Standard Float Glass

The main, basic bread and butter product of the industry.

Low Iron Glass

Almost totally clear with no green hue inherent in standard glass. It is used for 2 main purposes ; Where almost perfect clarity is required, for example in some prestigious shop fronts etc. and secondly it is used in double glazed units to increase the energy efficiency of the glass by allowing more light and thereby heat into a building.

Body Tinted Glass

Used to achieve colour and solar control: Green; Grey; Bronze; etc.They are regarded as low to medium grade in solar control and their colour can also be used for aesthetic reasons.

Low Emmisivity Glass

Used to achieve energy efficiency. Any person serious about saving energy should insist on using this type of glass in all d/g units.

Solar Reflective Glass

Used to cut down on solar gain. The range is very wide but only a few can be curved because of the soft coating of many of these products.They are mainly used in commercial buildings with large expanses of glass.

Satinised Glass

Used for its obscuring effect (factory finished sandblast effect)

Self Cleaning Glass

Used to cut down significantly on maintenance.

The above glasses when they arrive from the glass manufacturer are typically in large sheet format waiting to be cut down and processed in a wide variety of ways such as polishing, drilling, shaping etc. They are also in, what is know as 'annealed form' which means that when broken, the glass pieces can be long and sharp and quite dangerous. That is why more and more safety glass is being specified by architects and designers to overcome the dangers associated with the base product of glass. The words now used to specify 'safety' in glass are either Laminated or Toughened.

Curved Annealed Glass

There are cases when it is not necessary to use ‘safety’ glass when curving. For example in windows above the regulation height of 800mm from F.F.L or in the repair of antique furniture cabinets. The term ‘annealed’ describes normal flat glass when it is cooled down in a slow and controlled way at the end of its production cycle ensuring its physical and mechanical properties are stable. The same term is used when curved glass is cooled down in a controlled way after bending, leaving it stress free and suitable for further processing or cutting.

Laminated Curved Glass

There are 2 types of safety glass, one being toughened and the other laminated.
Laminated glass is made by bonding 2 or more panels of glass together. The principle is that even if one of the panels forming the laminate is damaged or cracked the integrity of the entire panel is still maintained from a safety point of view.

Toughened glass on the other hand when broken ‘explodes’ into many small harmless fragments. This means that where the glass panel forms a barrier as in a toughened glass balustrade, on exploding there is no barrier remaining. This is normally overcome by laminating 2 toughened panels together.

Laminated Curved Glass Applications

Laminated glass is best used where safety, security or sound reduction considerations are paramount. Its ability to stop sunlight from fading colours in internal furnishings is also an important factor in some applications.

Versatility Of Laminated Glass

The basic process of laminating glass together affords a wide choice of composites, which in turn means it is suitable for a wide range of applications. For example you can have 3 or 4 layers in the laminate to achieve different security levels even to the point of stopping rifle bullets. In these instances the framework that 'houses' the glass, usually in steel or timber, forms an integral part of the protective screen. Safety considerations, to stop someone being injured from an accident, would include areas such as glass in doors, glass overhead in a roof or canopy or simply large windows. These are normally a double ply of a suitable thickness.Or you could bond 2 panels of tinted glass together to match an existing heavier tinted glass.

So, whether there is a need for a glass screen to provide security up to bullet proof level or to a lesser degree withstand the blast of a shotgun or the attempts of a burglar to gain entry to a premises, laminated glass can provide the solution. Laminated glass is also very good for sound reduction because the interlayer by its very composition helps to deaden the noise level by 35 - 40 dB. Not to be overlooked is its ability to minimise the colour fading effects of sunlight on internal furnishings by cutting out most of the harmful U.V rays.

Areas for application

Iinclude shop windows, office partitions, overhead glazing in canopies or domes, security screens, balustrade panels, stair treads and floor panels. Note: Where laminated glass is made from two or more panes of annealed glass, it does not have the same structural properties as toughened glass. It should not therefore be considered for use where the glass forms part of the structural element of a building.

Types Of Laminating:

• 1. Decorative - flat and curved Sandblasted / etched / coloured
• 2. Digital printing
• 3. Security