How to Develop a High-Level Concept Model of a Glass Vacuum Laminating Machine
Taiminen, Tino (2026)
2026
Konetekniikan DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Mechanical Engineering
Tekniikan ja luonnontieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
This publication is copyrighted. You may download, display and print it for Your own personal use. Commercial use is prohibited.
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-03-05
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202603042963
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202603042963
Tiivistelmä
The objective of this Master’s thesis was to determine how to develop a high‑level concept model of a vacuum laminating machine. An autoclave‑free vacuum laminator would meet the market demand for laminated glass and laminated safety glass by offering a more cost‑effective investment and a laminating technology that is better suited for EVA interlayer films than the traditional autoclave process.
The theoretical sections of this thesis examined the vacuum lamination process, the boundary conditions it imposes on the machine, as well as the product‑development perspective related to concept model creation. To investigate the process and its constraints, the source material included scientific research on vacuum lamination and related phenomena, conference publications, documentation provided by interlayer‑film manufacturers, interviews, and field research conducted through company visits. Literature relevant to concept development was used as source material for the conceptual design phase.
Concept development made use of methods found in literature, including task clarification and requirement specification, abstraction of the main problem—the vacuum lamination process— and creation of the function structure, identification and evaluation of solution principles, formation of function structures, and evaluation of the final principle‑solution variants. The creation of the function structure applied the “black box” method as well as structural analysis of existing products. Solution principles were identified using conventional methods such as data collection, analysis of existing systems, and intuitive approaches, and were evaluated using a method introduced in literature. Function structures were formed using a morphological matrix, a central tool in product development, and subsequently evaluated using a selection chart based on technical criteria.
As a result of the work, the critical boundary conditions imposed by the process and the functional requirements for a vacuum laminating machine were identified. From the conceptual‑design perspective, a systematic approach was established for product development by creating evaluation and selection‑method templates and by following the identified development path.
Because the work was carried out largely independently, a set of recommendations for further development was proposed. These recommendations outline actions through which an expert team could assess and validate the accuracy of the obtained results.
The theoretical sections of this thesis examined the vacuum lamination process, the boundary conditions it imposes on the machine, as well as the product‑development perspective related to concept model creation. To investigate the process and its constraints, the source material included scientific research on vacuum lamination and related phenomena, conference publications, documentation provided by interlayer‑film manufacturers, interviews, and field research conducted through company visits. Literature relevant to concept development was used as source material for the conceptual design phase.
Concept development made use of methods found in literature, including task clarification and requirement specification, abstraction of the main problem—the vacuum lamination process— and creation of the function structure, identification and evaluation of solution principles, formation of function structures, and evaluation of the final principle‑solution variants. The creation of the function structure applied the “black box” method as well as structural analysis of existing products. Solution principles were identified using conventional methods such as data collection, analysis of existing systems, and intuitive approaches, and were evaluated using a method introduced in literature. Function structures were formed using a morphological matrix, a central tool in product development, and subsequently evaluated using a selection chart based on technical criteria.
As a result of the work, the critical boundary conditions imposed by the process and the functional requirements for a vacuum laminating machine were identified. From the conceptual‑design perspective, a systematic approach was established for product development by creating evaluation and selection‑method templates and by following the identified development path.
Because the work was carried out largely independently, a set of recommendations for further development was proposed. These recommendations outline actions through which an expert team could assess and validate the accuracy of the obtained results.