Method for the production of compound plates, particularly compound glass panes

Claim 1

Method of producing compound plates, such as compound glass panes, including at least two individual plates disposed in spaced parallel relation opposite one another and a frame section located between and extending along the edges of the plates with the frame section connecting the plates together, wherein the improvement comprises that the formation of the frame includes the steps of removing a continuous elongated flat strip from a supply source and moving it to a bending station, bending the continuous flat strip in the bending station along bending lines extending in the elongated direction of the strip into the form of a continuous elongated hollow section, at least by the time the strip is located within the bending station forming miter cuts at locations spaced apart along the elongated direction of the strip with the miter cuts separating the continuous strip into connected subsections, determining the spacing between the cuts in correspondence to the long dimensions of the edges of the plates, mechanically bending in a substantially vertical plane the continuously connected subsections of the hollow section at the miter cuts by guiding the leading end of the hollow section within a vertical guide thereby forming the hollow section into a closed sided frame with the sides of the frame defined between adjacent miter cuts so that upon completion of the mechanical bending the closed sided frame lies in a substantially vertical plane in the region of an assembly station where the plates are to be combined with the completed frame to form the compound plates, separating the trailing end of the trailing subsection from the following continuous hollow section before closing the frame, and maintaining the closed frame at the assembly station and moving individual plates into alignment with the opposite faces of the frame and placing the plates into contact with the frame while the frame is maintained in an approximately vertical position.