by Tara Taffera
It’s been the subject of many articles, presentations and speeches in recent months: how to shorten lead times for glass customers. Recognizing this growing need, manufacturers of some of the many glass products introduced recently, boast of shorter lead times for these products. But, whether its shorter lead times, improved solar control properties, or advanced durability, the following products introduced by PPG, Guardian, Interpane and Pilkington LOF offer new opportunities for a myriad of glass purchasers.
Sun-Guard® by Guardian Industries
Guardian Industries of Auburn Hills, MI, has introduced the latest addition to
its Sun-Guard® series. So, what makes this new product different from others in the
series, or from that offered by other manufacturers? According to the company, Sun-Guard
Silver is unique because it offers the performance, color uniformity and quality
characteristics of a sputter-coated glass product, along with the durability and
flexibility comparable to pyrolitic coated glass products. For example, Guardian says
Sun-Guard Silver can be tempered, heat strengthened or bent after the coating has been
applied to the glass.
Sun-Guard products are manufactured utilizing Guardian’s proprietary Silacoat™
process. According to Guardian, this attribute makes Sun-Guard appealing to fabricators
with in-house tempering equipment. Additionally, the ability to fabricate Sun-Guard
products after coating can substantially reduce lead times required for shipment.
Sun-Guard Silver is available on clear and green glass and according to the company,
offers strong solar performance and a crisp, silver reflective look.
Thermopane INE IPLUS by Interpane Glass
While Guardian’s new glass offers benefits desirable to fabricators,
Interpane Glass Company recently introduced its Thermopane INE IPLUS neutral low-E glass,
which it says offers great benefits to architects and designers. The company, based in
Clinton, NC, says the new product, a coated spectrally-selective glazing, offers this
group something Interpane says they’ve never had before—the benefits of natural
daylight, along with the advantages of energy-efficient glass.
Introduction of INE IPLUS was based on “the popular trend for clear glass in building
design,” said Mike Winkler, Interpane’s director of sales and marketing.
“Until now, the only true clear glass was uncoated—and this meant high energy
consumption and discomfort for building occupants.”
According to Winkler, INE IPLUS features a neutral color that most closely matches the
aesthetics of clear glass. “It does not have the obtrusive color tint of other
so-called ‘clear’ spectrally-selective glasses. Therefore, it allows for high
daylight transmittance and a beautiful, clear view,” he said. In addition, he said
the double-layer coating technology can significantly reduce the need for interior
lighting.
INE IPLUS is also available as a coating on the various tinted glass substrates.
Sungate Series by PPG Industries
PPG Industries of Pittsburgh is busy with its own glass developments. At the
interGLASSmetal/Fenestration world ’99 conference in Atlanta, Richard Leggett, vice
president, flat glass, made several significant announcements. Among them was the
declaration that PPG will resume production of Starphire ultra-clear flat glass in
January. The glass, which will be manufactured at the Carlisle, PA glass plant, will be
available in thicknesses from 2.5 to 12 mm.
The company also announced the resurrection of its Solarban glass brand for a new category
of solar control low-E glass being branched off from PPG’s Sungate low-E glass.
Sungate 100 and Sungate 500 glass have “the ideal characteristics for residential
applications in northern climates,” said Leggett. “New Solarban solar-control
low-E glass will provide distinctive low solar energy transmittance as well as low-E
performance, qualities important in commercial glazing and many residential
applications.”
So will there be a difference between the new and old Solarban products? According to
Leggett, the new Solarban glass will differ from the previous in appearance and
performance. The new Solarban low-E glass will be more color neutral, allow more visible
light transmittance, have improved insulating properties and possess less visible
reflectivity.
Sungate 1000 glass now becomes Solarban 60 glass with the same solar control and light
transmittance properties. And that’s not all the news involving Solarban. Leggett
says PPG will launch Solarban 55 glass in the first quarter of 2000 at its Mount Zion, IL,
plant. The glass will have a pyrolitic low-E coating, and will meet Energy Star®
standards in southern climates.
If that’s not enough, PPG also recently introduced its newest solar control glass
substrate, Optigray® 23, a medium gray glass with a warm bronze undertone. According to
PPG, the gray glass is an excellent option for those searching for a transitional product
between gray to bronze hues.
Solar E by Pilkington LOF
Pilkington LOF of Toledo, OH, has been busy with new product introductions as
well. The company recently introduced what it says is “the first color-neutral solar
control glass with a pyrolitic surface,” Pilkington Solar E® Solar Control low-E
Glass.
Designed for the architectural and residential markets, Pilkington says Solar E combines
favorable solar control properties with excellent thermal characteristics in a
color-neutral, durable, pyrolitic low-E glass. Additionally, with Solar E, the company
says there is no color shift in tempering, unlike some sputter-coated low-E products.
“Solar E Glass opens up new opportunities not only for Pilkington LOF but for the
design and glass industry as well,” said David Morris, manager of architectural
products for Pilkington. “Glazing contractors who work in the South or have projects
that call for a color-neutral solar control glass now have a product that offers shorter
lead times. Before now, the only option was sputter-coated glass, which are not always
readily available and typically require special
handling.”
The ideal customers for Solar E glass? Morris pinpoints it to retail and automotive dealer
storefronts, federal buildings, libraries, high schools and colleges/universities. But,
any building that uses a large amount of clear glass and needs to control solar energy
transmission, may be an ideal candidate for the product.
While not a new product, Pilkington also recently introduced its Profilit™ Profiled
Glass Architecture system into the U.S. market. Although Profilit has never formally been
promoted in the United States, it has been used for large glass facades and interior glass
walls in Europe for more than 30 years. According to Pilkington, Profilit offers a high
degree of design flexibility and is an excellent alternative to glass block.
The Profilit glass system is a structural glazing system consisting of self supporting
glass channels when combined with an extruded metal perimeter frame. The elongated
U-shaped glass configuration provides an inherent strength within each glass channel that
guards against lateral loading. This design allows the system to be installed in high
elevations or in large unit lengths without requiring additional vertical or horizontal
mullions. The system is available with several glazing options, including single or
double-glazed, low-E coating and wire glass.
Profilit Glass is marketed in the United States by Pilkington LOF, but engineering,
distribution, installation and onsite technical support is provided by Westcrowns Inc., an
affiliated company of Westcrowns Ltd., Glasgow, Scotland.
Tara Taffera is the editor of USGlass magazine.
© Copyright 1999 Key Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.