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US 8,986,483 B2Granted
Method of making a folded vacuum insulated structure
AssigneeWhirlpool Corporation
InventorsNihat Cur, Axel Julio Ramm, Guolian Wu, James Kendall
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vacuum insulated cabinet structure includes panels having sheet metal outer side walls and polymer inner side walls. The polymer inner side walls are heat-sealed to a layer of polymer material laminated to a flat sheet metal blank to form vacuum cavities. The blank is then bent along fold lines to form a cabinet structure.
Claims11
A method of fabricating a vacuum insulated refrigerator cabinet structure, the method comprising:
- forming an outer cabinet skin blank, the blank including an elongated portion having a generally rectangular perimeter with elongated side edges and end edges extending between the side edges, the blank defining a plurality of bend lines extending between the side edges to define a plurality of generally planar panel regions, and wherein the outer cabinet skin blank comprises a sheet of material that includes a metal layer and an outer layer of thermoplastic polymer material on a first side of the sheet;
- providing a plurality of pouches having porous filler material disposed in the pouches;
- positioning the pouches on the first side of the outer cabinet skin blank to cover the panel regions;
- providing a barrier layer;
- sealing the barrier layer to the layer of polymer material around the pouches such that the pouches are sealed inside an airtight space formed between the layer of polymer material and the barrier layer;
- forming a vacuum in the airtight space;
- bending the cabinet skin blank along the bend lines to form a vacuum insulated refrigerator cabinet structure having upright outer sidewalls having inner and outer sides and a transverse wall having inner and outer sides, the transverse wall extending between the outer sidewalls, and wherein the metal layer is disposed on the outer sides of the outer side walls and the outer side of the transverse wall.
4 more elements
A method of fabricating a vacuum insulated refrigerator cabinet structure, the method comprising:
- forming an outer cabinet skin blank, the blank including an elongated portion having a generally rectangular perimeter with elongated side edges and end edges extending between the side edges, the blank defining a plurality of bend lines extending between the side edges to define a plurality of generally planar panel regions, and wherein the outer cabinet skin blank comprises a sheet of material that includes a layer of low carbon steel and a heat sealable polymer layer laminated to the layer of low carbon steel on a first side of the sheet;
- providing a plurality of vacuum insulated panels comprising porous filler material;
- positioning the vacuum insulated panels on the side of the outer cabinet skin blank to cover the panel regions;
- providing a plurality of preformed retaining structures having a main wall, a flange defining a perimeter, and side walls extending transversely between the main wall and the flange, wherein the retaining structures comprise a layer of thermoplastic polymer material and a barrier layer that forms a barrier with respect to gasses;
- sealing the flanges of the preformed retaining structures to the layer of polymer material around the vacuum insulated panels such that the vacuum insulated panels are sealed inside an airtight space formed between the blank and the preformed retaining structures;
- forming a vacuum in the airtight space;
- bending the cabinet skin blank along the bend lines to form a vacuum insulated refrigerator cabinet structure having upright outer sidewalls and a transverse wall extending between the outer sidewalk.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.