Bloom Over Miami - Feb 2001

Volume 36, Issue 2, February 2001

Bloom Over Miami

MIAMI

Show Visits Miami with Array of Opportunities for the Industry

by Penny Beverage
The National Glass Association Convention and Show™ is heading east this year. The event, co-sponsored by the National Glass Association, the Glass Association of North America and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, will be held March 14-16 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla.

To kick things off, those in attendance will have a chance to demonstrate their skills on the golf course on Tuesday, March 13, with a “Shot Gun Start” at 1 p.m. The tournament will be held at the Presidential Country Club in North Miami and will be sponsored by the Glass Association of Florida.

The next morning, once everyone’s warmed up and ready for the rest of the games to begin, a keynote speech will be given by syndicated columnist Dave Barry, whose column appears in papers across the United States, sending millions of Americans into hysterics daily. Barry’s speech will run from 8:30 to 10 a.m., sure to leave everyone with an optimistic outlook for the day.

Throughout the day, seminars will be presented on a variety of topics. Donn Harter of the California Glass Association will moderate a panel on codes and standards, including specific topics such as how to apply building codes daily and how to understand the current building codes. Leroy Richards, a service sales associate for City Glass Co., will present a lecture, titled “When OSHA Knocks,”about how to deal with the Occupational and Safety Health Administration and how to maintain paperwork and safety programs
continually.

On Thursday, Gordon H. Smith of the Gordon H. Smith Corp. will speak about “The Impact and Importance of Consultants in Today’s Glazing Field.” He hopes to teach participants how to work with consultants in tackling common goals, techniques for resolving conflicts with these associates and how to network successfully. Brian Hale of Hale Glass Inc. will moderate a panel consisting of associates from PPG Industries, Viracon, Pilkington and Interpane, who will discuss energy-efficient glazing. The segment will touch on everything from how energy-efficient glazing works and how it is made, to deciding when to use energy-efficient glass.

The trade show will run concurrently with these seminars, lectures and panel events, and will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The following is a sampling of the many products and services that will be on display at the event.

Sommer & Maca Introduce Adjustable Shelf Grips
Sommer & Maca Indus-tries Inc. of Cicero, Ill., will display its brand-new adjust-able shelf grips. According to the company, the shelf grips are suitable for glass and board shelves from 1/8- to 15/16-inches thick and up to 10-inches deep. Each can be attached to the wall with one screw, and thickness can also be adjusted with just one screw. Sommer & Maca suggest a number of applications for the adjustable shelf grips, including telephones, speakers and other appliances.

Gunther Offers Variety of Mastics to Suit Every Need
Gunther Mirror Mastics of South Bend, Ind., will features a variety of mastics, including Gunther Ultra/Bond®, Extra/Build® and Premier®. According to the company, Gunther Ultra/Bond is suitable for most mirror installations as well as mirrored overlays or fixtures. Extra/Build is designed to build out to 2 ½-inches and is ideal for large mirrored walls and uneven surfaces, Gunther says. Likewise, Gunther Premier is designed for high-traffic areas, gyms, dance studios and commercial products. Finally, the company will also exhibit Gunther Pro, which it says it is designed for installers who want an asphalt-based mastic that requires no special application equipment.

E-skylight.com Demonstrates Revolutionary Website
E-Skylight.com Inc., a subsidiary of Architectural Skylight Co., based in Waterboro, Maine, will feature its innovative website. The website allows web-browsers to design and purchase their own skylights online using a short, eight-step process. The company developed its own CAD program to present the browser with a diagram of his or her skylight almost immediately after the design process is complete. (For related feature, see January 2001 USGlass.)

Tamglass Features Three New Machines
Finland’s Tamglass Ltd. Oy will feature one of its latest launches, the HTBS ProE™, a brand-new mouldless bending and tempering line for large cylindrically-bent glass sheets. According to the company, the machine is capable of bending and tempering up to 1.5-meters long and 2.4-meters wide. Tamglass says the machine offers an economical way of producing both automotive safety glass like bus sidelites and architectural safety glass. The HTBS ProE has an adjustable radius and can be used for bending and tempering all types of glass, including clear, colored, coated and silk screen-printed.

In addition, the company will exhibit its Focused Convection System (FCS™) for low-E products. According to the company, this special furnace is capable of tempering jumbo-sized glass from widths of 2.8-meters to 3.3-meters and up to 6.5-meters long.

The company will also feature its semi-automatic laminating line, SFL™. The machine can produce laminated glass up to 2.5- by 3.5-meters, with thicknesses between 2.5-mm and 60-mm multi-lite glass.

Kawneer Visits NGA with Stock of Products
The Kawneer Co. of Norcross, Ga., will present an array of its products, including the Trifab(4) VG (VersaGlaze™) Framing Systems, the 2250 IG (inside glazed) Ribbon Window and Curtainwall System and Kawneer Sealair® windows. According to the company, its Trifab VG Framing Systems allow glazing contractors to vary the glass plane from front, center and back, to multi-plane applications. Kawneer says its 2250 IG ribbon window and curtainwall system features an optional mullion anchor with diverter clip for water infiltration and condensation management. Finally, Kawneer’s Sealair® windows are available as fixed, projected and casement; thermal versions include Kawneer’s IsoLock® Thermal break, which mechanically and adhesively bonds to the aluminum frame and prevents dry shrinkage.

Hiawatha Guarantees 72-Hour ‘Quick-Ship’
Hiawatha Inc. of Bloomington, Minn., will be promoting its 72-hour “Quick-Ship” program at the show. The company says it assures 72-hour shipment on its most popular styles of pulls and push/pull door hardware for aluminum, glass, hollow metal and wood doors. The handles are available in a variety of finishes, including polished and satin stainless steel, bronze, brass and aluminum. Hiawatha will also feature its range of shower door accessories such as frameless glass hinges, towel bars and handles.

Sheffield Marks a ‘Family’ Affair
NGA6 Sheffield Plastics Inc. of Sheffield, Mass., plans to bring its family of HYZOD® polycarbonate glazing products to demonstrate their durability, design flexibility and structural integrity for the show’s numerous attendees. The product comes in several grades to suit specific performance needs. HYZOD GP for general glazing and industrial applications, HYZOD SL for ultraviolet protection and HYZOD AR for abrasion resistance, impact strength and graffiti removal.
In addition, HYGARD® laminates are available from Sheffield for certified containment glazing and bullet resistance protection.

CPFilms Heads South
CPFilms Inc. of Martinsville, Va., will travel to Miami to exhibit its Llumar® UVShield™ window film. The company says the film blocks 99.9 percent of all ultraviolet rays that pass through glass, while leaving the window’s light transmission up to par with a clear, non-coated window. The Skin Cancer Foundation has even given the film its Seal of Recommendation for its protective properties. In honor of this, the company donates a portion of the proceeds from all sales of Llumar UVShield to the American Cancer Society to further skin cancer research.

CRL Boasts Extensive Array of Products
NGA7 C.R. Laurence Co. Inc. (CRL) will demonstrate an array of its products this year, including its ADR2 Portable Router, Security Anti-Lift Showcase Track Assembly and Swivel Fittings. The company says the first of these, the ADR2 Portable Router, is a lightweight, corded router that works at 110-volts, 10,000-30,000 RPM and requires 600 watts of power.

“One of the biggest advantages of the ADR2 is that it can plunge-cut its own starter holes. This eliminates the need to stop and drill a pilot hole before routing,” said Steve Frey, product manager. “With very little practice, the ADR2 can cut almost any curve or radius. Intricate shapes, mirror outlets, switch plates circles, speak holes and desktop utility cut-outs are easy fabricated with the ADR2.”
In addition, the company’s Security Anti-Lift Showcase Track Assembly incorporates two aluminum security extrusions, an Anti-Lift “H” Bar and a Security Lower Track. The bottom of the CRL’s Security “H” Bar is shaped so that it cannot be lifted off the lower track’s specially designed rails in an effort to protect the valuable merchandise stored in showcases, according to the company.
Displaying a little bit of everything it has to offer, CRL also will exhibit its new swivel fittings for connecting glass to glass or glass to walls. The swivel fittings are adjustable to 180 degrees at each end.

“The new swivel fittings are ideal components for fixture design and fabricator, or for connecting panels for furniture applications,” said Bob Carlson, product manager for CRL’s store fixture and display division. “Finished in brushed satin, they are contemporary in design and provide a ‘high-tech’ appearance. These fittings provide a unique and attractive method of connecting panels to floors, ceilings or walls.”

Elumatec Boasts New Semi-Automatic Table Saw, TS 161/30
Elumatec North America of South Bend, Ind., now has available its TS 161/30 semi-automatic table saw, which it will feature at the show. The saw’s features include an up-stroking, 280-mm TCT carbide saw blade, 3200-rpm spindle speed and a 1.5-horsepower motor. The company says it is capable of angle-cutting up to 45 degrees. In addition, the TS 161/30 has aluminum cutting capacities of 4-inches round at 90 or 45 degrees, 10.5-inches flat to 3.75-inches square at 90 degrees, and 7.5-inches flat to 3.15-inches square at 45 degrees, according to the company. The saw is also equipped with vertical pneumatic clamping devices, a pulsed spray mist blade lubrication system, air filter and regulator, two-hand safety controls, manual saw head metal cover with plexiglas window insert and a one-year limited warranty.

Action Bullet Resistant Shows Strength with New Products
Action Bullet Resistant of West Islip, N.Y., plans to display samples of its bullet resistant levels one and three door rails, curtainwall systems and the components which hold the systems together. One of the curtainwall systems the company will feature is the BR 150 level 1 and BR 250 level 3 screw pline systems, designed to save time in both fabrication and installation. According to the company, the BR 150 level 1 and BR 250 level 3 screw pline systems are made of aluminum without the need for bullet resistant infills.

Viracon Debuts Reflective Low-E Coating and Stormguard™ Glass
Viracon will feature a new coating and a new hurricane-resistant glass product. The new coating, Viracon Reflective low-E (VRE), offers low ultraviolet values and a visible light transmittance range of 38 or 46 percent, according to the company. Viracon says the VRE coating has a crisp silver reflective appearance from the exterior and a soothing blue tone to the interior, to balance the psychological need for natural light and the economic necessity to reduce solar heat gain.
Viracon’s new hurricane-resistant glass product, StormGuard, has a stiff interlayer that the company says experienced less deflection than PVB interlayers in testing.Viracon expects the product to offer excellent flexibility in design and glass size choices.

Alpha Professional Debuts EdgeCrafter
Alpha Professional Tools of Wyckoff, N.J., will exhibit the Alpha EdgeCrafter. According to the company, the tool was designed specially for polishing straight and beveled edges. Alpha Professional Tools says its EdgeCrafter is not bulky and is easily transportable. Likewise, it offers a complete start-to-finish system that utilizes a one-touch attachment for ease of use. The tool can be adjusted to shape and polish any bevel angle or straight edge, the company says. It is also equipped with a protective cover and a GFCI for safety and utilizes 4000-RPM.

Quaker Window Shows Off Latest Launches
Quaker Window Products of Freeburg, Mo., will feature its extensive line of windows and doors at the show. Among these will be Quaker’s latest launches, the “Pro Edge” vinyl replacement window, two AW-rated aluminum windows, the #7050 series horizontal slider and the #8050 series single hung window. The company says its entire line contains more than 60 series of aluminum, vinyl and wood-clad windows and patio doors.

Titon Demonstrates Trickle Ventilator
Titon Inc. of South Bend, Ind., will display the Titon Trickle Ventilator. The Titon Trickle Ventilator is a narrow inlet device located near the top of a window, usually in the sash. The company says the device, slimmer than a mail slot, provides a natural, economical year-round source of fresh air exchange, and can be opened and closed with the touch of a finger. The ventilator can be installed in all types of windows, including replacement, retrofitted or new windows.
According to the company, homes built or renovated in the last 25 years are in need of these ventilators due to over-installation and contamination. However, consumers can be saved with the Titon ventilator, the company says, which makes up for the over-installation problem and allows pollutants to escape through the small slot in the window.