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The members of the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA) were hard at work last week, hashing out technical matters and pushing forward with educational and certification efforts. The Alliance also covered emerging technologies and innovations, which rounded out the conference at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells in Indian Wells, Calif.
The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) task group, part of the Emerging Technology and Innovation Committee, which met last Thursday, recently developed a business-to-business Product Category Rule (PCR). This was published on the Institute for Environmental Research and Education (IERE) website last September. The possibility of a business-to-consumer version for residential is being explored.
Committee members are now discussing the development of a Processed Glass PCR in a joint effort with the Glass Association of North America. A contract has been awarded to UL Environment, in which the PCR covers coated, heat-treated, laminated and insulating glass. The draft PCR was circulated to the committee for final review and will be out for public review this spring.
Another topic that got attention was the evaluation of an accelerated test for insulating glass (IG) durability, which committee member Helen Sanders from SageGlass says has the potential to be significantly shorter in duration than the existing ASTM E2188 test. “A shorter yet similarly stringent test would be very useful for [reducing] the time to achieve IG certification,” she said.
The Advanced Fenestration Testing task group assists research facilities in developing a standardized approach to the creation of testing methodologies for new technologies in the industry. It also looks at enhancing existing test methods, as well as the creation of more expedient testing of new products that do not require a new standard.
The group has worked with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on designing a Differential Thermal Cycle Unit, and the parties are re-examining parameters.
It has also teamed with ATI/Intertek on Variable Environmental Cycling and FDR Design on Positive Negative Pressure Cycling. Equipment has been developed for both and the group continues to gather data.
The Gas Measurement task group is developing and evaluating alternate methodologies for measuring gas content, and a task group on vacuum insulating glass (VIG) is overseeing development of parameters for testing, glazing, industry and consumer education on VIG. IGMA released a VIG technical bulletin last May.
According to Dave Cooper of Guardian, the International Organization for Standardization is developing a standard for VIG, and the IGMA task group aims to develop a test standard and guidelines for a certification program.
The conference concluded with a closed session on a gas content field study.
According to the scope of the group, it is studying and evaluating “the performance of insulating glass units certified to the ASTM E 2190 standard for durability and gas content in residential and commercial applications from initial manufacture, through fabrication to window or wall system installation and monitor during defined periods of time.”
