ShowCase

machinery and equipment
Glass-Chek Pro 3000 Identifies Low-E Coatings
The new GC3000 Glass-Chek Pro digital instrument from EDTM in Toledo, Ohio, measures the glass and air space thickness of single-, double- and now triple-pane windows from a single side. The GC3000 allows users not only to identify the low-E surface of a double pane window from one side, but also to identify the type of coating used.

The Glass-Chek Pro indicates whether the low-E coating is a hard coat (pyrolytic) or soft coat (sputtered) product. If it is a soft coat low-E, the meter also will note the number of silver layers used to make up the coating. For glass companies that use multiple types of low-E coatings, the tool can prevent mix-ups in the facility or the field.
www.edtm.com

Jordon Glass Goes Autoclave-less
Jordon Glass in Miami has added a new line of autoclave-free glass laminating machines to its machinery line-up. Designed for the middle market fabricator, the company’s laminating machines are suitable to use with both EVA and DuPont SentryGlas® interlayers. This easy and accessible new options allows anyone to fabricate skylights, hand rails, stairs, windows and decorative backsplashes without the expense of an autoclave or the mess of resins.
www.jordanglass.com

Erdman Automates New Horizontal Super Spacer® Line
Because much insulating glass (IG) manufacturing in North America is manufactured using horizontal equipment, Erdman Automation Corp. in Princeton, Minn., has developed a new domestically made Super Spacer® solution that can be assimilated into existing lines easily. Available in manual, semi-automated and fully automated versions, the new Super Spacer line can be sold modularly or as a full production line for up to 50-percent less cost than vertical equipment solutions.

Erdman reports that with a fully automated horizontal line, manufacturers can achieve a 25-second cycle time per unit. The company is in the process of developing a system to achieve a 15-second cycle time per unit.
www.erdmanautomation.com

Wood’s Powr-Grip® Adds to Lifting Solutions
Multipurpose rotator/tilters from Wood’s Powr-Grip® in Laurel, Mont., incorporate rotation and tilt for quick and precise glass positioning. A new option is available to increase the versatility of the manual rotator/tilter (MRT) and mechanically assisted manual rotator/tilter (MRTA) series below-the-hook vacuum lifters: cladding pad frame extensions.

These plug-in style pad frame extensions enable the MRT(A) line of vacuum lifters to handle metal wall and roof panels. By simply removing the standard pad arm extensions and replacing them with the cladding pad frame extensions, users can transform the MRT(A) lifter to lift and maneuver insulated metal panels, architectural panels and other cladding with a variety of surface contours.
www.powrgrip.com

inspection systems
Lenox Camera Monitors Glass Making Z
Lenox Instrument Co. in Trevose, Pa., has introduced a video camera system designed to be mounted through the wall of high-temperature furnaces or other combustion chambers. The new Furnace Camera HD provides process engineers and operators clear, high-resolution images of burner flames, material alignment and movement inside the furnace and other “high-heat” process conditions in glass manufacturing.

The stainless steel camera housing mounts in a 3 ½-inch opening and employs a steel triple wall laminar flow for water-cooled protection of the CCD color camera and the latest optical lens technology, enabling operation in hostile environments up to 4,250 degrees Fahrenheit.
www.lenoxinst.com

glass
Viracon Provides New Coating Configuration for Laminated Insulating Units
Viracon in Owatonna, Minn., now is able to offer coatings on the number four surface of the laminated insulating unit, which it reports is a significant performance enhancement over placing the coating on the second surface of the unit.

Prior to this recent trend in hurricane wind zones, a typical insulating glass unit featured a sacrificial exterior lite with a laminated lite to the interior. After Hurricane Wilma sent shattered glass into Miami’s streets, the Florida Building Code for the High Velocity Hurricane Zone was amended to require “safety glazing” for the outboard lite. As a result, many building owners began to move the laminated glass ply to the exterior. This often meant moving the low-E coating to the #2 surface, the interior of the laminated ply, a move that affected the performance of the coating.

With the help of new fabrication equipment, Viracon now is able to offer a variety of its coatings, including its VE-2M low-E coating on the #4 surface. This offers improved U-values and solar performance to customers seeking an insulating unit with a laminate outboard. In addition, placing the coating on the #4 surface allows for the use of a colored interlayer to the exterior without sacrificing performance.
www.viracon.com

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