Method and apparatus for making vacuum insulated glass (vig) window unit including pump-out tube

Abstract

A vacuum insulated glass (VIG) window assembly and method for making same is provided in which dimensions of a hole formed in a glass substrate in which a pump-out tube is to be inserted is selected such that it provides sufficient clearance for efficient insertion and accommodates sufficient adhesive material (e.g., frit inclusive paste), while at the same time providing sufficient support to resist substantial tilting or tipping of the pump-out tube when inserted in the hole. In addition, a length of the pump-out tube is selected so that a distance between a top of the pump-out tube (which is later subjected to heat sealing, e.g., by a laser or the like) and an interface between the pump-out tube and the fit material proximate the hole exiting the glass substrate is in a range that reduces the likelihood of heat conduction sufficient to cause cracking of the pump-out tube at the pump-out tube/frit interface caused, for example, by thermal shock due to a temperature differential between the glass of the pump-out tube and the frit material.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.