Glass International December/January 2021

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December/January 2021—Vol.44 No.1

ENCIRC FURNACE INSTALLATION SOUTH EAST ASIA OVERVIEW FORMING I N T E R N A T I O N A L

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

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Contents

www.glass-international.com Editor: Greg Morris Tel: +44 (0)1737 855132 Email: gregmorris@quartzltd.com Assistant Editor: George Lewis Tel: +44 (0)1737 855154 Email: georgelewis@quartzltd.com Designer: Annie Baker

December/January 2021 Vol.44 No 1

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Managing Director Tony Crinion tonycrinion@quartzltd.com Chief Executive Officer: Steve Diprose Chairman: Paul Michael

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Editor’s Comment + International news

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Company profile: Sorg and Encirc How to install the largest container furnace in the world

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Profile: Encirc project manager Overseeing a furnace project

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Company Profile: VRMT Virtual becomes a reality for glass

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Company Profile: fritz-kola Glass at the heart of the business

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Company Profile: Stoelzle Oberglas Next generation pharma containers

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Company Profile: CETIE The activities of CETIE

27

Raw materials: Calumite More than a raw material

31

Glass conditioning: Bock Electric heating for the forehearth and feeder

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Forming: Heye International Benefits of structured project management

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Forming: Sklostroj Holistic approach to glass manufacturing

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Forming: Forehearth Services Is forehearth thermal efficiency a measure of performance?

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Forming: Ron Hobman Higher speed cycles on dimensional stability

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Forming: Ross Europa A proportional valve for Industry 4.0

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Company Profile: Wellgrow Glass All set for pharma expansion

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South East Asia Profile

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Handling: Tecnocat Handling for the glass sector

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History A glimpse inside

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Sales Director: Ken Clark Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com Sales Executive: Manuel Martin Quereda Tel: +44 (0)1737 855023 Email: manuelm@quartzltd.com

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International News

GREG MORRIS, EDITOR WWW.GLASS-INTERNATIONAL.COM

December/January 2021—Vol.44 No.1

ENCIRC FURNACE INSTALLATION SOUTH EAST ASIA OVERVIEW FORMING I N T E R N A T I O N A L

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

Glass International December/January 2021

Be first with the news! For breaking, up to date news

FRONT COVER IMAGE: www.sorg.de

VISIT: www.glass-international.com

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for daily news updates.

Déjà vu Happy New Year to you all and greetings from the UK, where we find ourselves once again in a hard lockdown. Unlike the lockdown last Spring, this version is colder, darker and has much more rain!

The optimism that was felt before Christmas with the arrival of the vaccine was quickly dampened early in the new year when cases again began to spiral out of control thanks to a new, more contagious, variation of the virus.

The UK glass industry was quick to respond to the latest lockdown and stated its manufacturing facilities were open for business as normal, the same as in the previous lockdowns.

Like in many other nations it remains an essential industry in the UK, so has continued to manufacture glass even during the darkest moments of the pandemic.

There is reason for optimism in 2021, particularly the second half.

Once the vaccine is rolled out there should be plenty of pent up demand from consumers to spend their cash. They will want to do all the things they did before the pandemic, such as visit restaurants, meet friends face to face at a pub or bar, treat themselves to little luxuries such as tableware for the house or a new laptop or tablet.

All of these, of course, require the use of glass which is obviously good news for manufacturers and their equipment suppliers. While the first half of the year may be bumpy, the second half could see a resurgence in business for glassmakers.

Remotely does it for South Africa’s Consol Glass

Sorg Group was required to offer commissioning and tempering at Consol Glass via remote support due to the coronavirus restrictions in South Africa.

The German engineering specialist supplied a 175 tpd 340S+ tandem forehearth to Africa’s largest container glass manufacturer, as well as a SCADA system for its Furnace C1 and two forehearths.

Keeping up to date with the individual rules of respective countries has been a challenge, especially when they often change on a daily basis.

Having supervised the installation of equipment and initial heating up of the furnace on-site, Sorg’s specialists had to visit on a daily basis when lockdown started, before the furnace was eventually cooled due to a total alcohol

ban and all work related to it.

As soon as lockdown was lifted there was a high demand for glass bottles, however with international travel still not allowed the specialist team was able to offer remote assistance. Combined with the excellent work of Consol Glass personnel, it was possible to successfully and safely put the forehearth and SCADA system into full operation.

Vetropack completes Moldovan glass acquisition Vetropack has received approval to complete the takeover of Moldova-based Glass Container Company and Glass Container Prim.

The Swiss glass container manufacturer received ap-

proval from the relevant anti-trust authorities.

Glass Container Prim is a producer of green, brown and transparent glass packaging solutions.

Glass Container Company

is a supplier of glass solutions which exports its products to more than 20 countries worldwide. Vetropack is a glass packaging manufacturer with 2019 annual turnover of CHF 714.9 million ($805.8 million).

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International News

Sisecam has completed the approval and certification process from the Ministry of Health for its V-Block coating technology that neutralises viruses and bacteria.

Sisecam plans to commence mass production of glassware products treated with Antimicrobial V-Block Technology at the start of 2021, with the product initially offered for sale in Turkey.

Sisecam developed the V-Block coating technology, which neutralises viruses and bacteria on glass surfaces, to support the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The formula is applied on products via chemical vapour deposition under high temperatures during production.

Due to its active nature, the coating is also ideal for use in spaces with high-contamina-

tion risk, such as hotels, restaurants, cafes, hospitals and cafeterias, as well as household use.

The results of tests conducted by laboratories in Turkey authorised by the Ministry of Health have confirmed that the technology is effective against many different viruses and bacteria, including the coronavirus.

Glassmaker seals acquisition Bormioli Pharma has acquired German glass pharmaceutical packaging company ISO Arzneiverpackungen.

ISO specialises in the production of tubular glass vials (Type I, II, III) designed for the injectable drugs, vaccines and chromatography markets.

ISO has an annual production of more than 100 million

vials and its headquarters and production plant are located in Bad Königshofen, Germany, where it employs in excess of 100 people.

The acquisition – through Bromioli’s German subsidiary Remy & Geiser – will allow Bormioli Pharma to broaden its range of packaging for parenteral drugs.

It follows recent investments in its Bergantino and San Vito al Tagliamento plants and the acquisition of GCL Pharma in Vasto, in April.

Bormioli Pharma will double its production capacity of tubular borosilicate glass vials, placing it among the top 10 producers in Europe for the number of contaiers produced annually.

Wiegand-Glas installs Zippe silos Wiegand-Glas’ plant in Schleusingen, Germany has installed two Zippe pre-silos brought in and lifted for its tank 2.

The silos were brought in via the cold-end hall and then

lifted into place immediately afterwards. This was able to happen due to the tank building being already closed.

The silos were assembled in one day thanks to experienced Zippe supervisor Karl Möller,

along with other members of the Zippe team and Wiegand-Glas staff on site.

The new tank, which will be supplied with batch from these two silos, is scheduled to start production next year.

Tunisian capital boost

Tunisian container glass manufacturer Sotuver Glass Industries has increased its capital in cash by 27.2 million dinars to 46.3 million ($16.8 million).

Founded in early 2020, the 100% owned subsidiary of Sotuver aims to produce food glass packaging.

The organisation will have a new factory, which will be located in the industrial zone of Djebel Oust in the Governorate of Zaghouan.

It will have an annual production capacity of 90,000 tonnes, of which about 75% will be exported to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The start of production is scheduled for the second half of 2021 and the investments will be around 110 million dinars ($40.1 million).

AGC opens Yokohama research centre

AGC has completed a JPY20 billion ($191.5 million) R&D building at its Yokohama Technical Center, Japan.

A collaborative creation space called ‘AO (AO/AGC Open Square’ has been established within the building to accelerate internal and external collaboration).

The flat glass manufacturer said the building would help improve the speed of its R&D functions, which had previously been based in two locations.

Steklarna Hrastnik relies on EME technology

Slovenian-based glass manufacturer Steklarna Hrastnik successfully completed its recent investment and EME is proud to be part of it.

The upgraded batch plant and cullet return system allows Steklarna Hrastnik to incorporate the latest technologies and innovative approaches into its production.

This will also improve its high quality of glass even further and provides a more environmentally friendly production facility.

www.glass-international.com

Sisecam gets approval for antimicrobial V-Block coating

NEWS IN BRIEF

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Konrad Wiegand 1937 - 2021

Wiegand-Glas is mourning the loss of its former partner and managing director, Dr. Konrad Wiegand.

Dr. Konrad Wiegand was part of the management of the company from 1965 to 1997 and was a partner until 2008.

The company said: “We mourn the loss of a great person and an outstanding entrepreneur whose drive, entrepreneurial vision and humanity have significantly shaped the company.

“For his entire life it was true: “Life is not a string of pleasures, but the fulfillment of a duty.”

For his life’s work, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit and the honorary citizenship of the community of Steinbach am Wald and the city of Großbreitenbach.

www.glass-international.com

Waltec completes Chinese commissioning

Waltec has successfully completed the first remote controlled commissioning and start-up of a new glass production line of a Chinese tableware glass manufacturer.

The reason for this premiere in the glass producing industry was the unforeseeable entry restrictions of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr. Herman Green, Global Sales Director, stated: “The Covid-19 crisis forced us to think and act out of the box and use technology to eliminate traditional business boundaries. Thanks to the major steps forward in digitalisation that Waltec has taken in recent years, we were able to apply our latest digital solutions to carry out the commissioning in China.The first fully remote-controlled commissioning and start-up represents a major milestone to Waltec.”

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Pochet du Courval rebuilds furnace with help from Horn Glass French packaging glass manufacturer Pochet du Courval has put its furnace 5 into operation after a complete rebuild using equipment from Horn Glass.

During the cold repair of furnace 5, Pochet du Courval installed new Horn combustion equipment which includes new Horn Dualflame AC burners, gas reversing, measuring and control skid as well as gas measuring and safe-

ty skid.

This rebuild enabled Pochet du Courval to reduce its nitrogen oxide emissions by 25%.

Energy consumption and CO2 emissions have also been reduced by 20%.

During the cold repair, the control lines were modernised in order to optimise the product quality.

Pochet du Courval continued to rebuild this furnace despite the difficulties associated

with COVID-19, in particular thanks to the mobilisation of internal teams.

Stevanato Group partners with Microsoft for digital expansion Stevanato Group has strengthened its collaboration with Microsoft Italy to meet the challenges the pharmaceutical glass industry is experiencing from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group is playing a key role in the production of plas-

tic components for diagnostic tests and glass primary packaging for drugs.

It provides packaging and syringes for the major international anti-COVID-19 vaccine programmes, as well as pharmaceutical inspection equipment.

Stevanato’s digital transformation plan includes the development of a series of applications that use Microsoft Mixed Reality technologies and which are designed to respond to the current needs of the pharmaceutical sector.

Schott provides plan to become climate neutral by 2030 Schott is preparing to face up to the challenges of climate change more than ever before by becoming climate neutral by 2030 and actively contribute to climate protection.

Dr. Frank Heinricht, Chairman of the Board of Management of Schott believes there is no other company in the speciality glass industry that has ever set itself such an ambitious goal.

The ‘Zero Carbon’ project is said to be an integral part of the new Schott group strategy.

As a speciality glass man-

ufacturer, the company operates in an energy-intensive industrial sector.

Speciality glasses and glass-ceramics are melted in large melting tanks at temperatures of up to 1,700 degrees Celsius.

“We see three steps in our commitment to climate protection: first, we want to avoid as many climate-damaging emissions as possible, significantly reduce unavoidable emissions in the next step and, if nothing else is possible, finally compensate for the re-

maining emissions,” said Dr. Heinricht.

The action plan on achieving climate neutrality at Schott contains four fields of action: � Improvement of energy efficiency � Switching to green electricity � Technological change � Compensation for technologically unavoidable emissions

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FIC ads 2019_Layout 1 15/11/2019 10:03 Page 4

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Are you interested in CO2 reduction?

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Encirc receives first biofuel delivery ahead of 2021 trial

Container glass manufacturer Encirc has had its first biofuel delivery for a trial scheduled for the first quarter of 2021.

The renewable and more sustainable fuel source will be used to power one of the Derrylin, Northern Ireland furnaces.

Formed in partnership with Glass Futures and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Energy Innovation Programme, Encirc hope the trial will help to pave the way for an industry-wide reduction in carbon emissions.

Nasir Group to build float plant with CTIEC

Float Glass manufacturer Nasir Group is to build a 600 tpd plant after a contract signing with China Triumph International Engineering Company (CTIEC).

It is the third contact to build a float glass plant signed between the two parties and CTIEC’s fourth float glass contract in Bangladesh.

The first contract signed between two parties was 18 years ago. Since then, the two parties have established a long-term partnership.

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Combustion courses

A popular combustion course will take place February after the original dates sold out.

The course, organised by independent glass consultant Neil Simpson, focuses on all aspects of glass combustion in glass manufacturing.

Mr Simpson said: “Many thanks to the response to the combustion courses which, due to limit of 12 attendees, are now sold out for December.

“By request of those unable to attend I will be running the same courses in February.”

Please contact scecombustioncourse@gmail. com The course starts on Monday February 1 and continues until Friday February 11.

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Emerge Glass set to start Indian container glass production Piramal Glass close to $1 billion sale Fuyao Glass in US plant expansion Arglass Yamamura starts furnace heat up Schott announces climate neutral strategy Diageo requests glass collaboration Ardagh’s Knottingley plant benefits from process visualisation Remotely does it for Consol Glass Vetropack in Moldovan acquisition Stoelzle Oberglas in pharma expansion

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Piramal Glass on brink of $1 billion sale to Blackstone Private equity group Blackstone has acquired India’s Piramal Glass for US$800 million and a future conditional payment of $200 million based on the achievement of certain milestones.

Piramal Glass makes container glass packaging with a

capacity of 1,475 tonnes per day. It has factories in the USA, India, and Sri Lanka.

It is a specialist in the design and manufacture of glass for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and perfumery.

Its owner, Piramal Enterprises, wants to sell the glass

manufacturer as part of its strategy to exit non-core businesses and focus on its financial services arm.

Blackstone has notifed India’s competition commission and said it would undertake the acquisition through newly formed group PGP Glass.

Falorni Tech secures Turkish furnace and plant expansion contract Falorni Tech has been commissioned to build a new melting furnace and plant expansion for Turkish tableware glass manufacturer Akacam Cam Plastik Insaat San, based in Pendik near Istanbul.

Mr. Biagio Bifano, Technical Manager of Falorni Tech will take charge of the project.

The scope of supply included the complete steel work and

refractory assembly design of the whole furnace melter and the working end, which was been considered taking into account the specific production characteristics of the customer.

Falorni Tech supplied a complete set of equipment such as the recuperator, the batch charging and glass level control system, the combustion

equipment using the brandnew AQRatio technology.

The AQRatio system is tailored to meet modern engineering practices and comply with environmental legislation and regulations.

A SCADA supervision system has been tailored and integrated with the equipment supply to enable easy and reliable operation.

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FIC ads 2019_Layout 1 15/11/2019 09:59 Page 1

, Tomorrow s Technology Today

Are you interested in CO2 reduction?

Come to FIC for superboosting and large all-electric furnaces – we have the answers to reduce carbon footprint

www.fic-uk.com +44 (0) 1736 366 962

, The World s Number One in Furnace Technology

FIC (UK) Limited Long Rock Industrial Estate Penzance, Cornwall TR20 8HX United Kingdom

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Johns Manville completes expansion

Phase one of the Johns Manville (JM) fibre glass pipe plant expansion in Defiance, Ohio, is now complete.

The expansion added the first of two new production lines, improving JM’s ability to meet demand for Micro-Lok HP and Micro-Lok HP Ultra fiberglass pipe insulation, which is used primarily in commercial buildings.

The buildout began in March 2019 with an anticipated completion date of early 2020, however setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic caused a six-month delay in the project.

Arglass Yamamura starts heat up process

Arglass Yamamura has started the furnace heat-up process at its Georgia, USA site.

All new bottles produced

by Arglass will be made with its proprietary glass composition Arglass Biogenic with significantly enhanced sustainability attributes over traditional glass bottles.

Arglass Yamamura is a joint venture partnership between Japan-based Nihon Yamamura Glass and Cambium Arglass, a privatelyheld investment company.

The new container glassmaking site is said to create 150 jobs. Production capacity is 100,000 metric tonnes per year/265,000,000 units per year.

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Stara Glass appoints Managing Director

Italian engineering company Stara Glass has appointed a new Managing Director.

Mr. Valerio Percoco joins the glass industry from a diversified background, both in terms of regions and sectors. He blends the technical awareness of a mechanical engineer with the managerial knowledge of a MBA. Valerio kicked off his career in SAIPEM in the late 1990s and thereafter moved into the Food, Trading, HighTech and Communications industry.

Diageo requests collaboration on sustainable glass bottle Global drinks company Diageo wants to collaborate with innovators on the latest sustainable packaging technology.

The maker of Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Smirnoff said it wants to collaborate and develop the next generation of technology that will address sustainability challenges within the company’s supply chain.

The Diageo Sustainable Solutions programme gives innovators the opportunity to submit ideas for a number of key ‘challenges’ set by the drinks maker, the first round of which is now open in the areas of packaging circularity

(glass bottles) as well as energy, water and agriculture.

The scheme aims to accelerate the development of big ideas and solutions that can make a step change in sustainable thinking, and to share powerful insights developed by the programme across industry.

Successful applications will be developed within collaborative pilot projects and participants given up to six months to develop their ideas and demonstrate proof of concept.

Diageo Sustainable Solutions lead, John Cant, said: “If you have an innovative idea that could make a big dif-

ference to the world then we want to talk to you.

“We welcome new thinking and want to collaborate on new concepts, with companies and with people to advance a more sustainable world for everyone.

“We are asking innovators everywhere to consider how we can work in smarter ways together to make a bigger impact.”

A next round of challenges will be open in early 2021.

For more information visit: https://www.diageo.com/en/ diageo-sustainable-solutions/

Emerge Glass to start container glass production in India India will have a new container glass producer in the first quarter of 2021.

An existing flat glass producing company, Emerge Glass will commence commercial production of container glass with a designed capacity of 210 tonnes per day at Behror in Rajasthan.

Set up with an aim to cater to premium segments of liquor and food industries, the new container glass plant is expected to commence first batch of production in March 2021.

Sumit Gupta, Managing Director of Emerge Glass, said:

“We have decided to venture into container glass production. We will cater to the premium end of the container glass packaging in food and liquor segments. Our priority would be the liquor business, which has grown immensely in the last few years.

“We realised there is a gap between demand and supply and high quality glass containers in the Indian market and liquor and food producers have to import these glass containers from foreign sources.

“We have procured four brand new advanced IS ma-

chines from Bucher Emhart Glass, and soon would be producing 210 tonnes of high-quality container glass per day.”

Emerge Glass has a sheet glass production facility in Rajasthan that spans more than 80,000 sqm, including a 35,000 sqm built-up area and 20,000 sqm green area.

Its glass solutions are exported to Dubai, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Netherlands, Nepal and Bangladesh.

China-based Qinhuangdao Batch Technology supplied the batch system.

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sees what others can’t.

Neutron® identifies thin and thick areas by mapping glass distribution inside your entire container– no matter the shape – with no contact at full production speed.

AppliedGlass.com

Case study: Encirc furnace installation

How to install the largest container furnace in the world Sorg recently installed the largest container furnace in the world at Encirc’s Elton, UK glass manufacturing facility. Sorg’s Hartmut Hegeler discusses how the installation was planned and how they overcame any challenges.

www.glass-international.com

Encirc’s 900 tonnes per day furnace is the largest container glass furnace in the world in terms of tonnage. When Encirc discussed the project with you, what were your initial thoughts?

The Sorg subsidiaries SKS and Fusetech have been successfully performing service and repair work on the Encirc systems for years. In addition, Nikolaus Sorg has already technically optimised the Encirc furnaces in Derrylin (furnace F) and Elton (furnace B) fundamentally and also increased the melting capacity.

Over the years, a close cooperation and relationship of trust has developed between the companies. Thanks to this collaboration, Encirc is familiar with the services of the Sorg Group in terms of technology, furnace design, system performance, as well as the level of service and support. Of course, building such large systems is always a challenge that needs to be approached with the necessary respect. But Sorg has experience with such systems, the specialists, and the knowledge to successfully master such tasks.

What was the largest furnace (in tonnage) that Sorg had constructed before this?

For example, at Encirc the performance of furnace Elton B has already been increased to 800 tpd. Sorg has also successfully implemented larger cross-fired furnaces in the flat glass area.

Did you have to take into account any special considerations when planning the construction?

The challenge was to implement the required enlargement of the melting surface to increase performance while maximising reuse of the furnace steel and the peripherals, such as platforms and furnace cooling. A detailed inventory was necessary. This resulted in special

solutions for the subsequent use of the buckstays, the widening of the furnace grating, etc. The additional weights had to be calculated and the load capacity of all components had to be checked.

This applied especially to the furnace crown. Some components had to be strengthened. Statics for the foundations and the steel structure were created. Of course, the entire furnace design has also been brought up to date with the latest refractory design as well as melting technology. Therefore, the number of electrodes was increased, there is no bubbling anymore and the throat was lengthened - to name just a few points.

In the refractory area, the insulation has been improved in many zones and

the run time has been increased due to material changes.

During all planning, the estimated construction time also had to be taken into account. In order to comply with these, as much work as possible had to be carried out in advance of the repair while the furnace was still in operation. To be able to do this, the structural design of many components had to be adapted so that the installations and work can be carried out even with restricted accessibility and without influencing the operation.

Did the furnace have any special environmental standards?

For technological reasons, cross-fired furnaces have higher NOx emissions

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than end-fired furnaces. Thus, a DeNOx filter system was already installed in the previous furnace to comply with the legally prescribed emissions. Therefore, the demand on Sorg was not to meet the requirements by means of primary measures, since this is also very difficult and may not be possible with this type of furnace, depending on the limit values.

The requirement was to bring the NOx value to a very low level of 1000 mg

NOx so that the DeNOx plant could be operated more economically by reducing the amount of urea required.

What is the advantage of such a largescale furnace?

Large melting systems with high tonnages have lower specific melting and operating costs. This is the customer’s market strategy and also his company philosophy. As a result, the prime costs for the glass are cheaper compared to smaller systems. On the other hand, the systems have less flexibility regarding colour changes etc.

This does not have to be a disadvantage for the operator if he has a corresponding product portfolio and is not geared

Were there any challenges during construction?

To accommodate the increased loads caused by the furnace enlargement, 10 additional steel supports had to be built under the furnace, taking into account the electrodes, the existing steel and the periphery. This was done as a preparatory measure for the furnace construction while the system was already in full operation. During the construction of the furnace, the furnace supports were moved outwards in the existing building under very cramped conditions. After the calculations, many steel components had to be reinforced, especially the crown skew backs. In addition, Sorg components such as the furnace pressure control flap, gas supply and single port control with 22 burners have been adapted and fitted into the existing structures. Sorg delivered the complete SSPS safety control and integrated it into the customer’s SCADA system and the subsequently used modules.

Altogether up to 180 Sorg group employees were on the construction site at times. This was a challenge for the coordination, especially in compliance

Do you anticipate more such large-scale furnaces being installed by the glass industry in future?

It’s hard to predict. As mentioned above, such large systems have great advantages compared to smaller ones in terms of efficiency, but they also have clear deficits. The energetic advantages are there, but not so great that they represent a significant and required GHG reduction.

The use of green heating media, such as hydrogen from regenerative production, is certainly of great importance.

In line with the GHG discussion, Nikolaus Sorg believes that the proportion of electrically melted glass will increase significantly in the future. And the melting capacities from completely or predominantly electrically operated systems are limited.

With the hybrid furnace CLEAN Melter hybrid furnace, Sorg has taken a significant step towards higher melting rates. Here we see the future. But still: even systems with the size of Encirc‘s Elton A will have a future. �

*Sorg Group, Lohr am Main, Germany www.sorg.de

www.glass-international.com

towards small series, which require a high degree of flexibility.

with the Coronavirus regulations. With 60 days the construction time from glass to glass was a challenge, even without Coronavirus. Nevertheless, even under corona conditions, the entire Sorg team managed to have the glass flow two days earlier than planned. An additional line was also implemented during this construction period.

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Company profile: Encirc furnace project manager

Overseeing a successful furnace installation project

Encirc’s Noel McGovern was the Key Project Manager for the installation of its recent 900 tonnes per day furnace – the largest container glass production furnace in the world. He discusses what it was like to work on the assignment.

UK

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container glass manufacturer Encirc produces more than 4 billion glass bottles for beers, soft drinks, water, ciders, wines, spirits, mixers, cordials and milk, alongside food jars every year across its three sites. It recently ignited a 900 tonnes per day furnace at its Elton site in England to meet increased market demand.

new cleaner fuels which may be available over the next few years.

Have you any previous experience of a furnace project?

Yes, Encirc currently have six furnaces in our portfolio - two in Corsico Italy, two in Derrylin, Northern Ireland and two here in Elton, UK. Out of the four UK furnaces this is the third furnace rebuild in the last three years, thanks to investment from our parent company Vidrala.

How honoured were you to be appointed Encirc furnace project manager?

I was delighted to be appointed as the project manager for the Elton rebuild project. I have held a number of different positions within the company, but this has to be the most exciting role I have taken on yet.

For such a major project such as this what are your first initial steps – where do you start?

To begin with, you have to look at the overall design, meet with all relevant suppliers to see what they have to offer and how they can best meet the requirements for such a project.

It’s also important to look hard into the latest technology available and any future plans that may be relevant for the project. We wanted this furnace to be futureproofed and able to work with

� Noel McGovern

Were there any particular challenges unique to the Encirc site that had to be overcome?

As this is the largest container glass furnace in the world, it was vital to expand the size of the existing furnace footprint so that we would have the additional capacity. To do this, we used our own furnace experience and that of Vidrala to manage the process.

We also enlisted the assistance of specialist furnace designers, Sorg, to help with the project.

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11/01/2021 06:32:08

Company profile: Encirc furnace project manager

How many people were working on site at any one time during the rebuild?

At the peak of the rebuild we had 250 skilled workers onsite – which included a combination of Vidrala / Encirc staff and external contractors.

What was the timeframe of the project?

60 days from glass to glass (from the day we stopped producing bottles to the day we had glass at the IS machines again). All throughout a challenging pandemic period.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic impact work on the furnace?

Fortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic did not impact work on the furnace, however it did raise some challenges for us as many of our contractors were coming from oversees.

To manage this, we created a database to log when and how the contractors were travelling and where they were staying, so that in the eventuality of a COVID-19 outbreak we could use this information to track and trace people.

We also created two separate contractor villages, to help with social distancing and manage the number of people visiting the site. We implemented daily temperature checks, and all on-site personnel wore face masks.

Encirc also introduced a thorough cleaning system for the contractor villages, which was conducted by four full-time staff members during the project.

How satisfying was it when the furnace was finally lit?

Although the lighting of the furnace was not the end of the project, it was a great milestone for Encirc and a huge achievement for everyone involved.

The lighting of the EL1 furnace was also made even more special thanks to our operations director of many years, Robert Rose, who is being treated for cancer but was able to come to site and light the furnace.

How long have you worked at Encirc for? What do you enjoy about working at the site?

I have worked at Encirc for 23 years, and have spent the last four years working with the Vidrala HQ technical department.

Large projects like this are fantastic for bringing people together, and the support that the team has shown each other has been great. �

Encirc, Elton, UK http://www.encirc360.com/

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13 Glass International December/January 2021

Company profile Encirc.indd 2

11/01/2021 06:32:08

THE POWER OF

THREE

3

The three different companies forming the SORG Group combine to offer a unique, all-in-one solution for glass manufacturers. Our market-leading melting and conditioning technologies range from the supply and storage of raw materials through to conditioned glass and cullet return systems.

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Company profile: VRMT

Virtual training becomes a reality for glassmakers VRMT has made rapid progress since debuting its virtual reality technology just a couple of years ago. George Lewis spoke to Tony Pawinski* to discover the latest innovations in its portfolio.

� The VRMT virtual training centre is designed to feel like an actual facility with no risk

industry, including working for Allied Glass, and he understood how this idea could improve the training methods of the industry’s employees.

to employee safety.

GI. Can you describe what you have been up to since you last spoke to Glass International in November 2018?

TP: During 2019, we were developing the system and I also spent quite a lot of the year travelling and presenting.

At the start of the pandemic, in March 2020, I worked exclusively from home, as did most of the country. This completely curtailed the travelling I had been doing.

For the next four to five months, Mark Henshaw (co-founder and Director at VRMT) and I continued to develop our software and I had endless remote meetings with our customers to demonstrate new Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

I

t’s been an eventful two years for Virtual Reality Machine Training (VRMT) since Glass International last spoke to them in November 2018.

The company, which specialises in providing virtual reality training for the container glass manufacturing sector, has vastly expanded its virtual reality software. Its co-founder Tony Pawinski has also spoken to industry bodies such as FEVE and the SGT as well as numerous manufacturers.

The Pontefract, UK company has progressed since its formation in 2016. The seed for launching the organisation came when, attending a trade show, Mr Pawinski saw the power of virtual reality and how delegates at the show reacted to it.

Mr Pawinski believed there was an opportunity to for the technology to be used by glass manufacturers and for IS training in particular.

He had 30 years’ experience working in the

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Company profile: VRMT

how stack, mould vertiflow and finish cooling effect these temperatures is also winning praise from our customers.

The improved firefighting training potential has also been well received.

GI: Which manufacturers have you worked with since 2018?

TP: We are lucky enough to work with world leaders in glass container manufacturing and hope to add many more over the coming years.

These include Ardagh Group, Arglass, Allied Glass, Beatson Clark, British Glass, Encirc/Vidrala and O-I. Between them, we now have units in North America, France Germany, Poland and in the UK. We also have a lot of interest from other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Tunisia, South America and Europe.

The pleasing thing is that many of those customers are buying their second, third or fourth units and are beginning to implement it into their long establishment training regimes.

www.glass-international.com

features and understand their requirements etc.

We also developed our system to be ‘plug and play’. Previously, we had travelled to each factory to install the system and train their staff on how to use it. We now do all this remotely, no need to travel, which also fits with the ‘reduced need to travel thus reduce carbon footprint’ ethos of VRMT. Sales was another area that required a change of strategy, so we developed the system to enable remote selling via Microsoft Teams.

To enable this to be meaningful, we had to develop software tools such as the fixed and movable camera, so that viewers did not suffer motion sickness.

We also developed video capabilities so that our updates can be captured to keep people up to date via LinkedIn etc.

� A split training section showing blow process.

� A virtual representation of gobs entering the blanks.

GI: With Covid-19 affecting all businesses, how important has it been to clients that the VR technology has the ability to be used by different people from different parts of the world?

TP: We have been able to continue remotely working with all our customers without interruption or the need to travel.

I think it has been difficult for most companies to carry on training because a lot of their teaching staff and their trainees have been furloughed but those that have been able continue using the system now have an additional option, which is to use the tools developed during Covid such as fixed camera, video recording etc. to offer remote training via Microsoft Teams or Zoom for example.

GI: What advancements have been made to the VR equipment since that time?

TP: The camera and video recording are a great step forward not just for VRMT but also for our customers because they can now use those functions to train colleagues.

The other major advances, as cited by our customers, is the ability to dictate gob geometry as a function of how they set the feeder and see the real time results.

This could be by changing the feeder cam or glass temperature changes, shear mechanism changes etc.

They especially like how they can view this on the shop floor on the actual IS machine but also in the training room where they can then split the forehearth/feeder in half and view/interact with those changes.

The latest upgrade regarding the taking and understanding of blank/mould temperatures and

16 Glass International December/January 2021

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Company profile: VRMT

SUPPLY CHAIN CONFIDENCE

5 LOCATIONS ACCROSS UK AND IRELAND

� A stream of molten glass plunging down.

Those customers that already have more than one VR system carry on as normal using the VRMT application.

I think over the next few years people will invest in this type of technology so the world can carry on when disaster strikes.

• Soda Ash • Sodium Sulphate • • Feldspars • Chrome • Barium Sulphate • Sodium Nitrate

SPECIALISTS IN THE GLASS INDUSTRY

GI: What are the future plans for the company?

TP: When we have finished creating a creditable IS fault library, we will begin on the (virtual reality) furnace.

This will include glass conditioning, batch melting and even preventing and rectifying throat freezing, all of which is another exceedingly difficult area of a glass plant to train and understand.

We will look at both container and float glass versions for furnace development. �

*Director and Co-Founder VRMT, Pontefract, Yorkshire, UK www.vrmt.co.uk

www.glass-international.com

GI: How far can the VR technology go in future?

TP: We believe that it can go extremely far indeed. Already we have had really good feedback on the quality of training that can be given to a cross section of people.

They also state how much more in-depth this training is because the trainee is doing the task, which is proven to be the best way to learn.

We always keep abreast of the latest developments in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) and where that technology is going.

In the last two years alone, the step change in graphics card for example has been amazing.

Over the next few years, I suspect most industries will use virtual reality in some form or other to train their employees.

I think another major benefit must be the ability to communicate and work in the same environment all over the world and this will only get better and better.

Contact us: +44 (0)20 8332 2519

+44 (0)20 8940 6691

sales@newport-industries.com

17 Glass International December/January 2021

Company profile VRMT.indd 3

11/01/2021 06:44:32

Company profile: fritz-kola

Glass at the heart of the business for fritz-kola Set up by two childhood friends after finishing university in 2003, fritz-kola is proud to sell its beverage in glass bottles. George Lewis spoke to Bjorn Knoop* about why glass is the number one choice for its soft drinks.

“

Glass is part of our DNA, it’s part of our founding story”, states Bjorn Knoop, who leads the sustainability team at fritz-kola, a soft drinks company based in Hamburg, Germany.

Mr Knoop explained that with glass is at the heart of the business even in the early days when the packaging trend was for alternative materials.

The company is glad it stuck to its morals, with sustainability ‘getting into the heads of people and customers feeling the importance of sustainability’.

The company’s 330ml glass cola bottles were only outsold by Coca-Cola in German shops last year, with around 71 million glass bottles sold compared with 74 million at Coke.

But unlike Coca-Cola, fritz-kola only uses glass, and according to Mr Knoop, this will always be the case.

He said: “I don’t think we will ever be in a plastic bottle or a can. When everyone was going away from glass, we stuck to it.”

� 1. Bjorn Knoop is the head

“We want to stick to glass, fight plastic pollution and fight for a more sustainable beverage industry.

”

of sustainability at fritz-kola.

� 4. fritz-kola also do a lemonade variety, along with a “spritz” and a “mischmasch” amongst others (photo credit Florent Jalon)

4

www.glass-international.com

The beginning The company was set up in 2003 by two childhood friends Mirco Wiegert and Lorenz Hampl after finishing university in Hamburg, Germany.

When fritz-kola was founded, there was big political discussions in Germany between the Social Democrat/Green coalition government on what can be done to increase recycling rates in Germany.

A deposit return scheme (DRS) for single-use beverage containers was developed and according to statistics from the Guardian in 2018, global drinks producers are estimated to have made more than €3bn (£2.6bn) since the introduction of the DRS scheme.

At the time of its inception, fritz-kola was going against the trend for single use beverage containers by having a glass container that could be returned.

Mr Knoop believes that ‘even in that time, people knew that a refillable glass bottle was better than a single use plastic bottle’.

Fast-forward 17 years, the concept of using glass

� 2. The fritz-kola brand is bottled in five plants across Germany (photo credit Florent Jalon).

� 3. The 330ml glass cola bottles were only outsold

by Coca-Cola in German shops last year (photo credit Maurice Rieger).

is now starting to change due to environmental concerns. Mr Knoop admits that ‘we are lucky now to be in this position when the world is fighting against plastic’.

Fritz-kola has three bottle designs. The most sold 330ml bottle, an individual on-trade 200ml bottle and a 500ml non-individual pool bottle, all of which are manufactured by the Ardagh Group, for whom fritz-kola has had a long-term partnership with. All these bottles are manufactured from Ardagh’s plants in Germany.

In the last two years, fritz-kola has worked intensively with Ardagh, designing the 200ml bottle with an agency in Berlin that is 100%

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Company profile: fritz-kola

values, fritz-kola looks at what the manufacturers are doing to lower emissions in the manufacturing process before deciding whether to form a working relationship.

Mr Knoop said: “We want to evolve together with our partners. There are quite a few innovations in glass such as the reduction in its weight so it’s good to work with other manufacturers.

“Fritz-kola really needs to work with all them to achieve these innovations.”

Fritz-kola predominantly supplies its beverage across Germany, but due to the location the bottling plants, the company is able to export into the Netherlands and Poland.

But interestingly, not only is the beverage being exported to different countries, the company is hoping to persuade national governments to look at using a refillable system similar to the one used in Germany.

Fritz-kola’s future plans includes further supply to Spain, the UK and parts of Eastern Europe. But to maintain its sustainability goals, fritz-kola is hoping to be able to bottle the beverages in these countries, in order to cut down on emissions.

Covid

1

Like many businesses, fritz-kola has also been affected by the Covid-19 crisis. With a substantial part of its beverage demand from ‘on trade’ bars and restaurants, which shut completely or had trade reduced dramatically during lockdowns, it had to lean more on ‘off trade’ sales to see the company through challenging times.

Mr Knoop said: “The off trade is helping us support the on trade at the moment, but of course we eventually want to get back to having good demand for both on and off trade.”

Fritz-kola is trying to help in any way it can, such as creating solidarity t-shirts to help generate income for local bars.

Mr Knoop admits he believes that ‘we will see a lot of bars and clubs go down’ due to Covid-19.

recyclable, returnable and uses reusable glass packaging, which was created to reflect Fritz’s brand values.

The bottle is designed to be returned and refilled up to 20 times before being recycled.

Mr Knoop said Ardagh was fritz’ ‘sparring partner’, and were consulted all the time regarding the materials, stability, sizes, logistics of the bottle.

Fritz-kola chose to work with Ardagh due to its presence in Germany and wanted to source glass locally. Fritz is always looking to create new longterm relationships with different suppliers across Europe.

With sustainability at the core of the company’s

2

3

When asked what the future holds for fritz-kola, with this dependant on the virus being in control, Mr Knoop says the plan is to ‘stick to glass, fight plastic pollution and fight for a more sustainable beverage industry’.

He hopes the company can push forward to expand exports of the soft drink range, and to see an increased use of refillable bottle systems.

Mr Knoop says the company was “born to be different”, and future plans may change as businesses adapt to the Covid-19 crisis. But one thing will remain constant for the company, and that is Fritz Kola will always be sold in glass containers. �

*Maintenance/Head of Sustainability fritz-kola, Hamburg, Germany https://www.fritz-kola.de/en

www.glass-international.com

Born to be different

19 Glass International December/January 2021

Company profile Fritz Kola.indd 2

11/01/2021 11:43:11

T hi si snotas ol arecl i ps e

Wi r eEdgedet ect i on

wi t hz er ocompr omi seby

Pharma Glass: Stoelzle Oberglas

Development of next generation pharma containers G

lass is usually the first choice of packaging in the pharma industry due to its specific characteristics. It is chemically inert, can easily be heated and sterilised and therefore protects the medium stored in it from contamination.

Glass containers are categorised into Type I, Type II and Type III determined by their degree of hydrolytic resistance, which in turn depends on the degree of alkaline release.

With the world facing the COVID-19 pandemic, a new demand of Type I glass vials has been generated as vaccines are usually stored in Type I due to its highly resistant composition. The glass market for Type I containers is expected to come under pressure to secure the supply chain and not to face shortage in the next months to come.

We believe that this will lead to pharma companies being in need of alternative, more cost-effective vials such as Type II containers replacing Type I glass for non Covid-19 products.

In line with our pharma approach and in order to successfully address and overcome these potentially upcoming supply chain challenges one of our main goals has been to broaden our portfolio from Type III soda-lime glass with a moderate hydrolytic resistance to Type II glass containers from treated sodalime glass to achieve a high hydrolytic resistance which is compatible with most acidic and neutral aqueous preparations whether parenteral or non-parenteral.

In a first step, we looked into the different methods for inner surface treatment to increase the hydrolytic class

of Type III soda lime glass.

Out of different approaches, the two methods used commercially today can be summarised as sulphurisation. The process is performed either with gas (sulphur dioxide) or via a treatment with a solid (ammonium sulphate), both resulting in a reduction of the alkali ion content of the glass inner surface.

Such a treatment is generally accompanied by the formation of a washable sodium sulfate layer inside the glass. The generated dealkalised surface layer renders the glass more resistant to interactions with products put inside the container.

However, both these techniques have substantial disadvantages: Using SO2 Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

Mrs. Antonia Karamat* discusses how Stoelzle Oberglas’ Pharma – Health & Safety division developed a stable and environmentally conscious process for the inner surface treatment of moulded Type III glass containers.

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Pharma Glass: Stoelzle Oberglas

� The use of harmless raw materials guaranteeing safe storage and handling � Less contamination and complete removal of reaction fumes Minimise the environmental impact through: � Optimal dosing of ammonium sulfate adjusted to each bottles size leading to raw material savings � ‘as much as necessary - as little as possible’ – The minimum amount necessary is based on extensive laboratory tests and a substantial safety factor How do we ensure a continuous quality control from the start of production to packaging? � Process monitoring with modern sensor technology. � Immediate removal of all process fumes by suction and neutralisation. � Treatment detection with automatic rejection of poor/untreated bottles integrated into existing infrastructure.

www.glass-international.com

implies the handling of toxic gas whereas the solid process is usually less exact in dosing. Furthermore, process stability and effectivity is difficult to achieve for small bottles in both cases.

Knowing what is important to our pharmaceutical clients, we decided to work on a different approach, which aimed to fulfill the following requirements: � use of a raw materials known to the pharmaceutical industry � allowing for a stable and safe production process with a high cosmetic quality � exact and uniform dosing for a large range of container sizes � minimising the use of chemicals to reduce environmental footprint We are very proud that following an extensive and thorough development process over the past years we are now in the position to present Stoelzle’s Type II Glass.

Stoelzle Pharma’s – Health & Safety division has created a resource-efficient, safe and stable process incorporating the advantages of known processes without the disadvantages by using a liquid treatment process.

The main components of the liquid

treatment agent for Stoelzle Type II Glass are exclusively non-harmful substances: Air, water and ammonium sulfate.

Potentially harmful SO2/SO3 is only formed in minute quantities directly in the bottles and the used water further improves the hydrolytic resistance (Fig 1).

The use of a liquid treatment agent and a novel process enable a reliable and exact dosing tailored to the glass size, most importantly with the use of fewer chemical materials in a process considered much safer than conventional gas treatment.

We additionally provide our clients with the highest product quality through automated, consistent dosing via spraying, Stoelzle’s Type II also proves to have an increased hydrolytic resistance compared to inner surface treatment with gas (sulphuring).

One of our goals was taking into account the environmental aspect in the development of Stoelzle’s new method.

Through our development of the new process, we could not only improve stability and guarantee a more even distribution for smaller bottles sizes but also: Adhering to highest standards of work safety in production through:

We are now at a stage where we have performed extensive internal laboratory and inline tests and found the produced bottles in the range from 6 to 250 ml significantly below the respective hydrolytic resistance limits set by US and European Pharmacopoeias for Type II Glass with little variation.

We are delighted that we already produced industrial samples of Stoelze’s Type II for selected customers, which are currently undergoing stability tests.

Stoelzle has also started with the internal and external general validation processes, which we aimed to complete within the second quarter of 2020.

Our current range Type II bottles encompasses flint injection and infusion bottles from 6ml to 250ml.

Serial production of Stoelzle’s Type II is aimed to start in June 2021 in our plant in Köflach, Austria located adjacent to our headquarters. The site is equipped with two furnaces with a daily capacity of around 270 tonnes of glass. Currently, around 1.5 billion pieces of white, amber and green packaging glass are produced annually on 11 fully automated production lines. �

*Deputy. Global Sales Director BU Pharma & Sales Director Medical & Laboratory, Stoelzle Glass Group, Koflach, Austria www.stoelzle.com

22 0 Glass International December/January 2021

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Unless it solves a problem automatically, isn’t data just data? Our technologies speak the same language.

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Start the conversation at emhartglass.com

Focus: CETIE

The activities of the glass manufacturer groups at Cetie Josquin Peycere* provides an update on the activities of the Cetie glass bottles voluntary standards group.

T

his year, the groups involved in the themes relating to flacons, bottles and jars, have worked to move forward with the topics of the profession.

The five groups, each working in a specific area, held together a ‘(virtual) glass manufacturer plenary’ meeting at the end of September 2020 to present the progress of their work and share their thoughts with the members of the other glass manufacturer groups.

Flaconnage

www.glass-international.com

The groups involved in flaconnage, especially perfumery and cosmetics, continued to harmonise test practices in the areas of geometry (finishes, mechanical tests) and decorative elements (various decoration resistance tests). They also completed the glossary of critical defects, a reference document for the preparation of customer specifications.

Lastly, the recommendations guide for crimping on FEA finish (Guide No.12) provided the opportunity to review the best practices of the sector and led Cetie to revise standard EN 14854 defining the finish geometry (to be published early 2021).

Always on the watch for developments

in these sectors and seeking collective responses, the ‘Geometry’ group is working on new threaded finish models, that will enable perfumers to use closure systems of the same diameter as the equivalent FEA finishes.

Through this joint design approach, initiated chiefly with the perfumers, glass manufacturers and pump sprayer manufacturers, common harmonised models will be developed, thereby avoiding having each party create their own solution.

Quality The group dedicated to Quality issues concerning bottles and jars in the food sector, concluded the revising of several important reference documents useful for the preparation of customer specifications: Glossaries of defects (critical defects, other visual defects), the standard tolerances for glass containers and the manufacturing inspections on carbonated items. Other technical data sheets have been published on good labelling practices (application of self-adhesive labels, flatness of labelled surfaces) and on surface treatments and headspace volumes.

This group continues to work on

numerous documents of value to glass manufacturers and their customers.

Finishes and Geometry The group dedicated to Finishes and Geometry in foodstuff containers worked intensively on beer bottle finishes in 2019 and 2020: conventional crown finishes (leading to the revising of standards ISO 12821 and 12822), crown finishes with a more rounded cap anchor point, and twist crown finishes. The group is also working on the harmonisation of the dimensions of MCA finishes for carbonated beverages, with the aim of merging the nine existing standards into a single document. Lastly, it is actively reviewing the standards of locally defined finishes: Champagne bottle finishes and Verplast finishes in France, swing stopper finish in Germany, and numerous English technical data sheets, all of which are useful at European level and must be improved and standardised so that they can be made available to all the players.

Some new subjects are also emerging, such as the ‘short’ (14 mm high) cork stopper finish.

Continued>>

� Cetie glass experts at the 2019 Plenary meeting in Amsterdam, on the kind invitation of the Ardagh Group.

24 0

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Focus: CETIE

These groups dedicated to glass containers for foodstuffs have also actively participated in Cetie’s interprofessional groups, allowing the publication this year of numerous closure and capping guides, such as the three guides to good practices in metallic screw capping (BVS, BVP finishes) and on the identification and correction of defects, the guide to the application of the crown cap and the guide to the corking of Traditional Method wines. Each of these guides comprises between 40 and 100 pages and represents several years of intensive collaboration at Cetie between the various players of the profession.

The glass manufacturer plenary meeting also allowed an assessment of the situation of the other joint groups concerning glass manufacturers, namely: the group on the control of filling volumes, an aspect that has been particularly affected in France by the DGCCRF (Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression de Fraude - Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) guide on the subject, and which is posing some real problems to bottlers; the group on DataMatrix

Cetie technical.indd 2

laser marking and individual traceability, which has resulted in the designing of a world-scale unique traceability system, defined though two Cetie documents.

And of course, the joint group with cap manufacturers, which revised the ‘BVS’ standard EN 16293 and is now working on the revision of the ‘BVP’ standard EN 15543.

The September meeting reflected upon two key themes: � How to further improve the productivity and flexibility of the glass manufacturer working groups?

This has led to an action plan that aims to enhance the reliability of group work and reduce the time it takes to produce a document at Cetie. � How can we better involve bottlers in the work carried out inside groups exclusively dedicated glass manufacturers?

This subject led to a discussion on the activation of what could become a joint glass manufacturers/users group; such a group could firstly work on subjects at the interface of the two activities (conditions of use or reuse of bottles, good practice guidelines in inspection or traceability) and secondly assess the subjects currently

in progress in the glass manufacturer groups so as to integrate the position of users more directly in the development or approval of reference documents.

Lastly, this virtual meeting ended with the participants arranging a physical meeting in autumn 2021. As tradition has it that the Cetie glass manufacturer groups meet in a different country each year, it is British Glass that will host this highly European reunion gathering over a two day session in Sheffield, in the heart of the UK. The dynamism of these five glass manufacturer groups and the associated nine interprofessional groups consolidates the unique model that Cetie represents - an association independent from professional organisations and lobbies, whose members seek to jointly improve the techniques and good practices in the bottling sector.

The 27 documents published in this field in one year, through 53 meetings attended by the majority of the world’s glass manufacturers, bear witness to this.�

*General Secretary, CETIE, Paris, France www.cetie.org

11/01/2021 06:59:14

tc273_TECO_A4_Advert_2020_Style_v11.qxp_Layout 1 14/05/2020 15:31 Page 6

RE-BUILDING YOUR FURNACE

A TECO fact...

Did you know that a high proportion of the equipment we specify for our re-builds can be re-used for subsequent campaigns?

DESIGNING, BUILDING AND MODERNISING YOUR FURNACES, FOREHEARTHS AND FURNACE EQUIPMENT ®

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Raw Materials

� Calumite is produced from a by-product, reducing the need to quarry raw materials and also counting towards the recycled content of glass containers.

Calumite, more than just a raw material Liam Wray* highlights the benefits of using Calumite in the glass manufacturing process. It is increasingly being recognised for its environmental properties and the reduction of CO2 emissions that can be achieved with its use.

Glass quality: � Reduction in seed and blister � Improved redox control � Colour stabilisation An increasingly important factor in using Calumite is the reduction in CO2 emissions that can be achieved. Both process and combustion CO2 emissions

are reduced, resulting in up to 700kg CO2 saved per tonne of Calumite used. This will become ever more significant as the price of CO2 rises and the industry drives towards net zero.

Further adding to its sustainability credentials, Calumite is produced from a by-product, reducing the need to quarry raw materials and also counting towards Typical Calumite Chemistry (%)

CaO

39.5

Al2O3

12.0

SiO2

36.5

MgO

8.5

Na2O

0.2

K2O

0.6

St (Total Sulphur)

0.85

S2- (Sulphide)

0.83

Fe2O3

0.30

C Redox

0.02 -0.075

� Table 1. Typical Calumite chemistry.

the recycled content of glass containers, as defined by the British Glass calculation for recycled content.

Material background Calumite is manufactured from granulated blast furnace slag (GBS), a product of the iron making process.

Calumite has been used as a raw material in glassmaking for more than 75 years, initially used as an alumina source, now valued for its impact on glass quality and environmental benefits.

The material originates inside the blast furnace where limestone and dolomite react with coke and iron ore to create slag. The slag contains lime, silica, alumina, magnesia and sulphides along a with small amount of other oxides.

Although a by-product for ironmakers, Continued>>

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C

alumite offers more than the sum of its parts. In addition to being a valuable source of the major glass making oxides, it is a glassy material that offers similar benefits to cullet with the additional benefits of a refining agent. When used correctly in the batch, Calumite can offer many benefits: Energy saving: � Reduced energy consumption � Increased furnace pull � Reduced furnace temperatures

27 Glass International December/January 2021

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Raw Materials

� Fig 1. Reduction in energy cost during a trial of 13% Calumite in a green

� Fig 2. Reduction in Seed defects during a trial of 13% Calumite in a green

container furnace.

container furnace.

Price CO2 (GBP / t)

Savings per tonne of Calumite used, GBP

Process CO2 £16.00

Combustion CO2 Total

£6.40

£4.80

£11.20

£27.00 £10.80 £8.10 £18.90 £50.00 £20.00 £15.00 £35.00

Glass quality

� Table 2. CO2 saving per tonne of Calumite used (£).

these compounds are essential for glassmakers.The liquid slag is tapped from the furnace and solidified by rapid water jet quenching to form a glassy, sand like material.

Calumite is used in all types of sodalime-silica glass production and is used in all glass colours at between 1-4% (of dry sand weight) in extra clear flint and up to 30% in amber glass.

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Energy saving Calumite leads to faster melting within the glass batch as CaO, SiO2, Al2O3 and MgO are added as a glassy phase. See table 1 for the full chemistry specification.

As a result, the energy required to melt the batch whilst maintaining existing temperatures is lower.

The benefits of Calumite can be seen through the results of a trial in a green container furnace where Calumite was added at 13% of the dry sand weight. In this trial the addition of Calumite had an immediate visual impact with the batch logs being more active. The batch line retreated, which allowed the crown temperatures and fuel set point to be reduced. In addition, the faster melting with Calumite meant that the furnace bottom temperatures increased, allowing a reduction in electric boost and saving of more than 25% electrical energy.

same CaO and MgO as 1 tonne of Calumite leads to savings of 400kg CO2 per tonne of Calumite. In amber glass this equates up to a 25% saving in process CO2 emissions.

Overall, this led to a 5% reduction in energy cost through using Calumite (Fig 1).

The faster melting with Calumite can be exploited in different ways depending on the specific requirements of the glassmaker: � Furnace pull - Furnace productivity can be increased without increasing temperatures or affecting glass quality, by up to 5% depending on the percentage of Calumite used. � Furnace temperatures can be reduced during an emergency or towards the end of the furnace life, trials show reductions of up to 40oc with only 4% of Calumite used. � Energy consumption – faster melting allows for energy to be reduced.

Savings are typically between 0.25 and 0.36% energy saving per 1% Calumite addition.

CO2 reduction

One benefit of Calumite that is becoming increasingly significant is the impact on CO2 emissions. Calumite provides CaO and MgO to the glass without the evolution of CO2. This leads to significant reductions in process CO2 emissions due to the reduction in limestone and dolomite usage. The amount of limestone and dolomite required to provide the

Despite its clear benefits in terms of energy and the environment, Calumite is perhaps most valued by glassmakers for its impact on furnace stability and therefore glass quality.

Due to the low levels of sulphur as sulphide, Calumite works as a refining agent. It has a low and stable redox number and sized to be similar to other batch materials, so it is evenly mixed within the batch.

This reduces the seed count (Fig 2).

As well as big reductions in average seed count, the variability is also reduced. These reductions were seen during the same trial period as figure 1, demonstrating how glass quality and energy saving can occur simultaneously.

Summary Use of Calumite offers many benefits to the glassmaker due to its glassy nature and chemical composition. Calumite has been supplied to the UK glass industry from our plant in Scunthorpe for more than 50 years and from Ostrava in the Czech Republic in excess of 20 years.

Calumite is also shipped overseas with current customers operating in Africa and the Middle East. �

*Technical Development Manager, Calumite, UK. liam.wray@calumite.co.uk www.calumite.co.uk

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www.growth-group.com

Don’t just look at it, look into it.

Tiama Xlab – the revolutionary sampling system Turn virtual reality into reality with the new Tiama Xlab.

This highly flexible laboratory module can be installed at the hot end, the cold end or in the laboratory. It loads the container automatically and makes a 3D scan, generating an image composed of millions of facets.

The 3D image can be rotated and “dissected” on all sides. Virtual volume, capacity, and vacuity can be measured as well as glass distribution fully mapped.

You can also analyse engraving, embossing and much more. Practically all container types and shapes can be inspected and it’s non-destructive because the image (and not the container itself) is “cut” virtually.

For an online presentation of the Xlab please contact us at marketing@tiama.com.

Data – the deciding factor

Glass conditioning

Electric heating for the forehearth and feeder

ďż˝ Gunther Bock, CEO of

ďż˝ Pic 1

Bock Energetik.

Schematic power supply.

W

ithin forehearths you will find extremely different heating facilities. This has not only to do with different glasses and production methods, but also with traditions and risks of change.

Electrical heating systems have been established and proven for decades in glass fibre (wool) production. In other production sectors, such as tableware and container glass, electric heating of forehearths and feeders is less common.

Although it is known that energy savings of up to 75% can be achieved with direct heating systems on forehearths, these are rarely used. What are the reasons for that?

It is certainly not easy to put electrodes in the forehearth and connect to a power

ďż˝ Pic 2 Air cooled electrodes. source. It must also be borne in mind that the cooling system is adapted to the electric heater, in particular for highthroughput (tonnage) forehearths.

In the following article we would like to limit ourselves to important parts of the plant - to the direct heating by means of electrodes.

First, the electrode types and their arrangement should be considered. Of course, installation as bottom electrodes requires a different construction than the side electrodes. Bottom electrodes are usually equipped with water cooling to guarantee safe operation. The immersion depth is limited by the glass level. For this you can use larger electrode diameter and choose larger electrode distances. Proven, slightly modified holder constructions, such as those used in melting operations, Continued>>

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Gunther Bock* discusses the benefits of electric heating in the forehearth.

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Glass conditioning

ďż˝ Pic 3 Power distribution bottom and side electrodes.

* latest swabbing-robot installed in July 2017 in Germany

*

Bock.indd 2

are ideal for this purpose. When using side electrodes, one can rely on a variety of proven types of electrodes. The selection of a particular type of electrode is also dependent on the forehearth construction and on the refractory material used. The simplest version is a molybdenum rod, 30-40mm diameter with a heatresistant steel extension. The electrode is simply passed through the side wall. The electrode end is cooled by a copper plate, which is also used as a connection plate. A derived variant, which allows slightly larger diameter, consists of a molybdenum part 50-65mm and a stainless steel extension with power connection plate. This part is designed with an air-jacket cooling (pic 2).

Another application is: the molybdenum electrode head is completely immersed in the glass mass and sealed backwards.

At the end, a distance disc is used.

In general, it can be said that forehearth electrodes are necessary, which should be cooled as little as possible; and by which nevertheless a high corrosion protection is achieved.

There are many options for power supplies; especially in the wiring of the electrodes. In most cases, the power is controlled by single-phase systems as thyristor-transformer units, which each take over a section of several electrodes within a control zone. The power supply must be consistent with the glass characteristics, electrode spacing, electrode diameter and interconnection. Frequently, several electrodes are supplied to one transformer string. The temperature differences or differences in the junction resistors can easily lead to large differences in the current consumption. In this case, the equalising chokes are switched between the electrodes (Pic 3).

The temperature control is divided as usual into three heating zones, wherein the inlet zone and compensation zone are equipped with a cooling device. So there are five control intervention options: three for heating and two for cooling.

These five parameters are controlled individually and are connected by a computer that controls the forehearth. The temperature is recorded via Radiamatic and via a thermocouple matrix in each zone. In some cases, especially at a low load, it is advantageous to equip the feeder head additionally with indirect heating. ďż˝

*CEO and owner, Bock Energietechnik, Floss, Germany www.bock-energietec.de Glass International December/January 2021

11/01/2021 07:10:33

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Forming

Benefits of structured Project Management Petra Heumann* discusses how Heye International implemented a modern project management concept to fulfill customers requriements and bring the project to a success. the cold-run. Start-up and performancerun is an important part of the project and the experienced Heye service team is able to achieve full machine performance already two days after hot production start. During all these project stages the project manager is the link between all acting groups and the customer.

The following schedule gives an overview of all typical project phases (here: Hot End project of an IS-Machine).

Phase 1. OPENING � Final customer meeting � Commercial and technical clarification � Placement of purchase order / contract signing Phase 2. PLANNING � Heye internal project handover form Sales to Project Management department � Customer kick-off: � Introduction of the Project Manager � Verification of the scope of supply � Project planning including milestones for delivery, start-up and training � Determination of start-up containers � Continuous customer communication Phase 3. PRODUCTION � Production phase � Testing and verification of machinery and equipment. � Preparing of readiness for shipment Phase 4a. TRANSPORT � Transport and shipping process in accordance to agreed Incoterm Phase 4b.

INSTALLATION AND COMMISSIONING � Arrival of machinery and equipment at site

Installation Training Cold run and approval for first glass.

Commissioning Approval of readiness for packing bottles by customer � Acceptance � � � � �

Phase 5.

COMPLETION AND LESSONS LEARNED � Final project meeting of customer and Heye Project Management � Lessons learned � Special support until end of warranty period These single phases have proved a useful tool to structure and manage the complexity of many projects. By stipulating and maintaining these project goals and sub-goals in their single phases, the overall goal is usually better achieved and customers are satisfied.

Ralph Versluis, Production Technology Manager at Ardagh Glass Europe, said: “Since my cooperation with Heye I have been involved in many projects and I also met several project managers.

“The process PM Heye is certainly a main driver for an effective flow through the different phases of a project and finally for a successful start of a machine.

I am a strong believer that good processes drive good results. The main focus for the cooperation with Heye has always been on the process and the transparency. A mutual understanding of what the needs are and how those can best be translated into the project process is what has driven the good results over the latest projects.” �

Mrs. Petra Heumann, Marketing Heye International, Obernkirchen, Germany.

Email: marketing@heye-international.com Web: www.heye-international.com

www.glass-international.com

W

ith a new investment, certain targets have to be kept. Finally it is all about budget, quality and time: The fixed budget may not be exceeded, the quality of products and practices must be satisfactory and the time schedule has to be kept.

There is often an overwhelming amount of information when it comes to a new investment in a glass production facility. When Heye gets a machine order, the company handles all commercial and technical processes with a structured and permanently reviewed project management system, called ‘PM Heye’.

According to the project’s type and scope the basic structure can be adapted and customised. In the first phase Heye’s Sales Managers finally clarify all technical and commercial points with the customer before they hand over the project to the project manager, who then is the permanently responsible contact person during the entire project (one-face-tothe-customer). The project management processes at Heye are well-organised and transparent to the customer. In each stage of the project the customer is informed on the latest status, kept in the loop, with a comfortable ‘one-face-to-the-customer’ approach.

With the invention of the SpeedLine ISMachine, Heye’s flagship within the Hot End portfolio, tremendous improvements in project time-schedules have been generated based on standardised parts logistics, modular assembly and the integration of many sub-sytems into the factory-assembled and factory-tested machine. This also allows the machine to be installed and put into operation in shortest time due to standardised processes, less interfaces and its modular and premounted design. Under best conditions, a skilled Heye installation team can move and install a Speedlinemachine within a period of 15-20 days from unloading from a truck until start of

35 Glass International December/January 2021

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Forming

� 12-section IS machine.

Holistic approach to sustainable container glass production With sustainability at the top of many glass industry companies agenda, Jan Koren*, Karel Maruska** and Mark Ziegler*** discuss how they can remain profitable and efficient.

G

lass factories have to be profitable and make production more efficient every day. At the same time, it is important to reduce the number of work accidents to zero. Sklostroj has developed a holistic approach to meet all these criteria.

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Levering efficiency by downtime reduction Efficient consumption of energy becomes crucial in the plants. The furnace is in the centre of many initiatives, we are currently seeing, ranging from hybrid melting to usage of hydrogen. Often underestimated is the importance of downtime reduction of the IS machine.

“For every minute of downtime, the glass goes into the cellar, as it is called in our industry, the furnace efficiency goes to zero,” states Mark Ziegler.

Sklostroj addresses this issue from two directions. First, preventive maintenance has been implemented without compromise. The Siemens based SDT-10 control platform provides all necessary tools for the machine operator to avoid

unexpected maintenance stops. State-ofthe-art servo drives give clear feedback about deviations in the mechanisms, like a torque increase due to higher friction.

Sklostroj is focusing on Siemens MindSphere as leading industrial IoTas-a-service solution, able to integrate analytics and AI to increase the production performance.

Sklostroj is ready to develop an individual IoT and data strategy for every customer, depending on the individual position in the digitalisation journey.

Important to mention, together with Siemens, a reliable data security concept was established which was a major concern of many glass makers.

The second direction to reduce downtimes is to make job changes and maintenance works as short as possible.

During the development of the ISS full servo machine, particular importance was put to ease of maintenance and the shortening of job change time.

The core of this design principle is the empty section box and the maintenance platform under the machine. Motors and

mechanisms are easily accessible and can be changed quickly.

The parallel MOC-mechanism is combined with a quick-change systems for mould holder inserts. A spare set of mould holder inserts can already be equipped while the previous article is still running on the machine.

On the automation side, an article database in the SDT-10 control is of course standard, so that all parameters of the next jobs can be loaded within seconds.

Maximum work safety The complete machine design was made

by Sklostroj’s R&D team with an eye on work safety.

Starting above the machine, the unique orifice exchange support allows an easy and safe exchange of the orifice rings.

Perhaps most important in the machine itself are the different safety levels of the servo motion drive concept.

Based on the Siemens Sinamics and safety PLC functions, the safety level of Continued>>

36 0 Glass International December/January 2021

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Forming

� Sklostroj provide a

� Torque vs velocity.

holistic approach to sustainably efficient glass production.

the machine is even above the industrial standard.

One of the most important features is safe torque off (STO) combined with different modes for manual operation and maintenance modes for the different mechanisms.

In summary, Jan Koren is fully convinced that servo IS machines provide a higher safety level than standard machines with pneumatic mechanisms, especially when it is based on an integral control concept.

Another major safety improvement is the replacement of manual swabbing.

The swabbing robot integrated by Sklostroj prevents the operator from the potentially dangerous blank mould swabbing, increasing in the same time the pack-to-melt ratio of the IS line. It is expected, that manual blank mould swabbing is being replaced in 80 percent of all glassworks within the next five years.

The cost-efficient Sklostroj solution allows on-the-fly swabbing of the moulds and in addition swabbing of the neck rings.

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Energy efficient machine actuators Compressed air is very costly and should be avoided.

By using servo-technology for most of the IS mechanisms, Sklostroj reduces compressed air consumption to the coolings.

Even the plunger in NNPB productions is available as servo version.

Mr Koren is proud to say this patented servo plunger mechanism runs stable and precisely in NNPB productions since many years.

Coming back to the energy management of the servo axis: The brake energy recovery, based on the Siemens

loop allows a precise determination of the gob weight including an automatic control of the feeder settings. The gob watch works with single weight or multi weight feeders. In addition, the gob watch can automatically reject containers with large weight deviations or with major gob length or gob falling angle deviations.

The LPBB solution (Light Production BB) for the blank side based on the patented vacuum generators improves glass distribution and provides possibility to reduce weight of glass bottles by approximately 10%. Thanks to light weighting and faster forming of neck, the production speeds up by 3,5% states Karel Maruska. � Quick change of mould holder inserts.

Active Line module is standard.

An IS machine with many servo axes following a precise timing and consuming energy in planned sequences, is the ideal application for this concept.

A 12-section full servo IS machine including feeder and ware handling has an electric consumption of only 30kW for all actuators. This value cannot be reached by machines with mainly pneumatic driven mechanisms.

Enabling lightweight container production For NNPB productions, Sklostroj’s process control with closed-loop options for gob weight and press duration control is accepted by major global brand owners.

Unlike other systems on the market, the Sklostroj system provides a very competitive price & performance ratio with fair spare part prices. To reduce weight in BB processes, Sklostroj offers two solutions.

First, the Sklostroj gob watch closed-

Outlook In summary, the vison of a sustainable and energy efficient glass production can become reality. Definitely, a holistic, long-term approach is necessary.

Mr Koren is optimistic that major improvements will be made, not only on the furnace side but also on the forming part.

The solid mastery of the demanding mechanics is now complemented by the targeted use of Industry 4.0 concepts.

Mr Koren and his team are proud to implementing the digital twin concept together with Sklostroj’s technology partner Siemens as first company among the suppliers of IS machines.

The project goals of a faster and agile development process and the creation of an operator training environment are fully on track. Stay tuned for more. �

*Chief Operating Officer, **Sales Manager – West, ***Regional Manager, Sklostroj, Prepere, Czech Republic www.sklostroj.cz

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Forehearths

Is forehearth ‘thermal efficiency’ really a measure of performance?

John McMinn* assesses the thermal efficiency concept on forehearth performance.

W

� Fig 1. Thermocouple position for 1092mm wide forehearth.

efficiency’ value.

Efficiency value The ‘efficiency value’ is used as a forehearth performance indicator to provide a measure of glass thermal homogeneity and the suitability of the glass for the forming machine operation.

It is also employed by glass plants, often in the form of a contractual obligation, imposed on forehearth suppliers to guarantee a minimum efficiency value for a given range of tonnages, gob temperatures and glass colours. Yet there is no ‘standard’ on which to base this value.

For example the calculated ‘efficiency value’ is dependent on the position of the two outer thermocouples relative to the central thermocouple. Clearly if the thermocouples are positioned closer together the resulting ‘efficiency value’ will be higher. Different forehearth suppliers design their forehearths with different thermocouple separations. In addition there is no standard position for the thermocouple relative to the spout entrance. The geometry of the equalising channel blocks will also affect the calculated efficiency value yet this is never considered. Consequently it is impossible to compare the relative ‘thermal efficiency’ of competitive systems. Or indeed to have much faith in the efficiency value concept as it is currently defined.

Assessing forehearth performance using such a parameter is tenuous. It is too

important not also to ignore an important reality. Figure 1 shows the thermocouple position used by a major forehearth supplier. The forehearth is 1092mm wide at the entrance to the conditioning section. It can be seen that the area covered by the 9-point thermocouple grid does not represent the entire forehearth exit plane. In reality it represents a smaller subsection of the forehearth exit plane defined and ignores areas where the thermal gradients are likely to be highest.

The glass flow pattern in the forehearth, in the absence of stirrers or cord dispersal systems, is laminar. Consequently the glass flow rate will progressively decrease from the centre glass stream to the channel walls (and also between the bottom thermocouples and the channel base). The reduction in glass flow rate is accompanied by a decreasing temperature profile since the slower moving glass brings less heat and suffers the effect of heat loss through the channel walls and base. These represent significant thermal gradients but, due to the positioning of the thermocouple grid, will not be detectable by the thermocouples. We know the thermal gradients exist yet do nothing to even measure them. Why is this? We know that a thermal gradient in the forehearth will likely become a thermal gradient in the spout.

Continued>>

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hen I joined the glass industry in the middle 1970’s the synchronisation and timing of IS machines were controlled by rotating drum mechanisms. The latter half of the 1970’s saw the introduction of electronic timing systems that offered a greater level of control over the forming process. As electronics progressed so did the sophistication of IS machine control systems. Today not only have electronic systems allowed for production speed enhancements and synchronisation accuracy but they also provide a wealth of information about the operation of the machine. With parallel advances in container defect detection systems the operator has information regarding every aspect of the forming machine operation and the number and type of container defect produced. Every aspect of the forming machine operation is measurable and known, except the glass it receives.

Glass quality as a measurable parameter, in terms of thermal homogeneity for example, is not currently measured to a sufficient degree. The expectation of the machine operator is that the glass supplied will be consistent with the requirements of the glass forming operation. How does the operator decide this? Forehearth performance is currently, and somewhat dubiously, defined by three tri-level thermocouples arranged to provide a 9-point grid near the spout entrance. The glass depth is assumed to comprise three levels each nominally 50mm deep such that each of the vertical thermocouples represents the temperature of the middle point of each level. A quasi-mathematical averaging formula is then applied to the nine (or sometimes five) temperature readings to produce a percentage thermal homogeneity. This figure is then taken to be a representative measure of the thermal gradients within the glass entering the spout – the now, all important ‘thermal

41 Glass International December/January 2021

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Forehearths

velocity pathlines

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Pic 1. Glass flow at spout entrance.

Currently the goal is to control the glass temperature so that the area of glass defined by the 9-point grid provides a homogenous body of glass. But is this really what we want? To consider this we need to look again at the glass flow.

As stated above, glass flow within the forehearth channel is laminar. However mathematical modeling has shown that before the glass reaches the spout entrance the flow pattern is disturbed by the rotation of the tube.

If, for example, the tube rotation is anticlockwise, some of the glass stream on the LHS will be pulled across the spout entrance and a significant proportion of it will enter the spout on the RHS. As a consequence the LHS and RHS glass streams will have different residence times – in our example the LHS glass stream will have a longer residence time than the RHS glass stream.

It follows that, if the two side glass streams have different residence times within the forehearth – the side that flows directly into the spout will reach the orifice ring first. The other side glass stream, because of its longer residence time, will take longer and as a consequence will enter the spout at a lower temperature. It follows that it is counterproductive to control the forehearth to achieve a uniform entry temperature. It is more logical to control the RHS and LHS individually based on tube rotation direction. The importance of this is that by trying to achieve a uniform spout entrance plane we are in fact inducing a thermal gradient into the glass (Pic 1).

Thermal gradients Thermal gradients within the forehearth exit plane can directly be linked to problems in glass forming. Matt Hyre was a colleague of mine in the early 2000’s and is well known for his mathematical modeling studies of glass temperature and flow in forehearths and during the forming process.

He also established the importance of the forehearth exit plane temperature profile. He showed that relatively small variations in forehearth exit plane temperatures can dramatically affect the glass thickness distribution of the final container. His studies showed that thermal gradients within the forehearth exit plane result in plungers having different temperature profiles.

As a result of this the gobs produced also have different thermal profiles.

This continues into the forming process where, due to the different gob thermal profiles, the respective parison lengths, prior to final blow, are also different. As a result the containers produced exhibit different glass thickness distributions that may result in rejection of the container.

We have been arguing that the concept of ‘thermal efficiency’ is of limited utility.

However it is currently the primary indicator of forehearth performance. An obvious question is why is the definition of forehearth performance so restricted.

Another question is why is there such a paucity of on-screen information available to forehearth operators?

Although there have been advances in forehearth design and control strategies, forehearth innovation has failed to

keep pace with machine development.

While the machine operator has onscreen access to a wealth of information regarding the operation of the machine, the forehearth operator has only very basic operational data on which to judge forehearth performance. Even the onscreen data that is available is, in many cases, misleading.

Typically the data supplied is limited to showing control outputs and temperature data all of which are open to suspicion – does a controller heating output really represent the amount of heat supplied?

No it doesn’t. One would like to assume forehearth system calibration was correct on conclusion of system commissioning but forehearth combustion systems are very prone to de-calibration with time.

The linearity of the combustion control valve can change significantly as can the air/gas ratio, the burners may be blocking resulting in a misinterpretation of the output value, et cetera. All gasfired forehearths have combustion flues fitted with damper blocks the position of which greatly affects forehearth performance and glass conditioning.

Surely we need to know the position of the individual damper blocks? Yet the majority of forehearths are operating with manual damper control. Forehearth cooling systems are similarly devoid of operational information.

Like the forming machine operator the forehearth operator should have automated access to any parameter that affects forehearth performance. This requires sensors and imagination but is realistically achievable. Forehearth Services has been auditing forehearth systems worldwide for 12 years and have developed tests that can detect all these conditions. It is possible to automate these tests to provide automatic diagnostics. It is time to automate, control, record and display the operational status of critical elements of the complete forehearth system. It is also time to develop control strategies that consider controlling a larger portion of the forehearth exit plane temperature profile. Lastly, it is time to reassess the value of the ‘thermal efficiency’ parameter with reference to the, currently unknown, outer thermocouple to channel-wall temperature gradients and to the glass flow patterns at the spout entrance. �

*Managing Director, Forehearth Services, UK. www.forehearthservices.co.uk/

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Forming

The effect of higher forming speed cycles on dimensional stability

T

he single biggest limiting factor when it comes to optimum machine speed is dimensional stability leaning (non-vertical), non-round etc.

These problems are less apparent in the P/B, NNPB processes than the BB process because the use of an internally cooled steel plunger in the parison stage removes heat from the inside of the parison prior to transferring the parison to the blow mould for final forming.

At this point we can say that the NNPB, P/B process has an advantage over the B/B process in terms of heat transfer by removing heat from the inside of the container earlier than is possible in the B/B process, and therefore reducing the time required to remove that mass of heat from the inside of the finished container at the final blow phase of the cycle and

bring the container to dimensional stability.

If the inside surface temperature of the container was the same as the outside surface temperature on release from the blow mould there would be zero heat transfer through the side wall and therefore zero reheat and zero deformation in body shape, providing the glass viscosity had reached stability at ambient temperature.

In reality, and due to the reduced forming time at higher speeds, the amount of residual heat inside the finished container is never completely removed by mechanical means, i.e: ďż˝ Indirectly transferring heat through the container sidewall to the blow mould and then cooling the blow mould through forced axial/radial convection cooling,

and; ďż˝ Removing super- heated final blow air to the atmosphere via the blowhead exhaust ports.

The residual heat is left to dissipate naturally by heat transfer through the container side wall, and by convection through the finish bore. This is true of all processes, but to a lesser degree in NNPB and standard PB as some heat from the inside of the parison has already been removed. In the wide mouth P/B process residual heat is more rapidly dissipated by convection due to the increased diameter of the finish.

In the B/B process it is not possible to remove heat from the parison centre other than by reheating the external surface of Continued>>

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Ron Hobman* investigates the effects of dimensional stability during the forming process and suggests ways to prevent it.

45 Glass International December/January 2021

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Forming

the parison at the blank open stage.

The exterior surface of the container, when released from the blow mould, radiates heat to atmosphere, and cools rapidly because of the delta between the ambient temperature and the actual glass surface temperature.

At the same time, but more slowly, heat is transferred continuously from the inside of the container to the outside surface through the side wall (heat always flows in one direction - from hot to cold).

A limited quantity of heat energy is lost by convection through the finish bore – minimal on narrow neck finishes.

This is known as reheat of the finished container, and is a major cause of dimensional instability at higher speeds, and reduced forming time.

In both the NNPB/PB processes heat is extracted from the inside of the parison through the plunger wall itself, by cooling the inside of the plunger using relatively high pressure air and then exhausting the hot air to atmosphere via the adaptor.

This process has three benefits: � Prevents the plunger from overheating � Helps control the degree of parison re-heat � Minimises the amount of residual heat energy left inside the container after the final blow cycle.

Development of a more efficient plunger cooling system Using an inner core (cooling ‘tube’), taking the same profile as the inner face of the plunger, and constructed in the following manner, will probably be more efficient than the standard cooling tube/ plunger format: � Cooling tube outer profile the same as plunger wall inner profile � Constant distance between inner and outer profile throughout the plunger length � Vertical fins dividing the space (annulus) between the two profiles into individual channels � Holes drilled at a 45 degree angle through inner cooling ‘tube’ wall to facilitate air flow in the channel. � Holes drilled vertically at calculated distance on channel centre line � Maximise hot air exhaust area.

Separating the flow of cooling air into channels should reduce the turbulence and back pressure created in the common space between inner plunger profile area and outer cooling tube profile.

This turbulence/back pressure is caused by directing high pressure, high velocity cooling air directly onto the inner plunger wall at 90 degrees, and impeding the flow of air from other holes drilled higher in the cooling tube.

It is anticipated that an increased flow of air in a reduced time can be achieved,

resulting in increased heat transfer, possibly resulting in reduced cooling air pressure due to more efficient use.

The concept of improved heat transfer from inside the parison centre is the first stage in reducing the overall heat energy trapped inside the fully blown container at the end of the final blow stage. As a standalone project, the idea has merit, however the strategy is part of an overall plan to substantially increase machine speeds, thereby reducing unit cost and contributing to overall profitability.

Removal of residual heat from the inside of the fully blown container via the blowhead.

If insufficient heat is removed from the inside of the container during the ‘final blow’ phase of the forming cycle, the exterior surface of the finished container will ‘reheat’ from the point of mould open, and has greater potential for shape deformation.

The simple solution is to reduce m/c cycle speeds to increase forming time thereby removing more heat energy from both the inside and outside surface areas of the container.

If the heat energy is removed without slowing the cycle speed, and without deformation the tonnes packed can be increased.

As machine speeds increase, forming times decrease, and the amount of time needed to transfer heat from both a) Parison, b) Exterior and interior surfaces of the fully formed container is insufficient to maintain stability.

Much time, money and research has been spent by all major machine manufacturers and suppliers in developing mould cooling systems that assist in the transfer of heat between the exterior glass surfaces of the parison and the exterior surface of the finished container via mould iron, with the view that dimensional stability can be solved this way, and speeds can be increased.

This is only partially correct, and does not address other factors noted in this article. When we have cooling systems that can ultimately reduce the inside temperature of the finished container, to equal the same temperature as the outside surface - no delta, then we will achieve equilibrium and dimensional stability.

In the current forming cycle, when the finished container is no longer in direct contact with the blow mould iron, and from the point of mould open,

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Forming

heat transfer through conduction stops, and reheat of the exterior surface occurs by heat transferred from the inside of the container, through the container side wall, (heat always travels from hot to cold). Consequently the exterior surface of the fully formed container gains heat, becomes softer, and consequently more susceptible to deformation.

Final blow pressure & volume

*Independent consultant, ron.hobman@xtra.co.nz Glass International December/January 2021

Do ron ron and richard.indd 3

*

* latest swabbing-robot installed in July 2017 in Germany

Final blow air is used to expand the parison to the shape of the blow mould inside surface profile.

When sufficient pressure is used, the contact between glass and mould iron allows a good rate of heat transfer which in turn elevates the inside surface temperature of the blow mould. Sufficient contact time is also required to reach optimum forming temperature of the blow mould.

This gives a bright and ‘clean’ appearance to the finished container. If insufficient pressure and time is used this will result in a ‘cold and dappled’ appearance through reduced mould surface temperatures (one of the main causes of a ‘dirty’ appearance in containers produced by the NNPB process).

Currently the number and size of exhaust ports in the blowhead is fixed. These exhaust ports control the actual internal pressure inside the container as it is being formed.

This ‘actual internal pressure’ is also governed by the final blow manifold size and pre-set pressure, plus the size of connecting air ports and flexible pipework.

If it were possible to increase the blowhead exhaust port area during the final blow cycle, whilst still maintaining sufficient pressure to ensure good glass/iron contact, then the increased volume flow of final blow air would remove significantly more heat energy from the inside of the container.

A common practice in many plants is to make the same job in both TG and DG format using the same design blowhead and final blow pressure.

It is possible, on larger machines with 10 or 12 sections that the internal blowing pressure will be significantly reduced on the TG operation as consumption of final blow air will increase, and supply may be insufficient.

This can happen on older machines where the final blow manifold is not connected to the supply at both ends of the machine, or the manifold/connection is sized incorrectly (too small).

As a guide, the internal blowing pressure should be between 0.8 bar and 1.2 bar for containers in the 250ml – 500ml range, and determined by using a test blowhead, where an exhaust port is connected to a pressure gauge by flexible pipe.

There are a number of possible solutions to cool the inside of the container during the final blow cycle and reduce the potential for deformation.

One concept uses a combination of FPS to control final blow air pressure, in conjunction with a modified blowhead arm and blowhead design where the exhaust area can be increased/decreased, resulting in both optimum internal blowing pressure and increased cooling flow rate.

Any practical application that can reduce the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the container during the final blow stage of the forming cycle has the potential to deliver an increase in machine cycle speed whilst maintaining dimensional stability. �

11/01/2021 07:26:41

We build your furnace.

You enjoy peace of mind.

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Glass Industry Division +81-3-5442-9177 Mita NN Building Floor 6, 4-1-23, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 1080014, Japan

Forming

A Proportional Valve for the Glass Industry 4.0 Dr. MihĂĄly Jakob*, Mark Entwistle** and Anton Ivanov*** discuss how the Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 is the first of its kind to bring smart functionality into world of proportional valves.

P

roportional valves are the stateof-the-art way for forming glass containers in press-blow, narrow neck press-blow and blow-blow processes in glass container manufacturing machinery. The valves play a crucial part in the manufacturing process by controlling an exact pressure downstream of the valve executing different functions.

Proportional valves of all manufacturers are a black-box, executing their basic function without providing detailed information about their state or about the state of the manufacturing process, except for a simple output of the current downstream pressure.

The Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 is the first of its kind to bring smart functionality into world of proportional valves.

Proportional valves are used by most glass machine manufacturers for functions like plunger-up, counter-blow on the blank side or final-blow or finishcooling on the blow side of glass container manufacturing machines.

The correct function of the valve, precisely and quickly controlling a desired downstream pressure, has a direct effect on the quality of the manufactured glass container.

A potential problem with the valve, for example dirt on the inside, or a problem with the machine, e.g., leakage downstream the valve, can only be detected by recognising product defects.

The usual reaction of maintenance personnel is to stop the effected section of the machine causing faulty products and analyse the situation. In most cases a suspected component, e.g., the proportional valve, is replaced and the section is switched back on in order to check whether the replacement valve has solved the problem.

ďż˝ The valve features self-diagnosis features such as pressure build up analysis.

Maintenance personnel is forced to do this, because they have no other way to detect the source of the problem.

This procedure is of course far from optimal, because stopping a section is a

partial downtime of the machine resulting in less produced glass containers.

Ross Europa, a 100% subsidiary of Ross Controls has developed the Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 that solves this dilemma completely by offering comprehensive real-time monitoring and analysis capabilities integrated into the valve.

The valve features an LED for optical signalling of its state and also a communication interface for complete integration with the control system of the glass manufacturing machine.

For the first time the Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 facilitates predictive maintenance. Problems can be detected before they cause production defects.

To this end, the proportional valve is able to identify different possible problems, signal them to maintenance personnel or to the control system and is also capable of compensating for some problems to a certain degree.

The Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 offers three categories of smart features.

First, a set of Self Diagnosis features make sure that the valve constantly monitors its own state and reacts to or reports anomalies.

An example of a self-diagnosis feature is the monitoring of the downstream pressure build up. The valve is able to measure the speed of the pressure build Continued>>

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ďż˝ The Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0.

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Forming

up and determine whether it is in the required speed range. If it is not, the valve can give a signal to maintenance personnel or to the control system and to a certain degree it can compensate for the problem by adjusting its regulation parameters.

Secondly, a set of System Diagnosis features monitor external factors such as voltage supply, upstream pressure and the ambient temperature.

An example of a system-diagnosis feature is the monitoring of the external supply voltage, which the valve measures and determines whether it is in the allowed range. If it is outside the specified range, the valve can provide a signal to maintenance personnel or to the control system and to a certain degree it can compensate for the deviation by adjusting its solenoid control parameters.

Finally, a set of Communication features make sure that the state of the valve is continuously known to maintenance personnel and to the control system. On the top of the valve there is a tri-colour LED which lights green if every monitored value is inside specified parameters.

The LED flashes red if there is a problem indicating the specific problem using a simple numbering scheme. The valve also provides a communication interface, which is one of the most important new features.

The communication interface of the new Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 is bus system using RS485 and Modbus.

All proportional valves of a glass container manufacturing machine can be connected by a single communication bus to the ROSS Proportional Valve Diagnostics Tablet or to the machine’s control system.

The diagnostic tablet has a set of innovative features, which allows the machine operator to fully monitor the val-ves and their pressure regulation process.

First, the diagnostics tablet provides a live overview of all valves installed on the machine indicating their state.

So if the valve detects a process error, the valve state indicator turns red and the machine operator can investigate the problem by examining data, provided by the valve, more thoroughly.

To this end, the diagnostics tablet can provide a great deal of information about the valve itself and the process including general valve metadata like valve type, serial number or production date and of

causes machine downtime.

This is how machine operators can apply predictive maintenance with Ross’ new valve generation.

The described features are only selected examples from a larger feature set that will be available to our customers.

Conclusion

� It also includes system diagnosis features such as supply voltage analysis.

course the list of all current warnings and errors.

Also, the diagnostics tablet can display live process data continuously acquired from the valve (e.g., a graph of the working pressure).

Secondly, the diagnostics tablet can continuously monitor the state of all valves on the machine.

If one of the valves detects a problem, the diagnostics tablet creates a log entry with a timestamp and also reads process data (working pressure, supply pressure, supply voltage, etc.) from the valve and stores it for later review.

Thus, at any point in the future the machine operator will know which valve reported what problem and when did it do so. Note that, monitoring parameters for different process values can be set with the diagnostics tablet individually and if the valve signals an error, our experience shows, that in most cases it won’t be a failing of the valve itself but rather an external process issue (e.g., insufficient pressure or voltage supply).

As a matter of fact, it is advisable to set monitoring parameters in a fashion, so that resulting errors indicate the beginning of a possible problem which can be solved before it gets critical and

Ultimately, the new Ross Proportional Valve Gen 4.0 brings along a set of new capabilities that makes it unique amongst competitor products.

For the first time, maintenance personnel and the control system of a glass container manufacturing machine can monitor the state of a proportional valve in real time allowing them to identify potential problems before they result in product defects and unnecessary machine downtime, thereby optimising the glass container manufacturing process and avoiding unnecessary costs. �

Dr. Mihály Jakob* Software Development & Electronics Manager mihaly.jakob@rosseuropa.com Contributing ideas from Mark Entwistle** & Anton Ivanov*** mark.entwistle@rosscontrols.com, anton.ivanov@rosseuropa.com Ross Europa Langen, Germany https://www.rosseuropa.com/en/

� Monitoring can take place with Ross’ diagnostics tablet

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53035 MONTERIGGIONI (SI) ITALY - Strada di Gabbricce, 6 Tel +39 0577 304730 ifv@fonderievaldelsane.com

www.fonderievaldelsane.com

Company profile: Wellgrow Glass

Wellgrow Glass set for pharmaceutical expansion Thailand’s Wellgrow Glass is set to help meet pharmaceutical glass demand for the global vaccine, its General Manager Udomsak Tangsaksathit reports.

1. What type of glass items do you make – food, beverage, pharmaceutical etc? Of these what is the largest sector that you serve?

We mainly focus on cosmetic, pharmaceutical and premium food & beverage glass. Now the beverage and food is the biggest sector.

2. In your opinion, is there a ‘most popular’ glass product that you manufacture?

We are producing UV-antization flint glass for special vitamin drink.

3. Are your customers mostly Thai? Or do you export? If so approximately how much in percentage do you export?

60% of our sales is domestic market and 40% is export market.

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4. How many furnaces and production lines do you have? How many staff? How many items of glass a year?

We are running three furnaces, 11 production lines, 800 local Thai staff and management.

We also have one European consultant. We are producing on the average 2.5 million bottles/day.

5. As a modern glass manufacturer, do you have to be flexible as a result of customer and end consumer demands?

We believe that we are flexible enough to serve our customers whether big or small volume.

Especially now we are doing a kind of capacity pooling initiative programme with other glass companies in Thailand so this will make us gain more flexibility to serve the domestic and export markets.

6. Pharmaceutical glass is under the global spotlight now as a result of Covid-19. Can you describe your pharmaceutical glass output?

We have developed in-house internal treated soda lime type II glass, for alternative option for vaccine vials and back up source in case of type I glass might be not available enough to serve the COVID-vaccine filling lines.

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Company profile: Wellgrow Glass

9. Does the environment and sustainability play a big part in your operations? Are you able to describe any environmental initiatives you have as a glassmaker?

We gradually apply electric melting into our melting tank, the source of free electricity will be from our solar roof top project. This glass material will be carbon neutral one day. The required technologies are already exists, it just takes time before who will be the first to utilise them.

10. You are a member of the Asian Federation of Glass Manufacturers (AFGM). How important is this federation and what benefits does it bring by being a member?

It is good thing to be a member of AFGM, we can share our experience and work together to serve the packaging industry.

7. Are you well prepared to meet an increase in pharmaceutical glass demand - should the need arise - as a result of a vaccine?

Yes we are prepared for mass production of vaccine glass. There are some engineering companies involved in our project.

8. Is Industry 4.0 equipment something you would consider using in the glassmaking process?

Yes, we have tested some Robots to automate our daily work activities.

12. Where would you like Wellgrow to be in five years time?

I hope that Wellgrow Glass could be one of the good glass makers and be a social and environmental responsible company. ďż˝

Wellgrow Glass, Chacheongsao, Thailand www.wellgrowglass.co.th

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11. Do you have any planned future investments you can tell us about?

We plan to put up new furnace 4 in two-years time.

53 Glass International December/January 2021

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Regional profile: SE Asia

An overview South East Asia’s container glass sector Home to some of the globe’s most modern container glass production facilities, South East Asia has one of the most vibrant glass sectors in the Asian region.

Glass International investigates recent developments and assesses the impact of the pandemic on the container glass industry of three South East Asian countries- Thailand, Indonesia and The Philippines. of the container glass output in the region.

Among the three countries, Thailand is the largest container glass producing country on a volume basis, followed by the Philippines and Indonesia in that order. There has not been any new entrant in container glass industry in these countries in the last five years. However, existing container glass producers have added to their capacity in recent years. Table 1.

Covid Impact Southeast Asia has not suffered as much from the coronavirus pandemic as many other parts of the world. Despite having about 9% of the global population, it has only registered around 2% cent of the total cases, and 1% of the fatalities. This was partly thanks to early measures such as cross-border travel restrictions and lockdowns that many countries in the region implemented – but these also had a significant impact on their economies, particularly in the second quarter.

Lockdowns and almost a complete halt on alcohol sales for a period varying between three weeks to twelve

Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia are three of the largest container glass producing countries in the ASEAN region. Accounting for nearly 68% of the ASEAN population (Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines have a combined population of 440 million out of ASEAN’s population of 654 million), these three countries account for more than 70% Country

Company

Location

Installed Capacity

Thailand

BG Container Glass Public Company

Ayutthaya, Pathumathani, Khon Kaen, Prachinburi and Ratchaburi

3495 tonnes per day

(Thai Glass Industries and Thai Malaya Glass)

Rajburana, Bangplee, Saraburi

3340 tonnes per day

Siam Glass Industries

Rojana, Samutprakarn and Ayutthaya.

1480 tonnes per day

San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation

Cavite ( Manila) Mandaue ( Cebu)

1400 tonnes per day

Asia Brewery Inc.

Cabuyao, Metro Manila

400 tonnes per day

Anglo Watsons Glass Incorporated

Calamba, Metro Manila

220 tonnes per day

Arcya Glass Corporation

Calamba, Metro Manila

160 tonnes per day

PT Mulia Glass

Cikarang ( West Java)

164,000 tonnes per annum

O-I Indonesia

Jakarta

2.3 million glass containers per day

PT Iglas

Jawa Timur

340 tonnes per day

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Berli Jucker Packaging

The Philippines

Indonesia

Table 1. Largest container glass producers in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia.

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THAILAND: BG CONTAINER GLASS PUBLIC COMPANY - BERLI JUCKER PACKAGING - (THAI GLASS INDUSTRIES AND THAI MALAYA GLASS) - SIAM GLASS INDUSTRIES

THE PHILIPPINES:SAN MIGUEL YAMAMURA PACKAGING CORPORATION - ASIA BREWERY INC. - ANGLO WATSONS GLASS INCORPORATED - ARCYA GLASS CORPORATION

INDONESIA: PT MULIA GLASS - O-I INDONESIA - PT IGLAS

Continued>>

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Regional profile: SE Asia

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Regional profile: SE Asia

Real GDP Growth ( %, year-on-year)

Q 1- 2019 Q2- 2019 Q3- 2019 Q4-2019

Q1-2020

Q2-2020

Indonesia 5.07 5.05 5.02 4.97 2.97 -5.32 Philippines 5.74 5.39 6.34 6.66 -0.71 -16.48 Thailand 2.89 2.44 2.63 1.49 -1.97 -12.16 Table 2. Real GDP growth as a percentage in three South East Asian countries. Source- ASEAN Economic Monitor.

weeks in these countries had an adverse impact on glass producers in all three countries. Table 2.

Attempts to control the spread of Covid-19 have also been very uneven. In the Philippines and Indonesia, there appears to have been a lack of progress in containing the pandemic, while in Thailand, the infection curves indicate that the contagion is under control.

The economic cost of the pandemic is partly a result of different governments’ responses to it.

Containment and closure measures, in particular, had a severe dampening effect on Southeast Asian economies. Retail and recreation were particularly hard hit in Indonesia and the Philippines, which saw deep declines in activity of between 72 and 82%. Social restriction measures were also implemented for a relatively long time in these countries.

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Thailand Thailand is the largest container glass producing nation in the region by a wide margin. Three big container glass producing companies - BG Container Glass Public Company Limited (BGC), Thai Glass Industries, Siam Glass Industriesaccount for about 85% of the container glass installed capacity in the country. Alcoholic beverages and energy drinks are two of the major demand drivers of in the country.

BG Container Glass Public Company Limited (BGC) has fared satisfactorily during the first six months of the 2020. Though, domestic demand was impacted for a period of two months, but the company compensated the lull in domestic demand with export sales.

According to Mr. Silparat Watthanakaset, Chief Executive Officer: “The second quarter was better than expected. The total revenue for the first six months of 2020 is valued at 5,210 million baht (US $173 million), divided into glass packaging sales worth 4,954 million baht (US $165 million) and renewable energy sales worth 256 million baht (US $8.5 million), while the net profit for the first six months of the year 241 million baht (US $8 million). This is divided into profit from glass packaging 206 million baht and renewable energy 35 million baht (US $1.1 million), which the company’s revenue is still strong and good.”

Despite the pandemic, the company was able to serve all of the export orders. The company was also able to monitor and plan the production

in line with customer and market needs during the most challenging part (March- May) of the pandemic. Benign energy and raw materials prices also helped the company to manage costs more efficiently. BGC is confident that its sales in the third and fourth quarters will be promising. It is expected that the total yearly sales for the current year will not be much different as compared to last year.

“Spread of Covid-19 affected the packaging business because of the government’s lockdown measures and its ban on alcohol sales during the pandemic. It was a difficult time from April to May. This period hurt our business so much. However, July onwards, major customers have started to place the future orders. It is considered as a good sign for the overall container glass industry. Currently, our overseas customers are in the United States, CLMV, India, Europe and Australia and New Zealand,” according to Mr. Silparat.

As a result of Covid 19, BGC’s April sales dropped 40% YoY, May sales fell 26% YoY and June sales slid 8% YoY. BGC has focused on expanding export sales. The company is expecting to increase its export from 10% of sales in 2019 to 18% in 2025.

Exports have a 2-3% higher gross margin than domestic sales. BGC also plans to open one new plant in the east of Thailand with a designed capacity of 400 tonnes/day to serve the company’s business strategy of expanding into overseas markets. The new plant is scheduled to come on stream in late 2022.

Continued>>

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Regional profile: SE Asia

In September 2019, BGC bought a 26% stake in B.S. Recycling Co. (BSR), which purchases and sells glass cullet scrap, while in October it also purchased a 25% stake in Taweesub (Jew Ja Heng) Co. (TWS), which buys and sells glass cullet. The total investment for these two projects was about Bt135m. These acquisitions have strengthened BGC’s glass cullet sourcing.

Third largest container glass producer in Thailand, Siam Glass Industry completed construction of a new container glass production facility in 2019. The new glass factory (SGA2) started commercial operations in October 2019.

Equipped with modern technology that allows higher production efficiency, improves capability for lighter-weight bottle production and offers flexibility of raw material usage, contributing to cost saving, the new facility has taken the designed capacity of container glass of Siam Glass to 1480 tonnes per day.

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Indonesia Smallest among the three countries, Indonesian container glass is comprised of three container glass producers, PT Mulia Glass, PT Iglas and O-I Indonesia.

With a designed capacity of 164,250 tonnes of glass containers, PT Mulia Glass is one of the largest container glass producers in Indonesia. The company has invested in a new glass container plant with a production capacity of 140 tonnes per day. The new plant will increase production capacity by approximately 30%. The construction of the new plant is ongoing and scheduled to commence production in next few months.

In 2019, Mulia Glass’s sales volume of glass container declined by 9% year-on-year to 137,288 tonnes.

O-I Indonesia is a part of OI’s Asia Pacific operations. O-I divested Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) operations from its Asia Pacific division in the summer of 2020, to Visy Industries for AUS 947 million (USD 652 million).

The glass industry in Indonesia was relieved when from April 1, 2020, the government fixed natural gas prices at USD $6 per Million British Thermal Unit (MMBTU) to make the industry competitive.

Mr Henry Bun, Director (Finance) of Mulia Glass, said: “Natural gas accounts for 26% of the company’s production costs. A decline in gas prices will have a direct impact on lowering production costs.”

Among the three countries covered in this article, Indonesia has most number of Covid-19 cases. To the first week of November, Indonesia had a total of 445,000 Covid- 19 cases with nearly 15,000 deaths. Indonesia saw a 5.32% economic contraction during the second quarter of the year due to Covid- 19. The largest container glass driver, the Food & Beverage segment, contacted by 22.02 % (Source- Statistics Indonesia – BPS) during the second quarter.

The Philippines The Philippines is second largest container glass producer among the three countries. One large and three mid-sized container glass producers account for the bulk of container glass output in the country.

The pandemic shut all economic activity in the Philippines from mid-March to mid-May, limiting growth. These restrictions reflected on the container glass industry’s first half performance.

The nation’s largest container glass producer San Miguel Yamamura Packaging Corporation’s operations took a strong hit. Its sales of container glass dropped as its sister companies, which account for about 70% of the organisation’s container glass consumption, registered drastic declines in revenues. San Miguel Brewery’s income in the first half fell 62% to P5 billion (US $104 million), from last year’s P13.25 billion (US $275 million). Domestic operations volumes were lower than in the same six-month period last year, due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, liquor bans, the extended closure of beer selling outlets, as well as the imposition of higher excise taxes on beer products.

During the first nine months of 2020, SMPC registered sales revenue of 22,246 million Pesos (US $462,000), a 16% decline compared to the same period in 2019, when it had registered sales revenue of 26,360 million Pesos (US $548,000).

Though, in the third quarter of the year, the decline in sales was about 9% as compared to a 19 % decline registered in the first six months of the year. Improving sales figures are indicating a small but important recovery in container glass market in the Philippines.

SMYPC’s portfolio is predominantly glass, constituting over 44% of the company’s product mix. Plastics comprise 21% of the portfolio, corrugated cartons makes up 10% and cans make up 7%. Flexibles and laminates, the material that goes into sachets and retort pouches comprise less than 5% of the total portfolio.

“The first half was particularly challenging for most in the business sector but we are seeing strong indications of a recovery for SMC businesses, and we remain focused and determined to build on these gains. Government reopening the economy, and allowing businesses to operate under strict health and safety protocols, was a very good call.

Given that we’re still in a pandemic, saving lives is still our priority. As such, we fully support the new Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) in support of our medical front liners,” SMC stated in its half yearly report. �

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Handling

Handling for the glass sector After more than 20 years at the forefront of manufacturing equipment for handling glass, Tecnocat is a benchmark firm for companies engaged in external glass installations and glass processing companies in general. Andreu Guma* details the organisation’s top five glass handling solutions for the industry.

VL-GB4 / VL-GB4+4 (pic 1)

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A

lthough the VL-GB4 + 4 equipment is one of the latest models in the catalogue, it has become a best seller from the work series Tecnocat family, covering equipment for facilities on site, such as facades, shop windows, houses etc, but it is also designed to work in factory applications.

It is designed to cover the maximum guarantees in safety in a light compact package. With only 20cm of width in the vacuum equipment, it is ideal to be able to perform installations on facades, for example having scaffolding installed.

Iit reaches up to 600kg load capacity in its version with extensions VL-GB4+4, always taking into account the safety of the double circuit of vacuum standard EN-13155.

The modulation capacity can be highlighted by the suction plates, which can move and organise glasses of different sizes and glass formats, either regular or narrow and long.

Battery autonomy offers an unparalleled work capacity, being able to operate the equipment for a whole day’s workload. To recharge the equipment, the operator just needs to plug into the transformer that comes with it.

Plugins also play an important role.

These include two hanging arms of different lengths for different situations of work in addition to two supports with wheels for proper transport of the equipment. A hydraulic tilt manual piston is offered as an optional extra, which acts as an assistant reducer in the tilting movement.

In this way it is possible to tilt the vacuum pads frame with full glass load on the suction cups. Otherwise, this action can be performed manually without the piston, which could potentially be dangerous. It is also offered with an optional metal transport box for placing the VL-GB4+4 with all the accessories.

The VL-GB4 + 4 is the model that any

installer, big or small, should consider as a must have piece of equipment.

VR4-GB8 / VR4-GB8 + 10 (pic 2) It is the most powerful equipment among the models in the work family series.

Its design is ready to work with large loads and glass formats, allowing

� Pic 1.

� Pic 2.

transport standard glass up to 6 x 3.70m or bigger, and up to 1,460kg in its version with extensions VR4-GB8 + 10, always complying with the safety standard EN13155 in relation to the double vacuum circuit.

It has rotational movements and motorised tilting which is essential

to handle such imposing loads in complicated installations, where precision is crucial. The batteries installed within the body, provide excellent life even with a heavy workload throughout the day.

Alarm systems and indicators pressure and vacuum allow the operator to have all the information at every moment of the installation process, prioritising safety.

VLM-G1 / VLM-G1 + 2 (pic 3) The factory series is the range of suction cup equipment for handling in processes within the factory, within which the highlight is the VML-G1+2 team.

It is designed for processes in which the position of the glass is always kept vertical but requires rotational movement, that is, work processes on straight line edgers, vertical CNC, IG production lines. In addition, the design takes into account lightness, suction speed, speed rotation and above all comfort for the operator, which are ultimately requirements indispensable for entire days of continuous work with high production.

In this way, the control of the equipment is performed from the comfortable control panel adjustable in height so that the operator can handle the set with a position to suit themselves.

Like most work series equipment for outdoor work, the VLM is equipped with an e multi-voltage electrical connection, allowing it to be connected to any type of elevation system, light bridge or factory overhead crane, independent of the type of electrical supply from the main electric supply.

In relation to the load capacity, in its basic version, a rectangular central vacuum plate provides a perfect grip even for glass of considerable dimensions, up to 250kg of weight.

Continued>>

60 0 Glass International December/January 2021

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Handling

tilting), whose weights do not exceed 50kg, we will have a real load capacity up to 200 kg of glass, a useful load considering the purpose and the types of processing lines for which this suction lift system is mostly used, requiring speed of movements and agility, more than a big load capacity.

Edging, rolling, cutting, CNC, tempering furnaces, work tables assembled from aluminium and many more, are examples of processes for which the CML-B4 GR crane system + VNL suction cup equipment are suited.

� Pic 3.

P-21 (pic 5) Adding the VLM-G1+2 extensions gains grip and of course capacity load, being able to reach up to 400kg weight of glass sheet.

Taking into account that most likely the vacuum equipment that will accompany the CML will be the VNL-G2 model (only rotation) or VNL-GB2 (rotation and

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CML-B4 (GR) + VNL-GB2 (Pic 4) To be able to work with the suction equipment, an elevation system will always be required.

The elevation system series provides multiple solutions in terms of possibility to combine lifting systems (light jib cranes CL & ML or light bridges PLM...) with suction cups, although one of the combinations that provide the operator with control and unparalleled mobility is the movable articulated crane CML-B4 GR with the VNL-GB2, tilting and rotation pneumatic vacuum equipment.

The CML-B4 GR crane consists of a doubly articulated arm with selfbraking system and that provides a range between 1.25m minimum radius and 4m maximum radius, with rotation range close to 360º. This feature facilitates mobility on the displacement of the load especially in confined spaces. The big advantage of the CML-B4 GR crane is the fact of being movable, so not fixed or anchored to the ground, allowing greater flexibility than fixed cranes. Using an existing overhead crane, one forklift or two standard manual pallet trolleys, we can move the CLM to wherever it is required, either in the same sector optimising work space or changing its location to temporarily operate on another line of work.

The steel tank that forms the base is intended to be filled with gravel or with materials that provide a weight of 3,500kg.

This load within the base guarantees total stability being able to take a load of up to 250kg.

� Pic 4.

� Pic 5.

We call the star model of the Tecnocat family and a model with fixed reference, would certainly be the accessory for handling and transporting glass, the P-21 clamp.

From the start date of production in 1998 until today Tecnocat has sold more than 2,500 units of this model.

Tecnocat engineered and developed this product. Hundreds of companies saw this accessory as a crucial breakthrough in their way to work.

The P-21 clamp fulfilled and continues complying today with functionality in use, robustness of its structure, reliability in its mechanism and security perception that companies in the glass sector and its operators demand. The P-21 clamp model created a trend in the glass sector since its inception, and has influenced the creation of other variants of Tecnocat clamps for different capacities and openings, such as the P-24 models, P-31, P-34. Even the application of the P-21 for other types of materials such as ceramic, wood, composites or synthetics is increasing, its presence being commonplace in companies in sectors other than the glass industry.

The P-21 clamp is made of steel, aluminium and nylon, both in its structure and on moving parts. The mechanism of opening and closing is extremely reliable and contact with the glass is made by two premium quality cork plates by means of which, the pressure and grip is transmitted with a capable of lifting up to 800kg. �

*Sales Manager, Tecnocat More details: https://www.tecnocat.com/ products/handling/

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History

Prof. John Parker

A glimpse inside

W

e all know the value of X-rays to the medical profession in both diagnostics and treatment.

Generating X-rays requires the creation and maintenance of a vacuum.

The ability to generate low pressures goes back two millennia and simple suction pumps have been found in the remains at Pompeii.

Their introduction into medieval Europe was during the 15th century although the Arab world was using them two centuries earlier for irrigation.

An improved version was made in 1654

by Otto von Guericke; not until 1855 did Heinrich Geissler achieve a sufficiently good vacuum to allow observation of interesting electrical phenomena within the evacuated space.

Consequently, at the turn of the 20th century conditions were ripe for the development of valuable devices. X-rays were first discovered in 1895 for example.

The ability to produce X-rays still relies heavily on the use of glass envelopes to maintain a high level of vacuum i.e. a low concentration (pressure) of gas.

X-rays are generated by bombarding metallic targets with high energy electrons which generate a shower of X-ray photons at wavelengths that depend on the metal used. The key part of this process is the creation and acceleration of a beam of electrons since they cannot travel through air or other gas at normal atmospheric concentrations.

The ability to evacuate glass bulbs through which wires carrying an electric current could be hermetically sealed underpinned this interest in X-rays.

The first applications in medicine were in the 1920s. Two glasses were needed to make the X-ray tubes; one was for the main envelope and was necessarily opaque to X-rays, typically because it was a lead glass.

It was like wrapping a lead metal sheet

around the tube. A small window was needed for the X-rays to exit the tube and initially this was a thin transparent glass sheet.

Later it became a metal film sealed into the glass – nowadays beryllium is often used. Currently a single borosilicate glass tube with the advantage of thermal shock resistance is the norm but requires external shielding.

Such X-ray equipment is still used today to examine broken bones, decaying teeth, cancers and similar disorders. Radioopaque liquids can be ingested to improve visibility. CT (Computed Tomography) scanners allow 3D imaging. X-rays can even be used for treatment by destroying unwanted cells.

There are other uses beyond medicine - baggage scanning equipment at airports can spot detonators and stop the accidental export of bottled water!

Endoscope Endoscopes made from glass fibres are another diagnostic tool that transmits images from the inside of patients.

A light source is required and may be a fibre optic light guide or a bulb at the business end of the fibre, while the transfer of the image to a camera outside the body usually uses optical fibres to give maximum flexibility or a few glass rods linked optically by lenses for the best images.

Optical fibres are highly transparent being made from very pure raw materials.

They have a core-clad structure which reduces light leakage; the cladding has a lower refractive index and is often plastic.

Light travelling along the fibre core is totally internally reflected at the boundary between the core and the surface cladding, remaining trapped inside the fibre.

The cladding layer is thin but ensures that the active reflecting boundary is

protected from damage.

The fibres used may have diameters as low as 10 microns which means they are very flexible. This is important so they can pass around the body and cope with the twists and turns in our internal organs. The key question though is how an image is transmitted.

The endoscope is a bundle of fibres each of which picks up one part of the image.

So a manufacturing process giving a 1:1 correspondence between the position of a single fibre at the business end of the device and the viewing end is needed.

Such a fibre bundle is termed coherent and may use 100,000 fibres to obtain the best resolution; a hollow tube delivers water to clean the end of the bundle.

The major advantage of endoscopes is that discovering what is going wrong inside a patient does not require invasive surgery with the associated risk of bleeding.

The endoscope also offers the possibility of carrying out simple medical procedures. Of course, not all parts of the body can be reached and a pill-sized camera which is swallowed and uses radio signals to transmit visual information can supplement studies of the intestine.

A more unusual medical use of glass is to make glass eyes, needed for the stuffing industry where they must mimic the eyes of a variety of animals and also as a cosmetic aid for humans where disease or injury has caused the loss of an eye.

A detailed description of how these are made is given in a recent publication from the Deutsches Museum in Münich where they periodically display the procedure. �

*Curator of the Turner Museum of Glass, The University of Sheffield, UK www.turnermuseum.group.shef.ac.uk j.m.parker@sheffield.ac.uk.

www.glass-international.com

Prof John Parker discusses equipment that lets medics see what’s happening inside you.

63 Glass International December/January 2021

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