Apparatus for joining two glass panels to form a pane of insulating glass bonded at the edge

An apparatus for joining two glass panels to form a pane of insulating glass bonded at the edges by a strand of an adhesive compound which is initially pasty and subsequently solidifies to adhere the two glass panels together at their marginal edges to form the pane of insulating glass, comprising:

• a plate having a panel receiving position;
• means for loading a pair of panels with a major surface of one panel defined as the upper panel in facing relationship to the major surface of the other panel defined as the lower panel in said panel receiving position;
• a lower supporting or holding element mounted n said plate at said panel receiving position for engaging said lower panel;
• a plurality of upper supporting or holding elements, each of said upper supporting or holding elements having a panel engaging means;
• means for mounting said upper elements on said plate for moving said upper elements toward said panel receiving position into an activated position where said panel engaging means engages the upper panel, and for moving said upper element into a non-activated position by disengaging said panel engaging means and said upper panel and by moving said upper element away from said panel receiving position, wherein when said upper elements are in the activated position, said upper panel is maintained in a fixed spaced relationship to said lower panel;
• means for injecting a strand of adhesive compound between marginal edges of said spaced panels;
• means for moving said plate into a panel loading position, out of said panel loading position, into a sealing position, out of said sealing position, and into an unloading position;
• means responsive to said moving means for activating said loading means when said plate is in said loading position to position the panels on said panel receiving position;
• for selectively moving said plurality of upper elements into the activated position, and for engaging said lower panel by said lower element;
• and
• means for activating said injecting means when said plate is in said sealing position to inject a strand of compound between said panels while selectively and sequentially moving one of said upper elements into the non-activated position to allow said injecting means to move past said one of said upper element in said non-activating position and for moving said upper element respectively from said non-activated position into said activated position as the injecting means move away from said one of said upper element in said non-activated position.