Wüest M. 51 Wykes M. 82 Yamaguchi M. 17 Ybarra G. 129 Yubero F ...

JUNE 26 TUESDAY MORNING
JS1-TuM-INV.2 SURFACE TREATMENTS FOR INDUSTRIAL GLASSES J.M. Marco.
Responsable de I+D. Ariño Duglass S.A. La Puebla de Alfinden, Zaragoza. Spain
Glass, as architectural material, has extraordinary characteristics against other transparent materials
in relation to its durability and technical performances. In addition of the intrinsic material characteristics,
glass is subjected to different transformation processes in order to achieve a final product that
fulfils all the requirements demanded in actual architecture. Improvements in mechanical resistance,
safety against breakage, thermal isolation or solar control, are reached by means of several kinds of
treatments. Some of these important performances are only possible through surface processing technologies.
In this presentation, a general overview of the main manufacturing process for industrial glass will be
exposed, underlining the common surface treatments used in this sector. A brief introduction to
products manufactured by pyrolysis and sputtering in order to improve the solar control and thermal
isolation will be presented, exposing real application and performance achieved.
Another important requirement that glass must fulfil is the control over its aesthetic aspect. Application
of paints and enamels by silkprint, roll coating or digital inkjet systems allows to modify the
colour, texture and visual aspect of glass, customizing each architectonical project. Last developments
in float glass decoration and direct application of these products will be presented.
Also, laminated glass technologies give the opportunity to modify the general behaviour of glass, in
this sense it is possible to incorporate a coated or decorated PET that expands the uses of glass. The
possibility to integrate liquid crystal polymers in laminated glass open a way to produce active windows.
Finally, a prospect about new developments expected in the sector will be outlined.
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