Method and apparatus for vacuum sealing a vacuum container assembly

摘要

A method and apparatus for vacuum sealing a vacuum container assembly (A) such as a vacuum bottle having an inner container (1b) and an outer container (1a). The vacuum container assembly (A) is heat treated in one location in a vacuum chamber (21) of a vacuum furnace (11) and then moved to a different location in the chamber. At the second location, a sealing plate (4) having a tapered rim (25) is installed into a complementarily tapered guide (2a) at the edge of an evacuation hole (2) in the outer chamber (1a) by a sealing plate fitting device (14). The vacuum container assembly (A) is moved to a third location in the vacuum chamber (21) where the sealing plate (4) is welded to the outer container (1a) by a laser beam (C) which passes into the vacuum chamber (21) from a laser welding device (15) situated outside the vacuum furnace (11) through a beam-transparent window (20) in the wall of the vacuum furnace (11). A transport device (13) having transport segments (13a, 13b, 13c, and 13d) transports the vacuum container assembly (A) from one location to another location inside vacuum chamber (21) of vacuum furnace (11). First and second position regulating devices (16 and 17 respectively) sense the presence of the vacuum container assembly (A) at locations for installing the sealing plate and conducting the laser welding.