Low thermal conducting spacer assembly for an insulating glazing unit and method of making same

Abstract

An insulating unit has a pair of glass sheets about an edge assembly to provide a compartment between the sheets. The edge assembly has a U-shaped spacer made of metal, metal coated plastic, gas and moisture impervious polymer, or gas and moisture impervious film coated polymer. The outer legs of the spacer and the glass provide a long diffusion path to limit the diffusion of argon gas out of the compartment. The edge assembly has materials selected and sized to provide edge assembly having an RES-value of at least 75. A spacer for use in insulating units includes a plastic core having a gas impervious film e.g. a metal film or a halogenated polymer film. Also taught herein are techniques for making the unit and spacer.

1 - 32 . (canceled)  
   
   
       33 . A method of fabricating a spacer frame for maintaining two sheets in spaced relation comprising the steps of: 
 providing a piece of spacer stock of sufficient length to provide the spacer frame, 
 the spacer stock having at least a pair of sidewalls joined by a base,  
 wherein the base and at least portions of the sidewalls form a U-shape, and  
 further wherein at least one bead of a moisture pervious material having a desiccant therein is in contact with at least a portion of an inner surface of the spacer stock;  
   bending the piece of spacer stock to form the spacer frame; and    maintaining at least one bead on at least a portion of an inner surface of the spacer stock during the practice of the bending step.    
   
   
       34 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the at least one bead of a moisture pervious material is at least one bead of moisture pervious adhesive material.  
   
   
       35 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the spacer stock is a metal spacer stock.  
   
   
       36 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the spacer stock is a plastic spacer stock.  
   
   
       37 . The method of  claim 33  further comprising the step of bending a substrate to form the spacer stock having at least a pair of sidewalls joined by a base, wherein the base and at least portions of the sidewalls provide the spacer stock with a U-shape.  
   
   
       38 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the bending step is performed by roll forming the substrate.  
   
   
       39 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the substrate comprises at least one crease.  
   
   
       40 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the at least one bead of a moisture pervious material having a desiccant therein is applied to the substrate before the bending of the substrate.  
   
   
       41 . The method of  claim 37  wherein the at least one bead of a moisture pervious material having a desiccant therein is applied to the substrate after the bending of the substrate.  
   
   
       42 . The method of  claim 33  wherein the base, the at least one bead, and the at least portions of the sidewalls form a U-shape.