Automotive | Architectural | Aftermarket
Automotive
Glasstech's position, as the world's leading supplier of systems that bend, temper, or anneal automotive glass, is the result of a series of pioneering and continuing innovations.
Today, Glasstech systems bend and temper the majority of the world's requirement for tempered automotive glass.
Glasstech systems are used by the automotive industry's leading suppliers to shape glass from the simplest curve to the most complex bends - from small quarterlites to very large, complex backlites and windshields.
The company started by developing superior glass-processing methods to meet automotive safety standards. Subsequently, the quick sag bending and tempering system was developed, which allowed the processing of sidelites, backlites and moon roofs without tong marks and with good optical qualities.
Glasstech extended the capabilities of the basic quick sag process using press-bending and tempering techniques, which facilitated production of deeper, smaller radius bends, which are particularly relevant to modern backlite production. Glasstech has further extended this technology to systems capable of producing bent and annealed parts for laminated automotive glass components.
The demand for a versatile and economic process capable of producing cylindrical sidelites for both the original equipment and replacement markets prompted Glasstech to design an advanced cylindrical bender, requiring no part-dedicated tooling and offering very short part-changeover times.
Glasstech's innovation continues with the development of a new quick-change tooling module for its deep bend systems, which provides dramatic reductions in changeover time, ensuring the highest degree of productive uptime.
Glasstech engineers also are applying advanced, gas-fired, forced-convection heater (FCH) technology to the company's automotive systems. FCH reduces the time required to bring a piece of glass to tempering temperature and heats the glass more uniformly. The process is highly efficient, with lower processing temperatures, and results in improved optical and surface quality. The technology also works well with colored or coated glass. FCH has launched Glasstech into a new technology arena, and its application to automotive systems represents a major advance for automotive glass production.
Architectural
Glasstech's global reputation as a leader in glass-processing technology began with its development of systems for the architectural market.
The company's first system was a continuous, horizontal, flat-glass tempering system for the production of "safety glass" for patio doors and other architectural uses. The system was a forerunner of today's sophisticated and innovative systems.
Starting with Glasstech's introduction of the horizontal roller hearth process as a replacement for vertical processes, evolution has taken place continually in the firm's base technology.
One of Glasstech's latest developments is a new architectural glass-tempering system with an advanced, gas-fired, forced-convection heater (FCH). It substantially reduces energy costs and produces significantly higher throughput than a radiant heater. The FCH, developed by Glasstech with the sponsorship of the Gas research Institute, reduces the time required to bring a piece of glass to tempering temperature. By reducing processing time, the glass spends less time in contact with the system's rollers, which, coupled with lower processing temperature, creates higher levels of optical and surface quality.
Aftermarket
Perhaps the fastest growing segment of Glasstech's business is its aftermarket services. These services include upgrading and retrofitting systems with the latest technology, providing dedicated contract services, troubleshooting, conducting system audits to ensure maximum operational efficiency and providing training, tooling and replacement parts.
To meet the needs of its growing installed base, Glasstech has initiated a contract service program which permits the users of Glasstech systems to custom-design service/support packages to meet their specific needs. This program gives the Glasstech systems user priority access to Glasstech's technical service/support structure.
The modular construction of Glasstech systems allows users to easily upgrade and retrofit their systems to incorporate the latest technology. The ability to upgrade Glasstech systems can lead to expansion of their capability, flexibility and productivity.
Another new aftermarket service is "shape modeling" which is a computer software, mathematical modeling program that simulates automotive glass forming processes and glass evaluation methods. "Shape modeling" can predict the optical quality, both transmitted and reflected, of a given surface design. If necessary, the software program can calculate a modified surface design to minimize optical distortion.
With "shape modeling" a designer can evaluate and improve automotive glass designs and the glass producer can evaluate and determine the best process to produce the resultant glass without incurring the time and expense of making tooling and producing preliminary samples, as is customarily the case.
Glasstech's commitment to its customer base extends well beyond the initial installation of a system. The company's commitment to improve the performance and capability of Glasstech systems, as well as to deliver those improvements to customers through its aftermarket services group, positions every user of a Glasstech system with competitive, state-of-the-art equipment well into the future.
Glasstech systems are engineered and constructed to such a high level of quality that Glasstech provides a one-year warranty on all systems. Glasstech will replace any defective components free of charge, irrespective of the number of hours operated, during the first year.
