Vacuum lamination fixture
AssigneeRCA Corporation
InventorsPeter J. Coyle, Marvin S. Crouthamel
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for laminating a solar cell structure includes upper and lower housing members and an intermediate member which includes a flexible membrane. The members form upper and lower sealed chambers which can be selectively evacuated. The solar cell structure is placed between the membrane and a parallel rib structure in the lower chamber. Heater elements and reflectors between the ribs are employed for radiating heat energy to the solar cell structure during the laminating process for melting a potting material therein, while both chambers are evacuated. Then air is admitted to the upper chamber to cause the membrane to compress the laminated structure against the parallel rib support means while the laminated structure cools.
Claims11
In an apparatus for laminating a plurality of elements including two sheets and a substance between them which softens when heated into a planar structure, said apparatus including upper and lower housing members, an intermediate member including a flexible portion, said members forming upper and lower sealed chambers, means for selectively forming a vacuum in each of said chambers, said intermediate member compressing said elements against said lower housing member when the lower chamber has a pressure lower than that of the upper chamber, the improvement comprising:
- element support means against which said elements bear during the time they are being compressed including a plurality of rib members supported at lower edges thereof at a like plurality of spaced locations by said lower housing member and terminating at their upper edges in a given element support plane;
- and
- element heater means between adjacent ones of said rib members intermediate said upper and lower edges for heating the structure being laminated to a temperature sufficiently high to soften the substance between the two sheets.
In an apparatus for laminating a relatively large sheet structure which comprises two sheets with a material between them which softens when heated to permit the two sheets to be forced toward one another and which material hardens when permitted to cool while pressure is applied to the two sheets whereby a laminated structure is formed, the apparatus including upper and lower vacuum chambers between which the sheet structure to be laminated is placed, a support structure in the lower chamber on which the sheet structure rests, a means for heating the sheets while the two chambers are evacuated, and a means for compressing the sheets against the support structure during the time air is admitted to the upper chamber while the lower chamber remains evacuated and while the sheet structure cools, the improvement comprising:
- said support structure comprising a grid formed with grid elements terminating in a plane on which the sheet structure is supported while it is being laminated, the grid elements extending substantially normal to said plane and extending from a firm supporting base structure, said support structure thereby forming a right support structure for the sheet structure being laminated, the grid elements forming cavities between them;
- and
- radiant heating means located in the cavities formed in said grid for heating said structure being laminated during the time both chambers are evacuated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.