Competition

SAFETY GLASS TECHNOLOGY CHANGES 

 

”ROLLER HEART FURNACES” 

• Were invented by Mr. Harold McMaster of GLASSTECH Inc. His inventions dominated also flat tempering and bending and tempering furnaces as long as patents were valid.   

FLAT GLASS TEMPERING

The first competitors of GLASSTECH Inc  was Tamglass Engineering Oy  whose products development director Pauli Reunamäki.  He patented flat glass HTF furnaces and bending and tempering furnaces HTBS in 1980.  Then came low emissive glasses in the market in 1990.  

Many western companies tried.  Everyone failed.  Engineer Alberto Bertolini invented a great idea. Lets make make a convection + radiation process.         The best radiation heating HTF was copied and and added convection to it.  For a great success it was christened CONVAIR.  Its capacity was for 5 mm clear glass 26 loads/hour and for triple silver glass only 5% lower.      

• • In about 1996 were Tamglass/GLASTON competed with ”ProConvection” with compressed air convection.  Tamlass/GLASTON tried  to compete with CONVAIR .  ”ProConvection” was sold few furnaces.  Then it was finished.    
  • In about 1996 sold Cattin quickly sold 5 convection heating furnaces. Tamglass bought Cattin immediately.  Cattin furnaces fiascos. They were replaced by HTF furnaces.
  • GLASSROBOTS ”RoboTemp” made in 2003.  The same ex-engineer who copied HTF furnaces to CONVAIR.  He was the father of  ”CONVAIR” and ”RoboTemp”.  In 2003 were thought that long heaters were necessary like in HTF furnaces.   It  GLASTON turbo charged convection named ”SONIC”.  SONIC process was fiasco.
  • GLASTON FC-series started in 2010.  It had proper matrix heating for convection air. FC-series is otherwise a copy of CONVAIR and RoboTemp.  Marketing and sales were a great success, with false arguments.  
  • Initially increase of capacity was 40% and up to decrease of energy consumption was 30%. The photo below is mislead of customers and competitors      If would in as below below, it would be fiasco.

• • GLASTON tries to keep “high-tech technology” image by articles like https://www.glassonweb.com/article/thermal-radiation-and-forced- convection-flat-glass-tempering-furnaces.   This article has been removed.
  • The article like https://glaston.net/releases/?id=BF9AE34FEE811B86 look like green washing from a company.  

RADIATION TYPE FURNACES 

• • Energy efficiency and capacity are very bad for low emissivity glasses.
  • Accuracy of heating control is very bad because it is far from glass surface. Especially for triple silver glasses.             
  •  South Glass Technology Co., Ltd is one more big manufacturer in China. They replaced compressed air convection by a “turbo” to reduce energy consumption. They follow South Glass Technology Co. Ltd.
  •  Radiation furnaces, like GLASTON RC-furnaces and MAPPI are good, but profitability is low emissive glasses.