VACUUM INSULATION PANEL MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND VACUUM INSULATION PANEL

• US 20190143450A1
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Published: 05/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nippon Steel Nisshin Co., Ltd. (Nippon Steel Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nisshin Steel Company Limited (Nippon Steel Corporation)
• Inventors: AZUMA, Tsutomu, MISHIMA, Hirohisa, NAKAKO, Takefumi
• Granted Patent: US 10,639,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/061 for welding rectilinear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/16 taking account of the properties of the material to be welded
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/34 Preliminary treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/36 Auxiliary equipment B23K11/31 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 2103/172 wherein at least one of the layers is non-metallic
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/103 the laser beam rotating around the fixed workpiece B23K26/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/206 Laser sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/21 by welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/28 of curved planar seams
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/32 taking account of the properties of the material involved
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/60 Preliminary treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0229 the guide member being situated alongside the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0408 for planar work
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0443 Jigs
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 2307/304 Insulating
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 3/00 Layered products comprising a layer with external or internal discontinuities or unevennesses, or a layer of non-planar shape; Layered products comprising a layer having particular features of form
• CPC Class Codes: E04B 1/803 with vacuum spaces included in the slab
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 59/029 layered
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 59/065 using vacuum F16L59/075 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2201/14 using subatmospheric pressure
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 23/066 : Liners
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/231 : Filled with gas other than air; or under vacuum

Abstract

A vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method that makes it possible to manufacture low-cost, high-performance vacuum insulation panels, and a vacuum insulation panel are provided. This method of manufacturing a vacuum insulation panel involves: a stacking step in which a first metal plate is stacked on one side of an insulating core material, and in which a backing member having an opening and a second metal plate having an evacuation port are stacked, with the opening and the evacuation port stacking, on the other surface of the core member in the order of backing member and second metal plate from the core member side; a first welding step for welding outwards of where the core member is arranged in the first metal plate and the second metal plate; an evacuating step from the evacuation port to create a vacuum in an inner area which is held between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and in which the core member is arranged; and a laser welding step in which, in a state in which the inner area is made into a vacuum by the evacuating step, the evacuation port is sealed by means of a sealing material and the sealing material, the second metal plate and the backing member are laser welded.

Claims

1. A vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method comprising:

a stacking step in which a first metal plate is stacked on one side of an insulating core member, and in which a backing member having an opening and a second metal plate having an evacuation port are stacked, with the opening and the evacuation port stacking, on the other surface of the core member in the order of the backing member and the second metal plate from the core member side;

a first welding step for welding outwards of where the core member is arranged in the first metal plate and the second metal plate;

an evacuating step for applying a vacuum in an inner area which is held between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and in which the core member is arranged, from the evacuation port; and

a laser welding step in which, in a state in which the inner area is made into a vacuum by the evacuating step, the evacuation port is sealed by means of a sealing member and the sealing member, the second metal plate and the backing member are laser welded.

12. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the laser welding step is

for lowering the sealing member and blocking the evacuation port by way of the sealing member, an outer periphery of the sealing member being held by a holding plate including a hole for allowing laser light to pass through,

the sealing member is pressed toward the evacuation port side,

whereby sandwiching the second metal plate between the backing member and the sealing member, and in a state in which a stacked portion between the sealing member, the second metal plate and the backing member is restrained without any gap,

the sealing member, the second metal plate and the backing member are laser-welded.

13. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein

the evacuating step is for starting evacuating from the evacuation port to apply a vacuum in an inner area which is held between the first metal plate and the second metal plate

and in which the core member is arranged by covering with the chamber a partial region including the evacuation port of the second metal plate,

in a state in which the sealing member is temporarily lowered and allowed to approach the evacuation port.

14. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 13, wherein laser irradiation is performed from an outer side of the chamber in the laser welding step.

15. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein

the sealing member is made of a magnetic body, and

the holding plate for holding the sealing member includes a magnet and holds the sealing member by using a magnetic force.

16. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 1,

wherein the holding plate for holding the holding unit is supported by way of a support rod attached in three places along an outer periphery, and

wherein an upper end of the support rod is fixed to a lifting plate, passing through an outer periphery of a portion where a window is provided to an upper middle portion of the chamber, in which quartz glass is attached to the window.

17. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the first welding step is a seam welding step.

2-11. -11. (canceled)

18. A vacuum insulation panel comprising:

an insulating core member;

a first metal plate arranged on one side of the core member;

a backing member having an opening and arranged on the other surface of the core member;

a second metal plate arranged across the backing member on the other surface of the core member and having an evacuation port at a position stacking with the opening; and

a sealing member sealing the opening,

wherein outer sides of regions of the first metal plate and the second metal plate between which the core member is sandwiched are welded,

wherein the sealing member, the second metal plate, and the backing member are welded, and

wherein a vacuum state is created between the first metal plate and the second metal plate.

19. The vacuum insulation panel according to claim 18, wherein the sealing member is a magnetic body.

20. A vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method comprising:

a stacking step in which a first metal plate is stacked on one side of an insulating core member, and a second metal plate having an evacuation port, and a reinforcing material having an opening are stacked on the other side of the core member sequentially from the core member, such that the evacuation port and the opening are stacked,

a first welding step for welding outwards of where the core member is arranged in the first metal plate and the second metal plate;

an evacuating step for applying a vacuum in an inner area which is held between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and in which the core member is arranged, from the evacuation port and the opening; and

a laser welding step in which, in a state in which the inner area is made into a vacuum by the evacuating step, the evacuation port and the opening are sealed by means of a sealing member, and the sealing member and the reinforcing material are laser welded, or the sealing member, the reinforcing material and the second metal plate are laser welded.

21. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 20, wherein the laser welding step is

for lowering the sealing member and blocking the evacuation port and the opening by way of the sealing member, an outer periphery of the sealing member being held by a holding plate including a hole for allowing laser light to pass through,

the sealing member is pressed toward the reinforcing material side, and

in a state in which a stacked portion between the sealing member, the reinforcing material and the second metal plate is restrained without any gap, and

the sealing member, the reinforcing material and the second metal plate are laser welded.

22. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 20, wherein the stacking step includes a step of welding the second metal plate and the reinforcing material.

23. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to 20, wherein

the evacuating step is for starting evacuating from the evacuation port to apply a vacuum in an inner area which is held between the first metal plate and the second metal plate and in which the core member is arranged, by vacuumizing a chamber

by covering with the chamber a region including the opening of the reinforcing material,

in a state in which the sealing member is temporarily lowered and allowed to approach the evacuation port.

24. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to claim 23,

wherein laser irradiation is performed from an outer side of the chamber in the laser welding step, and

wherein only the sealing member and the reinforcing material are joined, and laser welding is performed under a condition that the second metal plate does not melt.

25. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to any one of claims 21, wherein

the sealing member is made of a magnetic body, and

the holding plate for holding the sealing member includes a magnet and holds the sealing member by using a magnetic force.

26. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to any one of claims 20, wherein the first welding step is a seam welding step.

27. The vacuum insulation panel manufacturing method according to any one of claims 21,

wherein the holding plate for holding the sealing member is supported by way of a support rod attached in three places along an outer periphery, and

wherein an upper end of the support rod is fixed to a lifting plate, passing through an outer periphery of a portion where a window is provided to an upper middle portion of the chamber, in which quartz glass is attached to the window.

28. A vacuum insulation panel comprising:

an insulating core member;

a first metal plate arranged on one side of the core member;

a second metal plate arranged on the other surface of the core member sequentially from the core member and having an evacuation port

a reinforcing material having an opening at a position stacking with the evacuation port; and

a sealing member sealing the opening,

wherein outer sides of regions of the first metal plate and the second metal plate between which the core member is sandwiched are welded,

wherein the sealing member, the reinforcing material, and the second metal plate are welded, and

wherein a vacuum state is created between the first metal plate and the second metal plate.

29. The vacuum insulation panel according to claim 28, wherein the sealing member is a magnetic body.