Abstract: A spacer for an insulated glass unit includes a spacer frame with a back surface and a pair of opposed sides which define a hollow interior, wherein desiccant material is introduced into the hollow interior through the back surface at a series of spaced locations along the back surface and the back surface of the spacer frame is subsequently sealed. A flexible spacer is disclosed with a hollow interior which is sufficiently flexible as to be supplied in coil form to an IG assembly line. The flexibility can be provided to the spacer through the construction of a thin-walled profile, a plurality of kerfs or notches across the back of the spacer frame into the sides, a plurality of kerfs or notches across the front of the spacer frame into the sides, a plurality of kerfs or notches across the opposed sides of the spacer frame, and mixtures and combinations of these design features.

Abstract: An Insulated Glass (IG) line comprises a washer for washing lites; a spacer applicator for selectively attaching spacers to lites downstream of the washer; an assembler for coupling multiple lites with intervening spacer downstream of the spacer applicator; an unloading station for removing finished IGUs from the IG line downstream of the assembler; and a buffer storage unit upsteam of the washer and having i) at least one storage rack defining a plurality of lite storage locations, ii) a storage rack feeding unit configured to place lites into any storage location of each storage rack, and iii) a storage rack unloading unit configured to take lites from any storage location of each storage rack. The Insulated Glass (IG) line further includes a dynamic batch-less direct feed cutter upstream of the buffer storage unit.