Glasstec

Five Days, Nine Halls, 1,000+ Exhibitors … Are You Ready For It?

glasstec Returns to Düsseldorf Bringing the Most Cutting-Edge Glass Technologies and Developments
by Ellen Rogers

One visit to glasstec and you know the all-encompassing trade fair is like nothing else the glass industry has to offer. The biennial event will take place this year October 21-25 over 725,000 square feet of the fairgrounds (Messe) in Düsseldorf, Germany. glasstec will bring together more than 1,000 exhibitors from 47 countries in nine halls. Companies will demonstrate and display the latest in glass processing technologies, many of which will focus on some of the biggest trends to hit the architectural scene.

“Needless to say, this outstanding development of glasstec has not just happened coincidentally,” says show director Marianne Ingenhoven. “Glass is today as much in demand as ever and companies naturally also want to participate in the world’s leading industry event.”

Going Solar
Did someone say energy efficiency?
It’s not just North American companies that are finding ways to “green” the glass industry. In fact, Europe historically has been much more energy- conscious than North America, so it’s no surprise that products that can help reduce energy costs will have a significant role this year at glasstec—so much that “Glass & Energy” has been named the theme for this year’s event. At the trade fair’s 2006 staging more than 30 percent of the visitors were interested in solar energy themes, and this year’s staging will not disappoint the energyconscious visitors.

Take a walk though Hall 11 and you’ll find innovative solar technologies and displays. The solar theme also will be the central topic during the technical symposium that will accompany the “glass technology live” event.

Speaking of Technology …
Hall 11 also will house the “glass technology live” symposium and exhibition section. The organizer, Professor Stephan Behling of the Institute of Building Construction at Stuttgart University, will present information about both today’s resource-saving measures and a preview of tomorrow’s technologies. The display will feature four segments:
• Light and transparency;
• Photovoltaics;
• Solar thermal systems; and
• Heat and solar protection.

In addition, current international architecture projects and glass applications will demonstrate the implementation and integration of the latest technologies in insulating glass, windows and façades and will provide information on the construction of energy-efficient and integrative building covers along with manufacturing and production processes.

Listen and Learn
A technical symposium of lectures and presentations will be held in conjunction with glass technology live. Some of the themes included in the lecture series are:
• Glass for energy-saving and generating applications;
• Current architectural projects;
• Active-solar building skins;
• Thermal and solar protection; and
• Saving energy with glass.

Much More to See
Of course, the trade show floor will retain its reputation for providing information and products on all parts of the glass industry. In Hall 9, craftsman-type finishers and processors of glass will present their practical applications of this material, from the finishing of flat glass to the construction of glass furniture and the use of glass as a “lifestyle” product in modern architecture. In Halls 10 and 11, companies will showcase developments such as antimicrobial glass, titanium coatings and more. While there will be many new products and technologies to see, glass machinery and equipment manufacturing remain the largest exhibition category in Halls 12 through 17.

So who’s going to be showing their wares at glasstec? Check out pages 56-68 for glimpse at what will be on display.

HALL 13, STAND C25-4
Expand Your
Coating and Laminating With demand growing for exterior/interior spandrel coated architectural glass, Casso-Solar in Pomona, N.Y., is offering its new Spandrel program. The new spandrel system integrates a high-quality roll coater and the company’s infrared (IR) dryer, with several enhancements. To meet higher quality productivity, IR heaters have been reconfigured and rearranged as well as other advancements for cost-effective production.

The company also has introduced a glass laminating kiln for batch operations to serve the expanding markets of companies bringing low-production laminating in-house.

The batch laminating kiln operates by the vacuum process, which the company says is suitable for almost all types of products, including tempered and bent glasses with PVB, EVA or other interlayer films. The laminated glass can be produced in standard widths of 72, 84 and 96 inches and three lengths 72, 144 and 216 inches. Single or double units are available to provide up to two independent chambers with two bed loads in each. ❙❙➤ www.glass.cassosolar.com

Exhibitors Showcase
Solar Technologies
With energy efficiency a key focus of this year’s glasstec, several companies will be displaying new innovations within the field of solar performance. According to information from the German glass association VDMA, as early as 2010 electricity produced with the help of thin film solar modules is likely to cost the same as electricity made in conventional power plants, so it’s also likely that fully automated mass production will lead to reduced prices as well.

Two VDMA members exhibiting at glasstec this year have been very involved in this emerging market: Grenzebach (Hall 15, Stand C33) and Lenhardt (Hall 14, Stand C22/E24).

According to Egbert Wenninger, a member of the Grenzebach
management board, the company’s thin film technology will help reduce production costs per watt installed from 3 to 5
Euros to less than 1 Euro. Wenninger expects the first modules to be available on the market by 2010. He adds that his company’s
technology allows for mass production of thin film modules.
In addition, Lenhardt, part of the Bystronic group, will display the first solar module, totally free of laminate, for thin film
cells. Bernhard Schmitt, managing director, says the expensive and time-consuming laminating process, in which the solar
cells are embedded in thin, synthetic foil and merged with the glass lite, is no longer required with the company’s new technology.

In addition, less space is needed for the production line since the modules are transported standing and not laying
between different production phases. Schmitt adds that the modules are easily recycled since there is no longer a laminatethat must be removed first.

But Grenzebach and Lenhardt are not the only companies at glasstec that will be displaying solar and photovoltaic technologies.
Currently, 111 companies from around the world are registered to exhibit related products. ❙❙➤ www.grenzebach.com ❙❙➤ www.bystronic-glass.com

HALL 14, STAND E20
Edgetech Makes Energy-
Efficiency Interactive
Edgetech I.G. in Cambridge, Ohio, will feature an interactive stand so show attendees can explore for themselves the features and benefits of the Super Spacer® and Super Spacer Triseal™ warm edge spacer systems.

The booth will include onsite demonstrations of manual Super Spacer application, while equipment manufacturers throughout the show will display fully-automated options. The company also will share recent test results from independent studies, including reports from the German Federal Flat Glass Association and the Rosenheim Institute.

Super Spacer TriSeal will be a main attraction at the booth. Engineered for light to heavy residential and commercial applications, TriSeal is a dual seal warm edge spacer system with a butyl (PIB) primary seal and a choice of silicone, polyurethane, polysulfide, DSE/DSA or hot melt secondary seal. It also contains a third structural seal made of permanent acrylic adhesive that increases durability for a longer product life and a warmer edge of glass. ❙❙➤ www.edgetech360.com

HALL 9, STAND D48-G68
Visit the Mixing “Bohle”
Visitors to Germany-based Bohle’s stand can do more than just view and talk about the new products and displays; they can also try out the tools for themselves. This year the company will be exhibiting in a redesigned booth that will feature different workstations for glass cutting and bonding. In addition, the company’s booth will be segmented into five specific areas where its entire mix of products will be displayed: Glass cutting and breaking; glass handling; automatic glass processing; glass bonding and fittings; and measuring  devices.

Some of the company’s newest innovations include its Cutmaster Platinum, a cutting wheel designed to provide high-quality edges without cutting fluids. The new TinCheck helps find the tin side of float glass easily. ❙❙➤ www.bohle.de

HALL 16, STAND C19/D05
Automatic Recognition
Scratches or impurities in your glass? For. El. from Italy will exhibit the SC, a quality assurance, in-line scanner that inspects for these and other defects in each lite and then records the image files in a database. The SC offers pattern and size recognition system so that it automatically recognizes the glass shape without the need to enter order details manually. The process takes place instantaneously and supplies the information to the machines that carry out the subsequent processes throughout the line.

The company will also showcase the EM vertical grinding machine, which is designed to process all four sides of the glass continuously, both rectilinear and shaped, without any handling of the lite itself. ❙❙➤ www.forel.com

HALL 13, STAND B49
Super-Sized RoboTemp™
Due to demand for ever-bigger architectural glass, the size range of Finland- based Glassrobots’ RoboTemp™ FTM flat tempering machines has been extended with bigger units. New standards widths of 110 and 126 inches are now available.

According to the company, the furnace has a quick heating time and large capacity, and produces high quality results, especially for soft coated, low-E glass. With low-E glass, the furnace achieves 29 seconds/mm of thickness. The furnace also offers flatness and high optical quality. ❙❙➤ www.glassrobots.fi

HALL 11, STAND B83
Glasslam Offers
Hurricane Protection—Fast Glasslam N.G.I. Inc. in Pompano Beach, Fla., has launched a patent pending Air-Tight Sudden Impact IG System to help glass fabricators produce insulating glass meets hurricane impact codes quickly and efficiently. The new system uses a layer of crystal clear resin that is applied with a proprietary process, bonding one interior glass surface with the spacer, to rapidly create a hurricane impact unit with one lite less than usual. ❙❙➤ www.glasslam.com

HALL 16, STAND F73-74
Shower Door
Machinery is Looking Up
CMS, based in North America in Caledonia, Mich., designed the Vertec vertical drilling/milling machine to execute complex internal and external drilling, milling and grinding cycles for shower doors quickly and easily. Vertec has a modular vertical design that allows the operator to load manually or from conveyor. It works in conjunction with edgers, washers and automatic loading and unloading equipment. The glass is stationary while the machining is done, eliminating potential scratches from back and forth movement. The machine can process glass as large as 98 by 122 inches, and as thick as 0.125 to 0.75 inches. The loading/unloading speed is adjustable up to 65 feet per minute. ❙❙➤ www.cmsna.com

HALL 15, STAND A01-02
In the Palm of Your Hand The design team of Ashton Industrial in the United Kingdom has developed a handheld diamond cross belts arissing and seaming tool for working glass that doesn’t fit the usual production profile, from curves and shapes to oversized lites.

The unit weighs less than 15 pounds, so it can be carried around a static glass lite. Ergonomic handles are placed to make it easy to carry and steer. It can be used in conjunction with the company’s power-driven rotary vacuum tables—where the operator stands still and lets the glass rotate—and if preferred can be suspended on a spring balance cable so the operator has virtually no weight to carry. ❙❙➤ www.ashton-industrial.com

HALL 11, STAND G58-59
Stop in the Name
of Solar Protection
The latest product in the Brusselsbased AGC Flat Glass Europe’s Stopray range, Vision-60T, is a high-performance glass with toughenable coatings, high solar protection and low emissivity. The product, for use in double-glazing in nonresidential architectural projects, offers increased thermal insulation and retains more than 65 percent of solar heat. In addition, it’s low light reflection meets the requirements of architects looking for neutral glass. ❙❙➤ www.agc-flatglass.eu

Glaston Expands
Tempering Line
Tampere, Finland-based Glaston has expanded its line of CHF flat tempering machines with the new CHF Pro model. CHF Pro was developed especially for solar and architectural glass tempering, where high-quality glass, high capacity and reliability are necessities. The CHF Pro features a proprietary technology that gives the machine the capability to heat treat glass with improved distortion characteristics while reducing power consumption. High speed, high production rates and ease of system integration have been trademarks of the line. This technology lends itself to the solar, appliance and architectural industries. ❙❙➤ www.glaston.net

HALL 12, STAND A83
Super Jet Setting
Cooltemper
Cooltemper, based in North America in Fayateville, Ga., will display the SUPERJETSTREAM full forced convection glass tempering furnace. The furnace was designed for high speed high specification coated glass production. According to the company, it offers world class cycle times, high yields and high product quality across the full range of glass products. ❙❙➤ www.cooltemper.com

Straight or Shaped, Intermac Makes the Cut Genius 37 CT from Charlotte, N.C.- based Intermac America, a part of the Biesse Group in Italy, sets new standards in CNC cutting tables for straight and shaped cutting of flat glass in standard sheet sizes. It can be configured to meet the needs of any size shop.

The machine bed is constructed of a rigid frame fitted with calibrated wooden panels for an absolutely flat w o r k area. The operating head is fitted with an automatic cutting pressure control system that automatically adjusts the pressure according to the geometry of the cutting path. PC-controlled axis speed and high-quality electronic and mechanical components work to optimize cutting time, ensuring flexibility and uninterrupted workflow. Teleservice software enables remote diagnostics and software updates via modem. With a webcam, machine images can be transmitted to the company’s service department in real time. ❙❙➤ www.intermacamerica.com

HALL 13, STAND E69:
A Bird’s Eye View
LiteSentry Corp. in Dundas, Minn., will introduce the new Falcon™ precision size and geometry inspection system for solar and photovoltaic applications.

The company also will demonstrate its Osprey™ distortion measurement system for tempering, laminating and solar applications. The system inspects for roll wave, local bow, edge kink, picture frame, pocket, hammer and all other distortion.

The Hawkeye® inspection system for insulating glass, laminating and coating processes inspects for defects, including scratches, digs, blemishes, coating problems, seeds, stones, bubbles, tin spots, edge grind skips and other defects.

Also available is the Raven™ sensor for glass thickness, insulating glass space thickness and identification of coated surface. The Owl™ mass measurement with closed-loop furnace control measures loads of glass entering a batch tempering furnace. ❙❙➤ www.litesentry.com

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