Insulated units, for instance refrigerator cabins and doors are utilized for insulating purposes. Performance of insulated units are directly proportional to heat conductivity coefficients of the insulating materials placed inside the insulating spaces which remain between the inner and outer bodies. In order to increase the insulating performance, open cell polyurethanes, or powder based materials, for instance kieselguhr, fumed silica are utilized after applying vacuum to regions these insulating materials are placed. In order to fill insulating materials into the insulating spaces and applying vacuum there, bores are opened on the insulated unit body. Bores are closed at the completion of vacuuming process. In order to keep the vacuum level at lowest level, the process of sealing bores should be performed with highest performance.

In the current-state-of-the-art, in the European patent 766616, filling bores are closed arc-welding using a metal sealing piece.

Again in the state-of-the-art, in the Japanese patent application 9119588, a supplementary piece having a screw thread is placed inside the filling hole, the piece is screwed and sealing is provided by locating gaskets between.

Furthermore, in the state-of-the-art, the Japanese patent application 2001108184 uses getter material to prevent decrease of the insulation performance and to hold under restraint gases leaking into insulation space from connection point of filling hole and sealing piece.

The object of this invention is to achieve an insulated unit where bore used in filling insulation space and/or utilized in applying vacuum into such a space is sealed in order to reduce gas leakage into such an insulation space and a method of manufacturing thereof.

An insulated unit realised to attain the object of this invention and a method of manufacturing the same is shown in the attached drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an insulated unit.

Figure 2 is the view of the inner and outer bodies of the insulated unit prior to combining together.

Figure 3a is a schematic view of a sealing element.

Figure 3b is a view of sealing element comprising a centering extension.

Figure 3c is a schematic view of a sealing element comprising a centering extension and projections.

Figure 4 is a schematical view of an insulated unit comprising a recess Figure 5 is a schematical view of an insulated unit together with sealing mechanism and a sealing element before fastening by friction welding.

Figure 6 is a schematical view of an insulated unit together with a sealing mechanism, a cleaning apparatus, a heater and a protective device, before sealing to a sealing element by hot plate welding.

Components shown on the drawings are numbered as follows: 1. Insulated unit 2. Inner body 3. Outer body 4. Insulation space 5. Insulating material 6. Bore 7. Cleaning apparatus

8. Recess 9. Sealing element 10. Body 11. Centering extension 12. Projection 13. Body lower surface 14. Sealing mechanism 15. Heater 16. Protector Insulated unit (1) which is the subject of this invention comprises an inner body (2), an outer body (3), an insulation space (4) located between the inner body (2) and the outer body (3) into which vacuum is applied, an insulating material (5), preferably in powder form, to ensure thermal insulation, one or more bores (6) provided on the inner or outer body (2,3) through which the insulating material (5) is filled into the insulation space (4) and/or vacuum is applied and a sealing element (9) preferably of plastics, to provide sealing of the bores by plastic to plastic welding without using any supplementary sealing elements.

Sealing element (9) comprises a body (10) and a body lower surface (13).

While the insulated unit is manufactured (1), first the inner body (2) and outer body (3) are manufactured preferably of plastics and are combined.

Insulating material (5) is filled into the insulation space (4) and vacuum is applied.

Then under the vacuum preferably in a vacuum room, sealing element (9) is inserted onto the bore (6) by means of a sealing mechanism (14). Body lower surface (13) of the sealing element (9) attached to the sealing mechanism (14), rubbed over the outer body surface (3), for instance, friction is attained by turning the sealing element (9) around its axis via sealing mechanism (14), to ensure frictional contact. With thermal effect caused by the friction, the parts of the body

lower surface (13) and the surface of the outer body (3) which contact melts and, the sealing element (9) and the insulated unit (1) are fused to each other.

In another embodiment of the invention, while the insulated unit (1) is manufactured first the inner body (2) and the outer body (3) are manufactured preferably of plastics and are combined. Insulating material is filled into the insulation space (4) and vacuum is applied. Later, under vacuum, preferably in a vacuum chamber, the sealing element (9) attached to the sealing mechanism (14) is brought over the bore (6) by means of the sealing mechanism (14). A heater (15) is installed between the sealing element (9) and the bore (6). Surfaces where no heating is desired are covered by one or more protectors (16) to prevent the effect of the heater (15). Regions to be connected are cleaned by applying pressurized air through a cleaning apparatus (7). The surface around the bore (6) of the outer body (3) and also the sealing element (9) is heated by the heater (15).

Sealing element (9) is pressed into the bore (6) by the sealing mechanism (14) to ensure that the sealing element (9) and the insulated unit (1) are fused to each other as a result of the fusion of the heated parts of outer boy surface (3) and body lower face (13).

In another embodiment of the invention, sealing element (9) comprises a centering extension (11) to locate the sealing element (9) right over the bore (6) by means of the sealing mechanism (14).

In another embodiment of the invention, sealing element (9) comprises one or more projections (12) located over the body lower surface (13) to increase the performance of the friction welding.

In another embodiment of the invention, the outer body (3) comprises a recess (8) located around the bore (6) onto which the sealing element (9) is placed.

By combining the plastic sealing element (9) and plastic outer body (3) by means of friction or hot plate welding, the bore (6) is covered without using a supplementary sealing element. Thus, gas intrusion into the insulation space (4) is decreased which in return increases the performance and life time of the insulated unit (1).