glass int june 2014

Glass International June 20

14

O-I INTERVIEW: R&D VICE PRESIDENT SAB MILLER

FOREHEARTHS

www.glass-international.com

EXCLUSIVE TO GLASS INTERNATIONAL:PROFILE OF GERRESHEIMER’S NEW SYRINGE FACILITY

AT ITS BüNDE PLANT

Here’s some tasty news for glass producers looking for ways to make their furnace more economical and ecological: The HVR 700F-2P charger, part of HORN´s ECOfurbishing program.

HORN's innovative doghouse design combined with the HVR 700F-2P charger result in a tightly sealed doghouse, greatly reducing energy and emission values. The advantages are: preglazing of the batch inside the doghouse – for furnaces with or

without batch preheating reduced carry-over of raw materials reduced energy consumption reduced NOx emissions adjustment of batch layer through individually controlled paddles reduced wear and tear compared to screw chargers, for example

The HORN doghouse and the HVR 700F-2P: further examples of how to improve furnace effi ciency, thereby saving money – and our planet.

Reducing energy and emissions

I N N O V A T I O N E N G I N E E R E D I N G E R M A N Y

CONTAINER GLASS COSMETIC GLASS FIBRE GLASS FLAT GLASS FLOAT GLASS LIGHTING PHARMACEUTICAL GLASS SODIUM-SILICATE GLASS TABLEWARE TUBING

the HORN optimisation program - visit www.hornglass.com for more

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Contents

June 2014 Vol. 37 No.6

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Front cover image courtesy of

Gerresheimer

www.gerresheimer.com

3 International News

Company profile: Gerresheimer10 The syringe: Small but sophisticated

Company profile: Pennine38 The Pennine way

Toughened glass36 Unexplained glass failure - Don’t jump to

inclusion conclusions

Forming39 Practical container forming simulation

Flat glass41 Façades: Optimum efficiency

Interview with Ludovic Valette14 Glass profile

2 Editor’s Comment

10


Plus find us on Linked-In and Twitter.

@Glass_Int

46

38

Forehearth25 Concepts for insulating wool (C-glass)

forehearths29 How much energy savings can be expected

on air-fuel forehearths?32 Forehearth control - Infra-red pyrometers or

thermocouples?

Events world43 British Glass Focus Conference discusses

latest trends46 A successful China Glass 2014

Russian overview24 Chinese glass producers eye Russian expansion

Glass recycling16 Returnable beer bottles scheme boosts

sustainability drive

19 British glass

22 History

14

O-I INTERVIEW: R&D VICE PRESIDENT SAB MILLER

FOREHEARTHS


EXCLUSIVE TO GLASS INTERNATIONAL:PROFILE OF GERRESHEIMER’S NEW SYRINGE FACILITY

AT ITS BüNDE PLANT

2


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omEditor’s comment

Editor: Greg MorrisTel: +44 (0)1737 855132

Email: [email protected]

Editorial Assistant: Sally RobertsTel: +44 (0)1737 855154


Designer: Annie BakerTel: +44 (0)1737 855130


Sales Director: Ken ClarkTel: +44 (0)1737 855117


Sales Manager: Jeremy FordreyTel: +44 (0)1737 855133


Production Executive: Martin Lawrence

SubscriptionsTel: +44 (0)1737 855028 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034


Glass International (ISSN 0143-7838) (USPS No: 020-753) is published10 times per year by Quartz Business Media Ltd, and distributed in theUS by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicalspostage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes toGlass International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Official publication of Abividro - the BrazilianTechnical Association of Automatic Glass

Industries

Glass International annual subscription rates includingGlass International Directory:For one year: UK £154, all other countries £217.For two years: UK £277, all other countries £391.Airmail prices on request. Single copies £43.

Glass International Directory 2014 edition:UK £206, all other countries £217, post free.

Printed in UK by:Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood,Gwent NP12 2YA, UK.

© Quartz Business Media Ltd, 2014

ISSN 0143-7838


Quartz Glass Portfolio

Like many things on Earth thesyringe is one of those objects that,once used, is discarded and quickly

forgotten about by its user. It is likely that each end user does not

put too much thought into theproduction process of this humblething. Yet, it might be small in stature,but it provides a lifeline to hundreds ofthousands, if not millions, of peopleevery day. Not only does it improve thequality of life for some people, it savesthe lives of others.

Due to the rise of ‘Western’ conditionssuch as diabetes, the use of glass syringesis increasing. Similarly, as thedeveloping world increases its disposableincome, the use of syringes is on the rise.

The good news for our industry is thatglass is considered the ‘gold standard’ forsyringes. It is inert and has better barrierproperties than plastic, so isimpermeable to gases such as watervapour or oxygen.

So, it was fascinating to visit theproduction site of such an importantobject to the industry. Gerresheimer’sVice President of Global SyringeSystems, Carlo Reato, and his team verykindly gave a tour of the company’sBünde, Germany site.

As you would expect of somethingthat comes into contact with humans on

such a regular basis there are a numberof regulations to overcome before acompany can start production.

Once production starts there areaudits to meet and continuous safetychecks. If one syringe is faulty it can leadto a recall of thousands of others – a verycostly event.

Some companies might crumble undersuch a headache but Gerresheimer hasthrived. It is about to start its fourthglass syringes line at Bünde. Aremarkable achievement considering thefirst line was only commissioned 12years ago in 2002.

Further congratulations are due toOwens-Illinois (O-I), which is due toofficially open its new R&D centre

in Perrysburg, Ohio, USA. We spoke to O-I’s R&D Vice President

Ludovic Valette, who states the centrewill be ‘instrumental to advancingbreakthrough innovations inglassmaking’. It will also be used to helptrain workers on new processes andtechnologies. It is an exciting time forthe company and industry.�

Greg [email protected]

Greg Morris

Monthly journal for the

industry worldwide

Glassman specialist exhibitions rotate

between America, Asia and Europe

Published by Quartz Business Media Ltd,Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1QX, UK.Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000. Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034. Email: [email protected]: www.glass-international.com

Member of British GlassManufacturers’ Confederation

All hail the humble syringe

Annual international reference source

Directory 2014


China National Associationfor Glass Industry

Ardagh awardArdagh has received

recognition for its

involvement with one of the

most successful packaging

launches over the past 12

months.

It won taken silver in the

annual World Packaging

Organisation (WPO)

Marketing Awards for Absolut

Unique. This is an award

nominated independently by

the judging panel in

recognition of true marketing

excellence.

The bottle made history as

the world’s first limited

edition spirit bottle, where

every single bottle is unique.

Otto Schott ResearchAward winnerProfessor Donald Bruce

Dingwell is the winner of the

13th Otto Schott Research

Award.

The Canadian experi-

mental volcanologist has

headed the Department of

Mineralogy and Petrology at

the Ludwig Maximilian

University (LMU) in Munich

since 2000 and is Director of

the Department of Earth and

Environmental Sciences.

Dingwell received the

award for his many years of

research in the field of

physical and chemical

properties of volcanic

glasses.

AGR launchesmarketing campaignAmerican Glass Research

has launched a new

marketing campaign to build

awareness of its full range of

consulting, testing, training,

and analytical services for the

glass container industry.

Markets served include

glass manufacturers, fillers

of glass, and the

pharmaceutical industry.

Using the mantra ‘We

Know Glass’, the new

campaign includes the

development of a new logo

that will appear on all

customer touch points.

3

International news

NEWS IN BRIEF

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VISIT: www.glass-international.com – For daily news updates and regular features


Turkey’s largest glassmakeri ecam has said its

Pa abahçe tableware unithas started talks to acquireshares in Arc International, aFrench household goodsmaker.

In a filing to the IstanbulStock Exchange, Sisecamstated that Pasabahçe hadsigned a non-disclosureagreement regarding thenon-binding talks.

Pasabahçe’s share in theglobal glass household goodsmarket is currently 12%,putting it third in the market,

while Arc International is theleader with 13%.

If the talks between thecompanies finalise with anacquisition, Pasabahçe willrise to become market leader,ahead of US company Libbey.

The French company,which has an annualturnover of around €1 billionproduces around 4.3 millionpieces of glass householdgoods every day.

The company earns 47% ofits income from Europe, butoutside France it hasproduction activities in

China, Russia and the UnitedArab Emirates.

Pasabahçe and ArcInternational co-operated toenter the North Americahotel and restaurant sectorjointly in 2006.

Arc International isprivately held and has beenowned by members of theDurand family since 1916.

Brands under the Arcgroup include its ownLuminarc, Arcoroc, Cristald’Arques, Longchamps,Pyrex and the crystal brandJ. G. Durand.

O-I to spend €30 million in HarlowOwens-Illinois (O-I) is toinvest €30 million in itsHarlow plant to focus on theUK beer market.

The company proposes tobuild a new furnace withlatest technology in Harlow,replacing the plant’s twoexisting furnaces, which are

reaching their end of life. In addition, O-I intends to

install quality equipment.Up to 47 employees will be

affected by the plannedchanges. O-I is inconsultation with employeerepresentatives and willcollaborate to minimise the

impact on employees,including job relocation toother O-I facilities andoutplacement servicesupport.

On completion of theinvestment, the plant willcontinue to employ around120 people.

Sisecam plots move forFrance’s Arc International

Quinn Glass now called EncircQuinn Glass and Cobevco arerebranding under the nameEncirc.

The name Encirc wasdesigned to describe thecompany’s offering: From themanufacturing of container

glass, to modern fillingfacilities, warehousing andlogistics, the company aimsto completely encircle acustomer’s needs.

Adrian Curry, ManagingDirector, said: “We are the

only company in the worldthat can offer a range ofsupply chain services,reducing environmentalimpact, shortening leadtime to retail, and reducingcost.”

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NEWS IN BRIEF

Rumpke upgrades Ohiorecycling facilityRumpke Recycling is

upgrading its Dayton, Ohio,

recycling facility at a cost of

$2.5 million.

The unit of Cincinnati-

based Rumpke Consolidated

Companies Inc is adding a

new sorting system to replace

old equipment and improve

the plant’s efficiency.

The facility sorts glass and

cardboard from the more than

500 tons of recycling the unit

receives daily.

GTS secures auditsuccessThe UK’s Glass Technology

Services (GTS) has further

expanded its product testing

and chemical analysis

services for the glass supply

chain after securing

independent audit success.

Scoring highly across

technical (ISO 17025),

administrative (ISO 9001) and

environmental (ISO 14001)

performance audits, the

company has also

successfully achieved Notified

Testing Laboratory status and

has made seven extensions of

scope to its comprehensive

technical UKAS

accreditations.

Beatson Clark producescraft beer bottleBeatson Clark has been

chosen to produce a unique

beer bottle for craft-brewers

Thornbridge Brewery, based

in Derbyshire, UK.

The bespoke 500ml amber

glass bottle with a standard

crown neck finish will feature

the Thornbridge Brewery

crest around the shoulder and

the strapline ‘Innovation

Passion Knowledge’ around

the base.

Charlotte Taylor, Marketing

Manager at Beatson Clark,

said the partnership with

Thornbridge Brewery

strengthens the glass

manufacturer’s growing

reputation in the brewing

sector.

Beatson has previously

produced bottles for

breweries such as Meantime

Brewery in London. Be first with the news! Visit www.glass-international.com for daily news updates


International news

German batch plant andcullet return system supplierEME Maschinenfabrik Clasenhas won the bidding with theAlgerian-based glass producerAfricaver.

Societe Africain du Verre(Africaver) belongs to thestate owned Enava Group

and is modernising itspatterned glass line in Jijel,Algeria and has put its faithin EME technology.

The production line atAfricaver has a meltingcapacity of 130 t per day.

EME is upgrading majorparts of the raw material

transport, dosing andweighing as well as parts ofthe batch transport.

In addition a new controland visualisation system willbe delivered and EME will bein charge of the supervison ofinstallation andcommissioning.

EME secures Algerian contract

EveryWare Global said it istemporarily haltingproduction at its two USplants, including the AnchorHocking plant in Monaca, inorder to preserve cash whilethe Lancaster, Ohio,company negotiates withcreditors over a loan default.

The company did notdisclose the number ofhourly and salariedemployees who will be idledfor three to four weeks. It saidcertain employees are beingfurloughed without pay.

The company blamed theloss on a number of factorsincluding a $20.7 milliontax-related impairmentcharge and severe winterweather, which resulted inhigher utility costs.

It also cited higherseverance expenses and feespaid to consultants who aredeveloping cost savingsinitiatives.

EveryWare said it isexpanding the role ofAlvarzez & Marsel, aturnaround consultant that is

advising the company oncost reduction and efficiencymeasures.

The company said it is indefault on a $250 millionloan and has until May 30 toconvince lenders to eitherwaive the default or agree tonew terms.

Cash generated byoperations and otheravailable credit ‘are notexpected to be sufficient tofund our operations in thenear future,’ the companysaid in a press release.

Friends of Glass looks beyond the label

Friends of Glass has launcheda campaign to encourageconsumers to ‘look beyondthe label’ at the packagingrole played by glass.

Independent researchconducted with 8,000

consumers reveals thatEuropeans are more worriedabout health and food safetythan environmentalproblems, internationalterrorism or public safety.

The findings unveil a

Anchor Hocking haltsproduction at US plants

concern among Europeanconsumers linked to thepotential health risks ofchemical compoundsleaching into food frompackaging.

Two thirds of consumersadmit they are worried aboutfood contamination, as wellas the risk of chemicalsleaching from foodpackaging into its content.

Eight out of ten consumerssurveyed believe thesechemical interactions couldbe a risk to human health.

The findings revealEuropean consumers aremost worried about plasticcontainers.

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Dismatec wins Royal awardUK glass plant engineeringgroup Dismatec has beenawarded the Queen’s Awardfor Enterprise inInternational Trade 2014.

The Sheffield-basedcompany received the awardfor its growth ininternational trade in the

past three years.Managing Director Michael

Horsfield said: “It’s atremendous accolade for usand is reward for the hardwork and professionalism ofthe team. We are extremelycustomer focused and staffhave the correct attitude

towards customers. Theaward is a reflection of that.”

The company of five staffhas focused on the USA,Middle East and EasternEurope in recent years.

Mr Horsfield said: “Weoffer a unique, specialistservice.”

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bystronic wins Chineseglass awardThe Chinese Glass

Association celebrated its

50th anniversary with a two-

day event focused on

furthering the technology and

development of insulating

glass machines.

500 guests were invited to

the gala event in Hangzhou,

where Bystronic glass was

presented with an award for

technological leadership

within the field of insulating

glass.

“Our technologies have

helped to make significant

headway and further the

advancement of insulating

glass production standards

across China,” Hans Ulrich

Schick, Head of Bystronic

glass China, said.

Schott to upgradeBrazil plantSchott is to modernise its

Vitrofarma, Rio de Janeiro

plant in 2015 with a $15

million upgrade.

The investment co-incides

with the 60th anniversary of

the plant. The plant was not

just the company’s first

production line in Brazil, but

also its first production facility

outside of Germany.

As a way of celebrating the

anniversary and to increase

productivity, further

modernisation of the plant is

planned for 2015, with a

budget of R$15 million. More

than R$100 million has been

invested in the plant over the

past 10 years. The

refurbishment will enhance

product quality.

Today, some 180

employees work at the plant,

which covers an area of

23,000m2.

Since 1999, it has focused

its growth strategy on making

neutral glass tubes,

specifically for the

pharmaceutical industry, and

its products are now familiar

as packaging for medicines

and vaccines.

Previously, Schott

Vitrofarma produced material

for fluorescent and

incandescent bulbs and glass

items for laboratories.

Gimav appoints Deputy DirectorLaura Biason has beenconfirmed as Deputy Directorfor Gimav, the ItalianManufacturers’ Associationof Machinery, Accessoriesand Special Products for Glass

Processing.Laura Biason will promote

member companies, workingalongside Gimav DirectorRenata Gaffo.

Her task will be to attend

international glass meetings,interact with the main Italianand overseas institutes, andstrengthen initiatives aimedat increasing the association’sprestige.

Ramsey’s tool is a knock out

The Ramsey RKO tool isused to connect anddisconnect conveyingchains.

The process can beparticularly tedious andtime consuming with wearprotected chains likeRamsey Allguard FX andLifeguard, where pin headsare recessed below chainlink surfaces.

The RKO tool, or ‘Ramsey

Knock Out’ tool, is designedto quickly and easily removepins wherever a chain mustbe disconnected.

The same tool can be usedto simply install chainconnecting pins whereverchain sections are to be

Turkey’s Gürallar orders HornGlass end-fired furnaceTurkish table glassmanufacturer Gürallar hasplaced an order with HornGlass for an end-firedfurnace.

The 300tpd furnace withthree forehearth lines forcontainer glass production is

for Gürallar’s new company,Gürallar Cam Ambalaj, basedon a 300,000m2 site inKütaya.

The Gürallar Groupdecided to form the newcompany earlier in the yearto produce container glass.

The group, established in1948, has also changed theArtcraft brand to LAV, whichit said reflected the youngand dynamic spirit of thegroup. It said it had renewedits identity to become aglobal brand.

joined. The RKO tool alsomaintains chain link andspacer alignment duringchain connection.

RKO knockout tools areequipped with modularguide plates that allow thetool to be adapted to almostany Ramsey Allguard FX orLifeguard chain.

Just specify which type ofchain you are using and theRKO tool will be deliveredalready setup to fit yourchain. Alternatively, youcan order the modularguide plates individually,and configure the tool forany chains that you wish.

E-Glass Installations up to 3,500kW in oxy-fired furnaces for extra tonnage and improvingglass quality to eliminate strand breakages.

Container Glass Various installations inflint and coloured glasses, up to 2,500kW forincreased output and quality.

Float Glass Boosting installations fromsingle zone 1,000kW designs to 3 zone 6,000kWinstallations, for increasing clear output, maintainingoutput on tinted glass, energy substitution andreducing emissions. Multiple bubbler installations.

Display Glass Numerous installations ofup to 1000kW installed power for TFT/LCD glassesusing tin oxide electrode blocks to achieveexceptional glass quality.

Electric Furnaces Developing newfurnace designs for most glass types, includingopal. Complete technical back-up for melting qualityimprovement from raw materials though toforehearth, including all operational problems.Trouble shooting service on all types of existingfurnace designs.

The World,s Number One

in Furnace TechnologyTel +44 (0) 1736 366 962Fax +44 (0) 1736 351 198Email [email protected]

www.fic-uk.comFIC (UK) LimitedLong Rock Industrial Estate, Penzance Cornwall TR20 8HX, United Kingdom

Tomorrow,s Technology Today

The World’s leading glass companies come toFIC with their Electric Boost/Heating projects

Tableware producers in Italyand Brazil are among thelatest glassmakers to benefitfrom the automatedinspection solutionsdelivered by Iris InspectionMachines.

It is now two years sincethe Bron-based specialistdeveloped the necessaryknow-how for the inspectionof drinking glasses, refiningits container inspectiontechnology to meet thedemands of the internationaltableware sector.

Today, Iris Evolution 12and Evolution 5 machines aresuccessfully operating atseveral internationalfactories, including those ofItaly’s Vetreria di Borgonovoand Nadir Figueiredo ofBrazil.

Piacenza-based Vetreria diBorgonova produces 500different pressed and blownglassware designs, whileNadir Figueiredo has beenthe reference point for

quality glass tablewareproduction in Brazil for morethan 100 years, operatingfrom new productionfacilities in Sao Paulo.

Thanks to the flexibilityand universal hardware ofEvolution 12 and Evolution 5machines, intelligentsoftware allows users toinspect surface and geometricdefects in hollow glassware.

The combination of 12cameras and sophisticatedinspection tools andalgorithms permits theinspection of numerousdefects, including breaks,broken edges, scratches,bubbles, stones, tears andchipped cups.

In addition, the technologyplays an importantdimensional inspection role,

controlling verticality,planeity and diameters.

An important advantagefor tableware manufacturersis that Evolution 12machines can be used toinspect different articles onthe conveyor simultaneously,thanks to the equipment’sintelligent softwarerecognising and identifyingthe different items.

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International tableware producerschoose French inspection group

Recycling company credits successto Teesside UniversityA UK recycling company hascredited its success to itspartnership with TeessideUniversity.

WRL Glass Media, inMiddlesbrough, UK takesunwanted glass and thenprocesses it into granulatedform for applications such aswater filtration and shotblasting.

Since it was taken over byparent firm Ward Recyclingin 2012, the business hasseen its sales steadily increaseand its sales in foreignmarkets were recentlyrecognised with the NewExporter prize at the NorthEast Process Industry Cluster(Nepic) annual dinner.

The company has recentlyopened a new office inPrague to service the CzechRepublic and has exported toFrance, Germany, Portugal,

Spain, Belgium, TheNetherlands, Greece, Cyprus,Israel, Italy, Iceland,Denmark and Ireland.

It has credited a lot of thissuccess to its ongoing workwith Teesside University.

Ward Recycling decided totake over WRL Glass Mediawhen its previous owners,who were in partnership withWard Recycling, went intoadministration.

The glass recycling marketwas new to Ward Recyclingand so the firm turned toTeesside University for helpto get the PAS102accreditation whichreclassifies waste to asecondary product.

Manager Gareth Godwinsaid: “When our partnerwent into administration, wewere left with a choice toeither cut our losses or to take

on the glass recycling plantand remain in the industryand learn about how wecould reconfigure thebusiness.

“That was when wecontacted Teesside Universitywho supplied us with all theinformation we needed to doto get the PAS102accreditation.”

Once that accreditationwas achieved, WRL GlassMedia was helped to obtain aRegulation 31 certificatewhich allows the granulatedglass to be used for filtrationfor human consumption –one of only two companies inthe UK to achieve thatstandard.

The University has alsoworked with the company onother projects including acorporate video for thecompany website.

Vitro awardMexican containermanufacturer Vitro won aWorld PackagingOrganization prize during theWorldstar Awards 2014.

Its glass container for TruePassion by Mary Kay waspresented with the WorldPackaging Organisation’s(WPO) prize for Health andBeauty. The event was held inDüsseldorf, Germany andacknowledges the containers’industry.

Shlomo Frymerman,Director of Vitro’s Perfumeand Pharmaceutical Business,said: “True Passion 60ml. wasawarded from a total of 316containers presented bycompanies during 2013.”

True Passion is the firstfragrance that Mary Kay hasdesigned exclusively for theLatin-American market. Thered glass container wasinspired by the region’s flora,specifically the PassionFlower of Brazil.

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Ahead of the unveiling of itsnew Ready-to-Fill syringeproduction line,pharmaceutical manufacturerGerresheimer invited GlassInternational to its Bünde,Germany site where its seniorstaff chatted about the plant’sexciting new operations. Greg Morris reports.

They may look small and simple but syringesplay a vital role in the well being ofthousands of people everyday. The rise of

‘Western’ diseases such as diabetes or high bloodpressure has seen increased demand forinjections. To ensure syringes are safe to use bythe public, a glassmaker has to meet plenty ofregulatory and safety requirements, includingISO certification and regular audit checks. Allcomponents inside the syringe must workproperly. If there is even a microscratch on theglass ‘barrel’, a glass plant could be closed.Syringes come into direct contact with themedication so utmost care must be taken tomanufacture them. The syringe has to beperfectly clean because even the tiniestcontamination could alter the medication.

Gerresheimer’s Bünde plant in theOstwestfalen-Lippe region Germany specialises inReady To Fill (RTF) syringes. RTF meansGerresheimer takes responsibility for the washing,siliconising, pre-assembling with cap andsterilising of the syringe. A customer, usually apharma company, still has the option ofbuying unwashed and unsteralisedsyringes from the Bünde plant, known asbulk syringes, but there is a move todaytowards the RTF process.

Carlo Reato, Gerresheimer’s VicePresident Global Syringe Systems,said: “Every single syringe is apatient. They help extend a life,make a life easier or even save a life.Each syringe could be you, me, achild or a brother.

“We have to make sure thatwhat we deliver is 100% andthat is the biggest challenge.We have quality control toensure a faulty syringe doesnot go out onto themarket. continued »

The syringe: Small butsophisticated

“Every single syringe is a

patient. They help extend a life,

make a life easier or even save a

life. Each syringe could be you,

me, a child or a brother..”Carlo Reato, Gerresheimer’s Vice

President, Global Syringe Systems



Company profile: Gerresheimer

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� Visual inspection after assembly.

11

“When syringes are manufactured, each one isinspected several times – by cameras, sensorscomputers and the human eye. Our employeeshave responsibility for ensuring no patient suffersharm as a result of defective syringes.”

A syringe has to work in any climate, in anypart of the world and in a number of years time.Some syringes may not be used for three to fiveyears after they are made, so quality control is all-important. The plant operates 24 hours a day,seven days a week and quality control has toremain constant, whether it be a summer holiday,Christmas or a weekend.

Three-stage processPut simplistically, there is a three-stage process tomaking a glass syringe: Syringe glass barrelproduction, needle assembly inside a clean roomand then the RTF processing inside a clean room.

The Bünde site receives 1.4 metre length glasstubes from its sites in Vineland, NJ, USA and Pisa,Italy, which are then cut to length.

All Gerresheimer’s syringes are made of Type 1borosilicate glass. All glass supplied from itsVineland and Pisa sites has to be scratch free andbe of the correct dimension and size.

Once the barrel is produced a needle is inserted,which has to be glued precisely. The needlecannot be bent and there cannot be a holeotherwise the medication may spill out betweenthe needle and the glass. It also has to be perfectlyglued to ensure that, when injected, the needledoes not stay in the skin when the patient pullsthe syringe back out.

The RTF final process clean room is similar to apharma environment. Syringes are washed andsiliconised, and testing takes place with camerasto make sure settings are correct and rubbercomponents within the syringe have beenprepared precisely. Each barrel and cannula issiliconised to ensure the plunger works.

continued »

� The Bünde site.

As demand increases on healthcare providers worldwide it has become

common for patients to inject drugs at home. Administering drugs for

problems such as diabetes, rheumatism or multiple sclerosis at medical

centres puts a strain on budgets. Pre-filled syringes which administer

drugs through an autoinjector device are becoming more important.

Autoinjectors help prevent needle injury. They are usually made of

plastic and integrate the glass syringe within them. However the force

of the plunger when administering a drug can cause the glass to break.

In the past this has led to product recalls. In response Gerresheimer has

developed its Gx G-Fix standard adapter, which it says reduces the risk

of glass breakage and permits the precise and reliable positioning of

the syringe.

Autoinjectors

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When they are made, each syringe goes into a‘nest’ of either 100 or 160 other syringes. Thenests are then boxed, palletised and sent to acustomer, usually a pharmaceutical company. Ifthe customer finds just one syringe out of specthey can order an entire batch of 1 millionsyringes to be destroyed. They can also ask forproduction at the plant to be halted.

RTF 4Line RTF 1 started production in 2002 at Bundeand in the intervening years the company addedlines two and three. Line RTF 4 is due to startproduction in Q3 of this year with a number ofvalidation tests currently taking place on the lineto ensure it meets regulatory standards.

By the time RFT line 4 is up and running thesite will have the capacity to manufacture 400million RTF syringes a year. Mr Reato stated thateach introduction of a new line has seen animprovement over the years in terms of speedand flexibility as well as more cameras to ensureneedles are straight, capping is perfect and eachlength is precise.

Other improvements include the avoidance ofglass-glass and glass-metal contact through theuse of pick and place robots and segmenttransport systems. There is no glass-to-glass orglass-metal contact for fear of causingmicrocracks or scratches. Anything out of spec isthrown out and destroyed.

“If we don’t destroy it the customer may findout, and that is much more expensive,” stated MrReato.

Why glass?“Glass will stay the main material for syringeuse,” stated Claudia Petersen, Gerresheimer’sGlobal Director Marketing and Development,Tubular Glass Syringes. “It is a well-knownmaterial and is the gold standard for primarypackaging of injectables.”

“Glass is inert – it is less reactive and has better

barrier properties than most plastics – glass isimpermeable to gases such as water vapour oroxygen.

“Medications in glass syringes are suitable forlong-term storage over several years, meaning themedication is in contact with the glass forlonger.” The advantage of glass syringes is there isno need for the laborious step of taking themedication from a bottle prior to application.

In addition, glass has been used for hundreds ofyears to store drugs so is well known and peoplehave plenty of experience in handling it. From apharmaceutical side, an advantage is it istransparent and so key for visual inspection forany discolouration of liquids. Its inertness isuseful as well. Many drugs have a PH7 sotherefore do not interact with the glass.

Gerresheimer and BündeGerresheimer is a German manufacturer ofpharmaceutical and healthcare glass withoperations in Europe, North America, SouthAmerica and Asia. It has 40 plants and revenue in2013 of €1.3 billion. Its 11,000 employees arespread out in countries including Mexico, China,India and Italy. It specialises in primarypackaging and drug delivery devices for thepharma industry.

Its Bünde plant employs 800 people and wasfounded in 1947 as Bunder Glass by theHennings and Zimmermann families. It wastaken over by Gerresheimer in 1987. Since then ithas developed the site into a specialist for RTFsyringes, which are marketed under its Gx RTF(Gerresheimer Ready to Fill) brand name.

The site is Gerresheimer’s competence centrefor RTF glass syringes, which are used forapplications such as the long-term storage ofpharmaceuticals such as vaccines. �

Gerresheimer, Düsseldorf, Germanywww.gerresheimer.com

� The wall thickness of a glass syringe is around 1mm

� Their diameter varies between 4 and 9mm, depending on

their shape.

� Vaccines and other medications are filled into glass syringes

because glass is inert – perfect for long-term

storage of medications.

� Needles are 2cm long but not all of it is visible

� Needles have an internal diameter of 0.2 to 0.3mm and an

external diameter of 0.3 to 0.5mm.

� The outside of a needle is siliconised so it hurts less when in

contact with skin.

� Substances injected from a glass syringe include anti-

thrombosis medicines, vaccines, medicines for multiple

sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Fast facts

� RTF assembly.

www.bucheremhartglass.com

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14

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Glass profile: Ludovic ValetteLudovic Valette, Global VicePresident, Research andDevelopment, Owens-Illinois(O-I) was appointed inSeptember 2013 and joinedjust as construction of thecompany’s Innovation Centerwas completed.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourpersonal history and your industryexperience? Have you worked in the glassindustry before?I joined O-I in August 2013. Prior to that, I servedas the research and development director of theglobal Epoxy business for The Dow ChemicalCompany. For more than 13 years, I had theopportunity to work on three continents andoversee multi-cultural teams across Europe, NorthAmerica, Latin America, Asia Pacific and India.

While I have not worked in the glass industry,the chemical industry is similar in many respects.Both are usually a couple of steps upstream fromconsumers in the product value chain. Manyareas of innovation rely on the ability to partnerwith brand owners and to develop solutions witha strong value proposition for both them andconsumers. Continuously upgrading ourproduction capabilities and assets is also critical,both industries being capital intensive.

What does your new role at O-I entail? One of O-I’s strategies is to increase itscompetitive advantage in the glass containerbusiness by investing in innovation and R&D. Iam responsible for leading O-I’s research anddevelopment activities to create new technologyconcepts focused on glass science and processinnovation that will guide O-I, and glassmanufacturing, into the future. To achieve this, Iam working to help grow the expertise of the

R&D team and position us as a strong partneracross O-I’s multi-disciplinary organization, forexample products innovation andmanufacturing.

How is O-I’s Research and Developmentteam structured? Is it just based in NorthAmerica or are there centres globally too?The majority of our R&D activities take place atour Perrysburg, Ohio headquarters in NorthAmerica. We collaborate closely with ourcolleagues in other regions who have expertise inmanufacturing, technology and customerinsights that feeds our R&D work. To effectivelyreach out to 77 facilities in 21 countries, we relyon our network and communication “hubs” suchas regional engineering, manufacturing, andbusiness teams. Once these 2-waycommunication channels are established, weconduct “voice of the customer” surveys toidentify unmet needs and pain points. Thesesurveys also help us prioritise sites where newtechnologies should be implemented. Moreoverwe are developing tighter collaborations withacademia, industrial partners, and customers.

You joined O-I just as construction of itsInnovation Center was nearingcompletion. You must be very excited bythis. What has the opening of this centremeant for both O-I and the industry as awhole? I am happy to share that we officially startedproduction in the Innovation Center inSeptember 2013. The team did a phenomenal jobof safely completing this unique facility at ourPerrysburg, Ohio headquarters in only eightmonths. The facility is instrumental to advancingbreakthrough innovations in glassmaking. Itincludes a combination of state-of-the-art,conventional, and new-to-the-world technologiesto further advance our competitive position. Itallows us to pilot and validate novel concepts andtechnologies; to sample new containers toaccelerate product development; and to train ourworkforce on new processes and technologies.

Will there be any areas that the centrewill focus on in particular, such asimproving energy efficiency and reducingemission from the glassmaking process?O-I is committed to reducing our energy use andemissions, and increasing recycled content acrossour global footprint. The Innovation Centerprovides an iterative learning environment tobuild upon our sustainability efforts.

continued »

“We believe that

each challenge

represents an

opportunity for

glass to maintain

or regain its

leadership position

against alternative

materials in the

food and

beverages

packaging

industry.”

�Ludovic Valette, Global

Vice President, Research

and Development.

15


Glass profile: Owens-Illinois R&D

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In particular, much of our research is focusedon ways to make glass using less energy andminimising emissions which includes enhancingour manufacturing processes and developingnew technologies to melt glass and formcontainers.

From your experience working in otherindustries is there any advice you can givethe glass industry to improve its position?Very similar to what happened for other so-calledmature industries, the time is ripe for the glassindustry to initiate a new maturity cycle. Glassshould not be considered an old material, but asa material with a long history. Consider a parallelwith the recent discoveries in steel, engineeredwood, or polyolefins. We are working on the nextgeneration of glass processes and disruptivematerial properties. We combine knowledgedeveloped in our own portfolio, in adjacentfields, and in totally different application areas.We keep expanding the capabilities of glass whilebuilding on its inherent values described by theGlass Is Life™ movement.

In your view, what are the current glassindustry challenges and opportunities? We believe that each challenge represents anopportunity for glass to maintain or regain itsleadership position against alternative materials

in the food and beverages packaging industry.The glass industry faces challenges related tolarge capital investment and energy intensity.Consequently the existing assets footprint doesnot perfectly match the market needs. Thebreakthrough technologies in glass processingand glass forming will break this paradigm tobetter aligned with the current requirements ofour customers, and to be more responsive to theiremerging needs. We must also constantlyupgrade the skill set of our workforce astechnology evolves.

Can you tell us of any plans for the futureof R&D at O-I?R&D is the change factor that the industry needsto re-establish glass as the packaging material ofchoice for food and beverage containers, andhighlight the benefits of glass for the modernworld. O-I’s R&D roadmap was designed withthese outcomes in mind. The advances in glassscience and the breakthrough technologies toprocess and form glass that are being developedand validated in our computer models, in ourlaboratories, and in our Innovation Center will bethe keystone of the glass container industry in adecade or two. �

Owens-Illinois (O-I), Perrysburg, Ohiowww.o-i.com

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Returnable beer bottles schemeboosts sustainability drive

SABMiller’s Stedrick Saayman* explains how the company is committed tosustainability activities throughout its supply chain, production processes and theway in which it adds value to local communities. Returnable beer bottles have amuch lower carbon footprint than glass used only once, and help reduce cost for

consumers.

Most companies today arelooking to strengthen theirsupply chain sustainability

initiatives. Many fast Moving ConsumerGoods (FMCG) companies, includingSABMiller, have publically declaredwater and energy reduction targets.

Around the world, many industry-specific collaboration structures havebeen established to measure and reportkey sustainability indicators such asenergy usage, waste recovery rates,resource efficiencies and carbonemissions.

These efforts generally drive broadimprovement towards bettertransparency, sustainability andaccountability. The idea of a ‘circulareconomy’ is increasingly gainingground, and the beer industry is wellpositioned in this regard.

Depending on the supply chainmakeup and the type of container used,packaging accounts for as much as 35%of a beverage product’s carbon footprint,mostly owing to the primary packaging.

A portion of beverage containers andother packaging waste invariably entersmunicipal waste streams and becomeslandfill, although these packagingchallenges are not limited to beverages.

Product developers are thereforeturning to sustainable packaging designto find novel opportunities within thecomplete product lifecycle. In manyways, sustainable design effortschallenge the single-use paradigm intoday’s age of convenience and ease ofdisposal.

In the beer industry, reusable bottlesand kegs are excellent examples ofsustainable multi-use packaging

solutions that have been in use fordecades. Returnable glass bottles inparticular play a commendable part insustainable beer supply chains and nowmore than ever provide tangiblepackaging opportunities in relation topackaging design, manufacturingtechnologies, sustainability initiativesand regulatory environments.

Global ScaleThe many environmental benefits ofreturnable bottles have arguably notreceived enough recognition in thebeverage industry. Beer is the onlycategory where returnable bottlescurrently dominate.

About half of all beer brewed globallyis sold in returnable glass bottles. In2010 in Europe, 24.5% of all beer soldwas in returnable glass bottles. Theproportion of beer sales in returnablebottles differs by market, even in thesame region. In Western Europe, forexample, 62% of sales in theNetherlands are in returnable bottles,while in the UK it is close to zero.

SABMiller has more than 3.5 billion

returnable bottles in circulation. That number is equivalent to half of

the world’s population and, if stackedside-by-side, would wrap around theearth six times.

It operates large returnable bottlefleets across Africa, Asia and LatinAmerica and within its business inEurope it has about 700 millionreturnable glass bottles in circulation.

Sustainability remains a key driver offuture directions in the glass industryand beer industry in terms of achievingwater, energy and emissions reductiontargets, and to reduce reliance on virginresources.

The beer category accounts for 74%unit volume share of glass packaging,and as such strategic packaging choiceswill shape both these industries.

Apart from reusable kegs for on-tapdispense, returnable beer bottles havethe lowest carbon footprint whencompared to other packaging optionsand deserve a closer look.

continued »

� Assuring the quality of out-going returnable

bottles in Cervecería Bavaria, Colombia

EME Maschinenfabrik Clasen GmbH • E - M a i l : c o n t a c t @ e m e . d e • w e b s i t e : w w w. e m e . d e

NEW GENERATION OF BATCH CHARGER INTRODUCED

The new EME-NEND® generation features chargers with one, two or three screws. Small melting furnaces can now enjoy all benefi ts of the world´s best charging technology. In addition the charging performance and lifetime was increased again.

• Completely sealed Doghouse

• No uncontrolled entry of false air into the furnace

• Reduction of NOx emissions and of energy consumption

• Considerably less dust formation due to the transport by means of screw conveyors

• Optimal batch distribution in the glass melting

• Quick and easy exchange of the screws

• Even huge melting furnaces can be operated with one charger and a single doghouse

LESS EMISSION. BETTER PERFORMANCE.THE EME-NEND® BATCH CHARGER.

18


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Reduce, reuse and recycleGlass bottles offer excellentopportunities to ‘reduce, reuse andrecycle’, which has long been theacknowledged hierarchy for minimisingpackaging waste.

To reduce resource consumption andensure sustainable continuity of glasspackaging, a detailed understanding atcountry level of trends and consumerchoices, the needs of all stakeholdersalong the value chain, and thesustainability considerations that applyto the entire packaging life-cycle isrequired.

The glass industry has collectivelydone a lot to educate consumers andinfluence purchase decisions in favourof glass packaging, and has achievedtremendous improvements in glassrecycling in some territories.

Noticeably, Europe has steadilyincreased the average glass recycling rateto recently surpass the 70% level.

Glass recycling makes good sensebecause less virgin materials and energyare required, based on a closed-looppackaging cycle. Returnable bottles arealso recyclable at the end of their usefullife, either as post-consumer cullet orthrough being discarded in the breweryrefilling process.

When compared to post-consumerrecycled cullet, the circular refillingarrangement improves the quality ofcullet fed back into the glass producer’smelting process.

Recycling alone will not be enough tosecure a sustainable future. Ultimately,the planet benefits when glasscontainers are designed that can beefficiently produced, reused andrecycled in a closed loop system.

This further decouples resourcedemand and direct environmentalimpacts from consumption forimproved resource efficiency.

Reusable bottles are heavier fordurability, but through meticulous glassbottle design processes we are able toscientifically optimise the design weightof bottles.

When one considers this process ofreducing the amount of glass required toproduce a bottle, returnable bottles scoreextremely well on environmentalassessments scales for its opportunitiesto ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’.

Beyond the refillable bottle itself, thesecondary bulk packaging such as cratesin this supply chain are also reusable.

Resource efficiencyWhile many sustainable designinitiatives come at a cost to the endconsumer, refillable beer bottles do not.

This unpretentious and well-testedpackage has the green credentials ofbeing reusable and recyclable and, at thesame time, offers consumers a lowerprice due to a number of inherent

efficiencies in the supply chain. The repeated use of the bottle has an

obvious lower cost per serving effect,decoupled from virgin resource demand.

Empty bottles returned for cleaningand refilling through existinginfrastructure and distribution channelsprovide further reverse logisticssynergies as return transport legs areefficiently utilised.

In most markets, returnable bottlestend to be larger. These larger packagingformats intended for pouring andsharing fits well with the jovial nature ofbeer and social drinking occasions andimproves the affordability per serving.

Breweries are able to reliably andefficiently refill glass bottles thanks tothe technology advances in bottlewashing, inspection and filling and well-established operating practices.

Bottle coating chemistries forreturnable bottles have also evolved to

reduce scuffing. SABMiller is working internally and

with partners in industry to reduce theamount of water and energy used in thecleaning and refilling process.

Looking aheadIndustries survive when they are able tosustainably meet particular consumerneeds at an affordable price.

As users and producers of glass bottlesand policy makers, we should promoteand preserve industry models whichmake environmental sense. SABMiller iscommitted to actively pursuingsustainability ambitions in collaborationwith our suppliers, peers, partners,governments and rule makers.

The benefits of glass packaging areconsiderable. It is inert, transparent, andinfinitely recyclable and it offers greatdesign flexibility. It is also reusable. Therole that refillable beer bottles playwithin broader lifecycle analysis andindustry analysis should not be ignoredas this is one opportunity to improveenergy efficiency and minimisepackaging’s effect on the environment.

In most of the world there are noregulated post-consumer recyclingmandates, yet efficient circulareconomies exist through returnable beerbottle systems globally.

Legislation and other incentives infavour of recycling have a positive anddirect impact on environmentalsustainability, but should not detractfrom earth-friendly reuse practices.

Media forecasts generally predict theglobal share of beer sold in returnablebottles to remain flat, based on a slightexpected increase in emerging marketsand offset by an annual decline ofaround 1% in Europe.

Before disposable alternatives becamepart of our busy lives it was the norm torefill pens with ink and to return milkbottles and soft-drink bottles to thestore. Beer is sold in a variety of packagesto be enjoyed at various consumptionoccasions. Returnable beer bottles aresustainable efficient stalwarts of theindustry.

Through industry collaboration,strategic partnerships, consumereducation and other initiatives, we canpreserve a tradition which serves acommon purpose in both reducing ourimpact on the planet and bolsteringsustainability efforts. �

*Stedrick Saayman, Head of TechnicalProcurement – Packaging, SABMiller

� Pallets of returnable bottles in South African Breweries.

19Glass International June 2014

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The team Glass Technology Services

Global demand for our knowledge in glasscontinues to grow and has led tocontinued expansion at GTS across our

product testing, consultancy, innovation,research and development and chemical analysisservices for the glass supply chain.

Making extensions of scope to our technicalUKAS accreditations and undertaking majorinvestment in new plant equipment, people andtraining, our testing remit has been extended toinclude various methods of ICP-OES (inductivelycoupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy)and FTIR (fourier transform infrared spectroscopy).

GTS is also now a Notified Body for glassconstruction products under the ConstructionProducts Regulation, following recommendationto the EU by the UK government.

PartnershipThrough funding a Knowledge TransferPartnership (KTP) with the University of Leeds,we’re also further developing our high qualityglass melting infrastructure, expanding the rangeof glasses we can supply to the photonicsindustry. Funding a separate part-time post-docsecondment from the University of Leeds isenabling us to support other researchdevelopments and grant funded projects withinthe organisation – particularly focusing onspecialist glasses for near infrared (NIR) and mid-infrared (MIR) applications. And when it comes toproduct innovation, we’re working in partnershipwith manufacturers and universities across Europe,developing new glass compositions, coatings andprocessing – in many cases helping to takeinnovations from concept through to productcommercialisation.

Project grantsGTS has been awarded nine project grants overthe past two years, having a value in excess of£1.6 million, with seven of those from the UK’sinnovation agency, the Technology StrategyBoard and two funded under the EU’s FP7framework and Marie Curie IAPP programme.

We’re keen to develop and participate in newprojects and partnerships. With a grantapplication success rate of more than 90%, we canoffer advice on the variety of funding sourcesavailable, from commercial organisations,government bodies and institutions and can assistin the writing of grant proposals.

GTS has an established reputation and globalnetwork of academic and commercial partnersacross many sectors and is in an ideal position tohelp pull together world-class consortia of expertsto help with any glass-related development.

International clients in many markets –including architectural, automotive, food anddrink, pharmaceutical, technical, defence,photonics and biomedical – enable us to work onexciting, world-class developments,demonstrating the incredible strength andversatility of glass and to continually push theboundaries of what can be achieved.

A number of our current projects are includedbelow and the first of these demonstrates howtechnology developments made in specialist areasare helping us bring new technologies,developments and transfer knowledge into themainstream glass industry.

continued »

British Glass

Technology leader at the forefront ofglass research

Robert Ireson* of Glass Technology Services (GTS) outlines some of the groundbreaking projects the organisation is involved in, in partnership with industry and academia.

“GTS has been

awarded nine

project grants over

the past two years,

having a value in

excess of

£1.6 million.”


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Cutting edge GTS, with support from the University of Leeds,is involved in two new projects which aredeveloping high speed laser processingtechniques for the cutting and shaping of flatglass. If successful the technology will provide afast, cost effective route to cutting challengingglass substrates. The technologies underdevelopment will also look to customise opticalproperties of glass components at the same time.

Using our new laser facility, the project willinvestigate non-contact laser processing and lookto demonstrate the technology as both feasibleand a step-change in processing – enabling high-speed, low-cost, cutting, shaping and engraving.

If successful, this technology could translatefrom the flat glass industry into other sectors –such as tableware, optical components andspecialist processing.

Joint treatmentsWe’re working with an international consortiumof academic and business partners to create a newgeneration of joint and bone treatments, usingspecialised bioceramic polymer composites,which minimise invasive surgery and improvepatient recovery, addressing needs such asosteoarthritis, vertebral and maxillofacial bonefractures.

The Restoration project demonstrates thebenefits of glass in the treatment of degenerativejoint disease and broken bones.

Bioceramic polymer composites can conform toa patient’s anatomy, protect and support thefractured bone and resorb non-toxically within 24months of placement.

New injectable composites are also stimulatingbone regeneration and delivering specific drugs tothe target site. In the treatment of osteoarthritis,bioceramic composite plugs are being developed,which minimise invasive surgery and could delayor completely remove the need for a total jointreplacement. GTS is working in partnership on theproject, with the University of Newcastle uponTyne, Sagetis Biotech, Bionica Tech, Orla ProteinTechnologies, Karolinska Institutet,Acondicionamiento Tarrasense Associacion,Universidade de Eura, Institut Quimic de Sarria,Fondazione del Piemonte per l’Oncologia and JRIOrthopaedics. (http://restoration-project.eu)

Laser technology In another project, led by Thales UK’s Optronicsbusiness in Glasgow, UK, we’re providingphotonics and material science expertise todevelop and demonstrate a compact, low costand eye-safe laser-illuminated imaging sensor,capable of long-range operation.

Light-MiLES (Miniature Laser-illuminated Eye-safe Sensors) will see the development of

customised, ultra-high quality glass materials foruse within the laser cavity of the sensor, which willenable reduction in the energy requirement andweight of the final product while offeringimprovements in device performance.

The ‘eye-safe’ laser technology has far reachingapplications, especially where human exposure isunavoidable – and could include applications suchas optical communications, medical diagnosticuse, remote sensing (LIDAR), range finding andtargeting across defence, medical, construction,domestic and commercial markets.

Other partners in the specialist consortiuminclude Gooch & Housego Ltd and the Universityof Leeds.

Bone trauma Our specialists are leading a project in which wehave developed a working prototype fibredrawing production facility to pave the way forindustrial manufacture of bioresorbablephosphate glass fibre glass tows.

These are specialist fibres which can be used fora multitude of biomedical applications, includingthe treatment of serious bone trauma.

The production facility aims to producebioactive phosphate-based glass fibres in a formthat can be used to produce fabrics and reinforcedplastics allowing clinical uses.

The materials produced from the glass fibresstimulate cell growth and are gradually replaced bycells such as bone or skin due to the unique abilityof the material to dissolve in body fluid in acontrolled manner. Other partners in the projectinclude The University of Nottingham, ControlsInterface Ltd, Invensys-Eurotherm and P-DInterglas Technologies.

Revolutionising orthopaedic surgery In partnership with specialists in ultra-fast lasers,materials and orthopaedic implants, we’redeveloping a new technology which will allowsurgeons to customise joint replacements duringsurgery, when there is bone loss due to bonecancer, dissatisfactory implants or othersituations where bone loss cannot be quantifiedprior to operating.

The FASTIC (Femtosecond-pulsed-laserAugment/bioglass Sintering Technique for ImplantCustomisation) project is set to revolutionise jointreplacement surgery thanks to the development ofnew lasers and orthopaedic biomaterials.

The bench-top laser systems will be usedalongside newly-developed orthopaedic bioactiveglass materials, which surgeons will be able tosinter together without raising the temperature ofsurrounding bone or tissue.

� Light MiLES.

� The FASTIC.

� Phosphate Fibres.

� 3D-BioGLAM.

continued »


British Glass

The technology has the potential to revolutionise complexjoint replacement surgery and to be applied in other fields thatrequire rapid manufacture on heat sensitive substrates.

Our partners in the project include project leaders JRIOrthopaedics Ltd as well as M Squared Lasers Ltd, the Universityof Leeds and the University of St Andrews.

In a separate project, also led by JRI, GTS is working to developa novel additive manufacturing technique which will utiliseselective laser sintering of bioactive glass materials to createcustomised three dimensional structures for use in biomedicalimplants. The project is also looking to translate the technologyfor use in other applications, including sensors for use in thephotovoltaic industry. Other partners in the project include theManufacturing Technology Centre Catapult, 3T RPD Ltd.,Sheffield University based Mercury Centre and Delta T DeviceLTd.

Knowledge transfer While many of the above projects are associated with specialistglass applications we are particularly excited about a numberof processing technologies from these areas that we can seepotential for in the mainstream glass industry. We also have anumber of commercially funded projects running closer tomarket in the mainstream industry which unfortunately wecan’t discuss due to commercial confidentiality.

Our specialist teams are delighted to be part of these andother, groundbreaking projects. Exploiting technologies inmaterial science, advanced materials and photonics, enables theglass industry to be at the forefront of innovation and todemonstrate the true worth of glass in many applications.

See our portfolio of disclosable projects and studies online atwww.glass-ts.com/projects or sign-up to our newsletter forregular updates on projects, news and other developments.

If you have a product idea, require a novel glass solution, orhave research in mind why not contact us to discuss your ideas.Our specialist knowledge in glass, combined with experienceand expertise in EU funding opportunities, mean that we canassess a variety of project funding, delivery and exploitationoptions.

GTS works across the glass supply industry both in the UK andinternationally, providing analysis, consultancy, testing andresearch and development support across the glass, food anddrink, architecture and construction, retail, medical,pharmaceutical, defence and biotech sectors. �

*GTS Innovation Team Leader, website www.glass-ts.comEmail [email protected].

“GTS works across the glass supply industry both in

the UK and internationally.”


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Prof. John ParkerTurner Museum of Glass and ICG

Last month we considered the historyof mirrors. Both steadyimprovement and step changes in

technology led finally to cheap mirrors,with seismic consequences.

By the 19th century the population atlarge could view their own image. Theyno longer had to rely on someone else’sdescription. This stimulated the industriesof cosmetics, fashion and design. Inarchitecture, mirrors brought light to darkcorners and enlarged rooms. Nowpartially reflective external glazing inoffice blocks helps to control solar gain.Dentists and mechanics use mirrors torepair our cavities and our cars.

The military have also appreciated thepossibilities. Simple periscopes were usedas early as ‘the 30 years war’ for spying(1618-1648), while submarines use highlysophisticated systems to navigate unseen.Another early application of mirrors stillused by schoolboys today was the codingand decoding of messages. Leonardo daVinci was a keen exponent of mirrorwriting but perhaps because of his left-handedness – it avoids smudging wetink – rather than a desire for secrecy.

Good quality mirrors led Greek andlater Arab philosophers to investigate themathematics of reflection. Of course theyworked with metal mirrors as did Newtonwhen making reflecting telescopes.Apocryphal stories abound of Greeks,inspired by Archimedes, using shorebased mirrors to ignite the wooden boatsof approaching Roman enemies but thesehave been discounted e.g. in a recent TVdocumentary that attempted to duplicatethe experiment. Such stories may havetheir origins in the dazzling of potentialattackers so they were unable to navigate.

Now glass underpins the developmentof reflecting telescopes because the bestimage quality requires a surface figured toan unbelievably high accuracy. And theshape over several metres must notchange significantly with temperature.

Zero expansion glass ceramics have beencreated for this purpose. The EuropeanExtremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) projectwill use a 39m mirror, in segments whichare positioned dynamically by computer.Such mirrors are usually ‘silvered’ on thefront to avoid the distortions and heatingcaused when light travels through theglass. In reality silver is avoided because itoxidises. Typically aluminium isdeposited instead.

We normally link mirrors to the visiblewavelengths in the spectrum and silver isvalued for its high and constantreflectivity throughout this range. Goldthough is a particularly efficient IRreflector, while aluminium is ideal for theUV. Car mirrors sometimes use the lessreflective chromium to avoid dazzling thedriver. Tailored multilayer coatings oftransparent materials can also generateexcellent reflectors at specificwavelengths.

Today the focusing of the sun’s energyusing mirrors is part of the drive for newenergy sources. Solar furnaces can achievetemperatures up to 4000°C, able to meltsteel, manufacture fuels using hightemperature chemistry, or createnanoparticles by sublimation. Indianscientists are considering their use forcremation, which otherwise requires 200-300kg of wood.

Two-way mirrorA one-way mirror (aka a two-way mirror)is an intriguing application, often at theheart of television crime dramas. It has apartially reflecting coating. Aninterviewee sees a mirror while the TVaudience watch, apparently through anormal window. In reality light travellingin either direction behaves the same, alimitation imposed by thermodynamics.Otherwise identical heat sources on eachside would be out of equilibrium; onewould heat up while the other cools bytransferring radiation unequally. The key

is the differing light levels on each side.On the brighter side the reflection is seenwhile on the darker side the transmittedimage dominates. Magicians also use thiseffect. An uncoated glass sheet slanted at45° to the audience will reflect 7% ofincident light. It shows the rear of thestage but can also reveal hidden objectsbehind the curtains, depending onlighting. This effect has the stage namePepper’s Ghost although the originalpatent was Dircks’. The firstdemonstration was on Christmas Eve,1862 at a performance of Dicken’s ‘TheHaunted Man’. Many theatregoers,including allegedly the physicist MichaelFaraday, puzzled over the effect, returningtime and again to uncover its secret.

A kaleidoscope uses three glass sheetsset at 60° to produce a triangular prism. Atthe far end a hollow transparent disccontains coloured chips. The objectsthemselves can be seen through theeyepiece but also an hexagonalarrangement of identical images createdby the high reflectivity of the glass to lightincident at glancing angles.

A mirror maze is a fairground noveltyconsisting of large partially reflectingsheets set to give a number of confusingimages for the victim attempting tonegotiate a safe path.

Fairgrounds also complete the circle ofdevelopment by using mirrors withprofiles that are far from flat to createcomically distorted images of any whodare to look. �

BibliographyWikipedia: John Henry Pepper, SolarFurnaces

*Prof Emeritus John Parker, Curator of theTurner Museum of Glass at SheffieldUniversity. Email j.m.parker@sheffield.ac.ukWebsitewww.tunermueseum.group.shef.ac.uk

It’s all done with mirrors

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omRussian overview

Chinese glass producers eyeRussian expansion

Eugene Gerden* reports that recent sanctions on Russia may have a detrimental impact on Western glass manufacturers

with sites in the country.

The Russian glass market is on theverge of big changes, due to aforthcoming expansion of

Chinese producers and the reduction ofactivities of western producers, causedby sanctions recently imposed on Russiaby the EU and the USA.

The deterioration of relations withwestern countries, as well as recentthreats of nationalisation to the assetsof western companies operating inRussia made by top Russian officials, hasled to the deterioration of the businessenvironment in the Russian glassmarket.

Many western manufacturers havenot ruled out the possibility of revisingtheir investment projects in Russia.

The situation may further deterioratefurther if a provocative law is adopted.The “Confiscation of property, assetsand accounts of European and UScompanies, operating in Russia” isunder discussion in the RussianParliament.

The design of the law is currentlyunderway and there is a possibility thatits adoption may take place inforthcoming weeks.

The adoption of the law is expected tobecome Russia’s response to the latestpackage of sanctions on the country.The sanctions were approved by the USCongress on Russia several weeks agoand are considered by some analysts asthe toughest since the Cold War.

It is difficult to say which foreignassets may be confiscated. Theoretically,the Russian government can seizeforeign company assets operating inRussia.

Another response to the imposedsanctions may be new duties on theimport of raw materials, supplied bywestern producers to their Russianplants.

Chinese expansionMeanwhile, there is a possibility that thedecline of investment by westernproducers in Russia may result in theexpansion of Chinese glass producerswithin Russia.

The Russian government has alreadypromised to create favorable conditionsfor Chinese investors doing business inRussia during the recent visit of Russia’spresident Vladimir Putin to China,where a number of bilateral contractswere signed.

As part of the visit, the Russiangovernment has already promised FuyaoGlass Industry Group, China’s flagshipglass producer, to provide assistance inits further expansion into the Russianauto glass market.

In September last year, the Chinesecompany announced the opening of aplant for the production of automotiveglass in the Kaluga region. The declaredvolume of investment reached USD$300million. The annual capacity of theplant is 1 million glass sets.

As part of the recent talks betweenRussia and China, the Russiangovernment has supported the idea oftripling the capacity of Fuyao’s plant upto 3 million tonnes and to establish afull-cycle of production.

The plant specialises in finishingoperations of production heat treatmentand bonding. At the same time glassitself is supplied from Fuyao’s Chinesefactories.

JapanThe increase of capacities and theestablishment of a full cycle ofproduction is expected to allow Fuyao tocompete with Asahi Glass, the currentmarket leader. It owns the domestic BorGlassworks and has 60% of the Russianautomotive glass market.

In the case of Asahi Glass, thedeterioration of relations between Japanand Russia may result in the suspensionof some of its projects in Russia, themost important of which involvesbuilding a glass plant in the Tomskregion, Siberia, construction of whichshould start this year.

According to the Russian Ministry ofIndustry and Commerce, which overseesthe project, the project might besuspended indefinitely.

According to Asahi’s initial plans, theplant should be commissioned by 2015with a capacity of 800-1000 tons per day.Investment in the project is €180million. Some of the funds are expectedto be invested in the development of alocal quartz sand plant.

The plant would specialise in theproduction of float-glass, while its majorsale markets would be Siberia and the FarEast. Some production would also besupplied to the Asian market.

Representatives of the companydeclined to comment.

At the same time, there is a chance theUkrainian crisis and sanctions againstRussia may also have a negative effect onGuardian Industries’ Russian business.Guardian is another western glass major,which has had success in Russia inrecent years.

Last year the company openedGuardian Glass Rostov, the company’s10th European plant and the largest inits history. The plant cost RUS8 billion(USD$240 million) with a capacity of900 tons per day.

According to the company’s initialplans, the site should be expanded in thenext few years, but these plans may berevised due to the recent events inUkraine. �

*Freelance reporter, Russia.

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Concepts for insulating wool (C-glass) forehearths

Jürgen Grössler* outlines how electric heated conditioningsystems have a number of technical advantages over gassystems, as demonstrated by Sorg’s STF/E forehearths.

Recently a number of publicationshave heralded several glasstechnology anniversaries.

Examples include the Owens BottleMachine 1904, the first IS-Machine 1924and the Emhart K-Type forehearth in1944. There is an anniversary tocelebrate in the area of fibre glass too.

Since 1904 insulating material hasbeen produced from so called C-Glass.C-Glass is an alkali lime silicate glasswith a boron content of 4.5-6.5%.Initially C-Glass was used as a thermalinsulating material, later for soundproofing and fire protection.

In the beginning a 2-step productionprocess was employed with glass rods asan intermediate product. This made theproduction process complex since thefibres needed to be produced from anintermediate product.

Fibreglass was not widely adopteduntil it was possible to produce fibresdirectly from the glass melt.

Today C-Glass insulating wool isalmost solely produced using the TELprocess. The German FriedrichRosengarth developed and patentedcentrifugal technology after beinginspired at a parish fair watching cottoncandy being made.

Design criteria and dimensioningThe design of fibre glass conditioning

forehearths is determined by theoperating parameters of the productionprocess. The type of melting furnace;full-electric or fossil fired is importantfor the estimation of the risertemperature of the glass.

The temperature gradient of the glassfrom the forehearth entrance up to thebushings must be calculated using thecorresponding tonnages to anticipatethe critical operating conditions at thedesign stage.

The required heating and coolingsystems are then included into thetechnological layout. If cooling systemsare necessary, they are ideally arrangednear the forehearth entrance to use theremaining channel for homogenisation.

For C-Glass indirect air coolingsystems are normally used to keep theforehearths closed because of thevolatile glass components (boron). Someparameters, which are important forother glass types like residence orcooling rates are secondaryconsiderations. It is more important tofind the right balance between thedimensioning of the heating systemsand the degree of insulation of theforehearth refractories.

Often the layout of the forehearths isrestricted, especially for production linesin existing buildings. This often makes

continued »

Indirect air cooling (if necessary)

Zircon mullite superstructure

Open glass surface

Electrical heating - molybdenum electrodes

Fused cast AZS channel blocks

� Fig 1.Structure of a forehearth for C-Glass production

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an angled design necessary. For greenfield sites it is advantageous to arrangethe forehearths in a straight layout. Thismakes it easy to achieve the requiredthermal homogeneities. For suboptimalangled designs electric auxiliary heatingsystems are foreseen to influence thedifferent thermal layers and left- toright-differences directly.

Structure of a forehearth for C-Glass productionThe channel blocks rest on theinsulating material in steel casings. Thefused cast or chrome oxide containingceramic bonded channel blocks are

tightly assembled. However, expansionjoints are foreseen at certain locations.During heat-up, these expansion jointsallow the expansion of the refractoriesand will close during the heating upprocess.

The superstructure of the forehearthconsists of specially shaped refractorieswhich are covered by insulating bricks.The refractories are fixed by means of asteel bracing structure bolted to the steelcasings. The superstructure is used as acombustion chamber for gas heatedforehearths, but also for the heating-upand emergency combustion in case ofelectrically heated forehearths (Fig 1).

Heating systemsIt is estimated, that 90% of allforehearths use fossil heating systems,while only about 10% are electricallyheated.

Our combustion systems consistmainly of a gas-air-mixing skidsupplying burner manifolds. This systemis simple and reliable. The disadvantageis that fossile heating systems producewaste gases, which usually exit into thefactory. These waste gases consist mainlyof carbon dioxide, water vapour andvolatile boron and alkali compounds

from the glass. This makes the wastegasses aggressive towards refractories inthe temperature range of 750°C to950°C. The design of the chimneys hasto especially take the waste gas velocityunder consideration. Poorly designed orincorrect chimney placement leads tohigh maintenance efforts and possiblypremature failure and replacement.

Gas heating systems especiallyinfluence the temperatures of the glasssurface while it is difficult to influencethe bottom glass. Furthermore, gascombustion systems always require acertain minimum output to preventback firing which restricts theiroperating range. An electric heatingsystem does not have this restriction anddoes not produce any waste gases. Theforehearth superstructure can becompletely closed and no waste gassesare emitted into the surroundings. Asmall number of chimneys will still benecessary for the initial heat-up andemergency heating, but they are closedduring normal operation.

This is why electrically heatingsystems by means of molybdenumelectrodes are seen as the ideal solutionfor C-Glass forehearths.

Forehearth electrodesWe use two types of forehearthelectrodes: water cooled and dryelectrodes without cooling.

Dry electrodes are most common.These electrodes consist of two parts, amolybdenum rod and a temperatureresistant connection bar. Themolybdenum rod is inserted into theglass while the connection bar is usedfor the fixation of the electrode and theconnection to the power supply. Allcurrent carrying parts of the electrodeare protected by means of protectiveshielding.

Molybdenum oxidizes at hightemperatures when in contact withoxygen. Because of this molybdenumneeds to be protected against air contactat temperatures above 600°C. Thisprotection is realized using two possiblemethods. The preferred method is to usecoated electrodes. The advantage is, thatthe electrodes can be installed prior to orduring the heat up process. Theforehearths are heated up and filled withglass while the electrodes are in place.After the filling of the furnace theelectrodes need to be sealed properly.This method requires much lessattention and effort during heating upand filling. Temporary water plugs to

seal the electrode holes are notnecessary.

Using normal uncoated electrodeswhich are less expensive requires theprotection of the molybdenum againstoxidization at high temperatures. Thisrequires the installation of water cooledplugs into the electrode holes (Fig 2).

The molybdenum electrodes are onlythen inserted when the glass level isachieved. This insures that themolybdenum is always immersed inglass and has no atmosphere contact athigh temperatures. The sealing of theelectrode is again done by creating aprotective layer of glass around theelectrode. Air cooling of the electrodesaims above all to protect this protectionlayer and should be installed forforehearths running at very hightemperatures (Fig 3).

The cooling air should be applieddirectly towards the connection bar asshown in the picture. The cooling airgenerates an overpressure in the holeand prevents cakings or accumulation ofdirt particles and minimises thetemperature of the connection bar.

The second electrode type is water-cooled electrodes similar to those foundin furnaces. These electrodes act as a

heat sink compared to uncooledelectrodes. This is no obstacle in the areaof the forehearth entry, especially inforehearths with high tonnages, but canbe a problem near the bushingsespecially for production lines requiringgood thermal homogeneity. Furtherdisadvantages are the necessity toobserve the holder temperature andwater flow as well as having to provide acooling water loop with clean andtreated water.

continued »

Electrode head

(molybdenum)Glass seal

Sealing plugConnector

Light air cooling

� Fig 2. Water cooled plugs into the electrode holes.

� Fig 3. Air cooling of the electrodes aims to cool

the protective around the glass.

I n s t a l l F o r g e t

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ATS 250 - ANNEALING LEHRS - DECORATING LEHRS TEMPERING LINES - LEHRS UPGRADING

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The electrodes are staggered for eachheating zone. This results in consecutivelongitudinal heating circuits. Eachheating zone is equipped with singlephase dry transformers. The powerregulation is done by means of thyristorswhich enables a stepless powervariation.

Heating up equipmentTo commission the forehearths theyhave to be heated up to the operationaltemperatures by gas heating, for whichthree methods are used (Fig 4):

Burners with ignition andflame surveillanceAdvantages are automatic operation anda high safety level achieved by theignition and flame surveillance.Disadvantgeous are higher controlefforts and the higher price.

Burners with separate air andgas supplyAdvantage is easy use and setup. Thedisadvantage is the need for experiencedpersonnel and the necessity ofcontinuous monitoring.

Burners with gas connectionand natural air aspirationThese burners are cheap but have highpersonnel costs. They are susceptible todisturbances and need to be watchedcontinuously by experienced personnel.

SafetyElectric heating systems as well as gasheating systems require high safetyawareness and safety measures. Thedirect electric heating of the glass bathputs it under an electrical load.Especially for service and maintenancework it is important to consider thateven with partly deactivated heatingsystems current can be conducted by the

glass melt. All relevant standards andregulations are taken into considerationfor our systems.

Energy cost and paybackEnergy costs together with the initialinvestment is a very important factor.Electricity is more expensive comparedto gas in most countries. Even thoughthe energy efficiency is much better forelectrically heated systems, the totalenergy cost is higher than gas. The gas-heated forehearth is the cheaper option.

Increased requirements Forehearths 30 years ago typically hadthree or four bushings and were pulling30-50 t/24h. These forehearths weretypically 8m long, 0.6m wide, with aninstalled heating capacity of around160kVA. Operational life averaged threeto four years.

Approximately 15 years ago we built aconditioning system with 10 bushingsfor 160 t/24h. The total length of thetwo forehearths was 74m with channelwidths of 0.6-1.1m and had a combinedheating capacity of 1500kVA. Thelifetime of the system wasapproximately six years.

Today we design and build systems formore than 200t/24h with up to 16bushings and a design life of seven toeight years (Fig 5).

Three steps to full productionA special challenge for Sorg was thedesign and construction of a C-Glassconditioning system for 220 t/24h. Thissystem consists of two forehearths: Oneforehearth is angled directly after theriser, the second forehearth is a tandemforehearth in a T-layout.

This system was not commissioned allat once due to production requirementsof the customer, but in three phases. Atfirst only the angled forehearth wascommissioned. A special design of theinsulation material ensured, that theforehearth worked correctly initially aswell as during the final full capacity of220 t/24h. Secondly, one leg of the T-tandem forehearth was commissionedand some months later, the second legwas commissioned. All three phases ofthe commissioning were coordinatedand executed by Sorg.

ConclusionsGas heated conditioning systems forfibre glass are an economical alternativeto full-electric systems. Electric systems,however, have a number of technical

advantages over gas systems, which aredemonstrated by Sorg STF/E forehearths.Only three of the past 39 newly builtSorg systems for C-Glass were gas fired.

Advantages include the higher energyefficiency, the reduction of volatilesescaping from the melt as well as theavoidance of waste gases. The reactiontime of the control loops are fastercompared to gas heated systems. Thethermal homogeneity is excellent. Whilegas heating systems cannot be used overthe whole range, electrically heatedsystems can be operated from 0%-100%,which makes them more flexible. Directelectric heating allows, if necessary, thefast unfreezing of the bushings.

The optimal forehearth designincorporates an exact analysis of therequirements of the production systemto ensure the achievement of the bestoperational results with the lowestinvestment and operational costs.

Even after 35 years of experience withthe design, construction and operationof conditioning systems the correctoperational design is the most importantsucess criterion. This includes theincreased use of CFD modelling as animportant design tool. �

References:- Schott Glaslexikon –MVG-Verlag

- Allgemeine Technologie des Glases von

Prof. Dr. H. A. Schaeffer

- http://www.Saint-Gobain.com

- http://www.wikipedia.de

- Helmut A. Schaeffer; Margareta Benz-

Zauner: Spezialglas-Glastechnik, Deutsches

Museum.

*Glass Conditioning Manager, Sorg,Germanywww.sorg.de

� Fig 4. Heating up equipment.

� Fig 5. Sorg can design and build systems for

more than 200t/24h with up to 16 bushings and a

design life of 7-8 years.

6 Bushings

5 Bushings5 Bushings

Shutoff

Shutoff

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How much energy can be savedwith air-fuel forehearths?

People often have a hazy idea when they deal with energy onconventional air-fuel heated forehearths. They claim that theseequipments are deep pits of energy which is almost the truth. Somealso say that glassmakers could easily make huge fuel savings.François Deblock* explains that the reality is much more complex.

It is interesting to have a look at atypical thermal balance of aforehearth. When we audit

production lines of flint glass containerswhose pulls do not pass over 50tpd, fuelconsumptions usually stagger between15 and 60kW per meter. Of course sucha large range is surprising. It isdependent on factories, productionstandards or distances of the spout fromthe furnace. This fuel amount representsmost of the forehearth thermal sources,whereas the hot glass cooling along theforehearth forms the minor part. Thebalance between fuel and glass cantypically be 85/15%. In the worst cases,when the thermal gradient along theforehearth is nearly flat or when theproduction line is off, this balance caneven reach 100% only for fuel. On theother side, looking at thermal lossesrepartition, fumes constitute the largestenergy pit (roughly 45%), then thermallosses through the superstructure for 30-35%, then miscellaneous thermal leaksfor 10-20%, then substructure heatlosses for 5-10% (Fig 1). All these figureshave been taken out from ourglassmaking experience. They may benot fully representative of the wholeglass container industry, but they give ussome relevant orders of magnitude.

CommentSuch data requires some comment. First

everyone can notice that the fuel rangeis important. As a consequence, the fuelskid must be designed by the supplier tobe flexible enough, so that it will be ableto face extreme heating expectations.

We can also point out that the heatreleased by the cooling glass is not asimportant, especially when the pull islow or when the glass gob needs to behot.

The large amount of heat in the fumesis the consequence of two physicalphenomena. On one hand, thecombustion of cold air with fuel doesnot deliver a powerful radiative flamedue to the large and useless amount of

nitrogen and also due to the smalltemperature difference between the coreof the flame and the glass surface. Onthe other hand, the glass transparencydoes not facilitate the heat transfer fromthe combustion along the forehearth.Finally, glassmakers should not besurprised by so much heat into thefumes: All of them have already noticedhigh streams of flames coming out fromthe superstructure in evidence! (Fig 2)

Thermal losses through the walls aredifferent if the substructure or the

continued »

� Fig 1. Order of magnitude of a

forehearth thermal balance.

Substructure: 10%

Thermal leaks: 15%

Superstructure: 30%

Thermal losses

Fumes: 45%

Hot glass: 0 to 15%

Thermal sources

Fuel: 85 to 100%

superstructure of the channel areconsidered. There are usually less lossesall around the glass channel thanaround the combustion chamber.

Such differences can be explained bythe design of the insulating sublayerswhich are continuously put togetherbetween the refractory channels and thesteel casing, without any thermal bridge,except for the necessary non-insulatedexpansion zones.

Building an efficient insulation for thesuperstructure is more complex due tothe installation of all the special blocks:Burners, thermocouples, dampers,chimneys or openings for direct cooling.All these pieces create non-directradiative thermal losses which areusually difficult to eliminate (Fig 3).

The function of the fuel is to mainlybalance thermal losses, but is also theprice to pay to keep glass cooling undercontrol and finally achieve good glasshomogeneity. Do not forget that thethermal equilibrium of the forehearth issensitive and could turn upside-downshortly. Bad combustion settings maylead to fuel increase without additionalheating. A non-suitable thermal gradientalong the channel may start reboilingand glass defects. And generallyspeaking, producing out of thespecifications may cause forehearthtroubles.

EnergyAs energy is a key issue for containerforehearths, suppliers and glassmakersmust carry on with innovation andimprove the efficiency of the process.

The most profitable option is tochange the heating device. Full-electricaland oxyfuel forehearths, as they arecurrently designed, offer interesting

solutions with highly improvedefficiencies. But they also cause othertroubles which compromise theirdevelopment: Possible electrochemicaleffects, expensive oxygen cost,additional cost for converting anexisting forehearth rather than for abasic refurbishment, the need for skilledforehearth operators, scheduledmaintenance.

These are the reasons why glassmakersstill prefer the conventional premix air-fuel heated forehearth, fully validatedfor its reliability, flexibility andsimplicity, despite its high energyconsumption and its high level ofemissions.

Another option for minimising energycost is to provide the forehearth withsome hotter glass, coming from thethroat at the entrance of the channel. Ascooling glass can easily release energy byradiation, the outcome is direct savingson fuel consumption.

A third interesting possibility is toreduce thermal losses. It makes sense forenergy savings, but it is also oftenjustified by the following statement: Themore insulated the forehearth will be,the more homogeneous the glass shouldbe. If the steel casing is large enough, itis possible to design an efficient thermalinsulation all around the refractorychannel, but taking care of the refractorycorrosion at the glass surface.

Microporous insulating panels areknown as reliable materials, but they arealso very fragile. In any case, one musttake care of the design to fulfil all thespecifications of the future forehearth:Pull range, min-max thermal gradients,expected colours, job changes waitingtime. If the forehearth is expected to beflexible, some obvious engineering

solutions have been developed to speedup transient periods and to achievesuitable thermal conditions forconditioning the glass properly.

Also keep in mind that someinsulating materials have limited servicetemperatures and that the forehearthwill have to produce for the next 10years!

Minimal energy consumptionAll in all, there are relevant engineeringsolutions for minimising the energyconsumption on forehearths. Based onour industrial glassmaking experience,we know that we can target between 15and 20kW of fuel per meter of aconventional flint glass forehearth.

However, such consumption cannotbe reached everywhere. It also dependson forehearth layout and productionfacilities.

To get such results, the design phase iscrucial. A customer specification must beaccurate and detailed, based on a faithfulvision of the future. Unfortunately, it ismore difficult to have a clear vision overa few years.

Finally, the selected design will notonly depend on technical factors. It willalso depend on external parameters thatimpinge on industrial profitability. Localenergy costs, security on energysupplies, greenfield or refurbishingproject, political and economicalstability of the country or currencyexchange rates are some factors.

AGMS will be exhibiting at glasstecDusseldorf in Germany in October 21stto October 24th, 2014. �

Managing Director, AGMS, Blaringhem,France www.agms-intl.com

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� Fig 3. Functionality of each refractory block makes efficient insulation of the superstructure difficult.� Fig 2. Flames reveal the bad heat transfer of the

air-fuel combustion.

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Forehearth control – Infra-redpyrometers or thermocouples?

John McMinn* describes how to measure forehearthperformance and optimise performance.

Ihave been privileged enough tohave spent 38 years in the glassindustry and to have met and

worked with glass plants in 74 countries.Apart from 12 years as a researchphysicist studying heat transfer in glass,I have spent the majority of my careerdesigning a variety of new shinyforehearths including the PSR500 andthe Emhart/Sorg 340.

As managing director of ForehearthServices I have spent the past six yearslooking at – well, shall we say less shinyforehearths.

Unfortunately forehearths don’tremain shiny for long. They operate in achallenging environment hotter thanthe Sahara desert at noon and rained onby condensing mould dope. No surprisetherefore that even the dedicated fewpay infrequent visits to the forehearthplatform.

Not wanton neglect exactly, butoperating more on the basis of ‘as needsmust’. It is no surprise therefore thatforehearth performance deteriorateswith time. The problem is how does onemeasure forehearth performance? It canbe hard to quantify and even moredifficult to quantify and recognisedeteriorating performance.

Forehearth Services has performedforehearth audits on more than 100forehearths in more than 20 countries,and quite simply we measure forehearth

performance. More importantly weidentify the steps that need to be takento return the forehearth and itscombustion and control systems back tooptimum performance.

AuditsLack of performance is due to acombination of factors ranging frommechanical de-calibration toinappropriate forehearth operation –with quite a few stops in refractories,cooling systems and control equipmentin between.

An audit comprises a holistic systemof tests, analyses, and measurements ofall functions relevant to forehearthperformance including forehearthoperation. When the audit data isanalysed it provides a map of what needsto be done to optimise the forehearthperformance.

The principal objectives of an auditare to increase pack rates, decreaseenergy wastage, protect plant equipmentfrom improper operation and decreasethe likelihood of a catastrophic,unscheduled shutdown.

Unsurprisingly, the overwhelmingmajority of clients that commission anaudit do so because one or more of theirforehearths is compromisingproduction. Sometimes the reasons forpoor performance are multi-causal andcomplex. In others the cause may be

down to lack of training of forehearthpersonnel.

Blister is a common reason forcommissioning a forehearth audit. Theaudit can, by a system of eliminationtests, identify the origin and cause of theblister. The inability of the forehearth tomaintain a stable gob weight is also highon the list of reasons for commissioningan audit. But, frankly, the problemsassociated with operating a forehearthoptimally are abundant.

Infra-red pyrometers vsthermocouplesAs an example, Forehearth Services hasfor a long time been advising customersoperating with dark amber or green glassto avoid using infra-red pyrometers aszone control sensors. The advice is basedon a great many forehearth audits whereit has been shown conclusively thatusing an infra-red pyrometer, ratherthan a thermocouple, greatlycompromises the control andperformance of the forehearth.

Consider the two charts below thatshow control reactions of forehearthsoperating with dark amber glass. Fig 1shows the response of a forehearth zonecombustion loop to a 5°C set pointincrease, shown in blue. Control of the

continued »

loop is by a thermocouple positioned atthe front of the zone at the standarddepth of 25mm below the glass surface.The reaction of the controller output,shown in green, shows the set pointincrease caused a 35% increase incombustion output. This increase inoutput resulted in the glass temperature,shown in red, achieving the new set in14 minutes.

By contrast, Fig 2 shows thecombustion loop response to the sameset point increase. In this case, control ofthe zone is provided via a fibre-opticpyrometer positioned at the front of thezone. The 5°C set point increase resultsin a much smaller 4% increase incombustion output. Despite this modestincrease in combustion the set point wasachieved in three minutes.

It is tempting to conclude that, if yourequire fast, efficient forehearth control,then you should choose pyrometers inpreference to the apparently slowreacting control offered bythermocouples. Unless, in addition tothe forehearth combustion system, thepyrometer is mysteriously providing itsown heat input there is somethingseriously wrong with this comparison.

The discrepancy between forehearthcontrol and pyrometer control is due todifferences in glass measurementmethodology between the twoinstruments. The standard pyrometerused in forehearth control utilises asilicon cell operating within a narrowwaveband of 0.7 to 1.1 m. This is theessence of the problem when using thistype of temperature sensor inforehearths operating with darkcoloured glass.

The glass depth from which thedetector can receive radiation isdependent on both the wavelength overwhich the detector operates and the

glass colour. A pyrometer operating overthe above waveband can typically ‘see’up to 35mm into the glass. For darkglasses however this distance is reducedto as little as 0.5mm.

From a glass control perspective thesituation is made worse by the fact thatthe first 50% of the glass depth accountsfor 80% of the signal delivered by thefibre-optic to the detector. For flintglasses this is tolerable but for darkglasses this results in 80% of the signalbeing derived from the top 0.25mm ofthe glass depth – i.e. effectively the glasssurface.

By contrast the thermocouplemeasures some form of averaged glasstemperature at a depth of 25mm – whichis why the sensor took almost threeminutes to react to the increase incombustion output and a further 12minutes to achieve set point. Thepyrometer however responds within oneminute and achieves set point after afurther two minutes.

While an increase in the combustionoutput takes time to affect the glasstemperature 25mm below the glass

surface, an increase in combustion canaffect the glass surface within a shorttimescale. Consequently, a pyrometerreading the glass surface will quicklyassume the set point has been achieved.The problem is that the signal from thepyrometer tells the controller that thezone is at the required set pointtemperature where, in reality, it is onlythe glass surface that has achieved therequired temperature increase. Thetemperature of the bulk of the glassremains unaltered.

Case studyA recent audit was conducted on aforehearth where each zone wascontrolled by a pyrometer. In addition,each zone was equipped with a tri-levelthermocouple approximately 650mmdownstream from the pyrometer andused for glass temperature monitoringonly. The set point was increased by 5°Cand within a few minutes the pyrometerregistered that set point had beenachieved and consequently thecombustion output was reduced.However, the tri-level thermocoupleregistered no increase in glasstemperature at any level in the glass.This is a strong argument to suggest thatpyrometers are inappropriate for controlof dark coloured glasses.

Indeed, audits conducted onforehearths operating with dark glassesinvariably identify the pyrometer as asource of control problems. That is notto say that thermocouples do not havepotential for forehearth controlproblems. But that will have to be thetopic of a future paper. �

*Managing Director, Forehearth ServicesUK. www.forehearthservices.co.uk

34


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� Fig 2. Pyrometer Response to 5oC SP Increase.

� Fig 1. Thermocouple response to 5oC SP Increase.

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New things are coming. See us at:

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36


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omToughened glass

Unexplained glass failure - Don’t jump to inclusion conclusions

Glass Technology Services (GTS) is urging property ownersand insurers not to assume that an NiS inclusion is thecause of an unexplained breakage in toughened glass.

Nickel Sulphide (NiS) inclusionsare a known issue fortoughened glass, resulting from

the presence of nickel contaminants inthe glass melt reacting with sulphur,most likely from the furnace fuel.

During thermal toughening, theseinclusions undergo a crystalline phasechange to a smaller form and are fixed inplace within the glass upon cooling.Over time the inclusions grow and caneventually impart enough stress in theglass to cause spontaneous failure.

When toughened glass panels fail,Nickel Sulphide (NiS) inclusions are the‘go to’ culprit. Independent research anddevelopment, consultancy and testingspecialist, Glass Technology Services(GTS) is urging property owners andinsurers not to assume that a NiSinclusion is the cause of an unexplainedbreakage.

Other factorsGTS Glass Technologist, Dr Richard

Cave, said: “It should never be assumedthat the seemingly spontaneous failureof a toughened glass panel is due to aNiS inclusion. Numerous other factorscould be involved, such as non-NiSinclusions, vandalism, design flaws,poor toughening, edge damage anddamage due to contact with fittings andfixtures. Any unexplained failures oftoughened panels should undergoanalysis to determine the true cause offailure.”

Even where a ‘butterfly’ failure patternis observed – something commonlyassociated with a ‘spontaneous’ NiSfailure – a NiS inclusion cannot beassumed. The three images in Fig 1depict this same failure pattern, however,whilst one is due to a NiS inclusion theother two have resulted from a glassyinclusion within the glass and an impact.

CompetitionFancy winning an iPad Mini or a placeon our Glass Appreciation Course this

October? Simply tell us which of thebutterfly failure patterns in Fig 1 iscaused by NiS for the chance to win. Formore information follow us on twitter@GlassTesting and look out for our#ButterflyCompetition announcement,alternatively subscribe to our newsletterat www.glass-ts.com to receive details inour next bulletin.

Supply chainThe GTS team works throughout theglass supply chain - from manufacturers,processors and installers through toarchitects, consulting engineers,property owners insurers and loss-adjusters - to analyse glazing failures.This service can be provided both on-siteor in the laboratory.

When a fully toughened panel fails,the failure origin must be analysed todetermine the cause of failure – therefore

continued »

� Fig 1. Competition: Which of the butterfly failure patterns in Fig 1 is caused by NiS?

A B C


Toughened glass

it is essential that the broken remains are retained forinvestigation. Once the origin is identified this is analysedusing optical microscopy, scanning electron microcopy andenergy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy, to identify the presenceand nature of inclusions (NiS or otherwise) or physicaldamage.

Where inclusions aren’t to blame, physical damage andresidual material can be analysed to determine likelycontacting objects, whether it be from an outside source orfrom interactions with fixtures and fittings in the framingsystem.

These analytical capabilities and experience in glass enablethe team to provide expert reports concerning a whole rangeof failures - ranging from external influences, such asvandalism and impacts, through to incorrect specification,interaction with components, material processing andfabrication or the presence of manufacturing defects.

“The industry knows that thermally toughened glass hasnumerous benefits over annealed and heat-strengthened glass,including better resistance to thermal changes, increasedstrength and safe breakage characteristics,” said Dr Cave.“Steps have been taken to eliminate NiS from the productionof float glass, with changes in raw materials, manufacturingmethods and processing techniques. The heat soaking process,introduced into manufacture by Pilkington in the late 1960s,is also now recommended for all glazing installed in criticallocations such as barriers or overhead glazing.

“While it is not guaranteed to eliminate NiS inclusionsaltogether, the likelihood of spontaneous failure due to NiS isreduced when heat soaking has been carried out.

“But NiS inclusion should never be assumed. Of the failedtoughened panels examined by GTS in 2013, two thirds hadfailed due to the presence of NiS inclusions, with theremaining third a combination of impact damage, poortoughening, detrimental interaction with fixtures and non-NiS inclusions.

“To highlight this, a property management firm recentlysent several failed toughened units to GTS for analysis afterspontaneous failures had occurred throughout the building.While analysis of the majority of the units identified thepresence of NiS inclusions, other units featured impactdamage at the failure origin.

“Ultimately, architects, engineers and specifiers shouldconsider the benefits and drawbacks of all types of glazingbefore installation and ensure that they adhere to all relevantbuilding regulations and codes of practice. Installers shouldadhere to the specifications and follow best practice to avoidunnecessary breakages.”

GTS is accredited to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 17025standards and is a Notified Body (number 2461) for the InitialType Testing (ITT) of glass products under the EuropeanUnion’s Construction Products Regulation (EU) No 305/2011(CPR) in order to CE mark products for the Europeanmarketplace.

The team provides analysis, consultancy, testing, researchand development support to glass manufacturers, processors,tougheners, designers, architects, consulting engineers andspecifiers across the UK and internationally. �

www.glass-ts.com/architecture-and-glazing; Email [email protected] or Tel +44 (0) 114 290 1801

ELECTROGLASS

YOUR LINK TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Electroglass Ltd, 4 Brunel Road, Manor Trading Estate, Benfleet, Essex SS7 4PS, England

t: (44) 01268 565577 e: [email protected] w: www.electroglass.co.uk

Specialists in electric glass melting and conditioning

EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR IMPROVED...Energy Efficiency, Glass Quality, Furnace Output

38


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omCompany profile: Pennine

Following on from our companyprofile in Dec/Jan which featuredan interview with Managing

Director Graham Hobbs, we werepleased to be able to take part in theofficial opening of Pennine’s extension.

The day-long event was attended byapproximately 30 people and included achampagne reception, plant tour, and alunch. It included speeches by MrHobbs, the local mayor and MP.

The opening was attended by allmembers of Pennine’s staff, as well asthe Mayor of Kirklees and Simon ReevellMP, and was a great example of asuccessful British manufacturingcompany that is exporting its productsworldwide.

The extensionThe factory tour showcased the originalbuilding and the new extension, as wellas both the classic and ultra-modernmachinery that is used on site.

The £400,000 two storey building wasbuilt by local firm RadcliffeConstruction, and is part of a £2 millionexpansion project that the companyhopes will help to double its exportsover the next four years.

Pennine specialises in supplying silentinverted tooth conveyor chains for thecontainer glass industry, and plasticcomponents for the food industry.Although the plastics division pulls in alarger quantity of orders the glassdivision is by far the most profitable,

and so the extension has been designedto help the company speed up andexpand present production, as well asallow more storage facilities so largeorders can be instantly fulfilled.

The first floor of the extension leadsdirectly on from the existing premises,and is used for assembling the conveyorchains themselves. The ground floor isused solely for storage, and both zonesare already being put to use andbenefitting the company.

Chris Marshall, who has worked withthe company for 26 years, noted thatdue to the extra storage space availablePennine now has a great advantage overits competitors, as it is able to instantlyfulfil large orders to companies such asPepsi. In an industry where time is of theessence, this can often be the decidingfactor when a manufacturer chooses asupplier.

The futureDiscussing the future of the company,Graham Hobbs certainly seems to have aclear vision for the company his fathercreated over 45 years ago. Having beenMD since the age of 21, Hobbs has 38years of experience at the helm and noplans to slow down anytime soon.

Toasting to the next 30 years, Hobbsexpects the business to keep increasingits orders, revenue and staff, andcontinue to be an important employerto the region. Having been based inSkelmanthorpe since its inception,Pennine has close ties to the communityand no plans to leave.

Hobbs also highlighted Pennine’spride in its apprenticeship record, whichhas seen the company employ a newapprentice across various departmentseach year – prior to any governmentincentives or initiatives. �

� Managing Director Graham Hobbs (third from left) welcomed various dignitaries and customers to the official opening.

Following our report in the Dec/Jan issue of Pennine’s new extension, GlassInternational was invited to its site to celebrate the completion of its facility.

The Pennine way

� The official opening with the local MP and mayor.

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Forming

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Practical container forming simulationAlfons Möller* discusses the use of 2D and 3D simulation inthe forming process used by the container glass industry.

In order to use simulation in themanufacturing environment, it isimportant to integrate the

simulation tools within the productionworkflow. Usually, companies use aprofessional CAD system and thereforeall simulation tools must be able tointeract easily with these systems.

Furthermore the forming simulationmust be able to compute the containersin 2D (axis-symmetric), 3D-part and full3D depending on the geometricalproperties. Switching the geometricaldimension should not be an issue.

Nogrid provides forming simulationsoftware developed especially for thecontainer glass industry. Nogrid softwarecomputes glass forming processes in 2D(axis-symmetric), 3D-part (cut 3Dmodel) and full 3D, and allows thesimulation of all kinds of glass formingprocesses for container glass such as:� BB (Blow and Blow)� PB (Press and Blow or Wide Mouth PB)� NNPB (Narrow Neck Press and Blow)� PB tableware (Press and Blow for

the tableware industry).

Nogrid pointsBlow solves thecomplete Navier-Stokes equations(continuity equation; velocityequations; energy equation) within thefluid. The glass viscosity depends ontemperature, as shown in Fig 1. Three

standard viscosity curves areimplemented and further curves can beadded by the user.

In the container glass industry theglass composition and therefore theglass properties can vary, but usuallysoda lime silica glass is used. We used thestandard container glass for thecomputations in this paper, and theblank mould, the blow mould and theplug are replaced by an approximateheat flux boundary condition:

HTC is the heat transfer coefficient, Tis the glass temperature at the interfaceglass-mould and Tmould is thetemperature of the mould. The heattransfer coefficient h used is constantover time, but if better experimentaldata is available this can be modified.

The container geometry is created in aComputer-Aided Design (CAD) system.The market for CAD software is huge,and in most cases CAD vendors use theirown format for saving andinterchanging the data. Providing andmaintaining all these formats turns outto be profitable, but fortunately all CADpackages support the STEP or ACISformats to enable the exchange of databetween different CAD systems. TheACIS format supports faces and the STEPformat supports in addition volumes.

Due to the fact Nogrid software needsonly faces in 3D and edged in 2D, theACIS interface would be fine, but theSTEP format provides the additionalpossibility of giving the faces a namewhich is already within the CAD system.

The Nogrid software can import theSTEP file including all face names (Fig 2).This is important, because in that casethe software can connect all faces withthe corresponding initial and boundaryconditions and can run the simulationwithout any additional user interaction.

So, within the Nogrid pointsBlowsoftware all kinds of container wall typesare predefined using a unique name. Forinstance, there is a wall type using thename PLUG. This PLUG type isconnected with a set process data, whichdefines the initial position andtemperature, the thermal conditions,the movement and the times foractivating and deactivating.

If Nogrid pointsBlow imports the STEPfile and it finds faces carrying the namePLUG, all the PLUG simulation data areconnected to these faces (Fig 3).

Later during the computation, thePLUG faces will exactly do what isdefined in the PLUG settings data. ThePLUG settings data itself can bemodified in the Nogrid pointsBlowGraphical User Interface (GUI). Fig 4shows schematically the process stepsthat occur during the BB process, and itis clear that the PLUG must be in its finalposition when the gob enters the blankmould and should be removed shortlybefore the counter blow is switched on.

The user can set the IS machine dataeasily within the GUI for all wall typesand all thermal conditions as well.

When the user decides to investigate amodified geometry, only the geometryhas to be replaced. The simulation datacan be reused (or simply copied to a newcase, which is done in the software

continued »

5.5

long (weak)standard

short (stiff)5

4

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2

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� Fig 1. Viscosity

depends on

temperature.

Q = HTC . A(T – Tmould). .

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automatically). Seperating thegeometrical data from the simulationdata is a huge advantage.

Once the 3D CAD geometry isimported the user can easily select thegeometrical dimension of the model.That means the user is able to run thesimulation in 2D (axis-symmetric), 3Dpart or full 3D.

2D (axis-symmetric) means the object

remains unchanged when it is rotatedaround an axis. Because the 3D problemreduces to a 2D problem in that case (Fig 5),the computation time is reducedsignificantly. In Fig 6 the computationtime for full 3D is about one to twohours, whereas for 2D it is about three tofive minutes. Internally the softwarecuts the 3D model (which are 3D faces)by a plane and as a result edges are

generated. The edges will inherit allproperties from the corresponding face,and will now construct the geometricalborder for the 2D simulation.

Without changing the CAD geometryor modifiying the simulation conditionsthe user can easily switch between thedifferent dimensions. In case of the 3D-part model only part of the 3D containeris computed. In a combo-box it ispossible to select different rotatingangles form 180° (half model) to thesmallest angle of 60° (1/5 model). The full3D geometry is cut automatically andthe cut faces will inherit all propertiesfrom the full 3D faces. Fig 7 shows the3D-part using a cutting angle of 72° andFig 8 shows the related results.

A further advantage of separating thegeometrical data from the simulationdata is that it makes it easy to addadditional wall types to the simulation.For instance, in reality a funnel is alwaysused to ensure that the gob falls into theblank mould and not beside. Insimulation the funnel walls are usuallynot required, because the gob position iswell defined. But in cases where it isimportant that the gob is deformed anddecelerated by the funnel, the funnelshould be added to the CAD geometry. Ifthe name ‘FUNNEL’ appears in the STEPfile Nogrid pointsBlow will activate thefunnel wall type otherwise the type willbe ignored.

Additional faces for the gob areautomatically included. These facesrepresent the shape of the initial gobgeometry and the user can modify theshape and its position individuallywithin the GUI. For instance, if the userchanges the gob weight, the length ofthe gob will change. Thereby the gobdiameter is increased by the user and thegob length will decrease correspondinglyas well. Bottles with a handle can also becomputed, thus there are no limitsregarding bottle design and the user cantest and evaluate a certain containerwithout restrictions.

Nogrid software allows glass containerforming processes to be simulated in full3D, in a 3D part or in 2D (axis-symmetric) in a practical time for allreal container shapes.

The user can easily switch between thedimensions without taking care of theunderlaying geometry. �

*Managing Director, Nogrid, GermanyEmail: [email protected]: www.nogrid.com

� Fig 3. View on the PLUG faces.� Fig 2. Container imported using STEP interface.

� Fig 4. Steps during BB process.

� Fig 7. Geometry 3-D clip using

angle of 72°.

� Fig 5. Geometry 2-D (axis-

symmetric).

� Fig 6. Geometry full 3-D.

� Fig 8. A Results 2-D (axis-symmetric). B Results 3-D-clip. C Results 3-D.

a b c

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Façades: Optimum efficiency

Finding ways to improve energy efficiency is one of the greatest challenges facingcontemporary architecture. Sebastian Pflügge discusses how using highlyfunctional glass products and integrating energy-relevant products are effectiveways to achieve optimum efficiency, even in large-format glass façades.

Façades have moved beyond beingjust static shells providingweather protection at the

interface of building interior andexterior. They’re often compared tohuman skin, which has a protective roleto play but also adjusts dynamically toexternal conditions and thus maintainsthe body’s ‘ideal temperature’.

Modern glass façades are tasked withexactly this function – except in relationto indoor climatic conditions. In light ofsignificantly tightened energy efficiencystandards for buildings, the buildingenvelope must play yet another crucialrole in achieving a reduced primaryenergy demand: Heating, air-conditioning and lighting are amongthe most power-hungry systems in officebuildings, and the façade can directlyinfluence these consumption factors.

The goal must be to optimise thermalinsulation, protect interior spacesfrom overheating, ventilate rooms in acontrolled manner, use daylight to thefullest extent possible, and minimise theuse of supplementary air-conditioning.

Keeping pace with ever higher

expectations, façade technology hasbeen systematically improved in yearspast. One target pursued in thisdevelopment process is themultifunctional adaptive façade, a shellthat’s able to respond dynamically tochanging environmental conditions.

Glass façades hold great potential inthis area. Decentralised controls forventilation, heating and cooling via thebuilding envelope enable significantbuilding technology reductions. At thesame time, integration with buildingautomation systems ensures thatindividual components can worktogether in perfect unison to achievemaximum energy efficiency.

Efficient combination The components needed for themultifunctional façade of the future arealready widely available. The challenge,then, lies in the optimisation ofexisting systems and in thecombination of available technologiesand products.

Ambitious targets have been set. InEurope, for example, the ‘Energy

Performance of Buildings Directive’(EPBD 2010) stipulates that all newbuildings in EU member states must beconstructed as “nearly zero-energybuildings” from 2020 onwards.

This high bar can only be cleared byusing highly efficient façades thatprovide excellent insulation and smartindoor climate control – all whileharnessing the power of the sun.

Optimised technologyDespite significant progress, large-format glass façades continue to be leftbehind when it comes to heat transferproperties, by classic perforated façadeswith insulation. At the same time,however, they also offer numerousadvantages over solid construction.

Thanks to copious amounts of glassused, they allow for visual contact withthe outside world. What’s more, theycreate enhanced lighting possibilitiesand ideal conditions for solar gain.

The E2 façade by Schuco (Fig 1)

continued »

� ‘Ice Q’ restaurant, Austria.

The 900m2 glass façade was built using high-

performance triple-pane insulation glass.

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illustrates an energy efficient systemcomplete with a revolutionarycombination of façade and systemtechnology, that both saves andgenerates energy. It has four functionmodules: Decentralised ventilation;façade-integrated photovoltaics;façade-integrated solar shading; andintegrated opening units.

Functional glassThe use of safety glass brings to the forethe extensive structural possibilities anddesign advantages offered by glass(curved glass, screen printing, digitalprinting, enamelling etc.) and thusprovides considerable flexibility in thedesign of customised high-performanceglass façades.

However, large glass surfaces alsoallow for outside conditions to stronglyimpact the indoor climate.

Excellent results are possiblenowadays with high-performancethermal- and solar-control glass. Forexample, double-pane insulating glassfilled with the noble gas argon andused with warm-edge spacer systemscurrently achieves a thermaltransmittance value of around 1.0W/m2K.

This value drops to 0.6 W/m2K fortriple-pane insulating glass used instandard configurations, and 0.5 W/m2Kis possible if the space between panes isincreased.

Even lower thermal transmittancevalues are possible in today’s standardglass configurations by using the ultra-expensive noble gas krypton.

To further reduce the thermaltransmittance coefficient while usingargon, quad-pane insulating glass can beused. Even though these productsachieve a U-value of 0.3 W/m2K,they’re not any heavier thanconventional triple-pane glass becausethey’re made using hardened thin glass.

Another option is vacuum insulatedglass (VIG), which would make stackingwindow panes an easier-to-manage taskfor window and façade manufacturers.Glass of this kind is already available inAsian markets, but Europe is still waitingto see equivalent products become readyfor mass production.

Solar control Besides heat insulation, large-formatfaçades must also master the challengeof providing reliable solar and glareprotection. Solar control glass alone –while efficient and easy to integrate – is

often not sufficient to reliably preventundesirable heat gain in interior spacesduring the summer.

Alternatives to shading systemsinstalled on the inside or outside of thefaçade are available, including specialsolar control glass featuring electricvoltage- based automatic tinting tominimise the impact of sunlight.

In autumn of 2013, the University ofGiessen presented an intriguingdevelopment in this area. Led by Prof.Bruno Meyer, the Physical Institutedeveloped and filed a patent applicationfor an energy-efficient glass coating thatallows for temperature- dependentthermal transmittance.

Using this passive (i.e. non- voltage),transparent glass coating allows for thestraightforward control of sun-inducedheat gain in interior spaces. At 20˚C the

material autonomously switches fromsemiconductor (permeable to light) tometal (reflective).

Insulation glass with integrated solarand/or light directing control is anotherfrequently used alternative. Thesesystems are integrated into the glass andcan be controlled manually orelectronically to align with individualinsulation and light conditions.

Thanks to integrated slats withvariable adjustment angles, daylightcan be directed into the interior of theroom. For example, the Austriancompany Eckelt Glass offers DLS EckliteEvolution, an insulation glass productwith two separate, electrically drivenlouvre blinds integrated into the glass,featuring a concave section for activelight directing in the upper part of the

glass and a convex section for efficientsolar and glare control in the vision area.

Depending on exterior lightingconditions, users can choose to openeither the vision area only or both thevision area and the upper area for anunobstructed view.

Energy from the façadePhotovoltaic modules can beincorporated in nearly any kind of glassinstallation. Solutions with integratedPV can easily be implemented even withmulti-pane insulating glass with thermaland acoustic protection properties andwith overhead and walkable glass.

Set up correctly, the solar controlfunctionality of a PV façade can evenmake additional shading systemsobsolete. Moreover, solar energy fromcollector systems integrated into thefaçade can be used for heat production.

glasstec 2014 in Düsseldorf will showjust how innovative the glass industryreally is, including what productsolutions this sector has in store to helpmake glass façades more energy efficient,and how architects and façade buildersenvision the future.

From 21 to 24 October, theinternational trade fair will present thelatest developments revolving aroundthe energy-efficient building envelope atthe trade fair stands, the ‘glasstechnology live’ show, and the façadecentre.

This range of offerings is furtherenhanced by the scientific conference‘Engineered Transparency’, from 21-22October 2014, and by the InternationalArchitecture Congress, entitled ‘Glass5.0 – Design, Function, Emotion’, on 22October 2014.

The building envelope Thanks to continuous construction,technology and product advancements,plenty of development potentialremains for large-format glass façades.

Regardless of any temporary façadedesign trends, topics such as energyefficiency and improvement of indoorclimatic conditions will dominatearchitecture and façade construction infuture, with additional attention paid tothe sustainability of materials andproducts used.

Stronger multi-disciplinary co-operation will be critical on the path toenergy-optimised glass façades andbuildings. �

* Sebastian Pflügge, glasstec 2014

� Fig 1. The Schüco E² Façade is an energy-efficient complete system that unites façade andsystem technology.

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British Glass Focus Conferencediscusses latest trends

More than 130 people attended the annual British Glass conference in London,UK to hear about the latest industry trends. Greg Morris was among them.

The day-long conference includedthree keynote presentations, 11breakout session papers and an

opening address from British Glass CEODave Dalton.

The overall message of the day wasthat the future of the industry cannot besecured by persisting with the statusquo. Collaboration, investment in thelatest technologies, new capabilities,improved productivity and a trainedworkforce are required to ensure theyhave the necessary skills for the future.

Speakers included Dr Jane Muncke,Managing Director of the FoodPackaging Forum, James O’Callaghan,Partner at architect’s firm EckerselyO’Callaghan, and Ruth Miller, SeniorEconomist at the Confederation ofBritish Industry (CBI).

Among the speakers at the breakoutsessions were Sheffield University’s ProfJohn Parker, who spoke aboutInnovations in Glass and Bottero’s PauloMazzone who discussed Innovations inThe Glass Manufacture Process.

Joe Walmsley, Director at DaedalianGlass Studios discussed the latest glass

design and fashion trends.For the first time the event, held at

Grange St Paul’s Hotel, London alsoincluded an industry awards evening,where Ardagh Group won bothCompany of the Year and the People andSkills award.

Food packagingPerhaps the most powerful presentationof the day was given by Dr Muncke whodiscussed some of the plastics involvedin food packaging. The Food PackagingFoundation is a charity formed in 2012and based in Zurich, Switzerland. It is anindependent foundation makingscientific facts and expert opinionsrelated to food packaging healthaccessible and understandable..

A recent study in Portugal found that60% of people’s food packaging wasmade up of plastics, such as PET and PPP.

Small monomers in the plastic can getout of the packaging and into the food.There is evidence of chemicals inpackaging now being found in people’sbodies. An example is Bisphenol A,which until three years ago was used to

make hard plastic and found insidebeverage and food cans as well as infantbottles. According to Dr Muncke it isnow found in everyone’s bodies as aresult of daily exposure to it.

Research into statistics of diseases hasfound that certain chronic diseases seemto be increasing in humans, such asallergies hormone-related cancer anddiabetes. These diseases are complex sothere is no single cause.

In the past it was considered thatgenes cause disease and ‘the dose makesthe poison’. But today’s thinking is thatwhile faulty genes will play a part it isnow known that lifestyle factors are alsoa factor and that chemicals can helpcause these diseases – animal studieshave proved this.

British GlassIn his opening address Mr Dalton saidthat the British Glass association had toensure that glass remained on the UKgovernment’s agenda.

continued »

� British Glass CEO Dave Dalton said glass had to remain on

the UK Government’s agenda.

“We need to build a platform upon which those vested with the

power to do the right thing can do so with our material.”

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To do that it had forged relationshipsat a high level, corralled its capabilities,challenged the way it does things andcreated an environment where ideas canprosper.

He said: “We need to build a platformupon which those vested with the powerto do the right thing can do so with ourmaterial.”

He added: “It gives us a status and anunderstanding with the powers that be.We are talking to decision makers abouthow they can change the world inwhich we operate in.”

One of its innovations is the GlassAcademy, which is aimed at attractingnew talent to the industry. Mr Daltonsaid that the association was punchingabove its weight at the moment but hadto use that platform to continue its goodwork. It has given examples of its workto the UK Government, which in returnhas offered to fund the development ofhigh quality materials.

UK GovernmentIn a supporting statement Dr VinceCable, the UK’s Secretary of State forBusiness, Innovation and Skills, said:“The Glass Focus Conference is animportant opportunity to reflect on thevital role that glass plays in just aboutevery facet of our daily lives, frompackaging and tableware to medicaltechnology and fibre-optics.

“Glass is a vital part of the hi-techmanufacturing supply chain. Lastmonth I announced a further £100m ofsupport under our AdvancedManufacturing Supply Chain Initiativeto strengthen supply chains and tosupport the reshoring trend.

“We share your commitment todeveloping a skilled workforce. As wellas co-funding the Glass Academy Projectwith industry, earlier this month welaunched ‘Your Life’ - a campaign todrive up the number of young people,

especially women, studying science,technology, engineering andmathematics (STEM) subjects.

“With so much forward thinking andinnovation in the glass industry, there isa wealth of promise and potential. I canassure you that in turn, Government willcontinue to build on its strongpartnerships with UK industry toachieve our ambitions for growth, andensure this potential is crystallised.”

Breakout sessionsOther breakout session subjects includedan Industry Roadmap which includedspeakers from British Glass, andPackaging Developments, whichincluded a talk from worldwide brewerSAB Miller and a speaker from UKsupermarket, Tesco.

SAB Miller’s Richard Corker discussedthe group’s packaging strategy and saidbeer and glass are still a good fit, withabout 60% of SAB’s beer sold in glass.About 76% of the company’s Ebitacomes from developing markets and itsbiggest beer sold in terms of volume isSnow, mainly sold in China.

The company recently changed theway it works and has created anindustrial and academic network. It hasa small R&D team that works withindustry partners, academics and

partners and is open to the idea of co-developing and funding.

Paul Earnshaw, Packaging Manager atTesco, gave an overview of thecompany’s packaging sector. The group,which employs 530,000 peopleworldwide, is changing its packagingapproach and wants to engage with thepackaging chain and wants to know thebenefits packaging can bring.

With thanksIn a closing statement Mr Dalton said:“We would like to thank everyone whoattended the conference and supportedus in bringing together the glassindustry and promoting glass as amaterial.

“We cannot secure the future of theindustry by persisting with the statusquo. We must collaborate and build anew vision for the future by investing innew technologies, new capabilities,improving productivity and training theworkforce to ensure they have thenecessary skills.”

“We were also delighted to hold ourinaugural Glass Focus Industry Awards atthis year’s conference, recognising someof the companies who are alreadystriving towards this vision,congratulations to all of the winners.”

The British Glass Industry Awardresults were:

� People and Skills (sponsored byThe Glass Academy) – Ardagh Group

� Innovation of the Year (sponsoredby Siemens) – Eckersley O’Callaghan.Special mention to Allied Glass for itsinvestment in 3D printing

� Glass Company of the Year(sponsored by British Glass) – ArdaghGroup �

British Glass, www.britglass.org.uk/glass-focus-conference

� Ardagh win Company of the Year. � Dave Dalton CEO of British Glass opens the

Conference.

� Jane Muncke, Food Packaging Forum.

� James O'Callaghan.

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A successful China Glass 2014 More than 800 exhibitors from 185 companies took part in this year’s

China Glass event.

The event, at the New InternationalExpo Centre, Shanghai, took upseven halls with an exhibition area

of 80,000m2. Exhibitors came from 27 countries,

including China, Italy, Germany, USA,France, Finland, the UK, The Netherlands,South Korea, Japan and India.

The four-day glass show attractedmore than 23,000 professional visitorsfrom nearly 80 countries in the world.Around 3000 people from outside Chinaincluding visiting groups comprisingabout 400 members from industrial,trading and press sectors of India,Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia and SouthKorea. Prof Peng Shou (pictured above,second from left), President of theInternational Commission on Glass, wasamong those to visit the event.

International StandingMany giants of the industry exhibited atthe event including Glaston, Lisec,Bystronic, Benteler, CNUD-EFCO,Grenzebach, Fives Stein, Bottero,Teichmann, PPG, Sorg and AGC. Therewere also German, Italian and USpavilions.

The Italian exhibiting group had morethan 1200m2 for 24 companies; theGerman group, supported by itsGovernment departments and organisedby had a booth area of 600m2 with 30companies. More than 20 companieshad booths of 400m2 in the US pavilion.A number of companies including

rented even larger booths compared tothe previous year.

There were about 50 newcomers atthis year’s exhibition from the USA,Germany, France, the UK, CzechRepublic, Malaysia, Estonia, as well asChina.

Glaston presented glass pre-processingtechnology and diamond and polishingtools. Its exhibits include heat treatmenttechnology such as flat toughening,bending and toughening, flatlaminating, as well as Low-E and ultra-Low-E glass products.

Lisec showcased glass-processingequipment, mainly machinery forphotovoltaic glass, production/qualitymanagement software system and spacerbars; DIN standard laboratory for glassproducts quality control; Europeanstandard full range of architectural glassproducts and glass transport technologyfor public road.

Bystronic displayed its products andlaser cutting technology. It specialises inconveying, cutting, drilling andbevelling of shape glass, particularlyvehicle windscreens

Belgium’s CNUD-EFCO suppliestechnology for annealing lehrs and tinbath roofs, designed to cover glassproduction capacities from 50MTD to1000MTD with ribbon widths varyingfrom 0.7m up to 5m, and to anneal clear,coloured, coated, PDP and TFT glassranging from 0.3 to 25.0mm inthickness.

The Fives Stein Group providesthermal equipment and productionlines for float glass furnaces andannealing lehrs, including meltingfurnaces with either gas, electric or oilcombustion systems, electric boost andbubbler systems, working ends andforehearths with combustion systems, aswell as oxy-gas forehearths for varioustypes of fibre glass or solar glass.

Grenzebach displayed the latest floatglass production lines and cold-end testtechniques.

PPG partner, Henry Teichmannprovides turnkey projects includingengineering, procurement, technicalservice, and project management forfloat, fibreglass, container and otherspeciality glass plants, complete floatglass solutions, oxy-fuel firing and CVDcoating technologies.

Corning showcased its machinableglass ceramic, high purity fused silicaand zero expansion glass technologies.

Japan’s AGC provides solutionsrelated to glass melting furnaces, inaddition to high-rank float glass, on-lineLow-E glass and TCO glass.

Israel’s ceramic in-glass printer Dip-Tech had a popular stand with plenty ofvisitors on the first two days. Thecompany presented its decorative andfunctional requirements for interior andexterior printed glass applications.

continued »

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Chinese companies at the fairincluded Jinjing Group, China LuoyangFloat Glass Group, China Triumph,Zhejiang Topglass, Ruitai, Xinyi, AVIC,Taiwan Glass Group, CSG, ShundeGolive, Liaoning Lewei, Shanghai,Yaohua Pilkington, Shabo Glass Group,Luoyang Northglass, Mingte,Guangdong IVACO, Guangdong Fushan,Landglass and Tenon.

Rewarding On the exhibition’s second day,Guangdong IVACO received a number oforder forms from Iran, Turkey, SouthKorea and Poland. Seven of GuangdongFushan’s eight machines worthRMB3,000,000 ($500k) were sold outand export orders of more than RMB10

million ($1.6 million) were clinched. Luoyang Northglass was delighted

after its 18m x 3.3m numerically printedglass was sold to the headquarters ofApple Inc.

Activities during the ShowA number of technical and academicactivities were arranged, including theInternational Symposium on AdvancedGlass Melting Technology, which hadenergy efficiency, low carbon and newtechnology for recycling material as itstheme. It discussed topics such asmelting and oxy-fuel combustiontechnologies.

Another conference, GPD China 2014,addressed energy efficiency andsustainability in buildings with a focus

on intelligent glazing and energymanagement. There was also twotechnical seminars with about 400attendees, who had lively discussions onseveral topics.

The Consulate General of Germany inShanghai held a Night of GermanPavilion to help enhance therelationship between Chinese glassbusinesses and German companies.

There were also news briefings andworkshops given by exhibitors topromote their brands, products andR&D results. �

China Glass, organised by the ChineseCeramic Society and Beijing ZhongguiExhibition.www.chinaexhibition.com

Contact us:Advertising: Ken Clark T: +44 1737 855117 E: [email protected]: Greg Morris T: +44 1737 855132 E: [email protected]


The Chinese editions are distributed by China National Association for Glass Industry (CNAG) and at internationalevents including China Glass.

Glass International is pleased to announce that it publishestwo Chinese language issues per year. (April & September)

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Website: www.tiama.eu

CLASSIFIEDSCLASSIFIEDS

COMBUSTIONSYSTEMS/BURNERS

ANNEALINGLEHRS FURNACES

Glass InternationalDirectory 2014

contact: Esme Horn toreceive your copy

On-line Process & Quality Control

INSPECTION

COMBUSTION EQUIPMENT

GLASSMAN EVENTS VISIT:

www.glassman-events.com

INDUSTRIAL GAS ENGINEERSUNIT D2, BROOKSIDE BUSINESS PARK, GREENGATE,

CHADDERTON, M24 1GS, UKTEL +44 (0) 161 654 7700 FAX +44 (0) 161 655 3812

EMAIL [email protected] WWW.MONTSELAS.CO.UK

Manufacturers and suppliers of selassquare port gas & air valves GASAIR

KBA-KAMMANN GmbH Bergkirchener Str. 228D-32549 Bad Oeynhausen (Germany)

Fon +49 (0) 5734 5140-0 Fax: +49 (0) 5734 [email protected] www.kba-kammann.com

DECORATING MACHINES

FLEXIBLE.PRECISE.INNOVATIVE.

Special cast irons andalloys for glass moulds

53035 MONTERIGGIONI (Siena) ITALYStrada di Gabbricce, 6 • P.O.Box 30

Tel. +39 - 0577 - 304730 Fax +39 - 0577 - 304755

E-mail: [email protected] •Website: http://www.fonderievaldelsane.com

Fonderie Valdelsane S.p.A.Fonderie Valdelsane S.p.A.

glass int june 2014

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