The Glass Machinery Company Fires Up Keraglass

With investment in quality being of paramount importance the current climate does not make anything easy and life is tough for companies in all sectors. Keraglass recognized the success and dedication of The Glass Machinery Company team when it came to its UK representation. The company impressed Keraglass management having an established reputation for excellence with other international companies in its portfolio.

For The Glass Machinery Company working with a company that has such a well recognized brandname is a key benefit when approaching the UK industry. Along with the company’s established standing in relation to sales support it further substantiates the corporate position when approaching the industry. For Phil Birhall, Managing Director at The Glass Machinery Company it is essential that products in the range match the team’s exacting standards. He comments, “As Keraglass is a prestigious company we already have an advantage when approaching existing and potential customers. It would seem that investors have gone from fearing the end of the world to being sensibly cautious, knowing that investment in the right product is essential to take them forward.”

The Keraglass brand is well established worldwide for its quality and reliability with almost more than 20 years experience in the glass industry. The company provides complete industrial solutions for the flat glass and bent tempered glass sectors whilst also providing a broad range of products for screen printing and drying. Working closely with customers Keraglass provides tailored solutions to meet customer requirements carefully planning each project individually from discussion and flat plan design through to installation and aftersales care. The Glass Machinery Company’s team of specialist technicians will readily consultant with Keraglass customers to advise on the most appropriate products for all sized manufacturing facilities, providing customers with complete peace of mind regarding their investment.

Whilst the company provides an extensive range of coating, cleaning, screen printing and lamination equipment, one area of excellence which Phil Birchall considers Keraglass excels is furnaces. The range is vast and can cater for all sized companies requirements. The KCF, continuous furnace for tempering flat glass has been developed for companies with a high production capacity, making it perfect for those producing large volumes of glass products such as IGU manufacturers, or the producers of photovoltaic, automotive and household products such as shower panels.

Additionally Oscillating furnaces in the range such as the Tekno Tronik and Double Star systems provide a quality alternative tempering furnace for flat glass. The Double Star furnaces are equipped with a PRE-HEATING convective chamber which meets stringent industry standards meeting all the UNI requirements. The Double Star is, at present, Keraglass’s flagship product as, after seven years from the first furnace with pre-heating chamber, the company considers it was right to insist on having the pre-heating chamber for low-E glass. The system uses air to preheat the glass, which provides exellent tempering quality – starting from 0.01. Pre-heating the low-E glass with air at 500°C, the equipment internally circulates the hot air eliminating the possibility of contamination. At the same time, there is a considerably increase in production as glass can be pre-heated, while other glass (at 700°C) can be heated in the furnace at the same time. This chamber is ideal for low-E glass as it provides shorter production times yet almost 30% higher production quantities for nearly the same costs. Furthermore product quality is higher with the flatness of the glass guaranteed.

The Tekno furnaces for flat glass are equipped with proven Keraglass technology called “past trough quench” which has been developed for high optical quality products and glass flatness. Additionally these reduce energy consumption and are capable of tempering low thickness glass (2.8 mm), thanks to an additional fan.

The Trokik tempering furnaces for flat glass production are equipped with a highly efficient convection system, which provides pre-heated air at 500°C and is suitable for tempering the latest LOW-E glasses up to thicknesses of 4-19 mm.. Oscillating electric tempering plants for bending and tempering glass, such as the KBO One Way and the KBFO Two Ways have been designed with a unique patented system that has a continuous loop and off-set tempering system that enables manufacturers to produce cylindrical, spherical and other complex shapes in the same plant.

Since 2010 Keraglass has started to manufacture completely automatic lines including the KST, with PVB sheets, PVB and glass assembly all being automated. More specifically in this sector the company manufactures this line of machines entirely in-house. Additionally, the furnace also opens for maintenance, making it the only one of its kind in production worldwide.

Keraglass also supplies Leader Lami multi-level furnaces with independent chambers each with a laminating trolley; in the higher chambers. Additionally there is also the possibility of laminating curved glass sheets, the drying of marble and special screen printed glass thanks to fans which, by means of convection, heat all areas of the chamber uniformly. Also available is the single-chamber Leader Lami HST Top 8 multi-level kiln, which can laminate flat and bent glass of various combinations and thicknesses. The HST Top 8 – which also functions as a heat-soak oven – can be fitted with a vertical heat-soak testing trolley or an 8-level rack for laminating and screen-printed drying.

Phil Birchall concludes, “The Keraglass pedigree is well recognized globally and it is a great testament to our high standards, having been appointed. The industry is gearing up for further legislative changes and it is imperative that manufacturers install the right products that will not only meet and exceed their production requirements but that can substantiate change when it is introduced.”

For more information on the products in The Glass Machinery Company range please call 01630 638555 or visit www.theglassmachinerycompany.co.uk