|
 Toughening Up
Hill Leigh Glazing installed an LGT Glass Tempering System. With a bed
load size of 1500mm wide x 3000 mm long, it is able to toughen glass from 4mm thick through to 19mm thick.
Only 3 years old. the toughening plant is already proving to be one of Hill Leigh's most valued assets and sound investment.
Not only are we toughening our own glass but demand for processed glass for other businesses has grown. Hill Leigh is pleased to announce a contract producing toughened glass for a leading door manufacture.
A spokesman for the company explained As a major world-wide supplier its important to find a manufacturing partner who understands our organisation's requirements and the needs of our customers. Having carried out thorough tests and inspections on products supplied to us by Hill Leigh Glazing, we have been entirely satisfied and therefore entered into a long term supply agreement to ensure stability and a sure-footed arrangement that will benefit both parties.
How Glass is Toughened
Glass is cut to size as specified by the customer and then the edges of the glass are removed by water fed sanding belts called arising
Glass is then washed, dried, inspected and then grouped into product types as different glasses require different toughening programes
The glass is then stamped and fed into the furnace which is heated to 600 degrees C. At this temperature glass becomes soft like toffee; the furnace has a system of ceramic rollers that keep the glass oscillating backwards and forwards to stop the glass bending. Once the glass has been in the furnace for its required cycle it passes into a ‘quenching’ chamber where cold air is blown very rapidly onto the glass. This action of rapid cooling causes the outside surface of the glass to cool before the centre causing the glass to remain under stress… rather like a stretched elastic band.
The high compressive surface stresses give the Toughened Glass its increased strength (up to 5 times that of ordinary glass). And like an elastic band when broken the release of stress causes shattering into smaller particles, rendering the glass less lightly to cause serous injury.
|
