from a laser, the first seal material in order to form the first seal layer having a physical thickness of about 30-120 μm;
• wherein said laser heating comprises causing the laser beam to move at a lateral speed of from about 5-70 mm/second relative to the substrates and the first seal material so that the laser beam at least partially passes through at least one of the glass substrates and impinges upon at least the second seal layer in order to heat the second seal layer and fire and/or sinter the first seal material thereby forming the first seal layer, in a manner so that at least one of (i) induced transient thermal stress in the first seal layer does not exceed about 25 MPa, and/or (ii) the first seal layer has a density of from about 2.8-4.0 g/cm3;
• and
• after forming the first seal layer, evacuating the gap to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.

A method of making a vacuum insulating panel, the vacuum insulating panel comprising a first glass substrate, a second glass substrate, a plurality of spacers provided in a gap between at least the first and second glass substrates, and a seal provided at least partially between at least the first and second glass substrates, the seal comprising a first seal layer;

• wherein the method comprises:
• laser heating, using a laser beam from a laser, a first seal material in order to form the first seal layer having a physical thickness of about 30-120 μm;
• wherein said laser heating comprises causing the laser beam to move at a lateral speed of from about 5-70 mm/second relative to the substrates and the first seal material so that the laser beam at least partially passes through at least one of the glass substrates thereby firing and/or sintering the first seal material to form the first seal layer;
• wherein the first seal material comprises tellurium oxide and vanadium oxide, the first seal material comprising more tellurium oxide than vanadium oxide by wt. %, and wherein prior to said laser heating the first seal material comprises from about 20-70 wt. % tellurium oxide, the tellurium oxide comprising TeO4 and TeO3, and wherein the first seal material comprises more TeO4 than TeO3 by wt. % so that TeO4>TeO3 in terms of wt. % in the first seal material;
• wherein said laser heating causes the TeO4>TeO3 in the first seal material to transform into TeO3>TeO4 due to said laser heating, whereby an amount of TeO4 decreases and an amount of TeO3 increases due to said laser heating, so that after said laser heating the first seal material and formation of the first seal layer, the first seal layer comprises more TeO3 than TeO4 by wt. %, and comprises from about 20-80% wt. % tellurium oxide;
• and
• after forming the first seal layer, evacuating the gap to a pressure less than atmospheric pressure.