MIIT Starts Pilot Program to Resolve Excess Capacity in Flat Glass

The national industry and information work conference was held in Beijing on December 24, 2015 by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.  In review of year 2015, facing the increased difficulties and challenges due to the continuous downward pressure on industries, the industrial operations have made solid progress in the effort to secure stability in the economic slowdown, to advance while maintaining the stability, and to transform and upgrade the existing structures. It was reported at the meeting that the Country has made positive progress in eliminating backward and excess capacities by reducing production of approximately 38 million tons of cement and more than 11 million weight cases of flat glass in 2015.


The meeting affirmed that the trend will continue in 2016 by taking multiple measures and implementing pilot programs to resolve more overcapacities in the industrial sectors such as flat glass, iron and steel, cement, etc. The main targets in 2016 are around 6% of growth in above-scale industrial added value, 4% reduction in energy consumption, and 4.5% reduction of water consumption per industrial added value unit.  The Ministry called for efforts on promotion of supply-side structural reforms and further implementation of “China-made 2025” strategy while pushing forward the in depth integration of informationization and industrialization, civil-military integration, as well as information and communication industry restructuring and development.

MIIT Starts Pilot Program to Resolve Excess Capacity in Flat Glass

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AGC Releases New Auto Glass Providing 99% UV Reduction

AGC recently released a new product in its UV Verre PremiumTM automotive glass series - UV Verre Premium PrivashieldTM, for rear doors and rear windows that cuts 99% of ultraviolet (UV) rays.  This product series is the world’s first automotive glass series that can provide effective sun protection to this level.

AGC launched sales of its UV Verre Premium™ series with an approximately 99% UV reduction performance in 2010, followed by UV Verre Premium Cool onTM in 2012, a product equipped also with additional function against infrared (IR) rays, reducing the burning sensation of the skin caused by IR rays. With rising consciousness towards health and beauty, these products are now used in about 50 car models of major automobile manufacturers in the Japanese market.

By using UV Verre Premium PrivashieldTM for the sides with windshield glass LAMISAFE™, consumers can enjoy all-around protections against both UV and IR.

AGC Releases New Auto Glass Providing 99% UV Reduction

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Pleotint Announced the First Bird-Smart Glass

Pleotint has announced recently that self-tinting glass developed by the company has become the world’s first dynamic glass to receive a bird-friendly label from the American Bird Conservancy. According to the American Bird Conservancy (ABC), research has proven that birds are unaware of glass.  Tests indicate that this type of glass can help birds better detect the presence of windows.

The vice president of the company said that bird mortality caused by window collision has now gained more attention than ever. Cities such as San Francisco and Toronto have enacted bird-friendly building codes to reduce the hazards the built environment can have on the lifespan of birds. The self-tinting glass can not only free the architects from limitations imposed by certain building codes, but it also can improve daylighting in a building by replacing opaque glass that obstructing views of the outside world with visible glass patterns.

According to ABC, about one third of bird species are in significant decline and are on the verge of becoming endangered. Researches show astonishing results, indicating that windows are the third leading cause of population decline, up to a billion birds are killed each year in the United States because of this, trailing only loss of habitat and competition with invasive species.

Pleotint Announced the First Bird-Smart Glass

U.S. Develops a New 3D Printer for Glass

The materials that can be used as 3D printing are quickly growing in diversity, including PLA, ABS, and nylon. However, one ubiquitous material, glass has been absent. There are two main reasons: First, it’s a complex process to turn molten glass into specific shapes; Secondly, molten glass is hard to control once it gets extruded through the nozzle. These challenges have made it relatively a very difficult material to work with for 3D printing.     

But recently, researchers at MIT have cracked the challenge in this area. The team has developed a 3D printer that can print large size glass with good optical transparency. Now, scientists at Virginia Tech and the Rhode Island School of Design have also made progress: working together with Glass Robotics Lab (GRL), they have created robot-based 3D glass printing solution. 

Six-axis 3D glass printing process developed by GRL

The new solution is known as “six-axis glass printing process”, a joint project by RISD’s glass artist Stefanie Pender and Virginia Tech assistant professor Nathan King since 2013. For all these years, they have focused their effort to integrate modern robotic technology into handmade glass crafting. The robotic 3D printer is their answer.

Although the six-axis glass printing system is still sort of rough looking, it produces some interesting results. In this system, the molten glass is housed in a crucible, flowing out under gravity. The algorithm controlled robotic arm will move a tile around under the extruder that layers molten glass on to the tile into preprogrammed shape. To the contrary, most other systems move the nozzle above, extruding molten glass on to a fixed tile underneath.

The two developers of the GRL six-axis glass printing system stated that the emphasis of their invention was more of the integration of art, design, and glass as the material rather than commercialization. “This research is evidence that the traditional technical arts will not be replaced by digital fabrication, instead, the technical arts will help to drive and support the direction of future manufacturing industry,” said Pender.

U.S. Develops a New 3D Printer for Glass

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Scientists Develops New Way to Change Visible Light Transmittance in Glass

Variable transmittance window has always been part of smart home scheme. Imaging at a press of a button, the windows will go completely “dark” or create climate adaptive transmittance based on outdoor brightness and temperature to save costs for HVAC. However, most variable transmittance windows require power, working in a way similar to B/W LCD screen. In addition to the cost of the windows, the need for continuous power supply is also troublesome in a way.

Recently, in a research conducted by MIT on a rubbery polymer known as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), scientists discovered how to predict one of its special properties – in its normal formation, PDMS contains some opaque darkened regions. When the polymer gets stretched or deformed mechanically, these regions will become more transparent. After experiments with dye particles and different degrees of deformation, scientists at MIT developed an equation to predict the light transmittance through PDMS. By using this equation, glass manufacturers will be able to determine how much of polymer they need to apply between glass layers or on the surface of the windows to achieve the desired results. While the material changes its transparency by deformation, the product does not rely on electricity to be “smart” and makes installation much easier.

Scientists Develops New Way to Change Visible Light Transmittance in Glass

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AGC Released Two New LED-embedded Glass Products

AGC Group just announced recently that its LED glass series, “Glassiled” will soon release two new products --- Glassiled Motion and Glassiled Smart.

Glassiled Motion incorporates individually controlled, monochrome or RGB LEDs within a double glazing unit. When night falls, the glass wall can immediately transform into a giant display screen, a visual medium capable of faithfully displaying any animated design. In addition, Glassiled Motion has excellent energy-efficient performance with visibility at a distance of 3km. Since the wiring is invisible, Glassiled Motin retains 99% of its transpanrency. The electronic components are protected from moisture and atmospheric deterioration by the double glazing, which also provides outstanding thermal insulation.

Glassiled Smart delivers the similar functionalities as Glassiled Motion, but has been specially designed for renovation projects. It can add a luminous touch to an existing building whose general architecture and original window frames must be kept.

AGC Released Two New LED-embedded Glass Products

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Ukrainian Scientists Developed New Type of High Strength Glass

Scientists of G.S. Pisarenko Institute for Problems of Strength under the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine have for long been working on optimization of glass manufacturing process. During the process, glass substrates have to meet certain requirements in transparency, radio wave transmission, surface quality, intended sizes and decorative standards. To enhance the glass strength, the glass will normally undergo series of processes in mechanical processing, cutting, grinding, polishing, ion-exchange hardening under different level of electric voltages as well as deep etching.

The researchers of the institute have developed a new type of high strength cold-bent glass using cold bent technology. The advantages of the glass include its length up to 4 meters, high quality, diversified geometric parameters, low economic cost, and wide range of applications in architectural engineering projects, perfect for viewing balcony, screen porch, and winter garden rooftop.

At present, the scientists of the institute are developing enhanced safety glass innovation project (under dynamic load and higher resistance) for applications in bank security, special objects, transportation, armored vehicles, and air-raid shelter. 

Ukrainian Scientists Developed New Type of High Strength Glass

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