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April 2020—Vol.43 No.4

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A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

GLASS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

08/04/2020 10:24:40

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Contents

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

April 2020 Vol.43 No 4

Editor’s Comment + International news

10

Company profile: Saint-Gobain Glass UK Saint-Gobain UK benefits from Glass Forever campaign

14

Refractories: Rath Group Smooth production, optimal results

16

Company profile: Lup Colombia Boosting glass recycling in Colombia

19

Inspection: Iris Inspection Machines A platform for smart inspection in glass container production

23

Inspection: Glaston The growing role in process control and inspection

27

Inspection: Tiama Tiama’s Dip and Saddle measurement device

31

Inspection: Bucher Emhart Glass Same Family, Different Strengths

34

Inspection: Futronic More precise rejection at the hot end

37

Furnace inspection: Celsian How measurements will improve production and furnace lifetime

China National Association for Glass Industry

40

Inspection: Heye International Stoelzle benefits from starwheel series

United National Council of the glass industry (Steklosouz)

43

Forehearth: Forehearth Services Ltd The need for forehearth calibration

45

Batch: Sisecam A batch recipe to improve fiber glass production

49

History All’s well that ends well

50

Forming: IGR Cord stress and the analysis of homogeneity

Managing Director Tony Crinion tonycrinion@quartzltd.com

10

Chief Executive Officer: Steve Diprose Chairman: Paul Michael

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1 Glass International April 2020

Contents.indd 1

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International News

GREG MORRIS, EDITOR

NEWS IN BRIEF WWW.GLASS-INTERNATIONAL.COM

April 2020—Vol.43 No.4

Allied Glass invests in decoration spray line

SAINT-GOBAIN GLASS UK INSPECTION COLOMBIAN RECYCLING PLAN I N T E R N A T I O N A L

A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING

Glass International April 2020

FRONT COVER IMAGE: www.hornglass.com

GLASS PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY

Adapting to change

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It’s been quite a month since I wrote my last column. The impact of the Covid-19 crisis was just beginning to be felt and we were facing the unknown.

Since then, almost the entire world has had to adapt to the challenges faced by the crisis.

Many countries have gone into lockdown, working from home has become the normal for the majority and, sadly, many of us have lost loved ones.

Despite all this we have also seen the best of the human race.

Countless numbers have volunteered to donate their time to help health organisations and national celebrations such as Clap for Carers have become a weekly feature of our lives (with even a national TV channel in the UK pausing for a few minutes every Thursday to allow people to participate).

We may have surprised ourselves just at how well communities have come together so quickly during this adversity.

The glass industry has also played its part in the response to the crisis. Glass packagers have pivoted their business to help with the manufacturer of hand sanitisers, face masks and of healthcare equipment.

Thankfully, in many countries, glass manufacturing for food and beverages was deemed an essential industry.

It meant glass packagers have continued to manufacture essential products, albeit at a reduced scale and still with social distancing measures in place inside facilities.

GI Cover april.indd 1

08/04/2020 14:21:26

Be first with the news!

VISIT: www.glass-international.com for daily news updates

Revimac selected to supply Siam Glass’s Myanmar project Italy’s Revimac has been selected by Siam Glass to supply IS machines and feeders to a new glass plant in Myanmar.

The container glass plant is a joint venture between the Thai producer Osotspa, parent company of Siam Glass, and Myanmar’s Golden Eagle.

It will be located in Syriam and is scheduled to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2021 to serve the local market.

Revimac will supply four IS forming machines complete

with feeders.

Last year, Siam Glass selected Revimac as supplier of reconditioned section boxes for IS Machines installed in its plants in Thailand.

The complete project refers to the reconditioning of 46 sections that will renew five IS Machines.

The service of specialised Revimac personnel during the on-site installation and production start-up completed the scope of supply for this project.

Allied Glass has commissioned a high-speed automatic spraying line at its dedicated decoration facility.

The UK-based container glass manufacturer said the spraying line will be dedicated to the decoration of premium spirit bottles offering the ability to coat the glass with eco-friendly water-based sprays.

According to the glass packager, the line can spray the whole bottle, or only specific parts with one or more colours.

A range of gloss, matt, semi matt, opaque, translucent and clear lacquer paints are to be available.

Specific colours can be requested according to Pantone references, thus giving the possibility to achieve many different effects for premium spirit bottles.

British Glass urges continued recycling

British Glass has urged local authorities to continue the collection of household recycling during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It said there is a growing threat that valuable materials will be lost to landfill, as councils across the UK halt recycling collections during the pandemic.

Due to staff shortages, a number of local authorities have reduced their waste and recycling services, including recycling collections and closures of recycling sites during the coronavirus pandemic.

British Glass said that the glass packaging industry produces a product that is endlessly recyclable, and often uses recycled glass in the manufacturing process to produce new glass containers.

A fall in recycling will likely drive up the demand for carbon-intensive raw materials. The UK Government has named the waste sector and food and drink packaging manufacturers as ‘critical sectors’ during the pandemic.

2 Glass International April 2020

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Forglass batch plant at Saint-Gobain Isover

The world’s largest container glassmaker, O-I, has confirmed most of its production plants are operating despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

Glass packaging has been considered an essential element of the food and beverage chain in most countries and as a result most O-I plants are operating with minimal interruption.

Approximately 85-90% of its production capacity is operating without interruption.

It has temporarily curtailed some capacity in Europe and

Latin America to adapt to revised customer demand and comply with governmental public health decrees in certain countries.

It reported solid operating performance in Quarter One 2020. Total sales volume for the first quarter of 2020 (in tons) was down 0.8% from the same period last year.

Demand did decline from prior year levels by approximately 7% during the last two weeks of March, notably in Southern Europe and Latin America reflecting the impacts

of Covid-19.

Andres Lopez, O-I CEO, said: “While our business will be temporarily impacted by Covid-19, I am encouraged by our progress on various initiatives to improve operating performance. I am confident we will emerge stronger as current market headwinds abate.

“I am proud of how O-I employees have responded given the challenges imposed by Covid-19 and the speed and efficiency at which they are coordinating effective actions around the world.”

Verallia maintains production at all glass manufacturing sites Food glass packager Verallia has continued production at all its European sites during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The French-headquartered container glass manufacturer said it had adapted its production volumes and served its customers to the fullest extent

possible.

Its plants in northern Europe, Italy and Iberia have continued at a sustained level but its French and Latin American sites have been impacted due to a decline in demand and numbers of workforce available on site.

It said its employees had shown solidarity to the local communities where its production sites are located.

This includes donations of hospital equipment, hydroalcoholic gels, protective clothing or masks.

Glass Service celebrates 30th anniversary

The Czech Republic’s Glass Service celebrated its 30th anniversary on March 1.

Glass Service and its affiliated companies FlammaTec, FlammaTec Germany, F.I.C. (UK) Limited, F.I.C. Germany, Augmented Sensors and Systems (A-SENS) provide consulting and engineering services to the global glass industry.

GS is a provider of CFD modeling of furnaces, simulation software and glass defect analysis.

Bormioli Pharma completes acquisition

Italian pharmaceutical glass manufacturer Bormioli Pharma has completed the acquisition of GCL Pharma.

GCL Pharma is an Italian company that specialises in pharma closures.

“It’s a new and relevant step in the right direction along our growth path, allowing us to serve the pharma industry with energy and renewed resources,” Bormioli Pharma said.

GCL Pharma is based in Vasto, Chieti, Italy and recorded a turnover of €8 million in 2019.

The aggregate purchase price offered for the acquisition was €8.9 million.

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O-I: Most plants operating with minimal interruption amid Covid-19

Poland’s Forglass has recently completed a batch plant expansion project on behalf of glass wool production specialist, SaintGobain Isover.

The Isover plant in Chemillé, France was constructed 10 years ago and recently the company decided to expand its glass wool production by constructing a second furnace.

Calculations showed that the capacity of the batch plant was sufficient to supply both furnaces. An additional line for transporting the mixed batch to the new furnace, fully integrated with the client’s existing control system, was required.

3 Glass International April 2020

news april.indd 2

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International News

Libbey takes further cost- cutting measures Cleanfire® ThruPorte™ Burner 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

US tableware manufacturer Libbey has implemented further cost-cutting measures across its business as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The shutdown of production at its US glassmaking plants and retail stores has been extended into May. Operations at its Mexican manufacturing plant have also been reduced.

It has also temporarily furloughed a portion of its US manufacturing and distribution staff as well as implemented a pay reduction for its US and Canadian staff.

This includes a 25% base salary reduction for CEO

Michael Bauer, 20% base salary reductions for executive officers and other vice presidents, and 10% to 15% salary reductions for all other impacted associates.

Mr Bauer said: “We be-

lieve the actions today, in addition to the previously announced changes to our US operations, are necessary to help ensure the strength of our business over the long-term.”

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news april.indd 3

Saverglass continues to operate in North America French high end bottle maker Saverglass is still operating in three continents. It allows the company to locally manufacture, decorate and deliver glass bottles to their wine and spirits customers despite the novel coronavirus outbreak.

As of April 14, Saverglass

global facilities were running close to full capacity and are continuing to supply the beverage industry as demand increases.

Saverglass resumed normal operations after a temporary suspension of production in France.

In America, the facilities are operating at full

capacity. Its logistic organisations continue to function normally, including warehouses in California, Washington and Kentucky. Glass manufacturing is considered an essential business in the US as well as the state of Jalisco in México, where the Saverglass plant is located.

Sibelco recycling initative Sibelco and Mineris Environnement have created a joint venture for the collection and recycling of flat glass in France called Recyverre.

Recyverre, in turn, has completed the acquisition

of GIREV, a French recycler of flat glass. The combined entity will employ around 70 people.

The joint venture brings together Sibelco’s flat glass recycling capabilities at its site in Crouy in Aisne,

France with Mineris’s capabilities in flat glass collection and transportation.

Added to this will be GIREV’s plants in Châtenois, Vosges and Distroff, Moselle.

Glass International April 2020

20/04/2020 12:11:00

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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.

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

O-I Australia’s distribution centre nears completion

Construction is well underway at O-I’s distribution centre in Penrith, NSW, Australia.

The new purpose-built 50,000m2 distribution facility is being developed next to O-I’s existing production plant.

The world’s largest container glass manufacturer said the facility will help streamline O-I’s manufacturing and warehousing operations by creating greater efficiencies in its supply chain from production to distribution.

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Heinz-Glas provides details of fatal furnace fire in Dzialdowo

Heinz-Glas has provided details about the furnace fire at its Dzialdowo, Poland plant.

A fire broke out at the plant on March 11 after a furnace leak. Tragically an external employee died in the incident.

The exact location of the leak was near the furnace’s orifice. This caused a large leakage and the complete emptying of the whole furnace in a short time.

The leaked melted glass had an temperature of around 1000°C and, because of its rapid outflow, destroyed some of the surrounding equipment and installations.

The furnace was being maintained by specialists from an external company at the time of the breakdown.

Sadly one employee of the external firm died at the scene of the accident.

A further four employees from the external company were injured and taken to hospital. They are all on the road to recovery.

Heinz-Glas said: “The whole Heinz-Glas Group sympathises with the families, relatives and friends of the victims. We do our utmost to clarify the circumstances of this tragic accident and to limit its consequences to the minimum – for the victims, for the employees at the Polish site and also for our customers.”

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Covid-19: US glass manufcaturing deemed an essential industry Covid-19: Container glass staff saluted for their essential efforts Covid-19: French plants suspend production Covid-19: Glass manufacturers construct bottles for sanitiser use Covid-19: Saverglass suspends production for two weeks Heinz-Glas provides details of fatal furnace fire in Dzialdowo Covid-19: Libbey suspends production for two weeks at two plants Covid-19: Horn organises flight for staff in Mexico Covid-19: O-I -Most plants operating with minimal interruption Podcast: Interview with Stuart Hakes

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Covid-19: Horn organises flight for staff in Mexico German furnace and engineering group Horn organised a rescue flight to bring its staff back from a glass packaging plant in Mexico.

Its employees had been at the Sivesa container glass facility in Orizaba, east of Mexico City since February to set up and commission a glass melting plant. But after the local mayor in Orizaba declared a state of emergency after the number of corona cases increased rapidly, Horn reacted quickly to bring its staff home.

Most international airlines had discontinued flying to Mexico City so Horn brought back its employees on its own initiative.It organised a charter flight which flew back to Germany last Sunday, March 29. Horn said it had taken on the six-figure cost incurred for this.

Stefan Meindl, Horn Glass CEO and MD, said: “The top priority and attention is given without reservation to the safety of our employees, both at the headquarters in Plöss-

berg, on the customer’s premises as well as on the construction site.”

The commissioning of the glass melting plant at Sivesa is now being carried out in cooperation with the customer via a central control point in a specially created centre.

It means an expert team for commissioning is permanently connected to the customer online. Horn controls and monitors every operation carried out by the customer’s technical staff on site.

6 Glass International April 2020

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International News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Agr International opens sales office in Japan

Agr International has recognised a growth in demand for its quality management and process control equipment for plastic and glass containers in Asia.

This is evidenced by an ever expanding customer base in this region.

The establishment of an office in Japan, headed by Mr. Satoshi Okura, is intended to meet this demand with a direct sales and service operation centrally located in the region, using factorytrained Agr personnel.

Lahti delivers success in fibreglass sector

The Finnish subsidiary of Zippe, Lahti Glass Technology (LGT) received a strong amount of fibreglass glass orders in 2019.

The fibreglass technology orders were from Russia, South Korea, Turkey and Czech Republic and Lahti is currently working for orders to USA and Taiwan.

The current project in Taiwan will produce special fibreglass used in electronic circuit boards. The delivery contains a complete engineering package for the building, all process equipment and the control system. The plant will start production in 2021.

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FlammaTec develops carbon-free burner

FlammaTec has developed a hydrogen carbon-free burner as a response to environmental challenges to reduce its CO2 footprint.

A joint team of German and Czech FlammaTec engineers together with the Glass Service simulation department has developed a new generation FlammaTec hydrogen/oxygen carbon-free burner.

The burner design project required extensive computer simulation and engineering work.

This was followed by a test at a high temperature combustion facility.

South Korean glassmaker signs deal with Air Products Oxy-fuel combustion technology supplier Air Products has signed a contract with South Korean glassmaker Techpack Solutions.

It is Air Products’ third project to support the glassmaker to convert its furnace from air-fuel to oxy-fuel.

When the project comes onstream, Air Products will supply the oxygen and combustion systems required by Teckpack Solutions at its manufacturing complex.

The integrated solution encompasses Air Products’ oxy-fuel combustion system, including Cleanfire HR oxy-fuel burners and an automatic flow control skid, as well as a PRISM vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) oxygen generator to supply on-site oxygen, used to power the oxy-fuel burners for melting glass.

According to Air Products, the Cleanfire HRx oxy-fuel burner enables glass manufacturers to control both the

magnitude and location of oxygen staging up to 95% of the combustion oxygen.

Young-Min Kim, technical team general manager of Techpack Solutions, said: “With Air Products’ support, we have successfully converted two furnaces from air-fuel to oxy-fuel combustion and achieved remarkable improvements in NOx emission reductions, energy efficiency and productivity.”

Nampak concludes glass sale South African container glass manufacturer Nampak has completed the disposal of its glass business.

It has previously said it would use the proceeds of the sale of reduce its debt.

“The proceeds were received in cash on 31 March 2020,” the company said in an update to shareholders.

Nampak announced its in-

tention to sell Nampak Glass - which manufactures beer, spirit and wine, water and juice bottles, as well as food jars - in September 2019, with Isanti Glass 1 named as the buyer for about R1.5 billion ($80.5 million).

The sale was earmarked to reduce its debt levels. Nampak previously said the payment would consist of R992 million

($53.1 million) for the property, plant and equipment of Nampak glass, plus the value attributable to the agreed levels of net working capital of the business at the closing date, which is estimated to be R500 million ($26.8 million).

The sale of the glass business to Isanti Glass 1 was approved by the South African Competition Tribunal in February.

UNESCO backs Year of Glass 2022 A proposed UN Year of Glass in 2022 has moved a step closer after it received support from UNESCO. A joint presentation was given by Members of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) and the International

Year of Basic Science (IYBSSD) to UNESCO last week.

The aim was to have both proposals working on common outcomes.

As the science arm of the UN, UNESCO should be involved and could provide val-

uable assistance to an international year of glass (IYG2022).

Alicia Duran, President of the ICG, said: “The support is great news and brings the confirmation of the IYOG2022 much closer.”

Travel bans don’t stop SmartMelter In response to recent Covid-19 restrictions, PaneraTech has developed a virtual training programme so that new customers can still perform inspections with the help of a dedicated engineer in a con-

venient time zone.

Because the equipment is intuitive, short training equips plant staff to perform all measurements.

“We are hearing from manufacturers that that supply

chain issues and travel restrictions are causing disruption to their repair schedule.

“In some countries, the necessary repair skills aren’t available locally,” said Yakup Bayram, CEO of PaneraTech.

8 Glass International April 2020

news april.indd 6

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WE ARE GLASS PEOPLE

NEXT LEVEL INSPECTION

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Company profile: Saint-Gobain Glass UK

Saint-Gobain UK benefits from Glass Forever campaign

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F

loat glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain Glass UK creates an estimated 200,000 tonnes of glass per year for use in the UK and Ireland.

The Glass Forever scheme was recently extended to include post consumer glass. The initiative included a number of new innovations, one of which was to include a new processing machine to crush and reuse glass from construction projects and help the company become ‘net zero by 2050’.

The initiative has helped the organisation increase its cullet ratio at its Eggborough plant to more than 40%.

The Glass Forever programme won the Sustainable Practice award at the British Glass Focus award ceremony in November.

Steve Severs, Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Glass UK and current President of British Glass said that the award win was a ‘nice consequence and a good recognition for the people who had worked on the programme’.

Saint-Gobain Glass UK became the first company in the flat glass sector to collect and use bulk cullet in 2000. Despite initial success in reusing the glass, it became more difficult to return the postconsumer cullet back to its Eggborough plant.

The Glass Forever initiative was a core corporate principle for the company and the crushing machine was developed to reduce energy consumption as recycled glass creates less CO2.

According to statistics produced by Glass for Europe, the European flat glass association, 26% of the raw materials that goes into European flat glass furnaces is cullet.

� An aerial view of the Saint-Gobain Glass UK Eggborough plant.

� The glass crushing machine is part of the ‘Glass Forever’ programme which helps the company use more recycled glass.

Melting cullet is better for the environment as less energy is required meaning less CO2 is emitted.

Cullet also replaces some ingredients that naturally contains carbon, such as limestone (CaCO3) and those materials release carbon dioxide when they are melted in the furnace while cullet does not.

Using one tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material, including 850kg of sand; reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 300kg.

Mirrored, lacquered and coated glass can all be returned and used in the manufacturing process via the Glass Forever scheme, and if the cullet doesn’t pass the Saint-Gobain screening procedure, provisions would be made for it to be recycled elsewhere via a third party.

Mr Severs explained that out of the 30 Saint-

10 Glass International April 2020

Company profile Steve S Saint Gobain.indd 1

07/04/2020 14:33:16

Company profile: Saint-Gobain Glass UK

Saint-Gobain Glass UK has developed an award-winning scheme which has boosted the amount of cullet used in float glass production. George Lewis spoke to its Managing Director and current British Glass President Steve Severs.

Continued>>

� Steve Severs has been Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Glass UK since 2013.

www.glass-international.com

Gobain float glass plants around the world, the Eggborough, UK plant, which manufactures all types of glass for construction, home improvement and commercial projects, uses more cullet than any other and has doubled the amount of cullet received than the plant was designed for since Glass Forever started.

Mr Severs has been Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Glass UK since 2013 and has worked for the company since 2003 after a previous career in the steel industry.

He worked his way up from a Coater Manager to the Plant Manager at the Eggborough plant before being appointed Managing Director.

He was elected President of British Glass in 2019 and during this time has had valuable conversations with manufacturers from other parts of the glass industry in order to positively improve the sector.

Mr Severs said that having seen the work from other glass sectors ‘we can learn from each other’.

He said: “Innovation isn’t just new products – it can be doing things differently, the way certain aspects are managed.

11

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07/04/2020 14:33:32

Company profile: Saint-Gobain Glass UK

� The plant creates approximately 200,000 tonnes of float glass every year.

Glass Forever is a scheme formally initiated by SaintGobain Glass UK in 2017 to use 50% cullet in the manufacture of glass by 2025. Reducing carbon has been a coordinated approach by the company since www.glass-international.com

the Eggborough plant was developed in 2000.

Saint-Gobain Glass UK aims to help its customers by providing cullet collection bags for projects, large volume cullet collection and the glass cullet crushing machine created by the company.

“It can also be about providing services or by introducing new products to market.”

Innovation is something Saint-Gobain is no stranger to, and Glass Forever is proof. The initiative is understood by the leadership roles at the company, and is filtered down the line with members of staff in both marketing and customer interaction departments also keen to promote it.

Saint-Gobain is also keen to ‘support local community development’ and partnered with Morley Glass & Glazing, based in Morley near Leeds, UK, to use its machine to increase the amount of cullet returned and thus reused.

Morley Glass & Glazing offered its 50,000ft2 manufacturing space to serve as a collection centre for post-consumer glass. As a result, Morley Glass & Glazing employed one new member of staff to manage the scheme.

Ian Short, Managing Director at Morley Glass & Glazing said: “We already send our waste glass from the factory to Saint-Gobain Glass in Eggborough to become cullet and be used in the production of new float glass.

“Now we are offering our customers the opportunity to return their post-consumer glass to us for recycling free of charge.”

Post-consumer glass is glass that has been taken out of old windows from construction projects, which has reached the end of its life.

Mr Severs said that Morley ‘was a good fit’ and there was a great untapped amount of postconsumer cullet that could be used.

This cullet currently ends up either in landfill, scrappage or in low-grade applications such as a material used in paint.

The majority of the 56,000 tonnes of waste glass returned every year comes from the manufacturing process (pre-consumed glass) rather than glass that has been utilised in end products.

Along with Morley, Saint-Gobain Glass UK has also partnered with another customer in Derw Glass in South Wales, which also owns one of the glass cutting machines.

Sustainability and reducing carbon emissions is a constant pressure. Saint-Gobain Glass UK forecasts more laminated glass being manufactured across the whole sector and the possibility of triple glazed windows becoming the norm for most domestic and commercial projects in future.

Along with the continuation of the Glass Forever programme, Saint-Gobain Glass UK has various other projects both large and small due to take place.

This includes the construction of a new furnace in the next two years, which will be the company’s most energy efficient. �

*Managing Director, Saint-Gobain Glass UK, Eggborough. https://uk.saint-gobain-building-glass.com/

12 Glass International April 2020

Company profile Steve S Saint Gobain.indd 3

07/04/2020 14:33:33

COUNTLESS IMPROVEMENTS FOR O N E T H I N G T H AT R E A L LY C O U N T S .

ULRICH IMHOF (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR)

25 % CO2 REDUCTION

With our experience we are constantly improving the efficiency of our Container and Special Glass furnaces. Today, we are up to 25 % CO2 and 35 % NOx reduction (compared to previous furnace campaigns).

Besides these environmental advantages, our technologies help our customers to reach a more efficient production process saving up to 20 % energy.

New Hybrid Furnace Technologies will satisfy the future‘s requirements.

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Refractories

Smooth production, optimal results Róbert Nusszer* discusses the advantages of Rath Group’s acquisition of Bucher Emhart Glass’ refractory division.

I

n 2019 Rath, a specialist in refractory technology, acquired the Bucher Emhart Glass production facility in Owensville (USA), which produces refractory materials for the container glass industry.

With this acquisition Rath enhanced its service and product portfolio and is now the original equipment manufacturer for original Emhart feeder refractory parts.

More than 100 years ago, Bucher Emhart developed the basic method and equipment for the feeder systems that have been in use until recently.

Since then, the feeders changed, but the fundamentals remain the same. Rath now owns the original drawings, the original refractory production methods and the production technology. The new refractory system, called Rath Emhart Glass System, combines the advantages and expertise of both companies. The spout’s design and characteristics have not changed and a bright future beckons, given Rath‘s research, development and

engineering background.

Refractory spouts funnel the molten glass to the orifice ring in order to form the gob. They are joined to the tube so that the flow of glass can be stopped when the orifice ring is replaced. The spout is a critical component of the glass feeder system. One of the highlights of Rath’s products are feeder spouts with special inserts, which have a longer service life and reduce downtime in production due to the lower number of the spout changes.

Most traditional refractory spouts last for approximately one year. As the glass pours through the throat, the refractory is eventually eroded away to the point that the tube is no longer able to sit properly on the spout bottom surface and the flow of glass can no longer be stemmed.

The best way to address this issue and to increase the service life of the spout is to use a high-quality refractory that has a higher resistance to constant erosion.

Advanced manufacturing process developments have been implemented

for spout bowls to meet the stringent demands of the glass container forming process.

Rath Group 333, 315, and 301 are bonded AZS (zircon-mullite) materials containing various percentages of ZrO2. They are produced at high firing temperatures, resulting in improved density and a highly corrosion-resistant matrix.

The inserted refractory spout service life is two to three times longer than the standard 315 or 301 body without insert. The result is reduced downtime in production due to less frequent spout changes.

All standard Rath Group spouts and metering spouts are available with chrome oxide or fused AZS inserts. �

*Head of Global Business Unit Glass, Rath Group E: robert.nusszer@rath-group.com www.rath-group.com/

� Fig 1 The inserted spouts are sensitive to thermal shock, so they have to be heated up very gradually.

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TRADITION ADVANCED Leading Refractory Concepts for Crystal Clear Results

Regenerator

Melting End

Working End

Forehearth

Feeder

Hot Gas Filtration

As a worldwide active producer and provider of high quality refractories, we offer you our comprehensive product range for the glass industrial applications. Covering your complete process chain for crystal clear results, we deliver refractory and insulating materials for regenerator chambers, furnaces, distributors, forehearths, and the original Emhart Glass System for feeder expendables.

www.rath-group.com/glass

Company profile: Lup Colombia

Boosting glass recycling in Colombia

Two entrepreneurs have plans to open the first glass-only recycling plant in Colombia early next year. George Lewis spoke to the engineers-turned businesswomen about their project.

I

n an idyllic coastal city on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, two environmental entrepreneurs have been working hard to help boost glass recycling in Colombia.

Business partners Caitlin Oliver and Benedicte Faure met in the Colombian port of Cartagena two and a half years ago while working as volunteers on an environmental project.

They saw that not enough glass was being recycled locally so decided to do something about it.

They formulated a plan which would help reduce the amount of glass going to waste and while also promoting a circular economy in the South American country.

www.glass-international.com

Recycling plant They formed the company Lup Colombia last year. Its vision is to ‘drive the circular economy in Colombia and Latin America by finding profitable and sustainable uses for discarded materials, nurturing social entrepreneurship and creating positive impact for local communities’.

They aim to do this by opening their own glass recycling plant in January next year, which will recycle container and flat glass. The plan is for the plant to process approximately six tonnes of glass per hour.

The recycled glass will be at first used as an additive in the manufacturing of concrete, which would then be used on such things as water filtration bricks.

But should the amount of glass being recycled

� Benedicte Faure(left) and Caitlin Oliver (R) first met on a non-for-profit project in Cartagena.

increase in the future, it is hoped the glass could be used in other means such as being reused in glass bottles or new construction projects in the country.

Environment Ms Oliver, an environmental engineer from Toronto, Canada and Ms Faure, a materials engineer from Paris, France, first met while on a not-for-profit project co-founded by Ms Oliver in Cartagena.

The project focused on composting, gardening, and recycling activities, which included a small glass recycling initiative. It was here that the pair saw a need for an industrial scale solution for glass recycling infrastructure in Cartagena.

Ms Oliver said: “I’ve always been interested in the environment from a young age. My dad would always take my sister and I out and we were always outdoors, which gave me an appreciation of nature.

“Then before university I worked in a bio-diesel factory. I was mesmerised by taking something that people considered waste and converting it into something of value. That’s why I did engineering and fell in love with waste.”

As a prime tourist spot in Colombia and home to nearly a million people, Ms Oliver and Ms Faure saw the mass amount of consumer waste ending up on the Caribbean coast or in the sea.

Colombia does not have a proper recycling process in the country due to the fact that it has many islands meaning transportation of any waste

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is difficult.

Even when materials were recycled, glass was largely ignored and ended up in landfill or in the sea.

Along with a poor recycling process, all the sorting of waste has to be done by hand, which increases the chance of injury for workers.

� Lup Colombia has partnered with local collectors to stockpile glass ready for collection.

� Lup’s glass recycling plant will look similar to

Ms Oliver and Ms Faure believe there is a better understanding from citizens and businesses of the importance of sustainability and the resulting economic opportunities.

Ms Oliver and Ms Faure have spent the last year performing market research and analysing the existing life cycle of glass in Colombia and South America as a whole.

They discovered that the nearest glass recycling plant to Cartagena is more than 650 miles away in the capital Bogota, which is owned by OwensIllinois (O-I). By being so far away, it means that very little waste from the north of the country is currently recycled.

It is the first time either of the pair has set up a company but Ms Oliver said she was not daunted by the prospect of running a business.

“To me I’ve always wanted to be a social entrepreneur, it was just a matter of finding the right business partner and right situation.

There’s a million challenges. But when you go to a different country and learn a different language and different culture there’s already challenges and we have taken them as they come.”

She added it was important to have the right business partner when starting a company.

The pair have the same values and are pragmatic in their approach. The environmental and social impacts are considered before any decision is made by the company.

Krysteline’s GPK300SP Sand Production Plant.

There is already a large network of experienced waste collectors in Cartagena and active environmental organisations that are pushing for reform. These waste collectors have already stockpiled large amounts of glass ready for the new plant.

Ms Oliver and Ms Faure have set up partnerships with these companies to have the right processes and have vehicles pick up enough glass to be recycled at the new facility.

There is a drive, driven by Colombian consumers, for a national circular economy strategy. Proposed environmental protection legislation has been discussed in the higher echelons of the Colombian government.

While it is a positive step, it may take time to fully come to fruition.

Currently, residents of Cartagena can drop waste off at five pickup points around the town, while some residents can have their waste picked up from outside their house.

Distributor agreement Earlier this year, Lup confirmed a distributor agreement with Krysteline Technologies to sell and distribute its glass processing technologies exclusively in Colombia.

Ms Oliver said that ‘Krysteline Technologies’ glass processing technology enables us to effectively manage glass waste in Colombia and create value-add products for our clients.’

She added: “In addition, their knowledge of the complexities of recycling system design has proven invaluable.”

She said that Lup Colombia looks forward to working with Krysteline Technologies in order to promote low CO2 products and drive sustainable glass recycling solutions throughout Colombia.

With government guidelines and the requirement for more glass recycling in the country, the future is clear for Lup. They would like to grow the business within Cartagena, before expanding the recycling process across the rest of Colombia.

Ms Oliver said they want to promote that ‘waste management can be a “sexy” industry to work in and it has its benefits to both the worker and the planet’. �

*Co-Founders, Lup Colombia Cartagena, Colombia www.lupcolombia.com/

www.glass-international.com

a

Company profile: Lup Colombia

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Inspection

A platform for smart inspection in glass container production In response to the international glass container industry’s acceptance and adoption of ‘smart’ manufacturing practises, Iris Inspection machines has expanded its NEO range of smart inspection solutions. According to Jean-Luc Logel*, this latest generation defect detection technology propels the company’s brand into the next era of smart machines. � NEO series :

C

reated in consultation with key customers, the latest NEO technology goes beyond the conventional boundaries associated with specialist inspection machines, delivering a comprehensive offering to face the challenges presented by the smart factory.

The NEO series heralds the arrival of a new era, where glass inspection is not only sustained by machines but also by accurate data and the ability to comprehend, compute and connect it.

This is the result of many years of dedicated research and development to realise even better productivity results, while also reducing dependence on human intervention. The Iris team has created an approach that relates to defect identification, as well as the creation

of statistics by defect type. Local trend analyses are produced on the machine, with information presented in a userfriendly format.

Intelligent defect recognition NEO Intelligence is based on an approach that relates to intelligent defect recognition and sits at the core of Evolution non-contact glass container inspection equipment.

The latest Evolution NEO series marks an important break with other glass inspection machines, bringing the concept of the smart factory closer.

NEO eXperience is the NEO dashboard, designed to assist glassmakers to understand the causes of defects, to simplify the adjustment of settings and to

reduce false rejection rates.

While operators need accurate data and images that show a defect, managers require a relevant overview for decisionmaking purposes. Consequently, the inspection data created is available not only on the machine itself but remotely on such devices as laptops and smartphones, for plant managers to monitor performance and initiate changes where necessary. Featuring advanced statistical tools, the equipment allows operators to follow rejection rates per defect type and immediately to bring their attention to the most significant information analysed by the machine.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

latest generation defect detection technology.

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Inspection

� Evolution NEO machines : smart inspection machines.

� NEO eXperience: NEO dashboard, designed for glassmakers. � NEO Intelligence : core of Evolution NEO machines.

Repeatability of settings is an important advantage. Traditionally, every time a production change is initiated, it has been necessary for the operator to adjust all parameters for the new article, set the inspection zones etc. R&D engineers at Iris have been working on this issue to reduce the time required for adjustments.

With Evolution NEO, a library of settings is available for faster, precise and repeatable adjustments.

In addition, defect images are available to hot end personnel, providing the ability to share critical defect characteristics and defect images in real-time, alerting IS machine operators to instances of critical defect detection. Importantly, the technology is compatible with all standards of communication.

Furthermore, the alerts received from the equipment can also be consulted on the dashboard.

business and the R&D Department is constantly investigating the latest advances in technology to keep its machines at the forefront of innovation.

However, the Industry 4.0 revolution is not only about technology and digitalisation. It also concerns people, skills and their relationship. It is another way to work, from product-centric to customer centric.

With respect to Industry 4.0 and other potential technological advances, Iris Inspection machines continues to work closely with its customers, understanding their daily tasks, identifying which functions are unnecessarily timeconsuming and helping them to save time and money.

Industry 4.0 focus

The smart factory is only attractive if it is cross-functional, connecting IT and OT, from business processes to smart machines. However, proprietary solutions are constantly emerging.

Under these proprietary models, containing Artificial Intelligence or IIOT, data collected and analysed may need proprietary software to be read reliably. Unlike an open format, the description of the format may be confidential or unpublished and can be changed by the company at any time. Proprietary software usually reads and saves data in its own proprietary format. There can be no assurances for the glassmaker that the company’s data will be

Industry 4.0 is no longer something for the future. It is already a part of everyday

Open format

compatible with the rest of its systems, nor will it be readable in the future.

NEO intelligence uses an open format only. The structure is set out in agreed standards, overseen and published by an expert body. A file in an open format enjoys the guarantee that it can be read correctly by a range of different software programmes or used to pass information between them. Data created

by NEO Intelligence, including defect category, characteristics or images, is fully compatible with the information system.

The NEO range is in line with this global compatibility approach.

Widespread acceptance The NEO series of inspection solutions has already received widespread glass industry acceptance, generating multiple orders, in particular from European and Latin American glass packaging producers.

Already, 510 machines are running NEO software throughout the world, with excellent customer feedback generated for the defect approach adopted. �

*Chief Executive Officer at IRIS Inspection machines, Bron, France www.iris-im.com

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TRADITION ADVANCED Leading Refractory Concepts for Crystal Clear Results

Regenerator

Melting End

Working End

Forehearth

Feeder

Hot Gas Filtration

As a worldwide active producer and provider of high quality refractories, we offer you our comprehensive product range for the glass industrial applications. Covering your complete process chain for crystal clear results, we deliver refractory and insulating materials for regenerator chambers, furnaces, distributors, forehearths, and the original Emhart Glass System for feeder expendables.

www.rath-group.com/glass

As the glass industry looks forward to more sustainable melting, SORG is looking back.

Half a century ago to be precise, when we patented the first all-electric VSMŽ furnace. While everyone else catches up, we’re still leading the way with bright ideas. And with the need to reduce emissions more important than ever, the time to get switched on is now.

Find out more at sorg.de

Inspection

The growing role of process control and inspection Digitalisation has brought more possibilities the glass manufacturing process by enabling all objects to connect with one another. These systems will help enable improved quality and business results, says Glaston.

T

he glass processing industry lags behind many others in terms of embracing process control and inspection technology as an inherent part of the total process. So far, processors have been able to rely on their own experience and expertise to provide the quality of glass required by the market. But now, requirements are rapidly changing. Just as in the fast-moving consumer electronics industry, people simply expect more. And glass processors need to be able to respond.

Digitalisation brings more possibilities to

process control by enabling all objects to connect to each other. Big data, artificial intelligence (AI) solutions using machine learning and neural network algorithms are here to create automated and intelligent processing lines that would serve customer needs.

Quality requirements for glass are getting stricter all the time.

Simultaneously, the market is becoming keenly aware of energy consumption, green thinking and sustainable glass products. These factors are forcing glass

processors to rethink how they can provide glass that meets market demands.

Particularly now that more complex glass coatings are being required and size of glass needed is growing, relying on old methods of quality assurance is no longer sufficient. Glass processors need new ways to control the heat more precisely in the tempering and laminating processes to produce facades that architects and end customers’ desire.

Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

ďż˝ Glaston Insight iControl.

ďż˝ Glaston Siru App.

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Inspection

Optimising quality Another driver is the fierce competition in the glass industry. As glass processors are not able to determine the price of glass since it is regarded a commodity product, one way to get ahead is to provide better quality or reduce operational costs. By optimising the best mix of these two factors, glass processors can break away from the rest of the pack and add more profit to their bottom line.

Process control and inspection systems allow glass processors to optimize this mix. They guarantee a higher quality end product, plus enable processors to cut back on operational costs through lower energy consumption, better batch quality control and less rework. Either way, they provide plenty of opportunities to move ahead.

Choosing the right system Choosing the right process control or inspection system depends on a processor’s long-term objectives. It can be a simple upgrade or control system replacement – or then one of the latest automated inspection systems with all the bells and whistles.

Older machines can easily benefit from a quick process control upgrade.

The newer systems are easier to use, offer more precise process control and produce better glass quality.

For a more automated option, new automation systems feature profiling and more sophisticated control. Operators can record more data from the machine, such as history data, that enables them to have a better understanding of the tempering process as well as better optimisation that cuts operational costs and boosts quality.

Glaston Insight iControL automation system is customisable according to needs. It is the only one available that enables future automation technology upgrades so processors can enhance their process in terms of energy savings, quality control, capacity increase, capability and extensive reporting.

Consistency When it comes to inspection technology, processors can choose between affordable infrared scanners that help operators control the furnace better or more sophisticated inspection technology systems.

Today, 80% of all new furnaces come with infrared scanners. These scan each glass from the furnace to the chiller,

� Glaston iLooK.

measuring temperature and ensuring proper temperature profiles. Pyrometers measured only one spot, but not the whole load. Now, modern infrared scanners give operators a clear view of the entire load.

Glass experts with years of experience can provide consultation on the scanner results. Operators just need to send the images to these consultants who will then interpret the results. Also, in today’s world we can teach AI to do this assistance for operators during tempering process.

More advanced inspection systems, such as Glaston iLooK, measure optical distortions along with many other special parameters. Laminated glass especially requires a consistent quality across each sheet that will be bond together.

AI automates the glass fragmentation test The tempered glass fragmentation test gives good insight into the quality of the tempering process. Fragmentation analysis is a proven way to confirm the safety level of glass. In essence, when thermally strengthened glass fractures into smaller pieces, it is less dangerous.

Depending on the glass thickness, several standards define the maximum size of fragments required for safety.

Historically, fragmentation analysis has always been an integral part of the tempering process in which the operator manually counts cullet from the test piece. The manual process is slow, tedious and prone to human errors. And, if glass is being tempered continuously, the test must be performed once every hour or every time the product changes. This easily affects the productivity of the entire organisation.

The Glaston Siru application is the latest assistant in glass fragmentation analysis today. Initiated by a group of coders,

Siru is a perfect example of building collaboration in the glass business.

Siru was officially launched during the Glass Performance Days conference in June 2019 for Android and iOS devices.

The development process revealed that a smartphone is more suitable for the task than a human examiner. Mobile integration enables the fragmentation test to be made more flexibly and accurately, faster – and cheaper.

Siru is capable of precisely determining the 50 x 50 mm segment and counting the fragments from an image exactly as defined by the EN in just around three seconds. If glass thickness is specified, Siru can also measure the weight and length of each cullet as defined by the ANSI standard. So, operators get results – and overall productivity increases.

Fast-forward to the future Trends in process control and inspection systems call for an increasing level of ease and usability. Glaston’s solutions are easy to use, even if an operator has never tempered glass before. With process control, the aim is to build in more sensors and precise adjustments but hidden from the user. So, large tempering furnaces will become smarter and more multifunctional, just like the consumer electronics we all use daily.

Just consider the huge transformations in consumer electronics today. These are happening to meet changing expectations of consumers. Similarly, these same changes will transition over to the systems used in processing glass, making smooth operations, end quality and business results more easily attainable. �

Glaston, Tampere, Finland www.glaston.net

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FIC SGT advert 2020 AW_FIC-Society advert 2019 27/01/2020 16:29 Page 1

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It is a non-profit making organisation serving a worldwide membership publishing journals and text books, organising meetings and conferences on glass related topics.

You can now join the SGT by going to www.sgt.org and selecting your journal choice and appropriate package. You will also be able to see the comprehensive history and activities of the society.

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Predict the future by really knowing the past

Traceability Imagine being able not only to trace every individual bottle to its origin but also to know everything about it, allowing you to produce the best container possible. Well, with YOUniverse you can, thanks to yet another powerful tool for you to prepare for Smart Factory.

With Tiama‘ Traceability systems you can store and recall all the (big) data via a datamatrix code: company, plant and line codes; production day, hour, minute and second; section and cavity numbers; defects and fixes on faulty bottles; and much, much more.

One could call it the unique DNA and history of every container.

And the best part is, you can offer your customers and their customers a multi-value tool: great for marketing and research, effective as an anti-counterfeit tracking tool and efficient for cost reduction because resorting & recalls can be minimised.

For more information visit youniverse.tiama.com.

Data – the deciding factor

Inspection

Tiama’s Dip and Saddle measurement device Pascal Leroux* discusses a new feature for a 3D characterisation of the container finish surface. � DSM operating principle. the finish, the mechanical spare parts wear out involving maintenance costs and downtime. Plus, the concept of mechanical measurement presents precision limitations and the accuracy of the initial mechanical settings are directly linked to the operator’s level of expertise.

Therefore, Tiama’s challenge was to develop and offer a new in line, noncontact system able to provide an alternative solution with improved performances. The company then decided to launch the DSM, a non-contact, nonrotating, optical system with high speed analysis for the measurement of uneven surfaces of the containers finish.

Operating principle With a dedicated, patent pending light source, integrating optical mirrors produced by partners from the space

industry, and highly defined cameras with five million pixels, the finish surface has never been more precisely characterised.

While other solutions on the market combine several 2D views with matrix cameras, not found to be precise enough to guarantee a good repeatability of measurements, the Tiama system, with its high resolution images and optical principle, can give precise 3D mapping of the container ring surface that can be used to assess the quality of the container’s finish and establish the measurements of: � Dip defects (lack of material of the finish surface) up to 150µm (± 15 µm) � Saddle defects (Double and symmetrical distortion of the finish surface) up to 350µm (± 50 µm) � Off level finish (Slope on the finish surface) up to 1mm (± 200 µm) Continued>>

www.glass-international.com

F

or many years, Tiama has worked as a pioneer in the digitalisation of the glass industry.

In particular its aim was to reduce the handling of articles and gradually give up control devices that only give basic good bottle/bad bottle information and move towards ones that deliver real measurements.

These measurements are fundamental to the approach of industry 4.0. In addition to being more relevant in the discrimination of defective articles and optimising productivity, the measures allow to detect process deviations and act by anticipation in order to ultimately, regulate automatically the glass process by multiplying closed loops.

In the past two decades, Tiama was at the origin of some major breakthroughs in the glass inspection industry. The NCT+ which was a non-contact thickness system, has revolutionised this type of control and helped glassmakers decrease the weight of their articles. The NCG, launched more recently, can also be highlighted for ring and neck diameters.

In 2017 Tiama launched the WEM Wire Edge Measurement- providing the possibility to measure the containers finish inner protrusions.

With the Dip and Saddle Measurement (DSM) Tiama is once again proving its inventiveness and proposing to its customers a major new step forward that will allow them to optimise the approach of this critical defect, especially in the production of jars.

Finding an alternative solution Currently, the Dip and Saddle defects are detected by carousel machines, using mechanical tools in contact with the containers. These types of systems, although useful, have disadvantages.

Due to continuous metal contact with

� 3D modelisation of Dip defect.

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Inspection

� Height Defects (± 200 µm) The DSM can be used to inspect all articles ring, and especially jars up to 110mm finish diameters. It is effective on all glass colours and can inspect up to 400 bottles per minute, as a new feature for MULTI4 machines or as a standalone solution.

In addition to the fact that it is an optical system which offers faster inspection and less maintenance costs than a mechanical system, the DSM has many other advantages. Its precision of defect measurements and its repeatability makes it a reliable system by eliminating the risk of false rejects and therefore both level of quality and productivity are improved.

The system uses powerful electronics of MULTI4 and correlation of the measurement with the cavity number. Its set up interface has been thought to be ergonomic and user friendly so that the final users could easily appropriate it.

The DSM has also been designed, just like the WEM, to be easy to setup. The operator only needs a few seconds to adjust it and its auto learning capacity of the reference image allows it to improve its measurements precision.

� 3D modelisation of Off level finish.

� Saddle measurement.

Towards a Smart Factory With sensors displayed at the hot end and at the cold end in its different machines, Tiama is able to provide valuable data such as images or different types of measures. Thanks to a datamatrix code

� Dip measurement.

� Multi4 base finish detection.

engraved at the hot end, all these data can then be associated to a single container.

Tiama’s five range of expertise: Monitoring, Inspection Traceability, Intelligence and service are all very important to build the Smart Factory

concept YOUniverse so that the company can have a better view of the process to work on a global efficiency process improvement. �

*Market Manager, Tiama, France www.tiama.com

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GLASS SERVICE

A Division of Glass Service

Same family.

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Symplex

Flexibility through manual adjustments

Convenience through automated settings

• Modular inspections • Precise optics settings • Highly configurable

• Touch free optics • Motorized belt handler adjustment • Motorized optical adjustment

No two glass container factories are alike. That is why we offer two different vision inspection solutions. Both feature SCOUT and are End to End ready. Both are easy to integrate, adjust and quickly job change. Whether you prefer the precise adjustability of FleXinspect or the automation of Symplex – the choice is yours.

For more information about our Inspection machines go to www.emhartglass.com/products/container-inspection

Inspection

Same Family, Different Strengths Mike Rentschler* highlights the benefits of Bucher Emhart Glass’s recent acquisition of Symplex Vision Systems.

W

hen Bucher Emhart Glass (BEG) acquired Symplex Vision Systems, many people in the glass industry asked, ‘Why would Bucher Emhart Glass acquire Symplex?’ While those in the industry who were more familiar with the products offered by Symplex asked, ‘What will BEG do with Symplex?’

Although it has only been a few months since the acquisition, BEG and Symplex have accomplished a smooth integration of the newly acquired Symplex organisation into the Bucher Emhart Glass family. Now that the internal logistics are under control, it is time to face outward and answer some of the questions the industry had.

For those who asked “Why would BEG acquire Symplex?” the answer is simple. It developed great machines! Adding great machines into the already strong BEG inspection portfolio, only strengthens the product offering to market. It is a win-win for everyone. The acquisition also broadens BEG’s already significant expertise in vision inspection of glass containers.

� The Symplex B machine.

The actions taken since the acquisition should help answer the question, “What will BEG do with Symplex?”

After changing the name of the company to Emhart Vision GmbH, the manufacturing facility was relocated to a larger 2500m2 site in Planegg, Germany, near Munich.

This larger facility allows us to increase the output capacity to help meet the growing demand for the Symplex inspection products. As part of the BEG family, the inspection products formally known as the Chili BS and the Chili SW were renamed to the SympleX B and SympleX C machines to better fit into the BEG portfolio. This also helps to maintain a link to their origins. Under direction and guidance of BEG, the inspection portfolio products will continue to exist and evolve to meet the changing needs of the glass industry.

Bucher Emhart Glass understands that no two glass plants are alike. This is why we now offer two vision inspection solutions to the market. Both feature SCOUT and both are End to End ready.

Continued>>

� The FleXinspect series provides operators with flexibility through manual adjustments.

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WHEN QUALITY MATTERS www.parkinson-spencer.co.uk

Flexibility The FleXinspect series provides operators with flexibility through manual adjustments. Equipped with a comprehensive range of modular inspection options, the highly configurable FleXinspect line is ideally suited for operators who like the precise adjustability and freedom to optimise the setups on their own. For example on the sidewall machine, when running a non-round container with a flat shoulder profile the operator can optimise the viewing position of the six cameras to achieve the perfect inspection angles.

The SympleX series provides fully automated inspection platforms with motorised adjustments and hands off, touch-free optics for those who prefer the convenience that automation provides. For instance, when job-changing back to a previously run article the system automatically recalls all of the camera, lighting and belt settings that are stored in the job file.

Whether you choose one product series over the other, or choose to mix machines based on your needs, you will find that both solutions are simple to adjust, extremely powerful and can be job-changed quickly and easily. When combining the vision equipment with our FleXinspect T or FleXinspect M mechanical stop rotate machines, the Emhart product offering is unmatched in the market.

We strongly believe that giving glass plants a choice with their inspection technology investments, provides them with an opportunity to fit their needs without compromise.

With the addition of our new Symplex inspection line, our customers are now able to select inspection products from the same family that have different strengths and abilities. As the market leader in the glass container industry, Bucher Emhart Glass is excited to introduce the world to the Symplex vision products, and welcomes them into our inspection portfolio. �

SUPPLY CHAIN CONFIDENCE

5 LOCATIONS ACCROSS UK AND IRELAND • Soda Ash • Sodium Sulphate • • Feldspars • Chrome • Barium Sulphate • Sodium Nitrate

SPECIALISTS IN THE GLASS INDUSTRY

www.glass-international.com

* Head of Product Management, Inspection Business, Bucher Emhart Glass, Cham, Switzerland www.emhartglass.com/

Contact us: +44 (0)20 8332 2519

+44 (0)20 8940 6691

sales@newport-industries.com � The Symplex C machine.

33 Glass International April 2020

Inspection Emhart.indd 2

09/04/2020 09:31:00

Inspection

� A container reject.

More precise rejection at the hot end User expectations regarding container glass quality are extremely high. However, quality also has to be controlled: faulty containers on the conveyor belt must be reliably identified and accurately removed. The ASDR (Autonomous Stuck and Down Ware Reject System), futronic’s low-cost system specifically for this purpose, made its debut in the mid-90s. The ASDR-III is the third, completely revamped generation.

T

he ASDR-III reject system does what any reject system is supposed to do: it auto-detects faulty containers by means of a light barrier and removes them with compressed air.

Faulty containers can be any which are broken, have fallen over, are too close together or have stuck together as well as any cullet or fragments.

Containers which are smaller or larger than a specified, freely selectable diameter or which exceed any other tolerance limits are likewise rejected.

Improved functions The ASDR-III, developed by futronic in response to the increased quality requirements laid down by container glass manufacturers in the last few years, comes with several improved functions compared to the previous version plus a

whole set of additional features.

The ASDR-III ships with a control unit in the new design as standard as well as an enlarged, 8-digit LED display. A light barrier unit is also included. In contrast to the previous generation, it consists of not one but two vertically mountable, retroreflective sensors, providing far better detection and rejection accuracy.

The new control unit can moreover capture and store more operating data than before, in other words it supplies more – and more precise – information for statistical evaluations of the production process.

Reliable damage avoidance More light barrier units can be linked up to the ASDR-III if necessary using the interfaces provided, each available as an option.

One retro-reflective sensor, for example, can be mounted downstream of the ware transfer to count the quantity of good products as they pass by. A third unit would be positioned directly upstream of the hotend coating tunnel. The aim is to detect congestion as soon as it occurs and then interrupt the supply by activating continuous reject mode.

The ASDR-III sends a parallel signal to the control unit of the hot-end coating tunnel, which automatically stops the spraying process and lifts the cover concerned, so that the operator can remove whatever it is that is causing the obstruction. Apart from anything else, serious damage to the production line can be reliably avoided in this way.

34 0 Glass International April 2020

Inspection Futronic.indd 1

09/04/2020 09:32:38

Integrated double parison reject system The ASDR-III additionally differs from its predecessor in that it features an integrated double parison reject system. Double parisons are containers from more than one parison. One or two infrared sensors can be optionally connected to the ADSRIII for this purpose. These IR sensors measure the temperature of the passing containers. If a container’s thermal signature deviates from the setpoints, it is rejected as soon as it forms at the hot end.

A single sensor installed just above the conveyor is normally sufficient. If a second sensor is used to enable misshapen products to also be identified and rejected quickly and accurately when manufacturing large, wide-necked containers, for instance, it should be positioned next to the conveyor and level with the necks.

Seamless integration Many plants and machines still work with controls which cannot handle the rejection process at the hot end. The ASDR-III reject system was therefore designed as a standalone solution which fits seamlessly into existing IS production environments as well as into any control architecture. Sectiondependent reject signals from IS controls can also be processed by the ASDR-III without any problems. The ASDR-III control unit is accommodated in a robust housing which easily withstands the harsh conditions prevailing in the IS machine’s environment; all components are rated for temperatures of up to 85°C. Owing to its compact design, it can be flexibly integrated into the production line and installed directly at the conveyor. �

*

futronic, Tettnang, Germany www.futronic.de

� The ASDR-III control unit is accommodated in a robust housing which easily

* latest swabbing-robot installed in July 2017 in Germany

withstands the harsh conditions prevailing in the IS machine’s environment

Inspection Futronic.indd 2

09/04/2020 09:32:40

tb854_TECO_A4_Ads_2018_Vintage_Style_v8.qxp_Layout 1 15/05/2018 17:44 Page 5

CONTINUALLY DESIGNING, BUILDING AND MODERNISING

www.teco.com TOTAL FURNACE CAPABILITY TOLEDO ENGINEERING / TECOGLAS / ZEDTEC / KTG ENGINEERING / KTG SYSTEMS / EAE TECH

Furnace inspections

How measurements will improve production and furnace lifetime Harmen Kielstra* discuses how proactive furnace inspection schemes supported by energy optimisation studies can prolong furnace lifetime.

C

elSian Glass & Solar (CelSian) carries out independent Furnace Inspections as part of its services for the international glass industry.

We are convinced that the lifetime of a furnace can be preserved and extended by performing furnace inspections on a frequent basis to identify at an early stage refractory issues and process conditions that might lead to reduced furnace lifetime, increased emissions and energy consumption.

Besides this, regularly checking the furnace condition helps prevent an unexpected furnace break through (glass leak). This is of high importance regarding employees’ safety.

CelSian offers three different grades of inspection: 1. Quarterly: Inspection mainly focusing on external refractories; 2. Annual: As 1, including endoscopic inspection of the interior of the

furnace and combustion audit; 3. Full: As 2, including detection of energy losses, carry-over and evaporation measurements and regenerator inspection.

critical refractory issues will be identified (and negative effects can be anticipated on) at an early stage. It helps prevent the fire starting instead of extinguishing it.

Table 1 shows CelSian’s vision on furnace inspections. The exact timing depends e.g. on furnace type, glass type and operational settings/performance of the furnace. This example is for an End Port Fired Container glass furnace. The exact timing is always discussed in consultation with the customer. The exact type of activities is aligned with customers own

inspection and maintenance scheme.

At start of the furnace campaign, the full inspection in year 0 can also be used as an independent Site Acceptance Test (SAT) for the glass furnace supplier.

For all inspections, CelSian uses a scorecard whereby all essential parts of the furnace will be evaluated and rated. This will result in a total final score. Depending on this final score and detailed discussions with the customer, the condition of the furnace will be identified as critical or not.

The furnace can be added to the Continued>>

� Fig 1: Quarterly inspection outcome.

www.glass-international.com

By performing these inspections according to a well-defined scheme, the lifetime of the furnace can be extended as

Year

Furnace inspection scheme 0 Full inspection

Annual inspection Quarterly inspection

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

x

8

9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

x

x x x x x x x x

20

x x x x x x

x x x x x x x x x x x

�Table 1. CelSian’s vision on furnace inspections

37 Glass International April 2020

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09/04/2020 11:19:41

Furnace inspections

� Fig 2 (left and right): Modeling brings savings potential. be carried out. By doing this inspection every year, a track record is created which creates excellent insight in the degradation of the furnace structure.

Also a combustion audit and temperature measurements are always part of this inspection.

The full inspection should take place a few times during the furnace’s lifetime to ensure that process parameters are optimal to achieve the expected lifetime with low energy costs and emission levels. During the full inspection carryover and evaporation measurements will also be performed. Carry-over and evaporation may lead to severe corrosion of refractories and/or increased emissions while unexpected energy leaks will lead to increased operational costs and CO2 emissions. It is important to therefore fully understand the operational performance of the furnace to obtain the most optimal process settings.

Next to a physical examination of the furnace, assessing the energy efficiency position is also a powerful tool.

CelSian suggests an energy benchmark study of the customers’ furnace with a detailed energy audit on site to detect

L3 L2

� Fig 3 a L1 Area of corrosion

FG R1 R3 R2

40 °C 15

°C

15 20

15 50

°C

C 14

14 1

70 °

°C

0° C

� Fig 3 b

1520°

1360°C

C

Hot spot

138

0°C

1370°C

1410°C

1575°C

1490°C

1450°C

1390°C

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°C

90

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C

0°

3 15

C

°C 60

15

° 40

15

C 0°

7 14

°C

20 14

°C

00

14 C

° 70

13

During the lifetime of a furnace three different kinds of furnace inspection are recommended by CelSian, each with a different goal and time schedule.

The quarterly inspection is specially fitted for furnaces reaching the end of their lifetime. The data will be reported and compared (if applicable) with previous inspections to check whether improvements can be made or additional maintenance is needed.

Recommendations will be given in a report orally presented to the furnace manager/ operators involved. Fig 1 shows an example of one of the outcomes of the quarterly inspection. In this case the results of the boosting block exterior temperature evaluation revealed

90

Inspections

additional maintenance required for block number 6 and 9.

The annual inspection is performed to obtain insight in more gradually progressing refractory wear issues at the interior of the furnace. The weak spots of the furnace will be identified by making pictures/videos with an endoscope and comparing these with the images taken the previous year. In this way, accurate and precise recommendations can be given on locations where repairs have to

13

standard CelSian benchmark database.

Benchmarking has proven to be a powerful tool to learn within a company from the different plants.

When more than 10 furnaces are inspected for the same customer, CelSian will perform a benchmark on furnace degradation to look for possible differences among these furnaces.

38 0 Glass International April 2020

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09/04/2020 11:19:42

Furnace inspections

KILNS

corrosion was monitored over a year and substantially decreased.

In summary, proactive inspection schemes supported by energy optimisation studies can prolong furnace lifetime and prevent unexpected breakthroughs that endanger employees. �

*Managing Director, Celsian, Eindhoven, The Netherlands www.celsian.nl

� Fig 3 c Critical pNaOH lime free silica

°C 1250 °F 2280

Critical pNaOH regular silica

Critical range L1 R1

1300 2372

1350 2462

Safe range R2

L2

1400 2552

1450 2552

1500 2732

1550 2822

1600 2912

Temperature wall surface in °C/°F

ANNEALING

LEHRS

HOT-END vidromecanica@vidromecanica.com www.vidromecanica.com

L3

R3

COATING

COLD-END

COATING

www.glass-international.com

MOULDS PRE-HEATING

an inner refractory surface temperature inspection. Thermodynamic modeling was performed to study the corrosion mechanism (fig 3 a, b and c).

The alkali volatilisation in the corrosion area is high and the measured inner wall temperatures promote more rapid refractory corrosion. Measures to decrease corrosion speed are provided to the float glass producer. After applying the measures, the glass yield went back to normal within a month. The structural

Critical NaOH vapor pressure along wall in Pa

preventable heat loss sources. With the Energy Balance Model (EBM) software, a modeling study is performed to determine the energy savings potential. EBM can show all the energy flows (energy input, heat losses/leaks, combustion efficiency and regenerator efficiency) in the furnace and allows ‘what-if-scenario’ calculations to predict the influence of certain process setting variations.

Room for improvement is found based on the energy benchmark data and information and tips are provided on structural insulation weak spots. Modeling results indicate savings potentials after applying the improvements (fig 2 left and right).

Following the suggestions, the glass manufacturer improved insulation weak spots and over the next year the furnace energy consumption decreased 1-3%.

These standalone measurements proved to increase production and energy efficiency. A float glass customer indicated a decreased glass yield of 40% and visible structural corrosion in the combustion space. CelSian suggested performing atmospheric sampling of the combustion space (corrosion area) and

39 Glass International April 2020

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09/04/2020 11:19:42

Inspection

Stoelzle benefits from starwheel series Heye International has initiated its latest glass container inspection technology at Stoelzle Oberglas in Köflach, Austria.

S

martLine 2 is the latest generation of Heye’s starwheel inspection machine series.

SmartLine 2 glass container inspection equipment is developed at Heye International’s dedicated cold end centre in Nienberg, Germany and can be configured in several different ways, with up to six inspection stations available.

The Nienburg facility employs a team of experts and features a modern production layout. The centre is close to Ardagh’s Nienburg glassworks.

Flexible inspection options Among the SmartLine 2’s highlights are faster job changes thanks to the equipment’s improved design and accessibility, the potential to use existing tooling sets and its enhanced user interface. Full data connectivity to all plant information systems is possible, with easy integration into existing lines.

As well as featuring the latest non-contact inspection innovations, the equipment benefits from control reliability to avoid downtime.

Depending on the customer’s requirements, various container characteristics can be checked including Tightness, Finish diameters, Container height, Finish and shoulder checks, Bottom and heel checks, body checks, Wall thickness inspection (non-contact) and Defects on the finish surface (LOF line over finish).

The latest non-contact inspection features are also integrated, as well as a

self-learning system for camera-based check detection by Ranger 2. Feedback generated from Heye International customers has confirmed the SmartLine 2 equipment’s robustness and reliability.

Stoelzle Oberglas in Köflach, Austria was the first glass plant to implement it and is satisfied with its benefits of the new SmartLine 2.

After its launch at glasstec 2018 the glass manufacturer purchased three machines that run reliably and safely.

Gerd Müller, Cold End Manager at Stoelzle said that ‘knowing that the SmartLine 2 was brand new, we trusted in the competence of Heye’.

He said: “Our long term and proven partnership finally led us to go for this new generation of inspection machine.

“And we have not been disappointed.

The stable software and the modern, future-orientated user interface simplify our daily work tremendously.”

Gerd Schütz, Heye’s Product Development Manager Cold End praised Stoelzle Oberglas as a competent partner for the installation.

He added: “It was an easy commissioning without any start-up difficulties. The mechanical design and drive system in particular are highlighted for their robust design, while the control system is renowned for its reliable operation.

“Sales figures of SmartLine 2 exceeded our expectations. Joint development in cooperation with our customers turned out to be the right way.”

Reliability and robustness It is essential for innovations to stand the test of time. In the case of many 21st Century developments, this requirement is achieved by the use of robust industrial electronics and a climate-controlled electrics and electronics compartment, together with high quality components.

A touchscreen monitor, simplified access to all electronic components and an extricable mounting plate for frequency inverters and servo controllers enhance operational usability.

Hazard-free working conditions for the operator is provided by a microprocessorcontrolled safety module.

The machine sets the standard in terms of reliability and robustness. The user interface has been improved and makes job changes as easy as possible. Both, the mechanical design and also the control unit are extremely reliable and easy to operate. The large hood gives optimal access to the working space, reducing job change times to a minimum.

Improved job change times The application of servo technology results in a high degree of flexibility.

Fast and easy changes to an item’s indexing positions and optimal use of the servo torque for up to four rotation stations are possible.

Optimised motion sequences allow faster reactions to changing process parameters. The maximum article height accommodated is 400mm (up to 500mm on request), with angular, oval and round containers processed. Thanks to the servo-driven star wheel, indexing positions from six to 48 are possible.

The enlarged working radius guarantees a high compatibility with many existing tooling sets on the market. The tooling range includes a body starwheel, neck starwheel, outfeed guide, centering piece, plug/gauge, stripper and infeed screw. �

*Heye International, Obernkirchen, Germany https://www.heye-international.com/ https://www.stoelzle.com/ 40 0

Inspection Heye 1.indd 1

08/04/2020 10:51:09

S A M P L I N G P R E S S U R E T E ST E R 2 N O W AVA I L A B L E I N 3 C O N F I G U R AT I O N S !

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Bright ideas. Better glass.

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We are world leader in the field of sensor and robot solutions for hot end inspection, quality assurance and closed loop automation. With our solutions we actively work together with glass producers on making containers and table ware products lighter and stronger, produced with (almost) zero defects at higher speed and with minimum human dependency.

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www.xparvision.com

Forehearths

The need for forehearth calibration John McMinn* highlights how audits have helped improved efficiencies within a variety of forehearth systems.

Asia: Combustion O2 linearity

21.5 21.0

20.8

20.0

20.6

19.5 19.0 18.5 18.0

Middle East, equally stark examples have been recorded in the Americas, Europe and Africa.

Why does this matter so much? The answer is; this variation in percentage oxygen content impacts greatly on forehearth control, thermal homogeneity of the glass and fuel efficiency.

Consider the oxygen content of the front zone of the Asian example. In the combustion output range of 0% to 45% the combustion system is providing zero heat input – it is essentially delivering cold air through the burners. The other two zones are only marginally better. A similar scenario exists in the example from the Middle East.

Stoichiometric combustion is the term used to describe perfect combustion where the fuel and the oxygen combine Continued>>

Middle East: Combustion O2 Linearity

21.0

Percentage oxigen

Oxygen content %

measure the percentage oxygen content of the mixture during operation. Due to an understandable reluctance to alienate the production department, measurement of the oxygen content is made as a spot measurement corresponding to the combustion pressure operating at the time of the measurement. Unfortunately, forehearth audits consistently show that this is inadequate and is rarely representative of the air/gas ratio over the entire operating combustion pressure range.

Figs 1 and 2 show examples of the deviation of percentage oxygen in the air/ gas mixture across the full combustion pressure range. These show clearly that, if the measurement is taken at one particular combustion pressure, it is impossible to assume the gas/ratio across the pressure range is correct. Although these charts refer to plants in Asia and the

www.glass-international.com

F

orehearth Services has carried out forehearth performance audits in more than 50 glass plants across 25 countries. It has audited all major commercial forehearth systems – and a great many whose designs owe more to enthusiasm than technical skill or innovation. Unsurprisingly the audits show that some forehearth systems are superior to others – and this is often not reflected in the cost of the system. What the audits almost always show is that, irrespective of design or technology, forehearth performance is greatly compromised by inadequate calibration techniques and lack of routine maintenance.

Arguably one of the most important parameters affecting forehearth performance is the air/gas ratio. In the majority of glass plants visited the procedure for testing the air/gas ratio is to

20.4 20.2 20.0 19.8

17.5 17.0

19.6 0

10

Rear

20

30

40

50

60

70

Controller output %

Front

Equal

� Fig 1. Combustion O2 variation in Asian glass plant.

80

90

100

Correct

0

10

Equal

20

30

40

50

60

70

Controller output %

Front

Rear

80

90

100

Correct

� Fig 2. Combustion O2 variation in Middle East glass plant.

43 Glass International April 2020

forehearth John McMinn.indd 1

08/04/2020 09:37:52

Forehearths

Retune: Zone response to 5°C SP increase

Original test: Zone response to 5°C SP increase

45.0

1202

40.0 35.0

1201

30.0

1200

25.0

1199

20.0

1198 1197 1196

1

3

5

7

9 11

13 15 17 19 Time: mins

SP

21

PV

� Fig 3. Unacceptable control loop response. in perfect proportion, resulting in the release of the maximum amount of heat caused by the exothermic reaction.

Unfortunately, due to a variety of reasons, it is not possible, even under laboratory conditions, to achieve stoichiometric combustion. Consequently the heat obtained from forehearth combustion systems is much less than the theoretical figures for heat content and flame temperatures would suggest.

This has implications for forehearth operation and the efficient combustion of fuel. Operating forehearth combustion systems with excess air adversely affects the combustion efficiency. Operating with excess gas affects the combustion efficiency to an even greater extent.

It can be seen from the charts that the combustion efficiency for both forehearths is greatly affected by operating with the oxygen content deviating greatly from the desired value across the entire combustion range. In short, deviation from the required air/gas ratio wastes fuel, and in the examples shown above, the fuel wastage is significant. In addition to this, the air/gas profile will have a deleterious effect on forehearth performance compromising the control function, glass thermal homogeneity and producing conditions that may promote glass defects. In addition to problems associated with the air/gas calibration, audits have shown that the operation of the combustion air control valve is also problematic, particularly in relation to the linearity and calibration of the valve.

Control systems Another area where calibration problems are frequently encountered is the control system. In particular, audits have shown that the majority of forehearths examined were being controlled by control systems

23

25

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� Fig 4 Successfully re-tuned control loop response. operating with inappropriate PID values.

This is an area where forehearth operators/ engineers seem reluctant to explore.

Despite the fundamental importance of the PID parameters on forehearth operation, many plants have not changed or attempted to retune the control terms.

Many are using the PID values entered by the commissioning engineer years ago. In many glass plants access to PID parameter changes is restricted. In one plant visited recently the PID terms had never been tuned since the initial commissioning because the engineer who had the access codes had forgotten them!

Parameter tuning Figs 3 and 4, taken from a recent Forehearth Services training exercise, demonstrate the importance of PID parameter tuning. During the initial PID test the tuning parameters resulted in an increase in combustion output of 11%.

This is a clear indication that the PID values, principally the proportional gain, are incorrect. The lack of substantial PID response resulted in failure to adequately react to the new set-point and, as the chart shows, the temperature increased by only 2ºC over the 30-minute test period. The zone on which the test was conducted had a residence time of 15 minutes and, as can be seen from the chart, the glass temperature increase corresponding to this time span was 1ºC. Consequently the zone failed to react effectively to the new set-point within the residence time of the zone and the glass temperature disruption continued into the next zone.

When conducting PID analysis it is important to consider the results in conjunction with the combustion air/ analysis tests described above. In this example, the lack of output strongly suggests wrongly tuned PID parameters but

it is necessary to consider the combustion conditions over the output range shown in the test. In this case although the PID terms were principally responsible for the control failure, inappropriate calibration of the air/gas ratio also contributed to the low temperature increase.

The combustion system was successfully recalibrated after which new proportional and integral gains were established. The results of this are shown in the retune chart. PID loop response on forehearths is somewhat different to that shown in control text books but the response shown in the retune chart is typical of a reasonably well tuned forehearth control loop. The zone achieved set-point after 15 minutes and, importantly, within the zone residence time.

It is important to point out that the forehearth on which the tests were conducted had been operating for over five years with the initial PID values.

During this time the forehearth control response was significantly compromising forehearth performance, principally because no one in the plant knew the problem existed.

Despite the ubiquity of PID controllers in forehearth control, it is rare to find the correct PID terms being used. During forehearth audits, it was discovered that approximately 80% of the forehearths examined were operating with inappropriate PID terms. A recent paper suggested that of all control loops in operation worldwide, across all industries, approximately 90% were operating with the wrong PID values for the process being controlled – so perhaps we in the glass industry are not so bad after all! �

*John McMinn, Managing Director, Forehearth Services Ltd, UK https://forehearthservices.co.uk

44 0 Glass International April 2020

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08/04/2020 09:37:52

Batch

A batch recipe to improve fiber glass production Gülin Demirok, Ateş Gösterişlioğlu, Ecem Akırmak, Mustafa Oran and Hande Sesigür* discuss an experiment which investigated the melting behaviours of four E-glass compositions containing B2O3 to find a link between the batch recipe and the end product. They found sodium sulphate increases foam height, foaming time and CO2 release time, while cullet enhances foam height and foaming time but decreases CO2 release time.

N

etwork formers in a glass structure such as SiO2 and B2O3 are essential to make the strong bonds required mostly for fiber glass compositions.

Network modifiers (Na2O, CaO and MgO) break the bonding of network formers while intermediate oxides (Al2O3) can replace with both network formers and/ or network modifiers depending on the chemical composition [1].

Alkali ions provide an electrical path over the glass surface. Therefore, alkali containing fiber glass is named as A (alkali) glass which has high alkali or soda lime glass. Amounts of alkali oxides

should be lowered to obtain electrical conductivity and this type of fiber glass is called E (electrical) glass. There are also other types of fiber glasses such as S (strength) glass, C (chemical) glass, M (modulus) glass, D (dielectric) glass [2].

E-glasses have applications such as automotive, aircraft and marine industries as well as wind turbine blades and underground piping systems as these glasses are strong and resistant to harsh conditions.

E-glass critical raw materials are kaolin, colemanite, limestone/calcined lime, fluorspar, sodium sulphate as a fining � Fig 1. Schematic view of HTMOS (Courtesy of CelSian)

Input gas mixture FC

FTIR O2 Analyser

� Fig 2. Evolved CO2 gas of four batches during the experiments

T/C

Continued>>

T/C

www.glass-international.com

FC

agent and cullet. Kaolin is the heaviest in the E-glass batch and its major oxides are SiO2 and Al2O3. The other important raw material in the batch is colemanite due to its high B2O3 content. Although both limestone and calcined lime can be used in the E-glass batch, calcined lime was preferred to reduce CO2 emission. A small but important quantity of fluorspar is added to the batch to assist the dissolution of raw materials, to decrease liquidus temperature, surface tension and to ease fiber formation [1]. Cullet is added to the batch to assist melting and reduce energy consumption. An additional fining agent such as sodium sulphate (Na2SO4) is not used in the production of E-glass at Šišecam’s Fiber Glass Plant since existing raw materials such as kaolin and calcined lime contain sufficient SO3 for fining mechanism.

In the production of E-glass there are

Water Bath Vitreous silica crubible containing batch

Camera

45 Glass International April 2020

batch Sisecam.indd 1

20/04/2020 12:23:12

Al2O3 CaO MgO Na2O+K2O B2O3 Weight %

14 23 1 1 6

� Table 1. The chemical composition of examined E-glasses.

Batch Composition

g / 100 g glass Batch-1

Batch-2

Batch-3

Batch-4

(FG-Reference)

(FG + Na2SO4)

(FG + 11% Cullet)

(FG + 20% Cullet)

Kaolin

72 72 64

Fluorspar

1 1 1

1

Colemanite

17 17 15

13

Alumina 1 1 1

1

Soda ash

1

1 1 1

57

Dolomite 4 4 3

3

Calcined Lime

14

Anthracite

17 17 15 0.08 0.08 0.08

Sodium sulphate - 0.2 - Cullet

- - 11

0.08 20

� Table 2. Batch compositions of examined E-glasses.

Furnace Draining

SIO2 CaO MgO Weight %

0.31 97.50 1.25

SO3 0.64

� Table 3. Chemical composition of calcined lime

Recycling Drain

Furnace Heat-Up

Experienced Teams

WORLDWIDE AVAILABILITY 46 0

batch Sisecam.indd 2

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some critical states in order to obtain the best quality product. One critical state is foaming in the furnace which generates at the fining stage of the glass. Foaming is a common problem in E-glass furnaces due to the nature of the fiber glass process and also oxy-fuel combustion. Excess foaming should be prevented to obtain a high quality product. In this study reference batch was obtained without Na2SO4. 0.20 g Na2SO4/100 g glass was added to the reference batch to determine the effect of Na2SO4 on the fining performance and foaming behavior. An additional 11% and 20% cullet to the reference batch were investigated to observe the effects of cullet on the melting, fining and foaming behaviour. Melting, fining and foaming behaviour of these four E-glass batches were studied using HTMOS.

Experimental In this study, HTMOS which is developed

by Celsian, was used to investigate melting and fining performances of the batches with evolved gas analysis (EGA) and foaming behaviour of the batches with Image Processing (IP).

HTMOS can monitor batch-to-melt conversation steps by high resolution camera and detect the evolved reaction gaseous via a FTIR gas analyser. Water vapour, N2 and O2 gaseous were introduced accordingly into the crucible to simulate the furnace atmosphere (Fig.1).

In this study oxy-fuel atmosphere was

generated in the crucible to simulate the real E-glass furnace. Four batches were studied where the chemical compositions of each E-glass was kept constant (Table 1). The batch compositions of Batch-1 (Fiber glass (FG) reference batch), Batch-2 (addition of 0.20 g Na2SO4 /100 g), Batch-3 (addition of 11% cullet) and Batch-4 (addition of 20% cullet) are shown in Table 2.

In Table 2, the most critical SO3 source for fining is calcined lime since it has the highest amount of SO3 among other used raw materials. According to Table 3, calcined lime has 0.64% SO3 coming from CaSO4 which forms during calcination.

Although there are some other SO3 sources such as kaolin, fluorspar and colemanite; SO3 in the calcined lime has the highest effect on the total amount of SO3 in the furnace.

Results Evolved CO2 gas during the experiment was calculated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).

The onset and termination temperatures of CO2 release of the batches assist to achieve valuable information about melting of the batches (Fig.2).

According to Fig. 2, Batch-2 and Batch-4 start to release CO2 earlier than the Batch-1 and Batch-3 (the onset temperature of CO2 release: 633°C, 635°C, 650°C and 652°C respectively).

Decomposition of raw materials with

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Batch

2Na2SO4 + 2SiO2 + C � 2Na2SiO3 + 2SO2 + CO2, T: 900-1300°C Na2SO4 + 2 C � Na2S + 2 CO2 , T:1000°C The amounts and onset temperatures of evolved SO2 which can provide important information about fining performance and foaming behaviour were also obtained by FTIR. SO2 equilibrium obtained from FTIR and calculations are in Table 4.

As expected, the addition of Na2SO4 increases the amount of evolved SO2.

Since the amount of the raw materials are less when the cullet is added to the batch, the amount of evolved SO2 reduced.

Although the amount of SO3 dissolved in the glass is similar, the additional Na2SO4 makes the glass more oxidant so that more SO3 can dissolve in the glass.

To understand the fining behaviour of the four batches in detail, the evolved SO2 of four batches vs temperature graph is in Fig. 3.

In the primary fining part, between 900-1100°C, SO2 behaviour of the four batches are similar except Batch 2.

g / 100 g glass

Batch-1 Batch-2 Batch-3

(FG + Na2SO4)

(FG-Reference)

(FG + 11% Cullet)

Batch-4 (FG + 20%Cullet)

SO2 (theoretical),g 0.329 0.422 0.297

0.269

SO2 (evolved),g

0.302 0.374 0.258

0.244

SO3(dissolved),g

0.03 0.05 0.04

0.03

952 925 952 SO2 onset T of 1st peak, °C

972

1305 1278 1305 SO2 onset T of 2nd peak, °C

1305

� Table 4. SO2 equilibrium for four batches.

Dynamic Foam

Batch-1

Batch-2

Batch-3

Batch-4

(FG-Ref)

(FG+Na2SO4)

(FG+11%Cullet)

(FG+20%Cullet)

33

39

38

43

Total Time [min]

� Table 5. Total foaming time of four batches.

The addition of Na2SO4 shifts the SO2 evolution a bit earlier (onset temperatures of 1st SO2 peaks of four batches are 952°C, 925°C, 952°C and 972°C respectively).

In the secondary fining part, between 1250-1450°C, CaSO4 which comes from calcined lime reacts with soda ash and produces Na2SO4 (Eq. 1). The decomposition of Na2SO4 realised in this part (Eq. 2).

CaSO4 + Na2CO3 � � CaCO3 + Na2SO4 (1) Na2SO4 � Na2O + SO2 + ½ O2

(2)

The second SO2 peaks of four batches manifest similar trend as with the first SO2 peaks. SO2 evolution of the Batch 2 starts at 1278°C and the other three batches start to release SO2 at 1305°C. When Na2SO4is added to the batch, SO2 evolution starts earlier both in the primary and in the secondary fining parts. Cullet and variable amounts of cullet do not dramatically affect the evolution of SO2.

On the other hand, Batch-3 and Batch-4

which contain cullet still evolve SO2 at about 1400°C while Batch-1 and Batch-2 end SO2 evolution at about 1400°C. After the melting and fining performances, foam behaviour of the four batches were investigated by using Image Processing (IP).

Surface height vs time and temperature graph provides valuable information not only for foaming behaviour but also for melting/fining behaviour.

Batch surface level was monitored and recorded for the entire batch-to-melt conversation process and presented in Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 covers CO2 and CO release as indicated in 1st area. Since the raw materials of the E-glass are so fine that released CO2 and CO at the lower temperatures budge the batch up.

There is a sharp collapse at around 990°C which demonstrates the melting part (marked as 2nd area in the Fig. 4).

Although onset temperatures of the Continued>>

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carbonate such as dolomite and soda ash, some solid-solid /solid-liquid reactions and burning of anthracite produce CO2.

Therefore, earlier CO2 release can result in easier melting.

Between 900-1000°C region indicates termination temperatures of CO2 release.

Since the amount of raw materials with carbonate is the lowest in Batch-4, its CO2 release ends fastest (at 904°C). The following are Batch-3 (at 930°C), Batch-1 (at 940°C) and Batch-2 (951°C).

Batch-2 possesses the longest CO2release due to Na2SO4, C and SiO2 reactions at temperature between 9001300°C [3].

� Fig 4. Surface graph of the four batches. � Fig 3. Evolved SO2 gas of the four batches during experiment

47 Glass International April 2020

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Batch

� Fig 5. The images of the four batches at 1450°C. collapse are similar for each four batches, the slope of the Batch-2 and Batch-4 are sharper than the other batches which indicates easier melting. 3rd area represents the fining stage because the surface height starts to increase depending on the formation of the foam.

As seen in the 3rd area of Fig. 4, Batch-2 starts fining at 1278°C where the other batches start at 1305°C. The 4th area indicates dynamic foaming. In this area, the foam height of each batches reaches the maximum detectable point at 1315°C (Batch-2), 1331°C (Batch-1), 1337°C (Batch-4) and 1338°C (Batch-3).

According to these temperatures, it is clear that each batch exhibits different foaming rate. Batch-2 has the highest foaming rate and the followings are Batch-1, Batch-4 and Batch-3.

According to the Fig. 4 the total time of foaming was calculated and given in Table 5. Batch-1 has the shortest foaming time. The addition of cullet and sodium sulphate enhances foaming time.

Although at the end of the experiment, the foam height of the four batches are very similar, minor differences exist. The lowest foam height belongs to Batch-4 and followed by Batch-3, Batch-1 and Batch-2 respectively. Since Batch-2 has the highest amount of SO3, at the end of the experiment it has still higher foam height than the others. Despite the cullet enhances foaming especially at the lower temperatures, when Batch-3 and Batch-4 find the enough time at high temperature such as 1550°C for 60 minutes their foam heights are lower than the reference batch (Batch-1).

E-glasses by investigation of melting, fining and foaming behaviours of four different batches. Batch-1 does not contain any fining agent since the used raw materials of E-glasses such as calcined lime and kaolin have enough SO3 for the fining stage. Batch-2 includes sodium sulphate as 0.20g/glass. Batch-3 has 11% cullet and Batch-4 has 20% cullet.

By using HTMOS –EGA melting and fining performances of the four batches were investigated and by using IP, foam behaviour of four batches was observed.

The results obtained in this study can be summarised: � Addition of the Na2SO4 • extends the CO2 release time.

It continues until higher temperatures.

This case enhances CO2 dissolution in the glass which increase the potential bubble formation in the real furnace.

• shifts the onset temperature of fining earlier (27°C).

• accelerates foaming. Batch-2 reaches a maximum foam height at 1315°C, Batch-1 reaches a maximum foam height at 1331°C.

• increases foaming time. During the experiments foaming time of Batch-1 is 33 minutes, foaming time of Batch-2 is 39 minutes.

• causes the similar foam height with Batch-1 at the end of 1550°C (6.5mm and 6.9mm respectively Batch-1 and Batch-2). � Addition of cullet • decreases the CO2 release time (until lower temperatures). It lowers the CO2 dissolution in the glass which decreases the potential bubble formation.

• does not change the onset temperatures of fining dramatically (1305°C for Batch-1, Batch-3 and Batch-4).

• increases foaming time. During the experiments foaming time of Batch-1 is 33 minutes, foaming time of Batch-3 is 38 minutes and foaming time of Batch-4 is 43 minutes.

• causes less foam height comparing with the reference batch (Batch-1) at the end of the experiment (at 1550°C after 60 minutes). �

Reference 1.

Loewenstein, K.L., The Manufacturing Technology of Continuous Glass Fibres, 1993.

2.

Wallenberger F.T., Watson, J.C., Li H., Glass Fibers, ASM Handbook, Vol21, 2001.

3.

H. Sengel, G. Albayrak, “Sulfate Chemistry and Its Impact on Glass Production”, XXI. International Congress on Glass, Strasbourg, France, July 2007.

*Šišecam Science, Technology and Design Center, Kocaeli, Turkey www.sisecam.com

Conclusion This experiment was carried out to evaluate the recipe optimisation of

� Fig 6. The images of the four batches at 1550°C after 60 minutes.

48 0 Glass International April 2020

batch Sisecam.indd 4

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History

Prof. John Parker

All‘s well that ends well

O

ur understanding of the ancient alchemists is coloured by their alleged pre-occupation with turning base metals into gold.

Recently the philosopher Marco Beretta argued that, underpinning such optimism, was the ability of glassmakers to convert unpromising raw materials into artefacts capable of imitating valuable jewels.

Old images of an alchemist’s laboratory illustrate the complexity of the equipment they developed to achieve their goals, much of it made from glass. One of their skills was distillation.

The simplest form of their equipment had a lower vessel where the liquid was boiled; shaped like a pumpkin it was known as a cucurbit. The most volatile fraction of the liquid feedstock condensed in an upper vessel called an alembic, with a domed head and spout which fed the enriched condensate into a receiver.

Using glassware allowed the investigator to observe the process.

These fragile vessels now mostly exist as broken fragments which archaeologists identify from their complex curvature.

S Moorhouse describes examples from excavations on medieval UK sites dating as far back as the 14th century. The technologies developed were international; images of similar equipment are found in Greek, Indian, Chinese and Arabic literature. Early distillation products were mineral acids and alcohol.

Now, mineral acids dissolved metals, allowing assayers to monitor the veracity of coinage. The value of alcohol was essentially social. Wines and ales had a much longer history but the taste for distilled alcohol slowly developed in Europe over the last millennium.

Early products were often flavoured and sweetened but eventually the neat distillate was consumed. Our social history contains numerous examples

of the abuse of this liquid but the warm glow and feeling of euphoria following its consumption led to its medicinal application when symptoms of illness were feeling chilly or debilitated. Because monasteries were often the care-homes of the day a geographical link between production sites and consumption was not surprising.

Alchemists also used their skills and their glassware to create many other medicines by manipulating and modifying natural products. They would have needed glassy containers for storage and importantly effective closures. Over time cork replaced waxed seals; only much later did machine production gave the dimensional control needed to create screw threads. Improved glass making skills also improved transparency and made the contents more visible; the downside was that light, particularly UV, accelerated the deterioration of the contents. Glass colour mattered - the amber bottle adopted by the medical trade is UV opaque.

Nowadays the situation is reversed. In Northern climes where the sun is never high in the sky populations are said to be spending too long indoors causing health concerns due to Vitamin D deficiency; its generation requires exposure to UV. This issue is exacerbated by the iron content of window glass. The titania used as a selfcleaning coating - both absorb UV - and modern high efficiency lighting low in UV. Most medicines can be safely stored in glass because of its excellent chemical durability.

Nevertheless soda-limesilica glasses are insufficiently inert for some recent drugs created for example for cancer treatment. Appropriate composition design and careful selection of raw materials with low levels of critical impurities is necessary. Another approach has been to deposit thin barrier layers of pure silica on the inside of formed

containers. Where an autoclave is used for sterilisation the slow leaching of surface alkali ions can cause a siliceous layer to form which eventually peels away from the glass and forms visible spicules consisting of rolled sheets of a silica gel.

ICG’s TC12 has been actively concerned with identifying appropriate glass compositions.

Another glassy product for drug delivery is the EpiPen, which releases antidotes into the blood of a patient suffering from anaphylactic shock; it relies on the controlled fracture of an ionexchange strengthened glass plate when the pen (needle) is jabbed into the skin.

Interestingly glasses have also been developed to release medically active species. For example radioactive glass pellets are used to treat certain cancers.

The natural travel of pellets injected through the hepatic artery results in concentrations of the glass near liver cancers where they deliver a targeted dose of radiation with minimum damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

In an earlier article we discussed the glasses added to toothpastes as cleaning abrasives which release valuable trace elements such as fluoride. Dental cements matching teeth colour also use the setting reaction between a non-durable glass and a liquid polymeric acid.

Glass pellets that provide nutritional elements for cattle and sheep which have grazed on moorland areas deficient in trace elements have been popular. The glasses are ingested as large boules that only slowly dissolve in the stomach of these ruminant animals releasing their nutrients over months.

Perhaps ‘transformation’ lay at the heart of the alchemists thinking and they would be both amazed and delighted to see how glass has developed from an inert container to an active carrier of therapeutic chemical species deliverable straight to the place ‘where it hurts’. �

www.glass-international.com

Prof John Parker discusses glassware and the development of medicines.

49 Glass International April 2020

History apr.indd 1

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Forming

Cord stress and the analysis of homogeneity Germany’s Institut fßr Glas- und Rohstofftechnologie (IGR) has developed a solution to determine the cord stress of glass. It explains it is a solution which is independent of persons which calculates cord stress instead of assessing it.

Fig 1

F

or glass manufacturers, the determination of stresses and stress differences in glass is important, as they have a significant influence on the glass stability and are therefore considered an important quality criteria.

Many brewers therefore request their glass suppliers to check every drop for possible cord stress.

Cords in the glass reflect inhomogeneities in the composition of the glass compared to the surrounding glass. Due to their different expansion coefficients, these inhomogeneities cause stress in the glass during cooling, which can reduce the glass stability.

Up to now, the evaluation in Europe has been predominantly given in grades from 4 to 8 and in the South American and Asian area using a system from A to E, according to Hartford Empire, in analogy to ASTM C 978. However, in North and South America and increasingly in Europe, the assessment of stress is often required to be ex- pressed in pounds per

square inch (psi).

The IGR is now capable of measuring the stress with its new technology and, if requested by the customer, also provides a calculated position-related stress index (psi). The rating in the system from A to E has also been optimised with this new technology.

Due to their birefringence, cords are visible with polarised light (Fig. 1). The polarisers installed in the microscope extinguish the light that passes vertically through the sample, while the light diffracted by inhomogeneities remains visible. If the diffraction is high enough, the light appears in different colours. In practical use, however, the diffraction is clearly too low, which is why the cords appear whitish. In order to analyse them more precisely, a compensator is used, such as the 1st order red compensator, which shifts the light colour into a more easily distinguishable range (Fig. 1).

The preparation of the ring sections is essential for the cord analysis, as different

results can be obtained due to the production method and the thickness of the sections.

Sawing with a diamond blade or cutting with a heating wire to produce the ring sections leads to a visual difference (Fig. 2). Here it is noticeable that the cords in the cut sample are far easier to recognise.

In addition, cutting does not lead to breakouts at the edges, which is why cords that are located closer to the surfaces are better to identify and there are no incorrect interference colours along the breakouts (Fig. 2 top right, green areas at the edges).

This difference between the preparation methods leads to the fact that companies increasingly demand cutting with a heating wire to analyse their samples.

However, under the present preparation conditions, cutting the specimens has the dis- advantage that the thickness is not uniform for the entire ring section and must therefore be measured several times for assessments in different sample areas.

50 0 Glass International April 2020

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Forming

Investigations showed that a difference in thickness means an offset of the interference colours, but as such does not mandatorily lead to a difference in results.

During the examination with grades from four to eight (or according to the old system from A to E) by the IGR, the cords are evaluated using a stereo microscope with the help of a 1st order red compensator.

Crucial in this procedure is the tensile stress, which is usually responsible for fractures. Compressive stress causes fractures only at very high values above 2000 psi.

Fig 2

Fig.1 Cords with polarised light (left) and

Tensile stress 600-1000 psi

Tensile stress 1000-1500 psi

blue

blue/green

green

green/yellow

yellow/orange/red

purple

green

green/yellow

yellow

yellow

blue

blue/green

green

Tensile stress 1500-2000 psi

Tensile stress over 2000 psi

Fling glass

additionally with 1st order red compensator (middle in NE direction and right in NW direction).

Tensile stress up to 600 psi

Amber glass

Fig. 2 Difference between samples sawn (top) and samples cut with heating wire (bottom).

Green glass

Fig. 3 Estimation of the tensile stress using the interference colours in the NE direction.

yellow/green

yellow

Using 1st order red, tensile stress cords in NE direction (parallel to γ of the compensator) appears mostly bluish and in the NW direction mostly reddish (Fig. 3).

Only a general estimation of the stress in psi is possible using the interference colours during these investigations. For the determination of exact values the IGR uses a Berek compensator, which is a tilting compensator.

This compensator can be tilted across the interference spectrum and therefore

is able to extinguish the cords in polarised light, assumed the cords are oriented vertical to the compensator (NWdirection). It is possible to determine the tilt to a tenth of a degree, whereas the refractions can be taken from a table and then converted into the unit psi. This process is mostly automatised at the IGR by using IT. The classification from A to E based on the ring section collection of the Hartford Empire Company is now also performed using these calculated values.

Other technologies are available on the market which measure cords (semi) automatically and electronically.

However, comparisons with these other technologies have shown that only microscopy with an accurately calibrated polarising microscope with polarising oculars can achieve such precise results. �

Institut für Glas- und Rohstofftechnologie, Göttingen, Germany. https://igrgmbh.de/

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Fig 3

51 Glass International April 2020

IGR.indd 2

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