Guardian Industries’ Glass Group in Europe has invested more than £3 million to upgrade the production line at its Goole plant, UK.
By completing the upgrade of its magnetron glass sputter coater, the facility now is able to make all of the more advanced coatings for its Guardian SunGuard SuperNeutral (SN) product series at the UK plant.
“Manufacturing SunGuard glass in the UK allows a much greater level of flexibility for Guardian and its customers,” said Pablo Isasmendi, Plant Manager, Guardian Glass UK.
“To ensure we provide the same level of quality SunGuard products produced by our sister plants in continental Europe, we have also installed a sample-size toughening furnace that allows us to inspect the quality of the tempered product during every production run.”
An essential part of the upgrade was the addition of a Temporary Protective Film (TPF) applicator. “The TPF is used on all SunGuard SN products to protect the coating before and during processing, helping to secure higher yields through manufacturing,” explained Isasmendi.
The TPF applicator is the most advanced to date within the Guardian group and has the capacity to cover all glass sizes up to and including ‘jumbo’. It also offers additional benefits, with a 4mm overhang at the leading and trailing edge helping to ensure wrinkle-free TPF application.
“The coater was built and designed with this upgrade in mind,” said Eduardo Moraga, Coater Manager, Guardian Glass UK.
“Seven additional compartments were included in the original design, which have now been equipped to accommodate the added cathodes and target materials required to manufacture our SunGuard SN product series.”
Featuring double silver coatings, the SunGuard product line offers a greater level of selectivity, meaning the glass allows more natural light to pass through while also improving its heat-reflection properties.
