Southwall Technologies Inc. recently launched a new insulating glass line, the Heat Mirror “Quad-Cavity” R20 insulating glass unit (IGU). Company officials say this achieves a 0.05 center of glass U-factor (R20 insulating value) at the same weight as standard dual-pane IGU. The Quad-Cavity R20 product suspends three lightweight Heat Mirror films within the IGU, creating four independent and super-insulating airspaces. The IGU is configured in an 1-3/4-inch overall thickness with Krypton gas filling and low-E … CONTINUE READING

The new ThermalCheck system from Integrated Automation Systems is designed to measure the gas content in insulating glass (IG) air spaces. To use the system, an operator inserts the testing wand into the airspace and presses the test button. ThermalCheck displays the percent of argon or krypton gas in the airspace and prints a label with reading. If the gas content fails below the specified setting, the system displays an alert. www.optigasig.com

Denver, Colorado-based Radiant Glass Industries (RGI) and sister company Busick Insulated Glass have collaborated to develop a revolutionary product that is not only energy-efficient, it is energy generating. Using Power*e™ Glass designed and developed by RGI, Busick manufactures insulating glass (IG) units that use safe, low voltage DC power to warm the inside of the glass pane – creating a system that is nearly 100 percent efficient. CONTINUE READING

Sika Industry has announced a new web address for its Fenestration, Facades and Insulating Glass (FFI) Business Unit at www.sikausa.com/FFI. The new web address offers customers quicker access to the FFI web page, which the company says provides a comprehensive view of its full range portfolio of structural glazing, insulating glass, weather sealing and other adhesives, sealants and solutions for the FFI industry. www.sikausa.com/FFI

Quanex Building Products Corp. in Houston will close its Barbourville, Ky., location and let go approximately 200 employees, says George L. Wilson, general manager of Quanex Insulating Glass Systems. The equipment used to manufacture the company’s single-seal warm-edge spacer system at the Barbourville plant will be relocated to the company’s Cambridge, Ohio, facility. There will be a few salaried employee jobs created in Cambridge, and “we anticipate most will be filled locally,” Wilson says. “In … CONTINUE READING

Steve Howes, chief executive officer of Glasslam in Pompano Beach, Fla., in a partnership with Pat Argento, owner of Hurricane ImpactGlass and Aluminum, has purchased Florida Powder Coating in Lantana, Fla., and formed a new company: Cirrus Powder Coating. The facility will include two automated spacer manufacturing systems that will produce Air-Tight™ S silicone spacer. “Because of the size of the facility, we decided to expand our spacer manufacturing with our new in-line technology spacer … CONTINUE READING

Sustainability and energy efficiency have become monikers for many of today’s retrofit and new construction building projects, and the Empire State Building is no exception. More than 6,500 windows in the iconic building are being upgraded by Serious Materials as part of an energy-efficiency retrofit project, which was announced last April. Johnson Controls, a provider of energy efficient and sustainable products, services and solutions, selected Serious Materials to “super-insulate” the windows. Read Article

The jury of the Emporis Skyscraper Award named Aqua, an 81-story residential and hotel tower in Chicago, the winner of its 2009 Skyscraper of the Year. The award, now celebrating its tenth year, is given annually to a building at least 100 meters tall and completed within the award year. The second place winner is O14 in Dubai and third place went to The Met in Bangkok. All winners were selected from 305 eligible buildings … CONTINUE READING

Dow Corning silicones were used to help protect the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai from the harsh desert climate and also to promote its energy efficiency. “We’ve been involved in many of the landmark buildings around the world for more than 60 years, through curtainwall structural glazing, assembly and weather proofing, insulating glass assembly and interior sealing. That experience and the proven performance of our silicone technologies played a critical role in this project,” says … CONTINUE READING

The 2013 Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA) Annual Conference came to a close today in New Orleans’ French Quarter. One of the many highlights from this year’s conference was a presentation yesterday by Chris Barry of Pilkington North America titled “How to Calculate Glass and Sealant Stress in Insulating Glass Units (IGUs).” Barry, who recently retired from Pilkington after 45 years in the industry, offered attendees several methods and observations for evaluating the stress loads … CONTINUE READING

Day three of the 2013 Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA) Annual Conference opened today with member recognition as well as a workplace safety presentation. Chris Barry of Pilkington, Roger Skluzacek of Viracon Inc. and Ray Wakefield of Trulite Industries were acknowledged for their many years of service to IGMA as the three retiring members attended their final IGMA conference. The morning also saw the recognition of David Cooper of Guardian Industries as he ends his … CONTINUE READING

“Use of Fourth-Surface Coatings in a Cold Climate,” presented by Tim Clancy and Lisa Green of Guardian Industries, was one of the main topics of discussion today at the 2013 Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance Annual Conference in New Orleans. The presentation, which was based on a study Guardian conducted, noted that the main goal of the study was the investigation of “real-world implications of the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) 500 condensation resistance (CR) number … CONTINUE READING