Glass International July August 2020

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July/August 2020—Vol.43 No.7

WIEGAND-GLAS’ GREENFIELD CONSTRUCTION GLASSMAKERS’ COVID-19 RESPONSE DECORATION I N T E R N A T I O N A L

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

Glass International July/August 2020

GLASS PRODUCTION T E C H N O LO GY

• Furnaces

• Conditioning

• Tu r n - k e y p l a n t s

GI Cover july aug.indd 1

11/08/2020 11:30:41

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Contents

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Assistant Editor: George Lewis Tel: +44 (0)1737 855154 Email: georgelewis@quartzltd.com

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Company profile: Wiegand-Glas Wiegand-Glas unveils greenfield plant

14

Energy Efficiency: CelSian Hydrogen group aims to reduce emissions

15

Energy Efficiency: Eurotherm by Schnieder Electric Will hydrogen be the new energy carrier for glassmaking?

19

Batch Plant: Teco Compact Your Total Lifecycle Cost

22

Refractories: Rath Group Rath supplies refractory material to Mexican manufacturer

24

Covid-19 response: Gerresheimer Gerresheimer all set for Covid-19 glass vaccine demand

27

Covid-19 response: Piramal Glass Piramal Glass ready to convert furnace to pharma needs

30

Covid-19 response: Bormioli Pharma Investment for pharma demand

33

Covid-19 response: Vidroporto Working hard for a brighter future

36

Covid-19 response: Pennine Industrial Continuing to serve despite crisis

38

Covid-19 response: Interglass Collaboration with Vidrio Formas on hand sanitiser

41

Covid-19 response: MAVSA Adapting a business

44

Handling: Ramsey Chain Secure glassmaking with Ramsey’s Sentry 2-Pin Chains

47

Decoration: Koenig & Bauer Kammann Open house set to demonstrate tradition and innovation

51

Decoration: Tiama MX4 and Spectro – a solution for artwork inspection

55

Decoration: Actega UV print and transfer decorating

60

History Looking at key role of glass in a low carbon economy

Designer: Annie Baker 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

July/August 2020 Vol.43 No 7

Managing Director Tony Crinion tonycrinion@quartzltd.com

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Chief Executive Officer: Steve Diprose Chairman: Paul Michael

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Editor’s Comment + International news

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Editor: Greg Morris Tel: +44 (0)1737 855132 Email: gregmorris@quartzltd.com

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1 Glass International July/August 2020

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International News

GREG MORRIS, EDITOR WWW.GLASS-INTERNATIONAL.COM

July/August 2020—Vol.43 No.7

WIEGAND-GLAS’ GREENFIELD CONSTRUCTION GLASSMAKERS’ COVID-19 RESPONSE DECORATION I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Be first with the news!

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

Glass International July/August 2020

FRONT COVER IMAGE: www.hornglass.com

GLASS PRODUCTION T E C H N O LO GY

VISIT: www.glass-international.com

for daily news updates

• Furnaces

• Conditioning

• Tu r n - k e y p l a n t s

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Adapting to home life

Like a spell that has been finally broken, many of us are coming to terms with the fact we no longer have to work in an office.

A positive impact of the pandemic has been the rise of home working. It is the first time in history so many of us globally have been put in this position – and on the whole we have thrived.

Global giants such as Google and Twitter have said staff can work from home for as long as they wish while, anecdotally, many people say they are more productive home working without the distractions of colleagues.

True, connections with colleagues are made in an office, while brainstorming and spontenaity are part and parcel of office life.

But the advent of video and conference calls offsets this to an extent.

From a UK perspective, the coffee shops and restaurants that serve office workers in large cities have remained closed because there are no customers.

But cafes and shops in surrounding commuter towns are reporting a dramatic rise in customers.

The trigger which has allowed homeworking is of course digital technology, specifically the internet.

While many glass employees have to attend a factory to work, recent advances in technology means they can still keep an eye on the production process away from the factory using digital technology.

Augmented reality and artificial intelligence has provided flexibility to many workers – and will do so for glass industry staff as well.

GI Cover july aug.indd 1

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Glass Futures receives £9 million funding boost A pioneering project that aims to revolutionise glass production is set to receive a £9 million funding boost.

Glass Futures is a national centre of excellence for glass innovation which will be based in St Helens, UK, and aims to, ultimately, eliminate CO2 from glass production.

The scheme will bring to-

gether glass manufacturers, researchers and industry experts, such as British Glass, Encirc, O-I, Guardian Glass, Siemens and TECO. It took a step closer to fruition when the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and St Helens Borough Council agreed £9 million of funding towards the project.

If delivered, the £54 million project will have the first and only experimental furnace of its kind in the world with provision for research and development trials to decarbonise the UK glass industry.

St Helens Borough Council has already agreed to provide up to £900,000 support to help to develop the idea.

O-I Glass completes sale of Australasian unit to Visy O-I has completed the sale of its Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) business unit to Visy Industries for nearly AUD$ 1billion ($677 million).

O-I ANZ is the largest manufacturer of glass bottles and containers in Australia and

New Zealand and the business generated sales of approximately AUD $754 million and EBITDA of approximately AUD $124 million in 2019.

Mark de Wit, Visy’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to welcome the

O-I Australian and New Zealand teams into the Visy family and we look forward to working with our new team to integrate a new packaging format and build a bright future for the company.”

2 Glass International July/August 2020

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Arc secures finance

French tableware manufacturer Arc has secured financial backing from its major shareholder and from its partners.

Its key shareholder will inject €20 million into the group. The Arques, Francebased company has also secured €108 million in loans from the French state, the regional authority as well as the local community.

It has also reached an agreement regarding its Russian production subsidiary OSZ, which will continue to operate under the distribution partnership and long-term licensing agreement with Arc Group.

Vetropack purchases glassworks in Moldova Johann Reiter, CEO of the Vetropack Group, said: “With this acquisition, we continue to expand in a region with which we are very familiar – a region where we have almost three decades of glassmaking experience.”

The Chisinau glassworks produces approximately 100,000 tonnes of glass packaging annually for the food and beverage industry, sold

domestically and for export.

It employs around 450 members of staff and generated a turnover of €40 million in 2019. The acquisition is expected to be closed in November 2020.

Vetropack has production facilities as well as sales and distribution offices in Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, Ukraine and Italy.

Sorg to build Vetri Speciali oven Sorg has been commissioned to design a third furnace for Vetri Speciali in Italy.

Having rebuilt the furnace at Vetri Speciali’s Ormelle plant, which produces glass flint bottles, Sorg was asked to complete a second project at

the San Vito plant in 2019.

To address issues with defective bottles, Sorg needed to reduce stones and inclusions in the glass.

By redesigning the melting furnace with newequipment, Sorg allowed the glass more

residence time in the hot zones of the tank and as a result, inclusions were reduced.

The conditioning quality of the glass has been improved as well, while lower NOx emissions and energy consumption were also achieved.

Wiegand-Glas selects EME charger Wiegand-Glas has once again chosen EME-NEND technology for its glass manufacturing facility.

The German container glass manufacturer has already installed the batch charger

technology 15 times at its Steinbach am Wald, Ernstthal, Großbreitenbach and Schleusingen facilities.

Now the Ernstthal plant has again put its trust in the performance and reliability of the

charger.

Wiegand-Glas has for several years used the range of different versions of the charger (and the EME-NEND-S charger) with transport screws.

Salavatsteklo JSC (Bashkiria) plans to buy a bankrupt glass production plant in Dagestan.

The company sent a request to the FAS Russia for the purchase of a 100% stake in Caspian Sheet Glass Plant.

In 2015, the Dagestan glassworks filed for bankruptcy. Since January 2016, the company introduced external management, then in February 2019 - bankruptcy proceedings.

New Polish coater for Guardian Glass

Guardian Glass has begun production on a technologically advanced new glass coater at its second facility in Czestochowa, Poland.

The coater uses advanced technology for turning standard float glass into high performance, value-added glass.

It will enable the plant to expand production of lowemissivity (low-E), solar control glass products for residential (Guardian ClimaGuard) and commercial (Guardian SunGuard) applications.

These high-performance products improve a building’s energy efficiency, aesthetics and comfort for its occupants.

With both furnaces, Guardian Glass is tripling its production in Poland.

www.glass-international.com

Swiss glass packaging manufacturer Vetropack has signed an agreement to take over a glassworks in Chisinau, Moldova.

Vetropack said the addition to the group, which comprises two separate operational units (Glass Container Company and Glass Container Prim), will enhance its market position in Central and Eastern Europe.

Capsian acquistion

3 Glass International July/August 2020

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International News

Emhart sales decline by half due to Covid crisis

Cleanfire® ThruPorte™ Burner

Demand for glass container manufacturing equipment plummeted in the first half of 2020, reported Bucher Emhart Glass in in latest financial note.

It said the significant decline in the consumption of beverages in glass containers caused considerable uncertainty among its customers and resulted in project postponements.

In its Half 1 2020 financial report it said orders declined by nearly 57% compared to the same period the year before, from CHF 311 million ($337.2 million) to CHF 134 million ($145.3 million).

The decline in demand was even more pronounced in China.

Travel restrictions also made it impossible for sales

staff and service technicians to visit customers on site. Bucher Emhart Glass continued to adapt capacities and reduce headcount in China.

Overall, sales and the operating profit margin declined markedly.

The company expects demand to recover only very slowly over the remainder of the year.

A prescription for aging regenerators Undergoing regenerator repairs or having difficulty maintaining full production in an aging furnace? Turn to Air Products’ Cleanfire ThruPorte oxy-fuel burner for a quick, costeffective heating solution to avoid downtime or extend your furnace life. This patented and commercially-proven technology, installed from the underside of your port, allows you to add heat where and when it’s needed.

Key features: • Tandem water-cooled oxy-fuel burner and oxygen staging lance assembly • Proven durable design; easily installed in an existing port while furnace is running • Adjustable flame length and angle for optimal heat distribution and surface coverage • Remote, wireless and continuous online monitoring of burner performance • Available for rapid deployment

Sisecam develops technology for neutralising viruses and bacteria Sisecam Group has developed a special coating technology that neutralises viruses and bacteria on glass surfaces.

Testing and development processes are ongoing for the technology called “Antimicrobial V-Block Technology”, which may also

be effective against the coronavirus according to preliminary findings.

Sisecam Group will apply the technology primarily to its glassware products that will be sold across global markets after they are offered for sale in Turkey.

Professor Ahmet Kirman, Sisecam Group Vice Chairman and CEO, said: “The Antimicrobial V-Block Technology was developed in a record time of two months thanks to the 45year R&D experience of Sisecam Group.

To make glass better, put Air Products in the mix.

Horn Glass completes Piramal tell me more Glass’ furnace redesign airproducts.com/thruport 800-654-4567, code 9091

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news july august.indd 3

Horn Glass Industries has completed its furnace redesign of Indian container glass manufacturer Piramal Glass.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the supervision and commissioning was done

by Piramal alone with remote assistance of Horn experts. The new 145 tonnes per day (tpd) furnace was put successfully in operation in June 2020.

The order comprised design drawings and some

equipment with eight forehearth lines being redesigned.

Horn supplied Piramal with the most advanced technology to save energy, reduce emissions and extend the life of the furnace.

Glass International July/August 2020

13/08/2020 10:23:43

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

International News

Top 10 stories in the news

NEWS IN BRIEF

O-I reports positive second quarter update

O-I’s second quarter 2020 performance ended on a positive note after the company endured the brunt of the pandemic in April in May. The world’s largest container glassmaker said that, as markets began to reopen, June sales volumes were down 3% compared to June last year.

The June trends represented a significant improvement from the 18% decline in daily shipment levels for April and May. The preliminary update said overall, second quarter total sales volumes were down approximately 15% from the prior year.

It expects second quarter 2020 adjusted earnings will be about breakeven.

Monofrax to supply parts for Encirc furnace

Monofrax is to supply the distributor for Encirc’s new 900 tonne furnace in Elton, UK, which it said was the word’s largest container glass furnace.

Monofrax, a fused-cast refractory supplier based in Falconer, NY, USA, said high quality fused cast refractories can assist with decarbonisation.

Fewer refractory replacements reduce raw material and transportation requirements and result in less spent refractory.

www.glass-international.com

MSK collaborates with Ethiopian manufacturer

MSK has delivered the complete cold end machinery to container glass factory Juniper Glass in Debre Berhan, Ethiopia.MSK installed two bottle conveying lines from the lehrs to the palletising stations, two fully automated palletising systems called MSK Semitech, a shuttle car system for mobile pallet conveying as well as a fully automated pallet shrink packaging line MSK Multitech.

The system is controlled uniformly by visualisation software MSK EMSY 6.0.

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O-I to sell Australia and NZ unit to Visy Hydrogen consortium aims to reduce glass emissions Vetropack purchases glassworks in Moldova Vidrio Formas restarts Furnace 2 Libbey plans Shreveport plant closure Piramal Glass dismisses pharma glass shortage claims Sisecam develops technology for neutralising viruses and bacteria Bacardi rum chooses O-I Expressions Zippe batch plant starts operation at Wiegand-Glas Interglass collaborates with Vidrio Formas on hand sanitiser

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Revimac stirrers installed in Vetri Speciali Revimac’s RST20 stirrer has been chosen for five lines by Vetri Speciali’s for its glass packaging plant in San Vito al Tagliamento, Italy.

The most common set-up of the stirrers will be by using twin, counter-rotating, over-lapping paddle type stirrers, but many different combinations are available.

It’s possible to choose between solutions with 1, 2, 3, or 4 heads (stirrer) depending on the size of the forehearth channel and the needs of the customer.

For a colouring forehearth there’s a specific version designed to stir the molten glass with the colourant (frit) to obtain a homogeneous coloura-

tion. Stirring station dedicated to glass colouring forehearth are customised in accordance with the pull, the temperature, the glass composition and the kind of colouring is needed to achieve.

Stirrer control unit could be integrated in the forehearth control cabinet.

Zippe batch plant starts operation at Wiegand-Glas Zippe Industrieanlagen has delivered a major order for Wiegand-Glas.

The project is about a new batch and cullet plant including batch transport as well as two cullet return systems for the Wiegand glassworks in Schleusingen, in Thuringia, Germany.

The first line, which feeds the new melting furnace 1, was put into operation successfully at the beginning of June 2020.

Two new production lines will be built next to the existing production site at Schleusingen.

Zippe received the order

from Wiegand-Glas for the construction of the batch and cullet plant as well as two cullet return systems on a turnkey basis.

The new 900tpd batch and cullet plant in Schleusingen is designed to feed two melting furnaces each with a capacity of 450 tonnes per day.

6 Glass International July/August 2020

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GLASS SERVICE

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Libbey plans Shreveport plant closure

Tableware glass manufacturer Libbey Inc plans to close its Shreveport plant, Louisiana, USA by the end of the year.

It said it continues to take action to reduce costs and align manufacturing capacity with lower levels of projected demand.

It will negotiate the recommendation with the unions representing its employees before finalising a decision.

The company’s distribution centre in Greenwood, Louisiana, is not impacted by the announcement and will remain open.

SmartMelter tech reaches half million milestone The PaneraTech team recently completed and surpassed 500,000 refractory measurements using its SmartMelter advanced radar technology.

With this large pool of experience, the validation data received from customers indicates near perfect accuracy of these measurements.

PaneraTech has used customer data to continually learn and develop new protocols, with a goal of perfection in the next 500,000 measurements

www.glass-international.com

Bacardi rum chooses O-I Expressions

Bacardi rum has chosen O-I: Expressions, O-I’s bottle customisation service enabled by digital printing, to create a limited edition bottle.

The brand’s Caribbean spirit is the heart of the promotion, starting with the bottle’s graphic design.

Through the selective application of design elements in O-I: Expressions relief, a tactile effect was added to the Bacardi bat motif and the brand name along with selected leaves and flowers.

An Augmented Reality (AR) experience and a Snapchat Lens can be unlocked via the Snapcode on the bottle.

Schott vials help package 2 billion Covid vaccine doses Schott has delivered vials capable of holding up to two billion vaccination doses.

The glassmaker and pharma packaging specialist has reached agreements with leading pharmaceutical companies, including partners of ‘Operation Warp Speed’ – the US government initiative to serve local vaccine production needs.

The agreements became effective immediately and vials were being delivered to companies in North America, Europe and Asia.

Even before the expansion, the company produced more than 11 billion pharma containers for life-saving drugs per annum.

“We have invested €350 million in recent months”, said

CEO Dr. Frank Heinricht.

“Demand for high-quality pharma packaging was high before Coronavirus. The fact that we had set up an investment programme in 2019 now enables us to ramp up production quickly.”

Schott’s 20 production sites are validated by regulatory bodies and pharma companies.

Bormioli Pharma completes furnace renovation Italian glass manufacturer Bormioli Pharma has completed a furnace renovation at its San Vito al Tagliamento plant.

It is only a few months since a new furnace was inaugurated in San Vito al Tagliamento, but Bormioli Pharma said

it had already made another step forward towards improving its technological platform.

It said: “We’re proud to announce that the renovation of the Type I Glass furnace has just been completed at the same plant.

“This investment responds to the company’s need to steadily improve its support to the pharma industry worldwide, considering the unprecedented challenges we’re facing in the race for COVID-19 therapies and vaccines.”

Vidrio Formas restarts Furnace 2 Vidrio Formas has successfully restarted its furnace number 2.

The furnace was damaged during at fire at the Mexican container glass manufactur-

er’s site in February.

But exactly five months after the fire, the furnace is back up and running said its General Director Marcos Bernstein.

Machines 21 and 24 were the first to begin running at the company’s Lerma, facility, while machines 22 and 23 were set to start a week later.

8 Glass International July/August 2020

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GLASS SERVICE

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Company profile: Wiegand-Glas

Wiegand-Glas recently competed the intallation of a greenfied glass plant at its Schleusingen, Germany site.

The container glassmaker overcame the challenges of the pandemic to deliever an environmentally focused facility that meets its customers’ requirements, for today and in the future. Glass International spoke to Owner and Managing Director Oliver Wiegand.

Wiegand unveils greenfield plant

www.glass-international.com

Can you tell me more about why you decided to make this investment?

Glass is becoming increasingly popular in Europe.

The statistics of the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) show a continuously increasing demand for glass packaging in recent years. In the first half of 2019, 2.2% more glass packaging was sold than in the same period last year. This continuous growth resulted in supply shortages in some market segments. To meet increased customer demand, we decided to build a new glass plant at our Schleusingen location. The start-up of the new plant goes along with the decommissioning of the former plant.

What was it about the Schleusingen site in particular that made you decide to invest?

In 2011, Wiegand-Glas acquired the shares of Thüringer Behälterglas from the holding company and has continuously upgraded and expanded the plant. When the rebuild of the existing flint glass furnace approached, we opted against using the existing buildings and instead decided to build a new plant on a greenfield, right next to the old plant. The Schleusingen site is well situated from the logistic point well connected. It has a rail connection and is located next to a major interstate.

What does the investment comprise of? Does it cover all areas of the glass manufacturing process i.e hot and cold end as well?

Zippe Industrieanlagen delivered the batch and cullet house including automatic batch transport to the two furnaces as well as the corresponding cullet return systems. All-in-all, the plant contains 23 raw material silos and 15 cullet silos with an overall storage capacity of 8,000m³.

Two completely redundant batch- and cullet lines guarantee a safe material supply of the furnaces. As a special feature, the highest flexibility in the cullet composition has been realised by the application of 15 dosing belt scales.

The automatic control of this plant is based on the Siemens PCS-7 system, which is integrated into Wiegand’s company network.

The Sorg furnace is equipped with a highly efficient regenerator (dimensions and checkerwork) and an optimised insulation around the furnace and regenerator for the lowest energy losses possible. The design is optimised for best melting performance and low NOx, including the newest generation of Sorg burners.

The installed boosting system is the latest development of the very efficient Sorg single phase transformers. The furnace is equipped with a generously-sized electric boosting system, featuring three separate zones in the melter as well as a thermal barrier. Water-cooled fixed transformer units installed close to the furnace to allow for minimal energy losses as well as low investment cost for power cables. To prepare for the transition to carbon-neutral energy supply, preparations were made to further expand the

10 Glass International July/August 2020

Company profile Wiegand Glass.indd 1

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Company profile: Wiegand-Glas

� The installation was a completely new greenfield plant.

� Oliver Wiegand.

boosting capacity in the future.

The furnace is also equipped with the latest generation of the EME-NEND-S charging machines to have a completely closed doghouse avoiding false air entry to the furnace and dusting inside the factory.

Bucher Emhart Glass and Heye International are the selected suppliers for IS machines. These machines enable us to produce wide mouth containers in double gob, up to large quantities in quadruple gob. The cold-end is equipped with the latest inspection technology by Dr. Günther and Tiama and the cold-end lines and packaging machines are delivered by Zecchetti. MSK supplied us with the shrinking machines and E&K is the supplier for the pallet transport from the packaging lines to the warehouse. The Tri-Mer Global Technologies waste gas filter reduces the emissions to the specified values.

Did any environmental factors influence your decisions when making this investment?

In Schleusingen, we have created the possibility of highly efficient production, while significantly improving our ecological footprint. With regard to quality, we have installed the latest equipment to meet our customers’ requirements, both today and in the future. Due to the high degree of automation, we aim to be a new benchmark in deployment of personnel. With the modern waste gas filter technology we will comply with the new strict emission regulations. We will also recuperate the maximum energy from waste gases, compressor, and lehrs. This energy is not only used to heat offices in winter but also to produce cold water to cool rooms in the production area, control cabinets, etc. For our employees we have done our utmost to improve working conditions.

“Glass is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. The statistics of the European Container Glass Federation demand for glass packaging in recent years. In the first half of 2019, 2.2% more glass packaging was sold than in the

”

same period last year.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

(FEVE) show a continuously increasing

11 Glass International July/August 2020

Company profile Wiegand Glass.indd 2

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Company profile: Wiegand-Glas

www.glass-international.com

What type of glass will be made from this furnace?

Can you describe the range of sizes and colour/s?

At our Schleusingen site, we operated two furnaces with five lines. The plant was specialised in widemouth containers and beer bottles in the past. Now also other standard and individual bottles will be produced using the latest forming, inspection and packaging technology.

How does the Schleusingen site fit into the overall Wiegand-Glas strategy? Does the Schleusingen facility specialise in anything in particular?

Unique at this plant is the service centre, which extends the value-chain for glass packaging. In fully automated processes, bottles are equipped with swing-tops, put in crates and wide-mouth containers are packed in carton boxes. These services will continue to be provided.

This site also has a rail connection. Our plan is to ship the glass pallets to our customers via a private rail company.

How did the Covid pandemic affect construction?

The Covid pandemic slowed down construction.

Due to strict quarantine regulations many workers, especially from other European countries, were

not allowed to travel to Germany. Deliveries of components and systems from countries such as Italy or France have been delayed due to the plant closures in these countries. During the lockdown in Europe only between 200 and 300 workers were able to work on the construction site and we had to comply with strict hygiene guidelines. Fortunately, we did not have a single Covid infection on the construction site and so we started operation with a modest five week delay.

Did you mark the opening of the new furnace with a celebration? Or will it have to wait until the pandemic is over?

Following the comissioning of the first furnace we had planned a series of events to thank our contractors, authorities and employees involved in the construction for their commitment and the outstanding job that was done. Another event, was scheduled to present the new manufacturing site to our customers. Due to contact restrictions caused by the Covid - 19 Pandemic, all events have been postponed until 2021. ďż˝

Wiegand-Glas, Steinbach-am-Wald, Germany www.wiegand-glas.de/

12 Glass International July/August 2020

Company profile Wiegand Glass.indd 3

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Discover our five combined strengths. A unique range of flexible products and services designed to make glass production easier, safer and more efficient.

Together, they’re the perfect End to End solution.

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Energy efficiency

Hydrogen group aims to reduce emissions

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n industry consortium has been formed to increase the amount of hydrogen in energy- intensive manufacturing processes.

The consortium was formed by Dutch glass company CelSian alongside engineering group DNV GL and consists of 30 project partners.

While the consortium includes companies from other industries, such as Tata Steel, Shell and GRT Gas, the majority (40%) consists of glass manufacturers.

These include the three largest container glass manufacturers O-I, Ardagh Glass, and Verallia, flat glass makers AGC, Saint-Gobain and Vitro Architectural Glass, specialist glass manufacturers Schott, Nippon Electric Glass and Owens Corning, pharmaceutical manufacturer SGD Pharma, tableware specialist Arc International, as well as furnace supplier Tecoglass.

The use of hydrogen would reduce the amount of CO2 emissions in the glass manufacturing process.

Project leader Lieke de Cock, of CelSian, said: “The major challenge now is to go CO2 neutral. Electric melting might not

yet be a ready-made solution for the larger furnaces in the glass industry, so we are focusing on hydrogen.”

Lab tests in the two-year programme are due to start next month at the DNV GL facilities near Groningen, Netherlands.

Different burner types will be tested and the considerations of switching from natural gas to hydrogen will be assessed.

The aim is to develop burner technology that allows the gradual transition from natural gas to hydrogen.

“We will try to find an adaptive burner concept which enables the burning of 100% hydrogen but also a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen as well as the ability to burn 100% natural gas, to give flexibility to the industry,” said Ms de Cock (pictured above).

“It means the customer can run any mixture of natural gas and hydrogen safely, reliably and with low emissions.”

CelSian will contribute to this study by applying CFD modelling of the combustion space and heat transfer of the H2-CH4 flames. Also, a CO laser sensor will be installed to adjust and control the burners with H2/CH4 mixtures.

Once testing has been complete the aim is to try them out in an industrial context, probably in a year’s time.

Ms de Cock said hydrogen offered a lot of potential to the glass industry.

“If your furnace is located close to where hydrogen is piped into land then hydrogen conversion might be best for you. But if you are located close to a power source then electric melting might be more interesting to you, or a hybrid conversion. It depends on your location on what solution is best for you but it is important to explore all solutions such as hydrogen as well as electric melting.”

Ms de Cock added: “The aim, in two years’ time, is to have all the knowledge that enables a successful roll out of hydrogen as a sustainable fuel and that we have all the knowledge we need to say we can use hydrogen with a certain type of burner that is sustainable and have a good rollout throughout the industry.” �

CelSian, Eindhoven, The Netherlands www.celsian.nl

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Energy efficiency

Will hydrogen be the new energy carrier for glassmaking?

The most discussed energy carriers of the future are electricity and hydrogen.

But which is likely to win, or do they both have a future in glass manufacturing asks Rene Meuleman*?

T

Hydrogen Hydrogen in its pure form doesn’t exist and needs to be produced. There are several production methods available, but only water splitting by electrolysis or thermochemical cycles can produce so called ‘green hydrogen’. The electrolysis process obviously needs green electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.

And even though large-scale hydrogen production based on electrolysis is feasible, it loses at least 20% of energy in the conversion. Therefore, the question arises; why not use the electrical energy in the melting process in the first place?

Thermochemical water splitting methods can use heat powered by solar or nuclear energy without electricity as an intermediary. These thermochemical

electrical energy ending up in the process if an all-electric melting system is used.

Electricity

� René Meuleman

cycle processes are considered to be promising, but only for long-term, largescale hydrogen production.

Be aware: hydrogen is an excellent and clean reductant that can be used in steel manufacturing. However, in glass manufacturing it will only be used as a very inefficient (45% of energy at the most ends up in the glass) heat source, representing a huge waste of energy. In locations where hydrogen availability remains insufficient to fully supply the transportation, steel, cement and glass manufacturing industries, those who need it the most will pay for it. In this situation, automotive, steel and cement industries will be the main consumers, leaving little available for glass manufacturing.

As previously mentioned, at least another 20% of energy is lost in the conversion from electrical energy into hydrogen; therefore, only around 36% of the initial energy will end up in the glass melting process by using hydrogen combustion, compared to around 85% of

Since 1902, electric melting has developed into an established, efficient, high energy technology used by many glass manufacturers all over the world, specifically for tableware, borosilicate and insulation glass fibre manufacturing.

Also, most container glass furnaces are equipped with electrical furnace boosting, either to increase furnace pull, manage darker glass output or a combination of both. It is a common misunderstanding that large all-electric furnaces have never existed, when really, they have! All-electric furnaces have been around for decades, the largest having mostly been decommissioned only due to commercial reasons. Smaller versions remain in operation, new ones have been put into operation and there are perfectly viable arguments for that. Smaller allelectric furnaces are more energy efficient by far, in comparison to smaller fossil fuel fired furnaces. Furthermore, all-electric furnaces can consistently produce a much higher glass quality compared to fossil fuel fired furnaces. Emissions are much lower, and all-electric furnaces are easier to control. Natural gas or other alternative fossil fuels might be cheaper than kWh’s, but considering the huge energy efficiency difference between fossil fuel fired and electric furnaces, together with what needs to be paid for CO2 and other fossil fuel related emission taxes and penalties, the break-even point is close.

Recently, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, focusing mainly on the established Dutch Continued>>

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he entire glass manufacturing industry will need to undergo the biggest technological change since its inception in order to comply with the Paris Agreement on climate change, and to meet the demand for carbon free manufactured products coming from its customers.

Being forced to move away from fossil fuel towards alternative energy sources will have a huge impact on technologies, operations and finances. All stakeholders involved in the industry have a responsibility to make sure the industry survives, and in that respect, all options need to be investigated. Bearing in mind, that the ultimate objective is to find the most cost-effective and cost-efficient way of melting glass without emitting CO2.

Today, the most discussed energy carriers of the future are electricity and hydrogen. But which is likely to win, or do they both have a future in glass manufacturing?

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Energy efficiency

commodity glass manufacturing industry, rated electric melting with a technology readiness level (TRL) of 7, against hydrogen rated with a TRL of just 4.

Considering the high number of all-electric melters in operation, against the number of hydrogen fired melters of which there are very few, this seems to put electrical energy far in front of hydrogen.

Conclusion Nobody should dismiss any possible future technology that might be able to contribute to CO2 free glass manufacturing, without having valid, objective and solid arguments.

It is already understood, with some limitations, that electric glass melting works either in an all-electric or hybrid design. It is an established technology and is very energy efficient even in larger furnaces.

More research needs to be done to overcome some specific concerns, like high cullet content, possible issues with reducing glasses and refractory wear in all-electric melting.

Perhaps multiple smaller all-electric furnaces running in parallel or each supplying only one IS-machine need to be considered, specifically in greenfield initiatives? Testing, prototyping, proof of concept and scaling up or scaling down can be done in most existing facilities.

Hydrogen fired furnaces will need much more R&D and testing, as there is obviously not much experience available to kick start such an initiative.

However, hydrogen can be considered in a hybrid furnace design in place of fossil fuel, where it is typically used for only 20% of the energy supply.

This will at least help to move towards the goal of 0% CO2 emissions from the heating system by 2050. Safety also needs to be considered.

What are the implications of having hydrogen, possibly in combination with oxygen in manufacturing facilities?

Perhaps the most important remaining questions are:

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It makes sense to figure out the answers to these types of questions first. As part of Schneider Electric, a globally recognised industry partner for energy and sustainability solutions, Eurotherm is able to help find answers and ways for glass manufacturers to move the industry into a green, prosperous future. �

* Business Leader Global Glass, Eurotherm by Schneider Electric, Worthing, UK www.eurotherm.com/industries/glass/

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� Where will the green energy come from and how can it be supplied to glass facilities? � Direct electrical heating is by far the most energy efficient method, but will the local electrical grid be able to support the amount of energy needed in the future? � Hydrogen can be stored, but only at the cost of losing another big portion of energy efficiency by cooling down close to 0°K or compressing it up to 600 bar. Will it still be cost efficient? � If opting for hydrogen combustion, would it be advantageous to have both hydrogen and oxygen available to prevent NOx emissions? Will the NG grid be able to support that? � What will it truly cost and can glass manufacturing survive?

Contact us: +44 (0)20 8332 2519

+44 (0)20 8940 6691

sales@newport-industries.com

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BUILDING YOUR GLASS PLANT

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

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Batch plant

Compact Your Total Lifecycle Cost Brian Naveken, of the TECO Group, describes a compact style of batch plant which delivers optimised batch and are an excellent example of how successful glass producers are rediscovering value by focusing on Total Cost of Ownership. batch plants with the aim of rediscovering the number of alternatives available to capital delivery decision makers in search of solutions to lower the total lifecycle cost.

The batch plant in Fig 1 below is a typical medium to high capacity batch plant for soda lime or similar glass chemistries. It is what is referred to as a compact style batch plant, where raw materials are elevated and stored in silos located above the weighing and mixing process systems. All raw material storage

which can contribute to contamination in the mixed batch delivered to the furnace.

Layout of the Structure The nomenclature of ‘compact’ and ‘in-line’ reflects the layout of the batch plant, with the silos ganged together in the compact batch plant design, and alternately the in-line batch plant having the silos arranged in a line, which dictates a greater structure footprint (and cost).

Both compact and in-line structures can utilise either steel or concrete construction.

Fig 2 below illustrates a compact style batch plant and Fig 3 illustrates an inline batch plant. The major differences between the two batch plant styles can be found in the raw material unloading systems, the layout of the structure and the weighing systems. A complete comparison can be found in Table 1.

Raw Material Unloading System

Fig 1

silos are designed to emulate mass flow of each material to minimise particle segregation within the individual raw materials. By utilising a compact style batch plant, with raw material storage elevated, material can flow through the weighing and mixing systems using gravity to minimise the use of mechanical equipment.

This concept minimises the upfront capital costs, ongoing operational and maintenance costs, and the potential of abrasive wear within the equipment,

A compact batch plant typically has only one unloading system for raw materials, although pneumatic unloading is also available for handling minor and/or micro batch materials. On the other hand, an in-line batch plant has multiple unloading systems.

The raw material unloading system is typically comprised of the following components: � Unloading shed – designed to protect against environmental contaminants; � Unloading hopper – designed to provide complete clean-out of each material and avoid cross-contamination; � Central dust collection system – for health and safety; � Bucket elevator – reliable and designed to handle all materials;

Continued>>

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I

t might sound too good to be true: A batch plant that has a lower upfront capital cost, lower maintenance, and less operating cost, all while delivering well mixed, homogenous batch reliably to your furnace.

As most glassmakers will attest, optimised quality batch means the furnace melts more consistently, enabling your furnace to operate at peak performance.

These batch plants are production proven over the years but with continuous improvement principles applied, they have become the ideal choice for delivering superior returns on investment.

Such batch plants are generically called ‘compact’ or ‘vertical’ batch plants, and are an excellent example of how successful glass producers are rediscovering value by focusing on total lifecycle cost (or Total Cost of Ownership).

The main defining feature of compact batch plants is that they rely more on gravity versus mechanical conveyance, which is typical of ‘horizontal’ or ‘inline’ batch plants. Interestingly, compact batch plants are more prevalent in North America while in-line batch plants are more typical in Europe and Asia.

While the compact batch plant concept isn’t new to the glass industry, TECO’s CLEARbatch (Compact, Low cost, Efficient, Accurate, Reliable) is a next generation design consistent with TECO’s legacy of total value engineering and continuous improvement.

As there are elements of customisation in any batch plant design (for example, compact batch plants that use concepts more commonly found in-line batch plants and vice versa) direct comparisons can be fraught with caveats and special considerations.

Nevertheless, the intent of this article is to compare some of the more salient differences between compact and in-line

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Batch plant

� Fig 2. illustrates a

� Fig 3. An in-line style batch plant.

compact style batch plant.

� Table 1. Comparison of compact and in-line batch plants’ differences.

� Rotary distributor – designed with reliable seals to prevent leaks and dusting.

Needless to say, the duplication of equipment associated with the in-line batch plant leads to increased equipment cost, more maintenance, and more potential for dusting.

Weighing system

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In a compact system, multiple silos feed a single major and/or minor material scale using cumulative weighing control whereas an in-line batch plant typically has a multiple scale system, one for each raw material. A weighing system is comprised of the following components: � Weigh feeder – 2-speed to provide required capacity and slow feed for cut-off accuracy; � Scale hopper – designed to provide complete clean-out to avoid crosscontamination and pressure balanced to protect against pressure influences that could affect accuracy; � Scale system – digital electronic load cells with adjustable summing box and digital indicator compatible with the PLC control system.

Hence, there is a larger quantity of equipment items in an in-line batch plant. Not only is there additional capital cost associated with this extra equipment, but the more equipment, the more maintenance that is necessary.

Also, the greater the number of discharge or transfer points, the more dusting that will be experienced.

Description

Compact Batch Plant

In-line Batch Plant

Operational tonnage

50 MTPD to 750 MTPD

50 MTPD TO 2000 MTPD

Structure shape

Circular or square

Rectangular

Raw material unloading system

One (1) unloading shed

One (1) or more unloading sheds

One (1) dump hopper

Multiple dump hoppers for different

raw materials

Multiple feeder conveyors for

One (1) feeder conveyor

different raw materials

Multiple bucket elevators for

One (1) bucket elevator

different raw materials

One (1) set of chute distribution

Multiple chutes, conveyors and

to silo system

distribution systems to silos for different

raw materials

Silos

Rectangular with division walls or

Circular or square with division walls

separate silos

Smallest footprint

Largest footprint

Weighing system

One (1) major scale system

Multiple major scale systems

One (1) minor scale system

Multiple minor scale systems

One (1) micro scale system (if needed)

One (1) micro scale system (if needed)

Gathering conveyor

Not required

Required

Dusting potential

Minimum

More transfer points, greater chance

of dust

Maintenance cost

Minimum

More equipment, more maintenance

required

Investment cost

Lowest cost

Highest cost

Total life cycle cost

Minimum

Higher cost

Other Considerations � What level of redundancy is desired? The TECO CLEARbatch batch plant is equipped with only the necessary equipment required for reliable operation.

This results in low capital cost, reduced maintenance and reduced potential for dusting; � There is more attention to the

operation of a compact batch plant due to the reduction of equipment items required. For example, if a bucket elevator belt breaks or a mixer transmission fails, the timing for repair is more sensitive if the supply of batch to the furnace is to be maintained. While this does tend to put more pressure on plant operators, a collateral benefit is that more attention

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Batch plant

Value Proposition When compared to in-line batch plants, compact batch plants are particularly well known for better return on investment, lowest total lifecycle cost while providing batch quality that enables peak furnace performance.

The value of compact batch plants versus in-line can be summarised as follows: � Minimum transfer points resulting in less dusting, less wear and less contamination; � Smaller footprint, less expensive to go up than go out with less civil and construction cost; � Less equipment required means less capital cost, maintenance and operating cost; � Utilisation of gravitational energy (free) for flow movement versus using mechanical energy to move flows left and right; � In-line batch plants are typically easier to modify for large increases in production throughput and storage capacity, although compact plants are typically designed so that cycle times can be adjusted for increased throughput;

� Because compact batch plants do not typically have the same quantity of equipment items as in-line batch plants, designs to enable quick and trouble-free maintenance are employed to ensure batch plant reliability.

Conclusion The TECO CLEARbatch/ compact style of batch plant, mixed batch and cullet processes are designed and selected for final batch and cullet quality delivered to the furnace, minimised upfront capital cost, minimised maintenance requirements, lower operating costs and maximum longevity and lifetime of the structure and processes.

Due to lower quantities of equipment and a smaller footprint coupled with years of engineering improvements produces a batch plant that adds value to your glass plant.

For decision makers focused on lowest lifecycle cost, compact batch plants are the preferred alternative to in-line batch plants. �

TECO Group https://teco.com/

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is fixed upon batch plant operations to head off potential problems which more broadly results in better batch plant performance; � Due in part to the considerations above, some decision-makers opt for inline designs; however, it is important to note that compact batch plants have developed over the years to the point where the reliability and repeatability of even the older designs are well proven; � Most up-to-date compact batch plants, and certainly the TECO CLEARbatch, are designed to make maintenance both easy and fast; � There are many other benefits attributable to a compact batch plant. For example, the fewer pieces of equipment results in a decreased need for spare parts, maintenance personnel to perform the associated maintenance, and decreased potential for dusting due to decreased transfer points, just to name a few; � Compact batch plants are production proven and have been in use for over a century. The TECO CLEARbatch compact batch plant is the culmination of decades of continuous improvement and innovation.

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Refractory application: Mexico

Rath supplies refractory material to Mexican manufacturer A Mexican container glass and beer brewing company was the recent recipient of Rath’s refractory material for the glass manufacturer’s production facility.

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R

efractory technology specialist Rath recently supplied around 800 tonnes of dense sillimanite bricks and related mortars to rebuild the glass melting furnace of a glass production plant of a Mexican container glass and beer brewing company.

When it comes to the production of glass, glass producers require refractory linings that guarantee safety, stability and durability.

Requirements which Rath meets perfectly, thanks to more than 125 years of experience in refractory technology.

Over the past 20 years, Rath has developed a comprehensive range of refractory and thermal insulation products. Know-how from which a Mexican container glass and beer brewing company now also benefits: Approximately 800 tonnes of dense sillimanite and fused mullite bricks (6075% Al2O3) and related mortars, produced at the Rath plant in Budapest, Hungary were delivered this year to the customer for the cold repair of a furnace.

The delivery included special shapes and standard blocks for the melting end bottom, the melting end insulation, the melting end superstructure insulation, the doghouse protection arch, throat and riser, the regenerator base, regenerator rider arches and checker block support, regenerator walls in the lower and middle area, the working end bottom and insulation, the port neck spanner tiles, port neck skew backs and sillimanite mortars. Also included in the scope of

services was the partial pre-assembling of bottom layers and arches.

A particular challenge of the project was the accuracy of the blocks for the melting bottom, because the glass tank and glass contact material are installed upon this. If the quality is insufficient, this can lead to problems during heating and reduce the life of the furnace. This also applies to the working end bottom as well as the regenerator base including rider arches, spanner tiles and side wall blocks. Further, precision was required for the intermediate insulation layers: Poor material can decrease the gas tightness and increase the consumption of the furnace.

“All of these requirements were

optimally met thanks to the professional co-operation between our customer and Rath, and the technical assistance of our highly experienced glass engineer team”, said Robert Nusszer, Sales Unit Glass, Rath Group.

A further challenge, which occurred suddenly, was also successfully met: Rath reacted flexibly when additional material requirements arose in the course of the refractory lining and delivered it in the shortest possible time, thus avoiding any risk to the project. �

RATH Group, Vienna, Austria www.rath-group.com/glass info@rath-group.com

� Melting tank cross section. a and b

a � Regenerator chamber.

b

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HIGH GLASS

Emhart Glass System > Now a part of RATH

Regenerator

Melting End

Working End

Forehearth

Feeder

Hot Gas Filtration

A comprehensive solution RATH offers you the complete range of highest quality refractory materials for the entire glass making process – now including the original Emhart Glass System.

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Covid -19 response: Gerresheimer

Gerresheimer all set for Covid-19 glass vaccine demand As the race for a Covid-19 vaccine develops, there will be more focus on pharmaceutical glass capacity and demand. Over the following pages we speak to pharmaceutical glass manufacturers about how their companies reacted to the crisis – and their response to the anticipated extra demand for their glass vials.

We begin with Gerresheimer, with Italy’s Bormioli Pharma and India’s Piramal Glass in the following pages.

HOW DID THE COVID-19 AFFECT GERRESHEIMER?

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We at Gerresheimer faced up to the special situation in view of the corona virus which is spreading worldwide. We are aware of our role as a key supplier of medicines and supplies for everyday life.

The health of our employees is absolutely paramount. In recent weeks and months we have taken many precautions to ensure this. These include a global pandemic plan, special hygiene regulations, travel and visiting

restrictions, working in isolated groups and other shift patterns. Many thanks to all our employees who are actively helping to achieve this.

At the same time, we are doing everything in our power to maintain production. In our plants, we produce vital packaging for medicines, drug delivery devices and packaging for food, beverages and hygiene and personal care products. Millions of patients and

consumers trust that they will be cared for and we take responsibility for this. We are therefore part of the critical infrastructure of the countries in which we operate.

We face up to this responsibility and, together with our dedicated employees, do everything in our power to ensure that our production and thus the care of patients and consumers worldwide is guaranteed.

HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS RESPOND TO THE CRISIS? WERE YOU ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MANUFACTURE GLASS? WAS THERE INCREASED CONTACT WITH MEDICAL PROVIDERS OR OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR EXAMPLE? “Facing the very challenging situation of a global pandemic, we will do everything to support any upcoming Covid-19 vaccine campaigns in close cooperation with our customers. In 2019 and 2020 we

are investing more than ever to deliver the highest quality products with additional capacity. We are fully prepared to support the global market demand for potential Covid-19 vaccines with our vials and

syringes being produced in our large production facilities in the US, Mexico, Europe and Asia,“ said Dietmar Siemssen, CEO Gerresheimer.

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Covid -19 response: Gerresheimer PRE-CRISIS, WHAT WAS YOUR PHARMACEUTICAL GLASS OFFERING (NUMBER OF PLANTS, LOCATION, TYPES OF PHARMA GLASS MANUFACTURED)?

Globally six plants for moulded glass and internationally 12 tubular glass converting plants. These are: BELGIUM: CHINA:

• • • FRANCE: • GERMANY: • INDIA: • MEXICO: • POLAND: • USA: •

HAVE YOU HAD TO ‘PIVOT’ THE BUSINESS AT ALL AND ADAPT TO CHANGES? The main product for the vaccines are glass syringes and glass injection vials.

The vaccines under development to protect against Covid-19 are, like many other drugs, filled in so-called injection or vials made of type 1 borosilicate glass, also known as vials. The large worldwide demand for vials is met by

DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNT SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS? At the same time, we are doing everything in our power to maintain production. In our plants, we produce vital packaging for medicines, drug delivery devices and packaging for food, beverages and hygiene and personal care products.

Millions of patients and consumers trust that they will be cared for and we take responsibility for this. We are therefore part of the critical infrastructure of the countries in which we operate. We face up to this responsibility and, together with our dedicated employees, do everything in our power to ensure that our production and thus the care of patients and consumers internationally is guaranteed.

In all of our plants in Germany and globally, we introduced special hygiene regulations at an early stage, the cleaning rhythms were intensified, strict travel and visiting bans and much more. In many plants, measures to isolate groups / layers have been introduced so that the end and beginning of the shift take place in a staggered manner, changing rooms are not used by different groups at the same time, and all further contacts are omitted.

Gerresheimer, Dusseldorf, Germany www.gerresheimer.com

the Gerresheimer Group’s plants in Europe, America and Asia, where they are manufactured to high quality standards for customers in the pharmaceutical industry. The company has already received initial orders for vials for drugs and vaccines against Covid-19.

IS THERE ENOUGH PHARMA GLASS MANUFACTURING CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR GLASS, ASSUMING A VACCINE IS FOUND? Gerresheimer generated revenues of €363m in the second quarter of 2020, marking 4.6% organic growth in the core business compared to the same quarter of the prior year. The global pharma business has developed well in the current Covid-19 pandemic. This benefited Gerresheimer, too, with its primary packaging for liquid and solid drugs, syringes and drug delivery devices such as insulin pens and asthma inhalers. There is currently demand from many pharma companies, in particular for injection vials for future

vaccination campaigns against Covid-19.

Gerresheimer has already invested heavily in quality and capacity in this business in 2019 and 2020 and will continue to do so. This means the company will be very well prepared to support the vaccination campaigns. Gerresheimer sees additional medium-term to long-term opportunities in the pharma business as a result of the pandemic. Temporarily reduced demand for high-quality perfume flacons has been more than offset by increased demand for drug packaging and drug delivery devices

CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE CAPACITY EXPANSIONS AT GERRESHEIMER GLASS MANUFACTURING SITES AS A RESULT OF THIS INCREASED DEMAND FOR PHARMA GLASS, POST COVID-19?

At Gerresheimer’s Annual General Meeting, CEO Dietmar Siemssen, said: “In 2019, we paved the way for profitable growth and achieved a substantial improvement in the company’s culture and dynamic. We are investing and working to grow our innovation pipeline.

These efforts continue undiminished and we have not been distracted by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a key supplier to the pharma and healthcare industry, we have significant responsibility for ensuring patients receive the medication

they need and thus in maintaining our customers’ delivery capacity. We have guaranteed this over the past few months and maintained our own delivery capacity at all times.

At present, we are seeing new opportunities arise in the pharma business. What is very high demand for injection vials for future Covid-19 vaccination campaigns is currently providing tailwind. Our clear-cut goal is to set our Gerresheimer on the path to sustainable, profitable growth.”

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Paul Biris/getty images

Momignies Shuangfeng – Packaging • Danyang 1 and 2 Shuangfeng – Pharmaceutical Châlon Buende • Essen • Lohr • Tettau • Wertheim Kosamba Moulded Glass • Kosamba Tubular Glass Queretaro Boleslawiec Chicago Heights • Morganton Vineland • Vineland Primary Packaging

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Covid -19 response: Piramal Glass

Piramal Glass Vice Chairman, Mr Vijay Shah, says the Indian glassmaker is ready to ramp up pharmaceutical glass capacity if there is a requirement for it in the post-Covid world.

Piramal Glass ready to convert furnace to pharma needs HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED THE GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY, AND IN PARTICULAR PIRAMAL GLASS? Piramal Glass being critical for essential food, beverage and pharmaceutical products continued its operations even during this lock-down period. In fact, this pandemic led to a greater demand for glass packaging in the pharmaceutical sector for the manufacturing of vials.

In the last few months, we have been playing an integral role by

standing shoulder to shoulder with our uninterrupted manufacturing and supply of both glass bottles and vials to the pharmaceutical industry. Intensified care and meticulous implementation of safety precautions across our global manufacturing plants have ensured delivery of safe products to our customers across geographies.

HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS RESPOND TO THE CRISIS? WERE YOU ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MANUFACTURE GLASS? WAS THERE INCREASED CONTACT WITH MEDICAL PROVIDERS OR OTHER STAKEHOLDERS FOR EXAMPLE? Even during lockdown, Piramal Glass’s manufacturing facilities remained operational. Since the company is a contributor to the food and pharma industry, we were a part of the essential services category. Our plant in the US that manufactures bottles and packaging

material for essential food products was fully operational supporting the community at large.

Our plants in India - Kosamba and Jambusar - were operating under special permissions and employees were taking extra efforts commuting to the office

while taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all staff members and the environment. Our Sri Lanka team operated the plant in curfew situations and made all possible efforts for the safety of assets.

Continued>>

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The world is currently responding to the situation with urgency and purpose.

Globally, pharmaceutical companies are working tirelessly to find a solution to this global health crisis faced by humankind.

The unprecedented pandemic affected manufacturing firms and all other businesses globally including the glass packaging industry.

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Covid -19 response: Piramal Glass

DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNT SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS? Due to this pandemic, we have seen an upsurge in demand for glass vials because of some adjunct therapies being used in hospitals for COVID patients. In this environment, Piramal Glass is ramping up its vials (Type 1/ Moulded Vials) production in anticipation of the demand for

Covid-19 vaccine supply. We also started manufacturing glass bottles for hand sanitisers in various sizes ranging from 50 ml to 500 ml. We have taken proactive measures to prepare ourselves to meet any surge in demand for glass vials from the pharmaceutical industry across the globe.

PRE-CRISIS, WHAT WAS YOUR PHARMACEUTICAL GLASS OFFERING (NUMBER OF PLANTS, LOCATION, TYPES OF PHARMA GLASS MANUFACTURED)?

With the changing market dynamics, the global pharma industry standards are becoming more stringent. The industry is focusing on greater operational effectiveness to tackle the tough market scenario. We at Piramal Glass have been working hard to develop ourselves as a reliable partner in glass packaging for the global pharma industry. To align with the industry, we have made new investments to upgrade our type-1 glass facility in Kosamba, India. Our manufacturing plant in Kosamba, India has a dedicated facility with a capacity of 45-TPD to manufacture type 1 borosilicate glass for moulded pharmaceutical packaging products.

In addition to the moulded glass manufacturing facility in Kosamba,

India, we have three other manufacturing facilities; one in USA, one in Sri Lanka and one in Jambusar, India with an overall capacity of 1375TPD. In pharmaceuticals, we package amber glass for droppers, syrups, tablets; chemical bottles; vials – infusion and injectables and flint pharma – balms.

We have offices and warehousing facilities in France, Germany, USA, Brazil, India, UAE, UK, China, and Sri Lanka. We are recognised among the top three companies in the world with a comprehensive in-house capability to produce borosilicate type-1 moulded glass containers. Piramal Glass has the most modern facilities in India equipped with leading cutting-edge technology and world-class production facilities.

HAVE YOU HAD TO ‘PIVOT’ THE BUSINESS TO BE MORE FOCUSED ON PHARMA GLASS INSTEAD OF OTHER TYPES OF GLASS? Though there has been a surge in demand for the pharma glass for adjunct therapies, we have continued glass packaging for other sectors as well. Our cosmetics, perfumery, food and beverage glass

packaging operations are on the same track as pre-covid levels. We did not have to pivot the business to be more focused on pharma glass.

www.glass-international.com

IS THERE ENOUGH PHARMA GLASS MANUFACTURING CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR GLASS, ASSUMING A VACCINE IS FOUND? Once the vaccine is developed, there would be a greater challenge of manufacturing and distributing millions of doses. Scaling up manufacturing and packaging of the vaccine would be an immediate concern for pharma companies and drug developers. A robust state of manufacturing plants, capability to handle huge demands and world-class production facilities will provide an edge for packaging companies to overcome the supply –demand ratio. The reports on glass vials being short of supply are untrue and the pharma glass industry will

have sufficient capacity to meet the surge in the vaccine vials.

Piramal Glass has a legacy of supplying products to pharmaceutical companies while maintaining stringent compliance norms and industry standards. We are a leader in amber glass and among the top 3 companies in the world with the capability to produce borosilicate Type 1 glass containers.

We have a furnace which has the capacity of producing 45 tonnes per day translating to about 1.2 million vials a day. When the need arises, we can easily

CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE CAPACITY EXPANSIONS AT PIRAMAL GLASS SITES AS A RESULT OF THIS INCREASED DEMAND FOR PHARMA GLASS, POST COVID-19?

Piramal Glass has enough capacity, resources and infrastructure to meet the increased demand for pharma glass. At this stage, we have allocated a furnace with capacity of 45 TPD for Type 1 glass as backup with the existing capacity. We will meet the increased demands and there would be no need for a capacity expansion. However, if required, we are well equipped to add more production capacity to meet the new market demand.

HOW READY IS PIRAMAL GLASS TO MEET THE FORTHCOMING CHALLENGE OF A POST-COVID WORLD? From the perspective of a glass supplier, we can assure that we will continue to provide excellent service and timely delivery to pharma, food & beverage, cosmetic companies for all their requirements as we are geared up to meet any spike in demand. As a trusted player in the industry, we will be able to meet our customers’ requirements and address the current surge in demand.

Post Covid-19, we are aiming to expand our product mix into premium liquor, premium water – both for commercial and for household requirements. We will also expand into household jars in the premium category.

Piramal Glass, India www.piramalglass.com/

meet the rise in demand since we have another furnace capacity of 45 TPD which can be converted to manufacture Type 1 glass. This will double our capacity and we can meet additional demand of up to 30% from our existing capacity. Thus, Piramal Glass is in a position to double its current capacity of 45 TPD to 90 TPD at a short notice of one month to meet any unforeseen demand.

Along with Piramal Glass, there is sufficient capacity in the industry to increase production if needed.

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Thank you to all our customers, staff and suppliers for the loyalty and the trust that you have placed in us. It has been a privilege to serve the glass industry for the last 100 years and we will continue offering future-driven, people-oriented and customer-centric products and services true to our promise:

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Covid -19 response: Bormioli Pharma

Investment for pharma demand Italy’s Bormioli Pharma manufactured more than 1 billion glass vials during the most severe phase of the crisis, states Mr. Andrea Sentimenti, Marketing and Innovation Director.

HOW DID YOUR BUSINESS RESPOND TO THE CRISIS? WERE YOU ABLE TO CONTINUE TO MANUFACTURE GLASS? Bormioli Pharma plays a vital role for the pharma industry by securing the packaging and the supply of fundamentals medicines where they are needed most.

Covid-19 has been a complex challenge.

We had to suddenly change most of our daily routines by defining and implementing a set of new safety measures intended to protect the health of our employees and simultaneously supporting the compelling demand of customers urged to deliver life-saving treatments to congested intensive care units.

Securing business continuity and

production for our glass vials was not seen just as a business goal but as a real ethical mission for any Bormioli Pharma’s worker.

Covid-19 captured most of the attention but, beside that, many other life-critical treatments couldn’t be interrupted and needed our dedication.

Our glass production run at full capacity 7/24 without any interruption.

During the most severe pandemic phase in March-April, over 1 billion Bormioli Pharma’s vials reached the skilled hands of nurses and doctors in over 100 different countries.

This pandemic crisis had a major impact on the entire supply chain, emphasising the inter-correlation between all the stakeholders. Specific teams have been appointed to provide our customers and employees with clear and transparent information, making them aware of the situation on a daily basis. On top of this, we have been constantly in contact with suppliers and logistic providers to ensure the efficiency of our supply chain. We have strengthened a real network to better respond to the crisis preparing ourselves to face the new-normal.

www.glass-international.com

DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNT SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC? We have at least three takeaways from this crisis. First, in a situation like this it is fundamental to provide constant and correct information, not only to all the employees but also to all our stakeholders as they need to adjust their effort to avoid the breakdown of the whole supply chain.

Second, we learned how to constantly

reframe our understanding of what was happening, creating flexible and living plans to be adapted and changed depending on the situation. We understood that we should never stop thinking forward and imagine how to handle the worst-case scenario.

Third, we learned the importance

of taking immediate actions trying to balance the need of proper planning with the benefit of acting even without a complete and well-defined plan. The current status of all the safety measures and procedures in place came out step by step learning from experience.

PRE-CRISIS, WHAT WAS YOUR PHARMACEUTICAL GLASS OFFERING? We are one of the few companies in the world able to offer a one-shop stop solution for pharma glass in multiple therapy areas. In our three plants in Italy and Germany (Bergantino, San Vito, Altenfeld) we are manufacturing all the three types of pharma glass (Type I, Type

II, Type III), offering glass vials in either moulded and tubular glass for several applications, such as liquid and solid oral drugs, parenteral drugs, injection and nasal ones. In addition to this, in April 2020 we acquired GCL Pharma (today Bormioli Pharma Vasto), a company

specialised in aluminium closures and rubber stoppers, fundamental components for injectable drugs and IV applications.

Continued>>

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Covid -19 response: Bormioli Pharma

HAVE YOU HAD TO ‘PIVOT’ THE BUSINESS IN ANY WAY DURING THE PANDEMIC?

IS THERE ENOUGH PHARMA GLASS MANUFACTURING CAPACITY TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR GLASS IN THE FUTURE, ASSUMING A VACCINE IS FOUND?

No, we did not have to change our business, but we had to upgrade it because of the large number of requests. In fact, since our industry has not been blocked by the crisis, we did not have to reinvent ourselves, but we had to face the pressure of a supply chain put under stress by the dramatic and unexpected events.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and other NGOs are predicting 4 billion vaccine doses needed as soon as they are found. We can’t speak up for the whole industry, but Bormioli Pharma is ready to meet the increasing demand for glass vials. Plans for capacity expansions and investments in the excess of €25 million already started before the Covid-19 pandemic with a full refurbishment in the Bergantino plant (the largest European plant for moulded pharma glass) and the

www.bormiolipharma.com/en

start-up of a new furnace in our San Vito al Tagliamento plant and are restlessly continuing with investments in new equipment and industrial automation tools that will improve the output and the quality of our glass vials.

In a few months, thanks to the relentless efforts of investing, we will be ready to meet the demands of the Italian and global pharmaceutical industry and been able to provide premium vials for these 4 billion doses.

HOW READY IS BORMIOLI PHARMA TO MEET THE FORTHCOMING CHALLENGE OF A POST-COVID WORLD? It is not yet clear how a post-Covid world will be like, but given the ability to react during the pandemic, we can say that Bormioli Pharma is ready to face even great upheavals.

Moreover, the strong drive for

covid 19 Bormioli Pharma.indd 2

innovation that Bormioli Pharma has had for some years now allows us to always look ahead, ready to face the challenges of the future with appropriate tools. The experience of these months will certainly be of great help for the coming months.

13/08/2020 09:44:15

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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Covid-19 response: Vidroporto

Working hard for a brighter future CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON YOUR COUNTRY’S GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY? As it happened worldwide, with us in Brazil it was no different ... As far as we know, all glass factories continue to produce, but the consumption in April

decreased by 80% in relation to the previous month, we also felt the decrease in May, but in June, we already had an increase in our sales and we believe that

by the end of the year our numbers will be better compared to the beginning of the pandemic.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

Edson Rossi* describes the response of Brazilian container glassmaker Vidroporto and his hopes for a positive future.

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Covid-19 response: Vidroporto

Furnace Draining

Recycling Drain

Furnace Heat-Up

WHAT CHALLENGES HAS THE PANDEMIC CREATED FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

WHAT MEASURES HAS YOUR BUSINESS TAKEN TO OVERCOME THEM?

Many challenges - as the health of our employees, the risk of the operation and the equipment, the reduction of the sale, the supply chain, the cash flow, stock, etc.

Thus, we are learning to survive and keep safe our workers and the Cia Business. We hope to go through the pandemic and work hard, so that in the near future we can put business on a route again.

First to take care of the health of our workers and the Cia’s equipment safe.

After, we talked with our stakeholders to help each other.

Vidroporto, Porto Ferreira, Brazil www.vidroporto.com.br

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BY YOUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP THE LOCAL GLASS INDUSTRY?

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Many things. First, the government need to stop fighting for their political interests.

After, the government needs to be clear and transparent to show the plan to cross the crisis.

In special, about the glass industry, to keep it running, keep the life of

the workers safe, as well as the Cia’s equipment in good conditions, for now is enough. In the medium term we need the solution for the quarantine, which for us in Brazil has lasted six months and the economic crisis because the glass market will reduce around 10% in this year.

WHEN DO YOU THINK BUSINESS WILL RETURN TO ‘NORMAL’ AGAIN? Despite the situation, we are optimistic.

We believe that, if everyone does there part, in a short time, maybe in one or two

years, the situation will change for better and we will work again to improve our business and recover the time lost.

Glass International July/August 2020

13/08/2020 09:57:36

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Covid -19 response: Pennine Industrial

Continuing to serve despite crisis Pennine Industrial’s Managing Director, Chris Hobbs, highlights the measures the organisation took which allowed it to continue to serve essential businesses during lockdown.

WHAT MEASURES HAS YOUR BUSINESS TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE CRISIS? Pennine Industrial was able to continue to manufacture and export our Conveyor Chains and Sprockets around the world during this difficult time. We were asked by a number of glass container plants and OEM’s in the glass handling sector to keep working, as they were in need of our products to keep manufacturing of food/ beverage and pharmaceutical containers needed during the Covid-19 crisis.

We had to change a number of our

operations and working practises to ensure that we were doing everything we could to keep our staff safe, we moved workstations to ensure social distances, turned storage areas into work stations to give us more work areas, increased our cleaning regime in the factory, installed hygiene stations across the factory, provided PPE for employees, we also allowed the majority of our office based staff to work from home, and added

DO YOU THINK YOU LEARNT SOMETHING ABOUT THE BUSINESS AS A RESULT OF THE CRISIS?

CAN YOU BRIEFLY DESCRIBE THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON YOUR COUNTRY’S GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY?

We learnt that, when needed, our staff are willing to change the way they work to allow the continued operations of the business. That flexibility from our staff has been our greatest asset during the Covid-19 crisis.

The biggest issues facing the UK glass packaging is the impact on the hospitality sector and the down turn in high quality spirt containers usually sold in duty free stores at airports or on board aircraft.

These sectors are both key drivers in the sales of glass containers.

Along with hospitality, another problem has been the fact individuals

www.glass-international.com

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE POLITICALLY TO HELP THE LOCAL/EUROPEAN GLASS INDUSTRY? There are many interventions that governments can make, getting Covid-19 under control and ensuring the safety of people is of course the most critical as this will help people’s confidence to go out more. More specifically for glass, I think government have an opportunity to look at environmentally friendly products and help these areas most to drive a green recovery.

Pennine Industrial, Skelmanthorpe, UK https://pennine.org/

screens between workstations as an extra precaution.

These were some of the bigger areas of change. We also reviewed all our operations with the risk of Covid-19 in mind. In regards to contact with customers and suppliers, while face to face visits have been put on hold, we have used online platforms extensively to keep in contact with customers and suppliers.

have not been able to visit friends and family carrying with them the traditional gift of a bottle of wine or spirits. However I feel there has been a slight upturn in beer bottles as customers who may have drunk draft beer in pubs and bars have moved to drinking beers and lagers at home in British-made glass containers.

HOW PREPARED IS PENNINE FOR BUSINESS IN A POST COVID WORLD? We hope that the changes we have made to our business will allow us to continue to manufacture and grow the business, and we are open to any new processes that will help with keeping our staff safe.

The flexibility our staff has shown in the last few months makes me feel that any new process or operation will be taken on board with open arms. Visiting customers has always been a big part of our culture at Pennine, we find that seeing what customers make and use helps us to provide the best solution to them so we hope that we will be back visiting our customers both in the UK and around the world as soon as it is safe.

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Our conveyor chain transports glass around the world.

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Covid-19 response: Interglass

Interglass collaborates with Vidrio Formas on hand sanitiser

www.glass-international.com

M

exican technology supplier Interglass has collaborated with glass manufacturer Vidrio Formas to distribute a vital hand sanitiser which tackles Covid-19.

Interglass worked with a national research institute to develop an antiviral handcream which neutralises the Covid-19 virus.

At the height of the crisis in Mexico, Guadalajara-based Interglass decided it wanted to do something to help.

“During those weeks no one knew what to do and were paralysed. Many companies were closed and no one wanted to make purchases or move, everyone was a little bit terrified. But we wanted to do something positive,” said Jose Luis Velez,

Interglass Managing Director.

It contacted compatriot glass manufacturer Vidrio Formas to ask for help to produce the glass bottles which the hand cream could be dispensed in.

Both companies were keen to do something to help. They agreed that the cream should be used by workers at the glass plant as well as to be donated to vulnerable sectors of society such as elderly care homes and hospitals.

Interglass converted its R&D capacity and laboratories into a space dedicated to creating the handcream.

The facilities would usually be used to find solutions and improve efficiencies in glass manufacturing but became hubs of anti-covid activity as workers sought to find an appropriate sanitising cream.

Teammates worked with a national research institute to develop an appropriate hand cream that would pass all the requisite health and safety tests.

“It was completely out of our usual expertise and scope as it involved health matters. We had to obtain certain requirements and go through different paths to what we were used to in glass.

We were working on human health rather than glass moulds for example,” said Mr Velez.

In just six weeks colleagues managed to develop an appropriate hand cream as well as distribute it. Usually, a new product for the glass industry would take about a year to launch.

“The good thing about this was we were able to see that by having a common goal, all the organisation focused and were united towards this objective.

“We were amazed at how fast we were able to move considering it was a completely new field of research for us.

“We were proud at how the company was able to act so fast and to study, with the help of the research institute, how the virus works and what was needed to create this product.”

The anti-viral sanitiser is a handcream which moisturises the hand of the user. It creates a film on the hand which prevents the virus from being able to survive. It is different to anti-bacterial gel which is alcohol-based and can harm the skin if applied on a regular basis.

The cream was dispensed into a 12oz, 375 ml flint glass container supplied by Vidrio Formas and distributed among glass workers and elderly care homes. �

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Covid -19 response: MAVSA

� Planta 1

Adapting a business

Argentinean engineering group MAVSA usually specialises in manufacturing complete production lines for the container and hollow glass sectors. But it adapted its business to serve other sectors during the pandemic, states its President, Gustavo Fuentes.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE THE IMPACT OF COVID 19 ON YOUR COUNTRY’S GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY? HAS GLASS DEMAND DWINDLED AMONG END CONSUMERS? The Covid-19 situation has affected the normal operation of the general Argentinean industry. The Argentinean economy was damaged before the Covid-19 pandemic due to the bad economic politics of different governments during many years.

The highest annual inflation, the

closure of companies, the lack of access to jobs and the increment of the poverty of the last years reduce the market consumption of a country of 45 million people.

Although the purchases of the consumers were reoriented to the purchases of foods and drinks instead

of electronic and clothing products in normal times, Argentinean Glass Manufacturers continued to produce glass containers for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industry during the Covid-19 lock down and according to this, they have reduced the production capacity due to sales reduction.

On Friday, March 20th the Argentinean Government decreed the “Preventive and Mandatory Social Isolation” making every Argentine citizen or foreigner to stay at home in the beginning till April 13th.

Only essential activities were allowed.

These included workers at hospitals, supermarket or food sales warehouses, laboratories, policeman, doctors, nursery, employers of government. This also included specific industries such as the food and beverage industry where production processes could affect the factory building structure such as glass factories.

The Argentinean Government extended the quarantine to another 15day period.

For that reason, MAVSA was closed for 40 days, with only home office allowed.

We used these days to remain in contact with our customers and quote different projects for future investments.

After the Argentinean Government reduced quarantine restrictions and allowed a return to activities for companies which manufacture export products, MAVSA was able to return to

work with social distancing and sanitry considerations such as mouth coverings, frequent hand washing and regular temperature measurement of staff, management, suppliers and customers entering our facilities in place. We had to reduce the number of employees over the aged of 60 due as they are not allowed to come to work due to health fears.

MAVSA reoriented part of the workshop for a metallurgical job to manufacture sewage effluent treatment plants to purify water according to the needs of one of our clients.

These plants are used for example in service stations or various industries and have different sizes according to the type of industry in which they will be installed (Pic 1 – Planta 1 and pic 2 Planta 2).

During the Covid-19 quarantine, MAVSA committed itself as an essential industry supplier to the water treatment and environmental care sector. We have built two such plants and currently building the third one. We appreciate the trust of our client for such work.

In general, the finances of industries have been affected because the payment

chain has been cut. Today we have the trust and support of our suppliers to overcome this difficult situation and thus continue operating. During quarantine we have prioritised the payment of wages and have been in constant contact with our employees to report on news from the Argentine government that changed daily and to help them according to our possibilities.

The Argentinean Government closed the Argentina border and airports remain closed until September 1st. So we are not able to travel for installations.

Nowadays we are doing a remote installation assistance by WhatsApp and Zoom on one IS 3-Sections Complete Line in Mexico. It´s a great experience to collaborate with our customer, and the excellent willingness, patience and professionalism of its workers to carry out our instructions, to continue their business and start up the production ASAP. (Pic MAVSA IS3 Complete Line during installation in Mexico.)

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC IMPACTED YOUR BUSINESS? WHAT MEASURES HAS YOUR BUSINESS TAKEN TO DEAL WITH THE CRISIS?

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Covid -19 response: MAVSA

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE BY YOUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT TO HELP THE LOCAL GLASS INDUSTRY? All the personnel that during the quarantine could not work because their work was not considered an essential activity, the government enabled the personnel to be suspended allowing the payment of 70% of the salary. This results in a reduction of social charges. In addition, payment maturities were extended for two months.

The Argentinean Government have paid part the workers salaries during quarentine for many small and medium industries. So far there has been no tax deduction for companies yet.

WHEN DO YOU THINK BUSINESS WILL RETURN TO ‘NORMAL’ AGAIN?

*

We are following every day information from the Argentine government and from other countries to see how it will be returned step by step to the normal situation that it will take time to arrive. Big glass producers and small ones are surviving to this situation same as what small suppliers are doing. In the meantime, we continue quoting spare parts, mould equipment, future projects, etc. And we mainly stay busy and positive, understanding that the customer-supplier relationship is going to be further strengthened after Covid 19.

* latest swabbing-robot installed in July 2017 in Germany

� Planta 2.

covid 19 Mavsa.indd 2

MAVSA, Buenos Aires, Argentina www.mavsa.com.ar

13/08/2020 09:51:26

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� Fig 2. Link depths.

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Staked Heads Increase Life Of Chain Ramsey utilises a proprietary staking process to head the pins rather than the traditional method of laser-welding.

Ramsey’s design does not add extreme heat to the links and pins. This means the pins and links are the same hardness throughout. The result is a chain that wears consistently and has a longer life.

Easy Connection Ramsey has engineered special side links to connect Sentry chain to existing chains quickly and easily. This link, added to the

beginning the chain, allow pins to slide in and out easily and is zinc-plated for easy identification. Fig 1 shows the aperture in the link is circular and completely open, making pins easy to insert or remove. A washer is then positioned to hold the pins in place.

The centre of these special links is the same depth as a standard Wear Protected link, Fig 2. However, the sides of the link are narrower to allow space for the washers without making the overall depth of the link too thick.

The rest of the side links on the Sentry 2-Pin chain are Ramsey’s wear protected links. This design allows for Sentry chain to run in direct contact with lateral guides and remain immune to the pin head wear that destroys conveying chains, all while providing easy connection.

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Decoration

� The new headquarters of Koenig & Bauer Kammann.

Open house set to demonstrate tradition and innovation H

aving moved into its new 12,000m2 production facility in Löhne, Germany at the beginning of 2020, Koenig & Bauer Kammann was all set to present its latest developments and machines to a wider audience.

Originally these announcements were scheduled to take place during the glasstec 2020 exhibition in October, an event that has been postponed until next June.

Instead, Kammann is planning a month-long ‘open house’ from 5th October to 6th November 2020.

“This event is planned for an extended time period, since we want to observe health regulations, which allow only a limited number of people at any given time in our show rooms”, said Managing Director Matthias Graf.

“Also, with a reduced international flight schedule currently available, our customers might not have the possibility to visit us within a shorter time period,” he adds.

The centre of attention and highlight of the presentation will be the new

HS300 series and the latest version of the Kammann digital printer series.

A benchmark The HS300 is a specialised machine for cylindrical glass containers. With a design speed of 300ppm, it is up to 50% faster than other machines in the market and sets a benchmark in the industry, said the company.

However, besides the output, the HS300 has some special features, including a contactless pre-registration and print image inspection system. Designed as a continuous motion machine, it is intended to operate 24/7, both in-line and off-line.

According to Kammann, the productivity of this machine is a ‘quantum leap forward’.

At the same time, the company was able to objectively improve the print quality, for which the colour to colour registration is an important indicator.

The Kammann team has engineered the machine to be installed in-line with

glass manufacturing, so it is capable of withstanding high temperatures and other harsh conditions.

A completely different market segment is covered by Kammann’s line of digital printers.

Designed to apply high resolution images that cannot be reproduced by the screen-printing process, on any shape articles, such as rounds, ovals, flats and any other given form, the Kammann digital series has become the best selling machine in this area.

Products, such as spirits bottles, drink ware and cosmetic flacons are all suitable to be decorated by this process.

Furthermore, it is interesting to note that printing multiple passes of clear digital ink can imitate embossed glass, which makes the need for new moulds redundant, particularly when it comes to small production runs. �

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

Matthias Graf* discusses the latest digital printing equipment and priorities for the German printing machinery specialist while, below, he identifies its response to the pandemic crisis.

47 Glass International July/August 2020

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� HS300 print station specially designed for high speed printing.

MARKET STATUS MANAGING DIRECTOR MATTHIAS GRAF OFFERED MORE INFORMATION ON THE CURRENT MARKET STATUS AND HIS COMPANY’S INITIATIVES IN THE MONTHS AHEAD:

www.glass-international.com

GI: How did the Covid-19 crisis affect your business in the first six months of 2020?

Since we have confirmed orders until the beginning of next year and our supply chains have worked even better than was to be expected, I can say that the first and second quarters was ‘business as usual’ as far as production was concerned.

Of course, the number of incoming orders fell sharply after the lockdown but recovery is on the way. Orders from various geographical regions that came in last month make us believe that people believe it’s in an economic recovery.

Secondly, we are currently very busy installing many machines that were delivered in the past three-four months but could not be installed, because of closed borders and other restrictions. This adds to the workload but we can manage.

GI: You will have an ‘open house’ event later this year. Can you elaborate a little bit about this?

We were ready and well prepared to present our new developments to clients during this October’s glasstec show. After the show was postponed, we decided that we did not want to wait until next year and chose the ‘open house’ as a preferred format, since we believe that machines need to be seen and evaluated in operation. Our new factory offers all necessary conditions to host such an event.

� A hot stamping module for new machines and subsequent installation in existing screen printing units.

GI: Can you explain, why the HS300 and Kammann’s series of digital printers are setting benchmarks?

In both cases, it is higher productivity and better print quality. The HS300 is a brand new continuous motion machine design with features such as a dual squeegee head for each print station, which allow the highest speeds and adding print quality at the same time. Another innovation is our print image camera inspection system, which is able to analyse various parameters of any printed image at maximum operating speed.

Our digital printers for glass can be upgraded with a second print head on each print station, allowing a speed increase of up to 50%.

QI: Would you like to share any other developments with us?

Besides the previously mentioned developments, we offer new auxiliary equipment, such as in-line/off-line movable print image inspection systems.

Also, the new foil transfer station for small images, which can be flexibly installed into an existing screen printing station of a K15CNC will create a lot of interest for sure.

Besides the design of products and processes, we strongly focus on the integration of various processes onto existing equipment, to build what we call a hybrid machine. Using a digital primer as a base to apply a foil on an article is an example. �

*Managing Director Koenig & Bauer Kammann, Löhne, Germany www.kammann.de

48 0 Glass International July/August 2020

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T I N B AT H EXCELLENCE MADE IN G E R M A N Y. JOHANNES ERTL (HEAD OF TIN BATH DEPARTMENT)

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Decoration

MX4 and Spectro – a solution for artwork inspection Tiama has signed a partnership with DeCoSystem to offer a smart solution for artwork control. Damien Defenouillere* discusses how the Tiama MX4 carousel machine for cold end hollow glass inspection welcomes the print inspection system dedicated to cylindrical objects, Spectro from DeCoSystem.

D

ďż˝ Tiama and DeCoSystem will work together at the IVC plant in Mexico this summer.

Print inspection Spectro is designed to inspect the decoration on cylindrical and oval glass objects such as bottles and drinking glasses. It is possible to detect the main printing problems generated by silkscreen and digital printing processes thanks to Spectro.

It guarantees a powerful combination of printing quality and waste reduction.

Practical relevance and accuracy of the

control ensures a production without printing defects. Online integration allows printing process optimisation.

Spectro can prevent widespread failure and avoids large quantities of waste.

The benefit results in cost reduction and improved process efficiency that drives up profits and company reputation.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

eCoSystem is an Italian company providing products recognised worldwide as the top-level print inspection systems regarding the entire packaging industry.

The company counts more than 2000 installations in the field and a unique product line addressing print inspection for any sector. Tiama is an inspection and quality control solutions specialist for the glass packaging industry with nearly 60 years of know-how and more than 10,000 online process and quality control solutions around the world.

Both companies naturally tended to gather their strong know-how to offer to the glass container industry the best possible machinery to grant a perfect quality of the delivered decorated glass containers.

Tiama is pleased to announce the recent signature of an exclusive partnership to integrate the SPECTRO system onto MX4 machines, probably opening doors to more potential solutions for our customers.

51 Glass International July/August 2020

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Decoration

can also be used for statistical analysis to reveal the pain points much more accurately than just pointing out the area. Indeed, once detected, identified & classified, the inspection increments the objects in specific counters. By a simple request, any connected device can collect the number of defects of any kind in any of the inspected areas. This knowledge is a gift for any production manager to carry out the appropriate operations.

As Spectro and NCI inspections only occupy three stations out of the seven available on the Tiama MX4 machine, complementary controls can be implemented at the end of the decorating process. Standard Tiama controls can be added to the machine to check any possible leaner or dimensional defect that may appear during the annealing phase, any possible internal & bottom contamination from the decoration process or even the finish integrity that might have been impacted during the whole process.

An active component of the Tiama YOUniverse data providing philosophy, the Tiama MX4 also participates to the development of the Smart Factory. The different exchange protocols gather and send high-value data, for every single container inspected, and now, even the decorated ones.

IVC Mexico start up � The MX4 is equipped with an embedded Spectro.

Thanks to the exclusive partnership with Tiama, Spectro is fully integrated in Tiama MX4 machine. Spectro is easy to use: the setup of a new job can be done and saved for future use in less than one minute. No special knowledge is required.

www.glass-international.com

Contamination detection NCI stands for Neck Camera Inspection.

The aim of the well-known Tiama inspection is to detect any possible sidewall defect in this specific area.

Imaging a defect and getting rid of the shadows generated by the glass itself is extremely strenuous on in-line machines.

This is even harder when the diameter is small (in the neck of a container for instance). The concept of the NCI is to eliminate all these shadows by using linescan cameras while rotating the container in a carousel machine.

The Tiama high-performance cameras combined with its advanced electronics

and sharp LED lighting, make it possible to detect any possible contamination.

The software, based on MCAL4 software, benefits from all its experience and powerful algorithms to search and identify the tiniest deficiency.

The NCI software customisation integrates advanced image processing to learn patterns and focus on the contamination inspection out of these areas. Thus, NCI is the perfect combination with Spectro to ensure a full container printing control.

Know how Both systems come fully integrated in Tiama’s MX4 machine. Thanks to its advanced tools, the machine gathers and delivers high value data. The defect classification allows to distinguish the different deficiencies and to get the proper actions started to eliminate the different root causes. Furthermore, it

The project has been conducted first to address a specific customer need. The Industria Vidriera de Coahuila (IVC) – Mexico initiated Tiama & DeCoSystem collaboration contacting the best suppliers on each field and asking them to study a possible match between their solutions to meet their requirements.

After a great project achievement, the final step is the plant start up this summer in IVC, where the first MX4 machine equipped with an embedded Spectro and two NCI (neck & body) will materialise this success-story. The target is to confirm both companies’ excellence to guarantee a perfect quality to the final consumer.

Here with DeCoSystem, Tiama shows once again its ability to respond quickly to the needs of its customers for the automation of glass bottle inspection process, offering industrialised products with the agility of a startup. �

*Carousel product engineer, Tiama, Vourles, France www.tiama.com

52 0 Glass International July/August 2020

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28/11/2019 11:09

Decoration

Anthony Carignano* introduces Crystal Decorating powered by Actega as an alternative to ultraviolet screen and digital direct to shape printing for hollow glass container decorating.

ecorating hollow glass containers dates back to around the same time as when glassmaking itself began.

According to the Corning Museum of Glass, ‘the earliest demonstrative evidence of a glass vessel decorated with enameling can be found in ancient Egypt. A cartouche found on a glass vessel excavated from Thutmose III, an 18th Dynasty pharaoh, suggests that glass decorating started sometime during the 1400 century B.C.E.’ Since ancient Egypt, variants of the ceramic enameling process continue to be widely used to create permanent decorations on the surface of hollow glass objects used in the packaging of everyday consumer products. Classification of the enamel is based on how the enamel gets its colour. The enamel used to decorate hollow glass consist typically of coloured glass (or a mixture of colourless glass and a colouring agent) that is pulverised and suspended in a liquid binder. The suspension is painted or printed on to the cooled glass. The pigmented suspension is then permanently fused on to the surface of the glass using intense heat.

Over the two past decades, photopolymer based ultraviolet (UV) light

cured inks have quickly displaced enamelbased inks in many glass decorating applications. Ultraviolet inks represent a viable, cost-effective alternative to ceramic enamel inks. Because they cure at near room temperature, UV inks provide energy savings. They also exhibit outstanding chemical resistance and colour stability during processing. Because of their growing use in indirect food and skin contact applications, UV curable ink ingredients are selected based on compliance with leading governmental regulatory agencies (e.g., the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), relevant trade associations (e.g., the European Printing Ink Association) and published guidance on packaging ink ingredients from leading industry suppliers such as Nestle.

Today, both UV screen and UV inkjet printing are commonly used in hollow glass container decorating. Both technologies are referred to as direct printing methods because they apply ink directly on the glass’s surface. Screen printing uses screen stations. For each colour, a separate inline screen station is used to print decorate. Screen printing is an excellent method for printing on uneven, highly porous surfaces, but it

has difficulty in achieving subtle colour gradations. Because of set-up costs, screen printing is not suitable for low volume, variable data printing applications.

Conversely, inkjet printing is ideal for ultra-short run, variable data printing, but not well suited for printing on uneven surfaces to achieve high resolution and halftone colours.

There are many variations on direct and indirect printing currently used within the hollow glass decorating industry.

Each has its place depending on the market segment and end-use application.

Crystal Decorating powered by Actega is an indirect print and transfer technology that uses combinations of flexography, piezo inkjet, and screen printing to create a unique no-look pressure-sensitive design.

The process is based on UV chemistry, which provides outstanding chemical, scratch, and abrasion resistance. A division of Altana Group Wesel, Germany, Actega formulates and produces speciality coatings, sealants, printing inks, and adhesives for the consumer product label and flexible packaging market.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

UV print and transfer decorating D

55 Glass International July/August 2020

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Gl as sRec yc l i ng-Ther ei sanot herway!

Kr y s t el i nepr ov i desGl as sRec y c l i ngandConv er s i onsTec hnol ogyf ort he pr oduc t i onofhi ghqual i t yc ul l etaswel l asr ef i neds andsandpowder s f orhi ghv al ueus es , c r eat i ngs us t ai nabl egl as sr ec y c l i ngf orALLt y pesofgl as s nomat t eri t ss i z eorqual i t y

Cos teďŹ&#x20AC;ec t i v es ol ut i onsf ort he<10mm gl as sf r om c ul l etpr oduc t i on Wat erFi l t r at i on Gl as sWool Ref i nedSands Fi l l er s Ex pendabl eAbr as i v es

www. kr y s t el i ne. c om

Foam Gl as s Si l i c onFer t i l i z er s Aggr egat es Spor t sTur fDr es s i ng Cement

I fy ouar ei nt er es t edi nbec omi ngadi s t r i but orf or Kr y s t el i nepl eas ec ont ac ti nf o@kr y s t el i ne. c om

Decoration

*Technical Director of Marketing, Actega, Rhode Island, USA www.actega.com/de/en/ anthony.carignano@altana.com

Actega.indd 2

*

* latest swabbing-robot installed in July 2017 in Germany

Like waterslide decal and thermal transfer decorating, Crystal Decorating powered by Actega is printed inline on a carrier film. The photopolymer clear topcoat (also referred to as the L3 layer) is applied first. The L3 layer functions as a protective overcoat and is then topped with spot full Pantone process colour printing. The ultra-thin L3 topcoat replaces the need for a face stock and provides structure and a homogeneous print receptive layer. High opacity white layers and special effects such as metallics and fluorescent pigments can be additively printed in conjunction with process colours. The technology allows for the embedding of holographic and haptic effects into the L3 layer’s outer facing surface.

For glass surface conformance and adhesion, a UV curable pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) layer is applied in registration with the backside of the printed process colour graphics. The PSA can be formulated for reversible glass adhesion based on market application needs or glass returnability requirements.

Compared with conventional pressure-sensitive adhesive labels, the spot application method of Actega’s decorating process reduces the overall raw material requirements for creating a decoration. As product packaging sustainability is finally capturing the attention of consumers, brands, and global regulatory bodies, there is a move towards more environmentally suitable solutions for labels. In light of this trend, Actega is also investigating the use of industrially compostable and high post-consumer recycle content options to complement the sustainability profile of its print and transfer decorating process.

Printed media is managed as roll stock once printed by a licensed member of Actega’s decorating network. Once delivered to the decoration house for glass container decorating jobs, printed media roll stock is placed on inline 72” L x 54” W x 60” H decoration applicator hardware designed for transferring Crystal decorations on to hollow glass containers. The process is completed at one of the company’s decorating house partners in Canada or the United States.

The decorating process relies on close coordination amongst Actega’s network of printers and glass container decorating houses. The technology can currently address cylindrical, flat walled containers (e.g., wine bottles) with a maximum diameter of six inches and a height of 14 inches, and can handle up to thirty 750ml wine bottles per minute. Within the next year, Actega hopes to have a rotary application system for commercialisation, which will address non-cylindrical containers with indexing capabilities.

With scaled demand of its hollow glass decorating network, Actega believes that by year-end 2020, pricing (on a per decoration basis) will be competitive with UV screen printing and short-run pressure-sensitive label decorating. Due to COVID-19 safety restrictions, the company’s East Providence, Rhode Island Disruptive Printing Technologies Demonstration Centre is currently hosting virtual container decorating and application hardware demonstrations. All interested brand owners, design houses, hollow glass container manufacturers, and decorating service providers should e-mail Anthony Carignano to schedule a virtual demonstration event today. �

13/08/2020 09:36:17

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59 Glass International July/August 2020

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History

Prof. John Parker

A combined effort Prof John Parker describes the key role of glass in a low carbon economy.

www.glass-international.com

A

fascinating natural example of glass fibres is Pele’s hair, formed when strong winds draw molten lava into thin threads. Two millennia ago Mediterranean artists were already drawing manufactured glass rods into fibres which were sometimes trailed onto glass vessels for artistic effect. 1880 marked the first formal patent for making glass fibres, but the key patent for mass production of glass fibre wool came in 1933 and commercial development soon followed. Glass reinforced plastics (GRPs) combined the advantages of glass and plastics and the first glass fibre boat was made in 1937 although too brittle for safe use. Commercial production of GRPs had to wait another decade while the polymer industry developed suitable products.

GRPs come in a wide variety of formats based on many different polymer matrices and various glass fibres in a variety of layouts. Here though I will focus on a specific application - the wind turbine blades helping to fuel our country and whose development started in earnest in the ‘80s. On 10th May 2020, the UK electricity industry announced that it had not used a coal-fired power station for the previous month, the first time since the industrial revolution. Amazingly, schemes were even introduced to encourage more electricity usage so that green sources would not have to be turned off. While partly due to a 15% drop in power consumption due to Corona Virus, nevertheless the major impact of glass in a low carbon economy is clear, be it in solar power or wind turbines (providing >20% of the energy supplied, second only to Natural Gas).

The manufacturing process for glass reinforcement fibre mirrors that for other consumer glass products. Furnaces last up to 15 years but instead of using a premixed batch, pre-melted glasses in the

form of marbles enter the furnace. The molten glass passes through a carefully engineered, electrically heated, platinum alloy nozzle and emerges as a thin stream which is drawn into a fine fibre of diameter 15 ± 7μm using wind velocities of up to 300 km/hour. A modern bushing typically has 4000 nozzles. The fibres produced are combined into a single bundle (roving) before being made into a composite. To maintain their initial high strength a size must be applied to their surface for protection against damage; this is also designed to provide a strong bond between the glass fibre and the polymer into which it is later embedded. Part of the art is impregnating the fibre bundle without trapping air, and subsequently curing the initial monomer to a fully polymerised and set product, while avoiding the release into the atmosphere of damaging volatile organic molecules. Pre-impregnation, vacuum assisted impregnation and other infusion techniques all have played a role.

Theoretically a turbine blade cannot capture more than 16/27 of the wind’s kinetic energy but well-designed blades now achieve 70-80% of this. Power output rises as the wind speed cubed imposing a lower operational limit of 3-4m/s.

An upper limit (25m/s) arises from the potential for damage although clever blade design ensures that at high speeds stalling occurs, slowing rotation. The efficiency of turbines has improved dramatically through stepwise improvements in the blades, whose shape, size, mass, strength, stiffness and durability all matter.

Production times are also size dependent.

Blades over 100m in length are now made weighing up to 50 tonnes, 70% of which is glass. Such large turbines are extending power output towards 10MW but consider the centrifugal forces they generate!

Size is a minor factor in efficiency and

adding more blades gives limited benefit; nevertheless, longer blades reach higher into the atmosphere where wind speeds are greater and more consistent.

The last 30 years has seen dramatic changes in the technology for example the growth of offshore wind farms.

Another has been high strength, high elastic modulus glasses. Early reinforcement fibres were E glass, a material rich in boron. This low sodium glass has exceptional chemical durability but boron is expensive and a volatile pollutant. So composition development led to alternatives. Aluminosilicate glasses with an enhanced magnesium content have a higher Young’s modulus while retaining high strengths. Consequently, longer blades can be produced. There are alternatives to glass. Carbon fibres are lower in density and stronger but currently cost limits their application to high tech areas such as the aerospace industry and as mechanical stays inside the hollow wind turbine blades.

Turbine blades do not last for ever. While repair techniques have been developed typical operating lifetimes are 25 years and then an environmentally challenging disposal issue arises although they are landfill-safe. One expensive approach is anaerobic pyrolysis to decompose the polymeric component and separate the glass. Another is to repurpose them, for example, into injectable pellets for lower quality applications in construction.

Predictions are that wind will supply almost 30% of the world’s total energy needs by 2030; already turbines in Texas produce 30% of US electrical energy. �

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

60 Glass International July/August 2020

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