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Innovative glass melting and thermal conditioning technology Fives Stein
Fives Stein is a global leader in the design and manufacture of machinery and process equipment for the glass making industry. Philip Yorke talked to Stephen Sherlock, the company’s sales director, about the launch of its new innovative products and recent rebranding programme.
ASa global industrial engineering group Fives designs and supplies process equipment for the world’s largest leading industrials. Located in 30 countries and with over 8000 employees, the Fives Group is known for its technological expertise and competence in executing international projects. Today the Fives Group has an annual turnover of more than $2 billion.
Fives Stein Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fives Group and is based in the UK. It specialises in the design and supply of high quality glass melting, conditioning and furnace boosting systems for all types of glass products. Fives Stein Ltd (formerly BH-F Engineering Ltd) was founded in the UK in 1993. In 2008 the company merged with Peneletro Ltd, thereby combining two of Britain’s most experienced companies in the glass making industry.
Delivering unique solutions
Since 2014 the Fives Group’s different divisions have been rebranded and trade internationally, simply as ‘Fives’. Its tagline ‘Ultimate machines, ultimate factory’ captures its expertise in high quality machines and key process equipment. Fives Stein Ltd, together with Fives Stein SA, France and Fives Stein Shanghai, form the glass group division within the Fives
Group. As part of Fives, with all the benefits of being a member of a large industrial consortium, the glass group is able to develop, optimise and integrate unique glass production solutions according to the customer’s requirements and meet the toughest environmental standards. The glass group has rebranded its innovative glass equipment technologies under the registered trademark of Prium® .
Mr Sherlock said, “Fives has introduced a new oxy-combustion furnace crown design for an efficient flue gas Heat Recovery Area (H.R.A). The innovative design causes the hot exhaust gas to sweep over the batch blanket, thereby pre-heating the raw materials coming into the furnace and reducing the amount of energy and fuel required to melt the batch.
“For thermal conditioning of molten glass in the glass making process for such articles as containers, tableware, perfumery bottles and other lines using Forehearth systems, we have introduced the Prium® Planar Tek Combustion nozzle Mix System for the ultimate glass temperature homogeneity. In a fresh innovative approach for Working Ends of Forehearths, the Fives Prium® system is designed to suit the customers’ production requirements and, combined with our patented Flat Flame burner block, enhances glass conditioning performance of the range of Prium Forehearth systems with reduced gas consumption. The Prium Planar Tek combustion can be readily integrated with a new state-of-the-art, bespoke heat recovery system to further augment energy and operational efficiency, as well as profit and environmental considerations.”
Expanding markets
Following the recent rebranding of Fives Stein, large float glass projects continue to be handled by Fives Stein SA. There is a state-of-the-art testing facility in Bar-Le-Duc in the east of France, where the glass group can conduct tests such as combustion and thermal effects at the early prototype stage. Fives Stein Ltd continues to spearhead the group’s expansion into the container, tableware and special glass markets.
The company’s design, engineering and procurement facility at Didcot, UK, has a test rig for small the scale testing of glass melting and conditioning equipment. Larger scale CFD modelling of complete systems can be conducted by the glass group or through third party specialist companies. For annealing lehrs for float glass, the glass group has a manufacturing facility based in Shanghai, China, in order to compete with Chinese suppliers on price while offering European know-how.
Mr Sherlock added, “Here at Fives Stein Ltd in the UK we deal with all glass production methods for rolled flat glass, containers, tableware and fibreglass etc. We offer a total design service and facility to design and supply melting systems for well-known and new innovative types of
glass, such as the Alumina Borosilicate glass required for touch-screen devices. We are well established in Europe, Asia and the Pacific region and are now focused on increasing our presence in the USA. We have also appointed a new business development manager to promote the whole Fives Group Worldwide.”
Innovation driving sales
Innovation has always been a priority at Fives Stein and this continues to drive its sales. Recently, one of the world’s leading producers of pharmaceutical containers contracted Fives for the design, engineering, installation and commissioning of two new hot ends for its new glass plant in France. In addition, Fives successfully commissioned one all-electric furnace structure with a capacity of 70 tonnes per day in August 2015 and one oxy-gas furnace processing 55 tonnes per day in November last year.
The all-electric furnace incorporates Fives’ latest design features that offer a specifically engineered furnace structure in order to improve glass melting and refining performances and reduce refractory wear rates. The oxy-gas furnace is equipped with Fives exclusive new design called HRA technology (Heat Recovery Area), which reduces the temperature of oxy fuel waste gasses and improves energy consumption by up to 10 per cent. n For further details of Fives Stein’s innovative products and services visit www.fivesgroup.com
ULTIMATE
HOMOGENEITY Prium® PlanarTek Burner Block
A new innovative approach for Working Ends and Forehearths. The Fives Prium® PlanarTek combustion system is designed to suit the customers’ production requirements and combined with our patented Flat Flame burner block enhances glass conditioning performance with reduced gas consumption. The Prium® PlanarTek combustion can be readily integrated with a bespoke heat recovery system to further augment energy and operational efficiencies.
With over 60 years of experience in the Glass Industry, Fives designs, engineers, manufactures, installs, tests and commissions glass equipment in a wide range of Glass processes and applications all over the world. Trust Fives professionals to enhance your plant’s performance and competitiveness and to optimise your investment.
