Patent ID: 11911950
Assignee: WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 19:
20. A method of forming a vacuum insulated panel, the method comprising steps of:
forming a structural panel having opposing outer walls and a perimetrical edge that defines an interior insulating cavity;
placing the structural panel within a retaining structure that engages the perimetrical edge;
attaching an expanding device to the opposing outer walls;
expanding the interior insulating cavity by pulling the opposing outer walls away from one another using the expanding device to define an expanded interior volume, adding an insulating material to the expanded interior volume;
expressing gas from the expanded interior volume, wherein expression of the gas at least partially draws the opposing outer walls inward and toward one another and toward the insulating material to define a final state of the structural panel, the final state defined by a contracted interior volume that is less than the expanded interior volume and corresponds to a densified state of the insulating material within the interior insulating cavity, wherein the retaining structure maintains a position of the perimetrical edge during at least the step of attaching the expanding device and the step of expressing the gas; and
closing a vacuum port to seal the interior insulating cavity.