Westcountry Glass, part of the Cornwall Glass Group, recently purchased its first piece of major processing machinery for its new factory in Plymouth: A gapless technology toughening furnace that will enable the company’s toughened glass capabilities to be up to 2850mm x 4200mm.
The toughening plant from Lambert GT Services is the first type of this specific toughening plant series in the UK, and is also the largest in the South West region.
Lambert GT Services is supplying and installing the new toughening furnace.
The Northglass AG-Series Gapless Forced Convection Glass Tempering Furnace is the first toughening plant to be installed in the UK.
This 5th generation furnace has an intelligent temperature control module with a more accurate heating zone, along with technology to avoid overheating of glass edges and thermal stress spots causes by uneven hot air backflow.
Peter Lambert from Lambert GT Services has been associated with manufacturing tempering systems for more than 30 years and designing his own machines for over 20 years.
Peter comments: “Northglass already has installations in most of the major glass companies in Europe. Now, with the Cornwall Glass Group added to that list of high profile customers, so does the UK”
The toughening plant will complement the next stage of machine investments including a unit line capable of producing oversized units in the region of 4000mm x 2700mm.
Mark Norcliffe, a Company Director of the Cornwall Glass Group who is overseeing project comments: “This new machine will complement our three current furnaces and open up so many new opportunities for Westcountry Glass and the Branch Network of Cornwall Glass.
“The Team at Westcountry Glass are very excited with the prospect of being able to produce toughened glass for both single and IGUs to the new maximum sizes now available on the new furnace and we look forward to being able to do business with new customers and help our existing customers with new products and capabilities.”
This investment by Westcountry Glass is the first of the machinery being ordered for its new factory in Plymouth, and it is anticipated that the factory will begin production at the end of the year.
