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September 2019—Vol.42 No.8
ARGLASS YAMAMURA INTERVIEW GLASS FUTURES REVIEW SYRIAN GLASSMAKER PROFILE I N T E R N A T I O N A L
A GLOBAL REVIEW OF GLASSMAKING
Glass International September 2019 GI Cover sept.indd 1
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Contents
www.glass-international.com Editor: Greg Morris Tel: +44 (0)1737 855132 Email: gregmorris@quartzltd.com Assistant Editor: George Lewis Tel: +44 (0)1737 855154 Email: georgelewis@quartzltd.com
September 2019 Vol.42 No.8
Sales Director: Ken Clark Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com Sales Executive: Manuel Martin Quereda Tel: +44 (0)1737 855023 Email: manuelm@quartzltd.com
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Company profile: Arglass Yamamura An insight into the world’s latest glass plant
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Company profile: MCGI Rejuvenated Syrian glassmaker has new lease of life
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Glass Futures Glass Futures seeks £60 million funding for research centres
21
Decoration: Kamman Digital printing to meet the personalisation trend
25
Decoration: Inkcups Colour Seen Clearly - Glass Printing Basics
27
Decoration: Fermac The Digital Bible
28
Company profile: Peter Lacke Coatings group set for expansion
33
Moulds: Intermolde Moulding for the future
36
Moulds: Sonicam The use of Industry 4.0 in the mould shop
38
Hot end Sensors: Tiama A new sensor at the hot end
40
Company profile: Conscious Container Helping create a recycling revolution in container glass
42
Industry 4.0: Grenzebach An inspection system with crystal-clear value added
46
Furnaces: Teco The role of the electrode holder
49
Forming: Heye Gob management
52
History Well polished
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1 Glass International September 2019
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International News
2019 DIARY
GREG MORRIS, EDITOR
September
FRONT COVER IMAGE: www.sorg.de
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Back in the swing of it
Like a flick of a switch, summer very rapidly turned into autumn. Almost overnight, those long, dreamy days were replaced by workmanlike zeal and the reality of the day to day. School runs, morning traffic and racing for the train were the order of the day after the previous six weeks of languid summer. The glass industry has returned from its summer break with its own focus and renewed determination. The next few weeks is conference season and is the time when new ideas and thoughts are unveiled to a wider audience. During the first conference of the season - the SGT’s raw materials event in Cambridge UK - industry veteran Alan Reynolds said he had never known a time in the industry when there was so much optimism and new ideas floating around the sector. One innovation was publicly announced a week later by O-I. The container glassmaker is to install its MAGMA technology at its Holzminden site in Germany (article to the right). O-I states it is a breakthrough technology that, among other things, will allow for more flexible glass production that can be expanded quickly. The glass industry has benefitted hugely from the public’s distaste for plastic packaging. Consumers have turned to glass instead. It is important to ensure they continue to use glass as their preferred packaging material. Innovations such as MAGMA should help ensure this.
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O-I to use Magma tech in Germany Owens-Illinois (O-I) has earmarked its plant in Holzminden, Germany, for installation of a new furnace with its new MAGMA glassmaking technology. The Magma technology was revealed in November last year and has been operating on a pilot line at the company’s US plant in Streator, IL. The new equipment will represent the next step towards full commercialisation by scaling up the production volume and allowing the company to increase testing intensity and scope. Magma is an initiative to reimagine glassmaking with transformational technology and new processes. O-I said it will allow for ultra-flexible glass production that can be expanded rapidly
and at low capital intensity. Vitaliano Torno, President of O-I Europe, said. “The Magma technology enables us to define a new way of making glass to better serve our customers and bring more options and flexibility to production.” This investment would create new jobs, offering career opportunities to those who are eager to make sustainable products that positively impact communities. Reiner Zinnecker, Manufacturing Leader at O-I Germany, concluded: “It is great news that our highly flexible and technically advanced plant has been selected for such breakthrough technology. “We are excited to be at the forefront of driving innovation in the glass industry.”
17-18 Glassman Europe Biennial trade show and conference focused on hollow and container glass. Lyon, France www.glassmanevents.com/ europe 24-26 World Soda Ash Conference Conference focused on the glassmaking raw material. Cannes, France https://ihsmarkit.com/ events/World-Soda-AshConference-2019/speakers. html 24-26 Gulf Glass Biennial flat glass-focused trade show for the Middle East market. Dubai, UAE www.gulf.glass
October
01-04 Vitrum Trade show specialised in machinery, equipment and systems for flat glass. Milan, Italy www.vitrum-milano.com 10-12 glasspex India Exhibition focused on the nation’s glass production. Mumbai, India www.glasspex.com 14-17 AFGM Five day conference devoted to the region’s glassmaking. Cebu, Philippines www.aseanglass.org
November
21 Glass Focus A daytime conference followed by an awards evening over dinner. Sheffield, UK www.britglass.org.uk/glassfocus-2019 21 - 22 Sisecam International Glass Conference Glass in the Sustainable Future Istanbul, Turkey www.glassconferencesisecam.com
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International News
NEWS IN BRIEF
Refel appoints MGFS as Mexican agent
Siam Glass has inaugurated a Sorg furnace and second production line at its Ayutthaya plant, Thailand. The SGA 2 furnace has a melting rate of 310t/d and was heated up in the presence of senior management of Siam Glass’s parent company, the Osotspa Group. The production line will produce glass bottles for the popular energy drink M150. It is the first greenfield pro-
ject for the Sorg company with this customer in Thailand. Sorg’s Managing Director, Mr. Alexander Sorg, personally attended the celebration and presented the owner, Mr. Petch Osathanugrah, with a glass art with congratulations for the inauguration. Prominent political and industrial dignitaries from Thailand and Malaysia were invited to the celebrations. A new training centre was inaugu-
rated at the same time, which will be established at the new location. A model of the new Sorg melting furnace is also on display there. Sorg was awarded the contract from Siam Glass Industry in 2018 for the supply of a modern glass melting plant, including a Sorg STW working end as well as two Sorg 340S and two Sorg 240 forehearths.
Stölzle Masnières hires Forglass Stölzle Masnières Parfumerie has hired the Polish company Forglass to supply a furnace for its northern France plant. The Polish engineering group will supply its technology to design, construct and commission the new furnace to produce high quality, extra white flint glass. The company will supply all of the components of this technologically advanced furnace, including complete
design and engineering, construction, heat-up and commissioning. Forglass said Stölzle Masnières Parfumerie will receive a larger furnace with better performance parameters. Forglass said its technology will guarantee unmatched quality of flint and forehearth coloured glass, which are important for Stölzle’s demanding clients from the perfumery and cosmetic market.
This level of trust doesn’t grow overnight. It is a result of gradually building over the course of the seven-year partnership between Stölzle and Forglass, which specializes in design and construction of furnaces for melting glass. Stölzle also chose Forglass for its experience of working in France, which is a market with many unique challenges.
Arglass starts construction in USA Construction has begun on the Arglass container glass facility in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, USA. Arglass Yamamura announced last month it would
build its first US glass plant in Lowndes County, creating 150 jobs. It will create glass products based on the company’s principles of flexibility, efficiency and sustainability.
Arglass Yamamura CEO, Jose de Diego-Arozamena, said: “Georgia will allow us to run a flexible, efficient, and cost-effective manufacturing operation.”
Tiama and Bucher Emhart Glass collaborate
Tiama, Emhart and other major glass industry players are collaborating to define a standard for laser marks on glass containers. This standardisation ensures a unique laser code on each glass container around the world. To facilitate such a standard, Tiama has granted Bucher Emhart Glass a royalty to its patents, which secures the possibility to include information about the originating cavity and/or mould number in the laser mark on the glass container. This standard code will enable the traceability of each glass container through its whole lifecycle.
Sisecam completes $18.2 million Mersin plant investment
Sisecam has completed an $18.2 million investment at its Mersin glass packaging plant in Turkey. It has commissioned an 80,000 tonnes a year furnace at the site, which is equipped with Industry 4.0 compliant technology. The capacity expansion means the company’s glass packaging production in Turkey has increased to 1.3 million tonnes a year. The Mersin plant is close to a port and focused on exports.
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Siam Glass inaugurates Sorg furnace at Ayutthaya
Mexican company MGFS has been appointed sales agent for manufacturer of fused cast refractories material Refel in Central America, Chile and Peru. Its focus is the highest possible customer satisfaction, understood as the ability to timely provide products and services that fully comply with the customers’ expectations. MGFS’s CEO, Hans Mehl said: “We are honoured to have been chosen by a company having such a high reputation for good quality and reliability as is Refel.”
3 Glass International September 2019
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International News
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Guardian Glass upgrades European production sites Guardian Glass is to invest in the modernisation of float glass lines at two of its European production plants. The float glass production line in Goole, UK, will be upgraded as the existing furnace nears the end of its lifecycle. The upgrade is expected to be performed in the be-
ginning of 2021. The new float glass furnace is planned to have a nominal melting capacity of 825 metric tonnes per day – an increase of 20% compared to the existing furnace. Due to an optimised design, the furnace energy efficiency as well as the environmental perfor-
mance of the new line are expected to improve on a per tonne basis. The new float glass line in Goole will continue to service customers in the UK and Ireland, providing them with float, coated and laminated glass products. The company is also investing in its production plant in Oroshaza, Hungary.
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Heinz-Glas invests in electric furnace in Kleintettau Heinz-Glas is to build an electric furnace at its Kleintettau, Germany manufacturing site. The flacon glass manufacturer said it was responding to the changing demands of the world market in terms of production technology. The furnace will be built at the beginning of 2020 and produce different types of glass in terms of quantities, as well as the
In progress - News sept 2019.indd 3
the last natural gas-fired furnace with an electrical oven at its Kleintettau site in 2016. The melter will replace an older electric furnace. It means no additional production capacity will be created as initially intended. But instead, investments will be made to preserve around 100 direct jobs, plus 100 further indirect jobs related to pre- or post-production.
Schott in Chinese investment Schott held a groundbreaking ceremony for a greenfield pharmaceutical glass tubing plant in Jinyun, Zhejiang. The plant will enable
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increasingly in demand Post Consumer Recycling (PCR) glass. In using an electric furnace, the company said it was benefitting from what is considered the most environmentally friendly and promising glass melting technology. Heinz-Glas said it was continuing along a path of meeting the requirements for low-emission glass production. It replaced
Schott to participate in the advancement of the Chinese pharmaceutical packaging industry. Schott will invest €60 million in the first phase
to install a yearly capacity of up to 20,000 tonnes with production scheduled to start at the end of 2020.
Glass International September 2019
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International News
Top 10 stories in the news
NEWS IN BRIEF
Hegla’s US groundbreaking takes place
The groundbreaking ceremony for the new Hegla production site in Stockbridge, Henry County, Georgia, USA has taken place. The building, which will have approximately 3,050m² of office and warehouse space, is due to be completed by April 2020.
Our most popular news over the past month, as determined by our website traffic All full stories can be found on our website, www.glass-international.com/news � 1. O-I set to install Magma technology at Holzminden plant � 2. Saverglass celebrates first anniversary of Mexican manufacturing plant � 3. American Glass Research publishes Color Atlas of Glass Container Defects � 4. Vetropack: Glass as a packaging material is here to stay � 5. Future Glass Forum: Using software to improve maintenance � 6. Arc appoints to three positions � 7. British Glass disappointed with Scottish DRS latest � 8. Heinz-Glas invests in electric furnace at Kleintettau site � 9. Verallia begins IPO process � 10. Tiama and Bucher Emhart Glass collaboration
Bock Energietechnik invests in production hall
Bock Energietechnik has expanded its production area by 400m² with the construction of a manufacturing space. Bock has also invested in a new spinner CNC milling machine and expanded its welding equipment to meet increased demand for electrode holders. Newly acquired sheet metal processing facilities also enable Bock to manufacture tailor-made cooling water systems and protective coverings for electronic components independently and flexibly for customers.
Ramsey Products appoints CEO
Ramsey Products has appointed Mark Taylor as the company’s new CEO. Taylor succeeds William Hall who will continue in the role of Chairman of Ramsey’s Board. Taylor has business experience from a diverse background in manufacturing and industrial environments. Taylor was recently Division President of a North Carolina based waste and recycling equipment manufacturer.
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Stölzle appointment
The son of Stölzle’s owner has been appointed as Head of Business Unit Spirits. August Grupp, son of Dr Cornelius Grupp joined on 2nd September 2019. Mr Grupp will be responsible for the development, manufacturing and decoration of premium spirits. He holds a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from ETH in Zurich and an MBA degree.
HIG Capital completes $242m Nadir Figueiredo acquisition An affiliate of HIG Capital (HIG) has completed the acquisition of Nadir Figueiredo Indústria e Comércio (Nadir), the largest glass tableware producer in Brazil and the sixth largest in the world. The transaction value was approximately BRL1 billion
($242.8 million.) Nadir has a complete product portfolio of more than 2,000 SKUs, reaching approximately 1,200 customers in the retail as well as commercial food and beverage industries, both in Brazil as well as in 67 other countries.
The company built a 107year success story in Brazil as a result of its high-quality products and long-standing relationships with all major distributors and retailers. Nadir can be found in nearly every household across all Brazilian states.
Verallia begins IPO process French glass bottle maker Verallia has begun the process for an initial public offering (IPO) in Paris. Verallia, controlled since 2015 by US investment company Apollo, said the French stock market regulator had approved its IPO registration document. The plans for a listing remain
dependent on favourable market conditions, the company has said. Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and CEO of Verallia, said: “Verallia can leverage strong assets: glass packaging that benefits from favourable trends and an attractive geographic and end market mix.
“Its high-performance and flexible industrial base offers personalised and premium products, a segment that is growing steadily. “The consistent improvement of Verallia’s results over the last three years testifies to the relevance of its business model and strategy.”
DA Oldfield invests in IS Maintenance products IS Maintenance (ISM), a UK company which manufactured IS Machines and feeders for the glass bottle industry for more than 30 years, has gone into administration. The company, based in
Barnsley went into receivership in the summer. DA Oldfield (DAO), a UK company which manufactures feeders, IS machine spares and ware handling equipment has invested in securing the rights to
manufacture ISM’s products in order to give ISM customers continuity of supply and peace of mind. DAO has bought the Intellectual property from Stavely Cast Products.
6 Glass International September 2019
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International News
NEWS IN BRIEF
O-I to produce from recycled kerbside glass?
Owens-Illinois (O-I) could soon produce bottles from glass collected from kerbside recycling. The world’s largest container glass manufacturer has signed an agreement in principle with Canadian recycler Groupe Bellemare, based in Quebec. Groupe Bellemare has a business plan to invest in a new recycling glass facility in the Canadian province. It said it was ready to purchase new equipment as soon as the supply guarantees are confirmed.
Aegg to open its first major UK warehouse
Aegg is preparing to open its first major warehouse facilities near Eye, Suffolk UK later this year. The facilities will house its four glass ranges including glass jars and bottles for food, glass bottles for soft drinks, juices and soups, glass bottles for water and a tablepresentable range of pressed table glass. £3.1 million is being invested by Aegg in improving and equipping this new facility, enabling production and warehousing operations and will result in creating 50 new jobs.
VRMT website
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UK virtual reality training machine provider VRMT has launched a website. The site contains plenty of information about the company and includes case studies, an about us page and a blog. Visit www.vrmt.co.uk
Emhart buys Symplex
Bucher Emhart Glass has acquired Symplex Vision Systems based in Munich, Germany. The company will be integrated into Bucher Emhart Glass while assembly and engineering remain in Munich. Bucher Emhart Glass will continue to sell and support Symplex’s product portfolio.
GTS secures £100 million funding for Middle East Glass Expertise provided by UK research and development organisation Glass Technology Services (GTS) has helped secure a US$100 million finance package for Egypt’s Middle East Glass Manufacturing Company (MEG). The funding will allow MEG, one of the largest glass manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa regions, to ramp up production of its containers. This will help MEG expand its international footprint and to grow its exports. It will also substantially reduce its energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
The package has been provided by the International Finance Corporation, (IFC), a member of the World Bank, following technical consultancy services from GTS. The IFC was looking to invest in MEG and needed to understand the company’s technical capabilities, market potential and investment requirements, in depth in order to complete its due diligence. Glass Technology Services was asked to provide a full due diligence and technical review of the company’s glass container manufacturing. The team also undertook a review of the market, how
well the company’s products were selling, and the potential for export, and worked with the IFC team to review wider factors such as energy costs, export and import data, and the company’s strengths and weaknesses. Dr Nick Kirk, Technical Director of Glass Technology Services, said: “We were delighted to undertake this project which was complex and rewarding – assisting a global enterprise with major expansion in the glass manufacturing industry and ensuring that the proposal was both financially and technically sound.”
Ross Controls secures parts and services agreement with Verallia Ross Controls’ subsidiary manufactIS (mIS) has entered into a multi-year licensing and co-operation agreement with Verallia. It means mIS is the exclusive worldwide licensee of intellectual property for all mechanical spare parts,
mechanisms and assemblies for all GPS brand machines. It is also Verallia’s preferred supplier of spare parts and repair support services for all GPS brand machines operated by Verallia. In addition, mIS can also provide spare parts, mecha-
nisms and assemblies, as well as repair support services for GPS machines that are operated by other companies that produce hollow glass containers. As part of the agreement, mIS will relocate to the former GPS facility in Essen, Germany.
Iris Inspection celebrates 15 years of Russian partnership Iris Inspection Machines has celebrated 15 years of partnership with Russian container glassmaker Glass Factory January 9. The pair first met at the Glassman Europe exhibition in Prague in 2005, where Glass Factory January 9 acquired its first Evolution 12 inspection machine from Iris. A strong relationship has developed between the two com-
panies in the subsequent 14 years. Camera-based cold end inspection machines were installed at the Vyshniy Volochek glassworks, located in the Tver region between Moscow and St Petersburg. This includes both Evolution 12 and Evolution 5 systems for sidewall/sidewall stress and base/finish/base stress inspec-
tion respectively. The decision was recently taken to modernise the equipment. The hardware and software for all machines was upgraded and converted to the latest Evolution NEO technology, making it capable of operating like new smart inspection equipment. Glass Factory January 9 was established in 1892 and is a flint ware specialist.
8 Glass International September 2019
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Company profile: Arglass Yamamura
An insight into the world’s latest glass plant � Groundbreaking has begun with the clearing and grading of the plot. The plot could eventually accommodate two furnaces.
� Entry perspective.
� Aerial perspective.
Arglass Yamamura is to construct a $123 million container glassmaking site in Georgia, USA. The joint US-Japanese venture said it will be the most advanced facility in the world. Greg Morris spoke to its CEO, Jose de Diego Arozamena.
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C
onstruction work on a $123 million glass container plant in Georgia, USA has started – nearly five years after it was first proposed. The plant will serve the US bottle packaging markets as well as reduce the number of imports from China. Arglass Yamamura is a joint venture between New York investment firm Cambium and Japanese glass manufacturer, Nihon Yamamura. The facility will do business under the name Arglass Southeast. The man behind the idea is container glass industry veteran Mr Jose de Diego Arozamena. Mr. Arozamena has experience in the Mexican glass segment and sits on the board of European container glassmaker Verallia. He will serve as CEO of the joint venture and subsidiary.
He said it had been a long road to get to this stage. “We’ve been working on this project for nearly five years and it has been a rollercoaster. It is not easy to find the right financial support for an industrial greenfield company. There’s been a lot of starts and stops along the way and the competition has put as many roadblocks as possible to make life difficult. “We were about to close last year with a company but were unable to. We’ve had to persevere to get to where we are now.”
Start up Site work on the plant in Valdosta has already began with the furnace start-up set for the end of next year. The Lowndes County plant should be
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Company profile: Arglass Yamamura
Digital glassmaking According to Mr Arozamena it will be the world’s most modern glass plant which will include the latest technology for digital glassmaking. “We are not entering the industry to build yesterday’s plants, we have to be ahead of the curve. “It is a lot easier to add this new technology into a greenfield start up rather than existing plants with an existing workforce and the like. We have the luxury of starting fresh and our goal is to build a plant for the next 20 years rather than the last 20 years.” The plant will include equipment from ‘top of the line suppliers’ and proven glassmaking technology. It will apply a layer of high technology above proven day to day equipment. This new technology will help the business to offer enhanced flexibility, a key company tenet. “The glass industry in general needs to be able to react to changes in consumer demand and that means a lot more flexibility than we have been used to traditionally. “The younger generation is used to having new things all the time and glass has to respond to that consumer demand in order to stay as an attractive packaging material. “Our goal is flexibility. Traditionally flexibility
has meant at a high cost or an inefficient operation, so our goal is to strike the best balance between flexibility and efficiency.” A key industry talking point is sustainability and Mr Arozamena highlighted that ‘green’ technology will be in use at the plant as well as closed loop water systems for example.
Disruptor
“We are not entering the industry to build yesterday’s plants, we have to be ahead of
”
the curve
Arglass sees the US as a market ripe for disruption after a wave of industry consolation. According to its website, there are currently 41 glass container manufacturing facilities operating in the United States, down from 120 plants in the early 1980s. The three largest players own 35 of the 41 plants and control, as measured by the number of units sold, more than 90% of the US glass container market. Its website states: “Incumbents have filled their plants with products that allow for long-run productions (i.e: beer), focusing on utilisation above all else, leaving customer needs such as emergency batches, shorter runs and customised products, unattended.” As a result, customers have to rely on imports. In 2018, imported glass containers represented more than $1.6 billion, the company said and imports from China have grown at an annualised rate of 15.7% per year, it added. Mr Arozamena praised state and county officials for their help in the site-selection process. “They have stuck with us over the past four and half years. They have been crucial helping us to get to where we are, without the support of the local authorities and the continued support of very important customers we would not be here.” Mr Arozamena grew up in the glass industry thanks to his grandfather, who formed several glass plants in Mexico as well as one in New York. He has been involved in the formation of several greenfield plants - in glass and other industries – but said the process of building this plant had been a rollercoaster. “Obviously nobody is going to invest in a plant that does not have customers so our first task was to secure a customer base. “So as far as the rollercoaster it has been fending off these actions to block our entry to the market and it is where customer support has been critical. “On the investor side a greenfield start-up always gives pause to investors. It has been testing and trying at times but we’ve persevered and now the real work starts to get the plant built and operational. “The good thing over the past four and half years is we have had a lot of time to make sure we had all the technology right and everything in place to build a successful plant.” �
Arglass, Georgia, USA www.arglass.us
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fully operational by the first quarter of 2021. The furnace will have a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes a year, equivalent to 265,000,000 units per year. According to a financial filing from Nihon Yamamura, the Japanese company will put up 75% of the investment for the new venture, with the remainder coming from Cambium. It is the first time the more than 100-year-old Japanese manufacturer has ventured into the North American market. The company offers more than 1000 bottle varieties and has a 40% share of the Japanese domestic market. In recent years it has increased its global exposure and diversified away from its current supply bases in Japan, China and Southeast Asia. Mr Arozamena said that Nihon Yamamura shared the same philosophy about glassmaking as Arglass. He said: “We are lucky to have found Yamamura, who responded quickly and are fantastic to work with. “It is an experienced company and has a philosophy of being flexible and agile, because that is what is required in the Japanese market. “It produces high quality products day in day out for its customers. That agility and flexibility was very much in line with our goal because we’re not creating just another glass branch, we are putting in best in class technology.” Nihon Yamamura also has a background in Industry 4.0 and the plant will include investments in modern machinery, automation and AI.
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Company profile: MCGI
Rejuvenated Syrian glassmaker has new lease of life Syria’s only container glassmaker, Modern Company for Glass Industries, has endured a tough time in recent years. Now, following the end of the country’s conflict it is looking forward to the future. It has installed a second furnace and has welcomed overseas visitors to its plant. George Lewis spoke to its Chairman, Aiman Raslan.
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3 glass factory managed to continuously produce glass. The factory is located a few kilometres from the city of Homs. While the city centre itself was destroyed in the conflict, the glass factory remained free from damage. But there were risky moments. Staff were sometimes forced to sleep in the factory overnight due to road closures and damage nearby. The sound of the conflict was never far away, leaving staff wondering if their loved ones were safe from harm.
Continued>>
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he Modern Company for Glass Industries (MCGI), based in Homs, Syria will be firing up its new 245 tonnes per day furnace in September, its second melting tank at the plant. Then during the second week of October, it will mark the occasion with an official celebration which will include local dignitaries and The situation between workers in a ceremony to open 2010 and 2015 was particularly the modernised and expanded plant. hard. We passed this period due to For its chairman, Aiman Raslan, and workers at the patience, backbone and plant the ceremony will have a special significance. The good management. opening of the furnace marks the end of a difficult period in both the company and the country’s history. As is well known, Syria has been bogged � down in a horrific civil conflict for the last eight 1. Construction of the years. It has had a tremendous impact in the furnace country with lives lost and people forced to flee 2. IS machine their homes in search of a new life. 3. Annealing lehr Despite the tragedy unfolding around it, the
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Company profile: MCGI
“The situation between 2010 and 2015 was particularly hard. We passed this period due to patience, backbone and good management,” Mr Raslan states The company kept a back stock of approximately 10,000 tonnes of its jars and bottles during this period and, when the conflict gradually began to end, managed to sell them between 2015 and 2017. It was this that kept the factory alive, he adds.
Expansion The company was founded in 2009, just before the Syrian conflict began, and is based in the Hasyaa Industrial Zone near Homs. Its initial furnace was fired up for the first time in 2010. The plant has a total production capacity of 90,000 tonnes per year and produces customdesigned glass containers, including bottles and jars in varying colours and volumes for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical I have always had in mind not been able to visit the plant while industries. potential employees did not want to With strong competition coming from that it’s very important to install live and work in the country. regional glassmakers, MCGI has the capacity to expand further if the new But Mr Raslan says that the current the new furnace and expand situation is ‘very good and safe but furnace proves to be successful. the media play a big role in showing Mr Raslan said the expansion will capacity because Syria and our the situation is much worse than it help drive costs down and satisfy client actually is.’ demand, which will in turn mean MCGI factory location is very strategic Suppliers from outside Syria have can maintain a competitive price. now visited the factory and stated how The expansion means the company for export. will now be able to produce a dark green safe and comfortable they felt. bottle for olive oil and an amber bottle for Mr Raslan believes that the installation pharmaceutical purposes, which he hopes of a second furnace shows the company is still going strong, despite the perceived will lead to demand in new markets. unrest in the country. The expanded premises will have equipment, machines and technology “I have always had in mind that it’s very from leading suppliers in the world, important to install the new furnace and including the latest inspection and expand capacity because Syria and our forming machines, taking MCGIs total factory location is very strategic for export. current investment in the plant to €18 “The sands mines are just behind our million. The investment includes two plant and labour and energy costs are production lines, annealing lehr and relatively cheap compared with other palletizing equipment. countries.”
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Markets Current markets for MCGI includes the Middle East, Gulf and North Africa but Mr Raslan explained that with the expansion completed, it aims to target further markets in Spain, Lebanon, Iraq, Tunisia and Pakistan. Despite the plant not being damaged by the conflict, it has made it harder to forge relationships with partners across the globe, while exporting costs have remained high. Mr Raslan said that despite these barriers, due to the location of MCGI, it has the ability to keep costs as low as possible. Mr Raslan explained that hiring staff for the plant has been difficult. Many outside of the country see Syria as a danger zone; meaning crucial partners with MCGI have
Future
� Top: Palletizing equipment
� Above: A Tiama inspection machine.
Looking to the future, Mr Raslan says that MCGI will have 30% extra production that needs to be sold. He said: “We are thinking to sell this extra 30% in Turkey, the Gulf, north Africa and the south of Europe. “We hope to succeed in selling them (in these regions), despite the competition with Egyptian glass. “However if we see that after six to seven glass containers demand increases, the plant has sufficient room and facilities to build a third furnace with extra production lines added.” �
*Chairman of MCGI, Homs, Syria www.mcgiglass.com
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Glass Futures
Glass Futures seeks £60 million funding for research centres The Glass Futures project proposes to build two research facilities in St Helens and Leeds in the UK. A conference, attended by more than 100 industry professionals, outlined details about the proposal. George Lewis attended.
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Furnaces Attendees were told the site in St Helens will encompass a 70m wide by 50m high and 20m deep furnace, capable of producing 30 tonnes per day. Space for a second furnace will also be available, with a potential capacity of up to 100-150 tonnes per day. Further space will be used for highquality R&D with room to trial and showcase technologies, such as new batch delivery, carbon capture, furnace designs, control systems and sensors.
� L-R: British Glass CEO Dave Dalton, Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Encirc’s Adrian Curry.
The facility will also have the ability to use multiple types of fuels such as natural gas, electric, hydrogen and bio-fuels.
Global hub Chris Sorsby, Commercial Manager for Glass Technology Services opened proceedings, showing the vision for a ‘global hub for glass’. Glass Futures is an organisation hoping to foster collaboration and develop partnerships across all sectors of the global glass industry and supply chain. It also aims to bridge the gap between industry and academia and with other research groups across the EU and beyond. It also aims to support developments from concept to commercialisation, along with de-risking new technologies and reducing time to implementation. Glass Futures will be a conducive space where business and researchers meet to develop new products and processes, deliver the British Glass Decarbonisation 2050 Roadmap and remove barriers to development and implementation. It also aims to create a louder voice
to influence government policy and help develop the next generation of glassmakers and entrepreneurs. The proposed timeline will see the furnace commissioned in Q4 2020 and pilot trials starting in Q2 2021. Councillor David Baines, Leader of St Helens Council, and Councillor Richard McCauley, Cabinet Member for Growth and Development, took to the stage after Mr Sorsby’s opening remarks to explain that from a council perspective, the new facility would bring a much-needed boost to St Helens, the ‘home of glass’ in the UK. Cllr. Baines also told attendees that there would be a cold end facility created at the University of Leeds. Dave Dalton, Chief Executive of British Glass, later told attendees that the Leeds facility would be a site to focus on research in the cold or downstream elements of the manufacturing process, including coatings, structure and biomedical glasses.
Continued>>
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lass industry professionals were given extensive details about a proposed new global centre for excellence in R&D, innovation and training. The Glass Futures project is sourcing £60 million to construct state-of-the-art hot and cold end research facilities in two places in the UK. More than 100 delegates were given details of the new project at the daylong Glass The Future and £60 Million Funding conference held recently. They were told the aim of the facilities, located in St Helens and Leeds, UK, will be to ‘strengthen expertise within the Northern Powerhouse’ region to create a globally recognised centre of excellence in glass technology and manufacturing. The event incorporated 11 presentations, a panel debate and networking opportunities. Speakers included Glass Futures itself and a number of supporters including glass manufacturers such as Encirc and O-I, technology suppliers such as Siemens and Glass Technology Services, and local authorities that back the plan. The event took place at the Totally Wicked stadium, home of rugby league team the St Helens Giants and birthplace of the United Glass Bottles manufacturing site.
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Gass Futures
� An image of the site where the new hot end facility will be.
� Dave Dalton finished off the day’s proceedings.
Adrian Curry, Managing Director of container glass manufacturer Encirc then told the audience why the Derrylin, Ireland-based company were working together with Glass Futures and the importance of reducing carbon emissions in line with government guidelines. He told attendees that the St Helens facility would have the capability to drive the sector towards net-zero CO2 emissions in the area by 2040, ten years ahead of the proposed UK levels. He reported that 10% of carbon emissions in the UK came from the manufacturing industry. Following on from Mr Curry’s presentation was a statement from Vice President of Global Research and Development and Technology Strategy and Integration at O-I, Ludovic Vallette, who was unable to attend the event. In a statement read out by Mr Dalton, Mr Vallette advised the attendees that O-I “know the value of appropriate focus and investment needed to stay ahead and forge new ground,” and that is the reason for supporting Glass Futures. He said in his statement: “The future is something we need to collaborate on to make the most of our capabilities and
to share ambition, apply talent, and train and develop the next generation of glassmakers. “Of all materials, glass with its purity and sustainability, has the most to offer in terms of un-tapped potential.”
Funding The afternoon session focused on how the facility would be financed and the presentations that followed proposed three different routes for funding the centre. These funding schemes included the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS): Industrial Fuel Switching, in which Glass Futures had already been awarded £300,000 for Phase 2, and attendees were advised up to £7.5m would be applied for in Phase 3. The £300,000 was used to produce a feasibility study on industrial fuel switching and would run from April to October 2019, with a publicly available report published after the project had been completed. £7.5m will be applied for in Phase 3 of the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition and if successful, the project
will run from December 2019 to March 2021. Another source of funding would come from the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): Strength in Places Fund. This included £50,000 awarded to preparation proposal with a future £13.7m applied for at a later stage. The third main funding stream would also come from UKRI via the Industrial Strategies Challenge Fund (ISCF) for Transforming Foundation Industries. The details of this part of the funding were to be confirmed, but could be up to £15m capital grant for pilot facilities, and more than £50m for funding projects across all foundation industries. It was advised that despite all funding being looked at together, should one or even two be unsuccessful, the facility would still go ahead. Aston Fuller, Projects Manager for Glass Futures, spoke in more detail about the funding available from BEIS to switch fuels to reduce carbon emissions. He told the audience that as mentioned above, Glass Futures had successfully won £300,000 to produce a feasibility study on industrial fuel switching and the study will be run from April to October 2019.
Continued>>
� A panel discussed how to take the glass sector forward.
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He concluded his presentation by saying that before 2021, Glass Futures aims to tell the government: � The costs to change (Opex and Capex), � New firing techniques to investigate, � To provide a roadmap for alternative fuels � And to give rise to more applied research/projects.
Next steps The day’s events was finished off with final statements from Richard Katz, Board Director of Glass Futures and Mr Dalton, who finalised the state of affairs for the £60 million ‘glass hub’ and the next steps. He said that Glass Futures was ‘now truly well on the way to becoming a physical entity’ and asked members in the room for
� Some of the speakers on the St Helens pitch
what they would like the next steps to be. Mr Dalton said that it was a critical point for the whole project – and asked attendees to join together to help drive the sector forward. He said: “We know we have won, and will have access to, the funding this project needs. “We currently face national political and economic uncertainty and massive global climate considerations. “In terms of Glass Futures, we can establish a firm economic basis, and underpin the dynamic work of this region
and local authority. “In terms of the climate, we can lead the way with the foundation industries to help the world cut down on its carbon emissions. “We have further significant funding opportunities for the coming months, and we need you to join us in deciding where to take that funding to provide the best advantage for glass. “Let’s do it together!” �
Glass Futures, St Helens, UK www.glass-futures.org
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Mr Fuller concluded his presentation by reiterating the point made throughout the day – that Glass Futures offers a different approach to innovation, led by the industry and supported by academics. He believes this project is a model to show that the UK can export globally from St Helens.
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12/09/2019 15:01:16
KAMMANN
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Decoration
Digital printing to meet the personalisation trend Matthias Graf* highlights how digital printing can help meet today’s trends towards personalisation and individuality.
Digital inkjet printing Inkjet makes it also possible to decorate single objects. Equally, a different image can be printed on each example of the same object. By eliminating screen costs, inkjet printing also offers an alternative for short print runs and applications, such as samples of new decorative designs or instances where numerous different motifs are required, but the required batch sizes are correspondingly small. If digital printing can be used to reduce minimum order quantities, then customers may be willing to accept higher unit costs. The contactless nature of inkjet makes it a particularly suitable method for printing on asymmetrical objects. To
guarantee consistent quality, however, it is necessary to keep the distance between the inkjet print head and the object being printed as constant as possible. This is not difficult in case of uniformly cylindrical objects such as silicone or grease cartridges, but the challenges become greater with convex or concave shapes or when decorating objects which are entirely asymmetrical such as decorated glasses or plastic containers for the body care market. The so-called drop-on-demand (DOD) piezoelectric process is one in which the nozzles of a print head are opened for each individual drop of ink. This means that each drops of ink is only expelled when they are actually needed. The
individual ink drops fired at the surface of the object can be as small as two picolitres. The nozzles in an inkjet head are correspondingly tiny and can thus easily become blocked. Such blockages can already be triggered by stray light hitting the UV-cured inks which are commonly used for container decoration. Just one blocked nozzle will be apparent in the printed image. It also does inkjet print heads no favours if they are used infrequently. To avoid these kinds of problems, Kammann ensures that the ink in its digital and hybrid presses is kept circulating with a constant temperature. In addition, shields and a shutter system prevent stray light from reaching the individual print heads. These measures ensure reliable print head operation, but if a nozzle should still fail, despite everything, smart software functions can compensate during the printing process by activating redundant rows of nozzles.
Speed The printing speed of digital printing is roughly the same as it is with screen printing equipment, but print images of greater height may need positioning of the print head several times. Kammann actually has a strength in fast and precise product transport systems. These systems allow movement of highly sensitive inkjet heads to be minimised and represent a decisive contribution to reliable operation of the overall printer. Inkjet inks differ from screen printing inks in terms of covering power and this means it is critical for the ICC profile of the printer to be matched to the object in question, its surface properties and colouring. Kammann has designed a device that makes it possible to generate optimised profiles for printing on containers. Continued>>
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oday’s trend is towards personalisation and individuality. People strive to stand out from the crowd, and underline this with equally personalised products. So the demand and thus the importance of individualised products has increased. Due to this trend, digital printing concepts are as important as ever before. There are examples of this in almost every segment - be it the printers of decorated drinking glass who uses the advantages of inkjet printing in conjunction with a digital web shop and a corresponding workow, the contract printer who wants to expand his finishing spectrum, or in the glassworks. The digital printing process makes it possible to decorate hollow objects exactly according to these requirements. Photorealistic motifs, small batch sizes and changeover times have so far presented print decorators with an economic challenge. Demanding product shapes with de- or embossing as well as concave articles can only be partially finished with conventional printing processes. Digital inkjet printing, on the other hand, can easily decorate such areas on the object.
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Decoration
This involves printing patches on the original object and then calibrating the individual print heads on the basis of the resulting colour and intensity measurements. This calibration is also offered as a service by Kammann.
While the demand on the process differs massively from screen printing, at least the tools used for pre-press are not new. In most cases, the print data is generated, checked and retouched using Adobe software. The data are then ripped
using Onyx or Colorgate software to obtain print-ready rasterised data. In contrast to screen printing, inkjet uses almost exclusively the four process colours cyan, magenta, black and yellow. Opaque white can also be printed as a base layer as well as light cyan and light magenta, of course, and the inkjet heads can be used to pre-print a primer or protective coating. At this point, it is important to make clear that Kammann technology, unlike many competitor systems, is not tied to specific ink suppliers and it is also possible to use other print heads from different manufacturers. What do new entrants into digital inkjet decorative printing need to watch out for? Professional-grade digital printers should not be confused with desktop office printers, even though both employ the inkjet process. The same holds for the quality of the end product, and even more so for the prerequisites to be met by the production environment. Such complexity means that what an inkjet press used for decorating containers really needs are operators who know what they are doing and who are prepared to take on board the importance of press care and regular servicing. The process also calls for skilled pre-press staff who are able to optimise data supplied by the customer for print. The various decorating processes – screen, inkjet or hot stamping – have their pros and cons. Koenig & Bauer Kammann is the only decorating technology supplier to combine multiple processes within one printer and to offer inline hybrid solutions. The external dimensions of the machines are the same no matter which printing process is used. There is no doubt that digital printing can unlock new market opportunities for the decorating of containers. Its pioneers, however, are still thinly spread. The future belongs to press users who are prepared to work together with the press manufacturers and customers to develop new business models. The more ‘business intelligence’ is fed in, the faster the digital decoration express will get under way to fuel the technological development of container decoration. �
*Managing Director. Koenig & Bauer Kammann, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany www.kammann.de 22 0
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Decoration
Colour Seen Clearly – Glass Printing Basics Ben Adner* discusses how the need and expectation for high resolution imaging on glassware has grown in recent years and how today’s options are only limited by imagination.
� The Helix Hi-Fi prints photorealistic images on to glassware.
Surface coatings There are two methods that glassware
manufacturers use either before or after the annealing (cooling) process to ensure that glassware is protected for shipment and ready for use.
Hot end coating Hot end coating is a pre-annealing process used on all bottles including wine, soda, spirit and beer. Once the glass is formed, a thin tin-chloride film is sprayed onto the inside and outside of the glass to make it harder. Hot end coating has a safetyrelated function as well; it prevents the glass from shattering from a buildup of pressure due to carbonation.
Cold end coating For all other types of glassware, manufacturers use a cold end coat to protect items from scratching during transit. This type of coating is either a spray or a vapour that is applied after the annealing process. There are multiple types of cold end coatings including watersoluble, water-insoluble, polyethylene or fatty-acid.
Pre-treatment methods Before printing on glass, the item must be properly pre-treated to ensure ultimate adhesion and durability. Although glass is ideal for printing thanks to its high surface free energy, it is also susceptible to absorbing debris or other coatings, which may inhibit adhesion. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which method is chosen, but glassware must be pre-treated for optimum results. Three pre-treatment processes for commercial and industrial applications include flame treating, Pyrosil, and MagiCoat. All three methods have a common goal of increasing the strength of adhesion, and in turn, improving product quality. � Flame treatments use high heat within the oxidation layer to increase the surface energy of the glass. This process is used to increase the wettability or the degree of which a liquid spreads on the surface of a solid. � Pyrosil, which also utilises flame technology, is the a pre-treatment method Continued>>
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lassware has been used for drinking, eating and general purposes for more than 3,000 years. Once considered a prized luxury, various forms of glassware can today be found in nearly every household. The origins of adding company logos and related brand elements to glassware and bottles dates back more than a century, with the invention of screen printing in 1907, and possibly earlier. According to Collector’s Weekly: “During the 1880s, as breweries expanded and pasteurisation allowed them to send products longer distances, beer-glass advertising became popular. A few of these early advertising glasses used colour-embossed logos, but most relied on an acid-etching silkscreen process.” We’ve come a long way since then. Today’s glassware printing options are only limited by imagination. This article takes a close look at the entire process of pre-treating, decorating and adhesion testing on glassware.
25 Glass International September 2019
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Decoration
used by many printing companies. It is specifically used before glass decorating and for cold end coating of glass. Pyrosil doesn’t just promote adhesion, it actually changes the chemical structure of the glass by using heat and oxidation while depositing a layer of silicone particles onto the glass. This increases the free energy on the surface of the substrate, making it more receptive to bonding to UV inks. While pretreatment with Pyrosil is effective, it is expensive, and measures must be taken to ensure the silicate deposition is evacuated and not inhaled by the operator. � MagiCoat is a water-based spray-on primer exclusively from Inkcups. This primer is used after the flame-treating process to act as an additional anchor for ink to stick to. Since it is a water-based product, it is more environmentally friendly and does not pose any health hazards to operators.
All in the inks Aside from the pre-treatment method for glass, digital inks for glass are just as important, if not the most important factor. Since glass is a maliable substrate, the digital ink that is chosen for the printing job should also be slightly
flexible. Pre-treatment ensures the ink will stick after going through tough adhesion testing, choosing the right ink will ensure the ink will bend with the expansion and compression of the substrate.
Digital cylinder printing Once the glassware item has been pretreated and the inks chosen, it is ready for printing. Traditional methods such as pad or screen printing are excellent for basic logos or graphics that require a few colours but are not ideal for short-runs or full-wrap graphics. In addition, printed labels can produce full-colour imaging, but the worry of lead times and inventory management all result in bottlenecks in production. Although these methods are still great for printing glassware, the demand for flexibility in printing, on demand decoration and high-resolution graphics has shifted the focus to digital cylinder printing. Seamless graphics, photographic quality prints and shorter setup times have made digital cylinder printing the method of choice for glass decorators. Digital cylinder printing is when a machine directly lays UV ink onto a curved surface that is usually a wall of an
Right: Full-colour custom image designs in several applications, including pint glasses.
� The Helix,
object that has a circular cross section, and a constant tapered, or variable diameter. This decorating method is accomplished by creating artwork, prepping it for print and using specialised software to print the artwork directly onto the glassware piece. Design techniques such as mirror printing, tone on tone and stained glass can all be accomplished with digital cylinder printing. Digital cylinder printing enables companies to print ondemand, personalised products of the highest quality.
Adhesion testing After a graphic has been printed on to the glass, there are a series of tests that some glass decorating companies may require before distribution. The mix of these adhesion tests are generally based on the intended use of the glass item. To ensure that ink has properly adhered to the glass, surface tests such as the ‘scratch and tape,’ and ‘crosshatch and tape’ can be performed. Typically, the scratch and tape test is done on promotional glassware items whereas both the scratch and tape and the crosshatch and tape are done on premium glassware. Finally, some companies will request further resistance testing such as dishwasher tests which washes the product in a residential or commercial dishwasher. The scratch and tape and the crosshatch and tape tests are assessed in conformance to ASTM standards on a scale from 0-5 where 0 defines the cuts as completely smooth and none of the squares of lattice are detached to 5 meaning that there is flaking and whole squares have been detached. The dishwasher test validates the resistance properties of the ink and pre-treatment solutions together. Depending on the application and customer requests, a residential and/ or commercial dishwasher test can be performed. The need for high-resolution imaging on glassware is growing and therefore, the expectations for pre-treatment methods are also increasing. Gone are the days of simply being able to print a 4-colour logo on a mixing glass. Companies and customers alike are now requiring a picture of their dog or a wedding portrait to hold as a keepsake. These items are no longer just used as promotional items, they are now holding sentimental value. �
Inkcups’ flagship digital cylinder printer.
*President, Inkcups, Danvers, MA, USA Email: info@inkcups.com www.inkcups.com
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Decoration
The digital bible Alessandro Ghiradini* explains how Fermac is guiding customers about the benefits of glass decoration with the launch of The Digital Bible.
T
here is nothing more exciting than being immersed in an epochal change. The birth of the press, the industrial revolution and the birth and development of the web are just some of the great achievements, of the great changes that, inspired by technology, have led to radical and unexpected social and cultural revolutions. Social and cultural, certainly, but above all, economic. The advent of digital in the world of glass decoration has produced unequal reactions and brought to the market different types of technologies. Fermac has tried to create a guide to the world of digital printing based on the common questions that have come to us over the years from our customers and from the world of printing in general. The aim of this book is to answer many frequently asked questions about this new promising yet not so well known technology. Questions like: � Is it time to switch to digital? � Is digital an opportunity or rather a threat? � Which is the state-of-the-art of the digital printing technology? � What will I be able or not able to do with digital? � What kind of systems are available nowadays? � Could a digital system fit into an existing decoration facility? � Digi... what? This document has been published by Fermac, a company in the manufacturing of screen-printing and inkjet printing machines for hollow glass containers with more 600 machines installed worldwide. The purpose of this publication is to provide a snapshot of the technology to its current state of development, trying to provide the reader with a glimpse of the many opportunities it can offer, but at the same time indicating limits and differences with respect to the ever-present and effective screen-printing on glass. What is certain, however, is a new era is starting and opening up a universe of unexpected and potentially rich decorating options and opportunities. Fermac collected opinions, tried to satisfy the main curiosities and adding its own particular vision of the evolution that is taking place in the world of printing on glass. �
*Sales Manager, Fermac, Parma, Italy www.fermac.it
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Company profile: Peter Lacke
Coatings group set for expansion Glass coatings company Peter Lacke is constructing a €20 million building at its German headquarters to deal with continued growth. The family run group to plans to use its expertise working with global brands to help the glass industry. Greg Morris met its CEO, David Peter.
www.glass-international.com
A
glass coatings specialist is expanding the size of its headquarters in a €20 million investment. Peter Lacke said the decision to expand was made to meet growing demand from the glass sector, among others. The company, which serves the glass industry all around the world, has tripled its turnover in the past eight years. Now it is in the process of building a 6500m2 facility at its headquarters in Hiddenhausen, Germany, which will house office space, laboratories, a technology centre, canteen and gym. Approximately 150 people will move into the new building when it opens in Spring next year. Its CEO, David Peter, said: “We have never had an expansion of this size on this site before and it
is also the largest ever investment we have made on this site. “We are on a good growth track, we are growing, hiring more people and need more capacity. “The new building has been designed from scratch and workers will be based in a modern, open plan building where departments can interact closely together,” he added. The company has manufacturing facilities in locations such as China and USA but has been based in its Hiddenhausen, Westphalia location for 60 years and currently employs 180 people on this site. It is a coating expert and, as well as glass, is prevalent in the automotive industry where it works with global clients such as Audi, BMW and Porsche – household appliances, plastics and sports equipment industries. In glass its applications are found on perfume and cosmetics bottles, beverage bottles, tableware and decorative glass such as bowls, candlesticks and vases. Its work with global automotive brands means the company is aware of the colour trends of the future, said Mr Peter. “We work with companies such as Audi on their new designs for five years time. They choose those colours now so we know what is coming and this gives us a large insight into the automotive and consumer trends of the future.” An automotive company such as Mercedes will give titles such as Exuberance or Love to its design ideas, which are then forwarded to Peter Lacke. The coatings company will then choose and create colours that incorporate the key design word. Its automotive customers are then invited to visit to join them for coatings trials where they can run the applications on an R&D level. Mr Peter is keen to encourage the glass industry to also take a similarly active role in the process. He said the company has a lot of expertise to offer which will bring value to glassmakers.
Global growth The company was formed 113 years ago in 1906 in the Hiddenhausen area originally as a furniture coater. It gradually moved into the paint manufacturing business and then in the 1990s, decided to expand into the automotive sector and become a global company. Mr Peter credits the decision to expand
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Company profile: Peter Lacke
to his
knowledge. Spray lines are different depending on domestic weather conditions, for example. An Indian coating spray in the summer will have different technology requirements to that of one in a Russian winter. “You have to be able to adjust coatings locally, customers need to rely on you and for that you need the infrastructure. “We’ve taken the time and years to build it up because we strongly believe that is the right way.”
father, Andreas, who was owner at the time. “It was a big and brave decision,” he said. “It took a lot of time and effort and was a real education. It was like having 10 children at once! But it allowed us to do what we can do today with a much larger level of growth. “Metaphorically, I would say that today all of the children have finished prep school and are now going away to boarding school to develop more sustainably and be more self driven. “We always took the global approach but with local service centres and companies because we have to be as good as the best local competitor, whether it is in India, China or Mexico. “We believe you cannot be that good from a centric approach having a big company in Germany and supplying the whole world from here. We need to have a lot of servicers and the service has to be in a local language. You have to be located close to your customers because if an adjustment to a line need to be made you have to react quickly.” This global approach means having local
After originally serving the flat glass market for several years, it secured its first customer in the hollow glass sector in 2005. In the past more than 10 years of working with the perfume bottle maker it has not received a single claim for bad quality work. Mr Peter said: “Our glass customers can benefit from our automotive mind-set on quality processes and standards. “The automotive sector is very stringent and if you do not supply on time or supply bad quality then that can be the end of your company. If you are responsible for shutting down a production line for just one day in the automotive sector it can cost millions.” Peter Lacke is a family owned group and Mr Peter hopes that this will strike an affinity with the glass sector, which itself is known for its number of small medium enterprises (SMEs). He said: “Hopefully it gives the glass sector more confidence with us in that we have shared values and they know there is a certain reliability from a family business. “Our philosophy is we don’t want to work with customers, we want to work with partners where it works both ways.”
Continued>>
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Family owned
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Company profile: Peter Lacke
“
But we work with many of these companies (Porsche, BMW and
Audi) and supply a significant amount of products to them. The doors of these customers are open and we have close interaction with these
”
companies, which is interesting and exciting.
The company’s success is based on its family values combined with its global outlook. It is large enough to work with global brands but has retained its family values to ensure it is flexible and agile enough to deliver rapidly.
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Why coatings? The company’s primary focus is to manufacture coatings which are then applied onto the surface of a substrate, in this case glass. The coatings are UV coatings, liquid chrome or, increasingly due to environmental concerns, water-based. Coatings on glass objects provide benefits such as scratch and abrasion resistance. More often today, they are popularly being used by brands to help in the process of brand differentiation and to highlight the preciousness of a bottle’s contents. Advanced technologies such as screen printing and hot stamping are being used to add benefits to the glass bottle design process. It means a bottle can stand out against competitors on the shop shelf. “One of the big mass trends is customisation and all brands wants to highlight their character over the competition, particularly on a shelf where a beverage or a perfume bottle is next to each other. “I believe the future of this sector will grow strongly because the level of decorated bottles is still quite small and there is plenty of room for growth,” said Mr Peter. Half of its staff work in research and development. This department is divided into fundamental research and into customer specific development. It will generally launch about two new products a year and also make modifications to existing products, such as making them clearer and brighter. Another key factor is the environment and the development of the aforementioned waterborne products as well as lowering oven temperatures.
The group offers as a consulting service, where it offers advice to current and potential customers about how to make their spray line more efficient. As well as its headquarters, it has sites around the globe including in Michigan, USA; Queretaro, Mexico; Mumbai, India and Shanghai, China.
Fifth generation David is the fifth generation of the Peter family to run the business. He had worked for the company during summer holidays while studying industrial engineering at RWTH Aachen and then coatings chemistry at the University of Paderborn. He joined the company’s management in 2008 and then became sole owner in 2015. Being the owner, with only a small chain of command, ensures quick decision making, said Mr Peter. His father is still involved in the business in an advisory role, offering guidance and experience to Mr Peter. “It is a really special chance in life to work with my father quite closely. He is a very relaxed guy and we get along great and I regard it as much more than an opportunity. He provides guidance and advice, but never insists we have to do decisions his way. “He always said there are many ways to decide and at the end of the day you will never know what is the best decision. “So he was always very relaxed which made it easier for me to settle and find my own style in running the business. “I’ve found that style, but I would say that the one difference now is we are much larger in scale and have a more complex structure so I want all management to be involved more closely.” The majority of company management are relatively young, aged in their mid 40s to mid 50s, and many have been with the organisation for longer than 10 years. The company works in a variety of sectors and with global brands. Mr Peter said: “When I go to universities and encourage youngsters to work here, I tell them I understand they want to work for famous brands such as Porsche, BMW and Audi. “But we work with many of these companies and supply a significant amount of products to them. “The doors of these customers are open and we have close interaction with these companies, which is interesting and exciting.” �
Peter Lacke, Hiddenhausen, Germany www.peter-lacke.com
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Moulds
Moulding for the future
V
ery early in its history, Intermolde placed importance on the innovation of processes and equipment, which was previously part of the production sector. After 2005, Intermolde created a research and development centre with a team dedicated exclusively to technological research and development, both individually as well as in partnership with universities and technological centres. This centre has been responsible for the company’s main technological advances in recent years. The company was awarded certification in the NP4457 Research, Development and Innovation Management System in 2011, which was recently renewed in 2019.
level. In 2018, the company concluded its iProcessApp investment project with a total value of €3.1 million. This process focused on the re-engineering of the mould production process, redefining layout, acquiring CNC machining centres with five or more axes and CNC turning centres with gantry loader, which allowed the integration and automation of the production process to be maximised. When this investment phase was concluded in 2018, Intermolde decided to broaden its investment plan for 2019, increasing the budget by a further €1.5 million. More than 80% of this investment was to acquire equipment and for the robotisation and automation of production processes.
Technologies
Metallisation
The company has introduced new technologies and processes over the years which have allowed the number of operations to be substantially reduced, reinforcing production capacity, increasing the quality of the final product, reducing delivery times and guaranteeing that its moulds perform at the highest
One of the sectors where these advances were more evident was metallisation, where processes were automated and robotised. With the aim of simplifying tasks and avoiding the elimination of jobs, around eight years ago, Intermolde started the robotisation and automation of the
metallisation sector. The metallisation sector is one of the most demanding in the process to manufacture moulds for glass as it involves a procedure to add a special nickel alloy to a base material of cast iron or bronze with numerous chemical and mechanical properties. The process is therefore liable to create porosity or cracking, particularly in moulding zones. To avoid this risk, parts are first heated to around 350º/400º and then placed in the Plasma-Transferred Arc (PTA) equipment. Given that this is a difficult task as parts can weigh 10 to 15 kilos, and particularly because they are extremely hot, the accuracy of placement into holding systems is not the best and raises repeatability issues. This can lead to poor quality in weld lines. Intermolde now has eight PTA welding machines: three PTA metallisation machines for moulds, three for neck rings, one for bases and other accessories and one for rings. Parts are pre-heated mainly by induction equipment, which is faster and more economic than electric or gas furnaces, and ensures greater Continued>>
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Ricardo Ferreira* discusses the robotisation and automisation of the mould shop.
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Moulds
uniformity. The systems were designed and implemented by the Intermolde RDI team. The systems feature a station where parts can be loaded while machines are in a production cycle, a robot with six degrees of freedom with loading capacity tied to the application, induction heating equipment, PTA metallisation equipment with numerical control and five axes, and an unloading station, which is normally a compartment with refractory material allowing the slow cooling of parts after metallisation. The operating principle of these cells is simple, but as the handling of parts takes place in hostile environments, both in terms of temperature and dust (fusion-welding is via very small grain nickel powders), an in-depth study of the materials and equipment to be used was required. All holding systems and the robot’s claws were developed so as to minimise set up times to allow two parts to be carried at the same time. In other words, when the robot moves to the welding equipment to retrieve a finished part, it takes a preheated part in a double claw, enabling cycle times to be reduced.
Fast-paced production To meet market needs and produce glass packaging at competitive prices, fastpaced production is required, subjecting moulds to ever-shorter thermal cycles causing higher mechanical stresses, leading to an accelerated fatigue and wear process. It was for this reason that
� L-R - Ricardo Ferreira - Managing Director of Intermolde, Martins Ferreira – President of Intermolde, Jorge Ferreira, Production Director and Partner.
another of the lines of technological R&D in partnership with the University of Coimbra, has looked into materials and coatings, which are critical product innovation when it comes to the performance and durability of the mould. Production Director and Partner Jorge Ferreira said: “The future of moulds for glass will mainly involve the development of new materials, including both fine and thick coatings of the moulding zones.” With regard to the technological surveillance of markets that the company undertakes in partnership with Leiria Polytechnic, the growing need/demand was identified for manufacturing processes, which allow specific tools of added value to be produced, more
specifically, through direct digital manufacturing processes. With this in mind, manufacturing technologies were identified which best fit this profile, with a view to the possible industrialisation of the technology and its consequent added value for the target market. The technological processes chosen were SLM, DMLS and hybrid, combining additive solutions with subtractive solutions, making the entire process more efficient. There are numerous additive manufacturing processes today, including hybrid processes, working in conjunction with many technologies within a single Continued>>
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system. Intermolde aims to manufacture highly complex moulds for glass for the production of high added value parts, and also to produce moulds that provide high performance in relation to those produced via conventional processes. For today’s mould production industry for glass, the production of moulding zones and inserts requires different manufacturing technologies. Traditional methods involve machine-cutting processes (Subtractive manufacturing (SM), starting with a metal block. After the moulding zones have been machined, cooling channels have to be cut, and this is a stage where traditional methods are at a disadvantage, more specifically, there is a lack of capacity for geometric optimisation and flexibility.
Cooling efficiency Given the difficulties in the optimisation of cooling channels, which cause losses in production efficiency and a more expensive final product, Intermolde sought to increase the cooling efficiency of moulds through technological R&D seeking to apply new manufacturing methods and solutions to this problem, allowing even greater speed of production. In summary, these developments will allow increases in productivity to be gained, which together with a reduction in compressed air costs, bring value to glass packaging manufacturers. Another of its main concerns is quality, and the company has been certified through the NP EN ISO 9001 quality management system since 1996. For many years, we have invested heavily in the training of staff and in workplace adaptation, such as SMED, 5S and Lean Management methodologies. To provide support in the implementation of SMED, 5S and Lean Management actions, in 2018 Intermolde brought a specialised external consultancy team into our neck ring sector, and this consultancy work will be expanded to all remaining areas of the factory in 2019/2020. “The management of people is one of the most important pillars for the success of our organisation, more specifically, the balance between the dynamics of the young people we hire and the experience of our older technicians,” noted Martins Ferreira, President of the Intermolde Group. Intermolde is optimistic and expects growth in the next five years, both in turnover and results. The company will strengthen its position as one of the main and largest producers of moulds for the European glass packaging industry, in partnerships with clients, employees, suppliers and universities to produce highperformance moulds, contributing to the growth and success of our clients.
SCRAPER CONVEYORs
Automatic Chutes
History Intermolde was founded in 1973 in Marinha Grande, Portugal and has 45 years of experience in the manufacture of moulds for the glass industry. The group consists of Intermolde and Vidrimolde, specialising in the production of moulds, neck rings and accessories for the glass industry, and Mego, which works in the repair of moulds for glass. Intermolde sells 30% of its production in Portugal while the remaining 70% is for the international market, with particular focus on the European Union, Central and South American and Eastern European markets. �
*Managing Director and Partner, Intermolde, Marinha Grande, Portugal. www.intermolde.pt
CULLET CRUSHERs vidromecanica@vidromecanica.com www.vidromecanica.com
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Moulds
The use of Industry 4.0 in the mould shop Mr. Alain Boury* discusses the importance of Industry 4.0 in the glass container market, particularly for the mould shop.
I
ndustry 4.0 is the trend towards automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies and processes. Sonicam has focused its developments and existing machine upgrades on the following topics:
� The Internet of Things, means the networking and connectivity of smart devices to enable data collection and exchange. � Cloud Computing, means the remote software and hardware services used to store, manage, process and visualise data. � The Industrial Internet of Things to enhance industrial applications, including mainly robotics for Sonicam machineries and software-defined production processes. Mould shops in glass container factories are currently a step behind in terms of automation and connectivity compared to other industries or even to some other sectors such as the cold end areas. In some mould shops today we see operators gauging moulds manually instead of using automatised machines such as Sonicam’s S3 or our new S9 – Soniscan. With this kind of manual work, accuracy and repeatability in the measurement results cannot be 100% reliable, and obviously a waste of time for the operators doing non-valuable tasks.
software. In addition, a new Siemens module using a VPN signal allows customers to connect the machines to their internal network. Exportation of the production data from the machine using an internal intranet from the plant makes the use of USB sticks obsolete. This new module includes remote access for maintenance, trouble shooting, repair and supervision from distance. Sonicam also offer the possibility of providing a fully secured server (cloud) from Siemens to store any data from any Sonicam machine wherever its location is and to get access to it wherever you are in the world.
S9 Scanning Machine Sonicam developed the so called S9 – Scanning Machine and launched it at glasstec 2018. This equipment allows dimensional control of used or new moulds and bottles with a comparison to the original CAD
drawing: mould volume, internal and external mould dimensions, roundness of the inside mould cavities, flatness of surface such as the hollow profile of the mould joint surfaces and wear and tear areas with a 3D coloured mapping can be measured and controlled thanks to the Sonicam scanner engineering. Today operators rely on their experience to determine the critical points of the moulds, to measure and to repair them. S9 – Soniscan is thus a major asset and provides accurate and smart analysis in order to help the mould shop to increase its quality and productivity. S9 – Soniscan can be equipped with a Sonicam robot and its artificial intelligence to automatically scan the moulds. S9 – Soniscan will provide itself a diagnostic to select the moulds in tolerance that can be send straight back to production on the associated IS machines. Continued>>
Upgrades S1 – Mould Polishing and S3 – Mould Gauging Machines have been reengineered to comply with Industry 4.0 standards and make life easier for the operators in their complex daily job routines. Both machines are now equipped with a new user-friendly Siemens touch screen
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A clever data matrix system can be foreseen to trace the moulds in the entire plant and store their individual data.
Turnkey mould shop Thanks to more than 40 years experience in glass, Sonicam is a perfect partner in designing green field mould shops or upgrading existing mould shops. It provides innovative and efficient mould machineries, abrasives and equipment, work benches together with the entire mould shop lay out. Operating parameters, specification of all the machineries, machine tools, hand tools, ergonomic workshop stations, inspection tools, storage, manning level & skills, ideal workflow diagrams are fully defined in collaboration with the exact needs of the glass plant. Sonicam engineering in robots and automation will allow a less painful job for operators that today carry huge amounts of heavy mould cavities per day. User friendly or cooperative robots with their human counterparts is the step towards more intelligent mould workshops and help making operator tasks more valuable.
About Sonicam
Not only a machine manufacturer, Sonicam also provides: � Spare parts, � Abrasives and other mould shop consumables, � After sales services & trainings thanks to an experienced team of technicians, � Upgrade and refurbishment of existing machines. Sonicam also has a local presence globally thanks to an established network of subsidiaries and agents, which allows it to provide sales and technical support with quick and effective answers. �
*Managing Director, Sonicam, Saint Symphorien d’Ozon, France www.sonicam.com mail@sonicam.com
HIGH PERFORMANCE, INTELLIGENT, LOW MAINTENANCE COATING Grenzebach keeps improving equipment efficiency as a supplier of complete lines for coating technology inducing upstream and downstream processes. The focus is on reduction of downtime and higher productivity. A whole series of optimizations contribute to these benefits: Modular drop-in shield & drive system Gas bar segmentation easily adoptable to process requirements Process gas inlet at pass line and top pumping Fixed gas separation at varying glass thicknesses
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Sonicam specialises in the design and the manufacture of machinery and equipment for mould manufacturing and mould maintenance in the glass container industry. It is based in France and was founded in 1976 by the owners of a mould factory further to mould-polishing machine they developed for their own needs. Sonicam has since become the leading supplier of moulds machinery and equipment as at least three out four container glass plants in the world have a Sonicam machine in their mould shop. Sonicam’s machines have been carefully developed according to the requirements of the glass container industry throughout the world. Sonicam machines are entirely dedicated to the mould shop process by producing polishing machines, mould maintenance machines, measure & control equipment. The decrease of rejected bottles has a major impact on the plant efficiency and a mould in tolerance is a key element to produce glass containers of good quality. The increase of a mould and plunger’s lifetime is another important factor that all mould shops should focus on to optimise yearly budgets.
Stable and reliable ≤30 mm glass gap Two planar cathodes in one process compartment Minimal floor reinforcements and no special foundation requirements Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH Germany Phone: +49 906 982-2000 | info@grenzebach.com
www.grenzebach.com
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Hot end sensors
A new sensor at the hot end Lucie Jouve* highlights a new range for the hot end which fits in with the Smart Factory strategy. Tiama has introduced a new module in its Tiama HOT systems range: the Tiama HOT form. In recent years employee turnover has increased in glass manufacturing plants, which has resulted in a loss of know how and experience. Production line equipment equipped with hot end sensors can be a good way of helping operators in their daily work. To fulfill this need, Tiama has developed a new product range dedicated to the hot end: the Tiama HOT systems. This range is composed of four independent modules positioned between the shear cut and just before the annealing lehr: Tiama HOT mass, Tiama HOT eye, Tiama HOT move and Tiama HOT form, all sharing the same interface and electronics. These modular systems meet specific needs to help customers improve the management of their processes according to their problems. They are filled with sensors collecting data from the gob to the formed bottle. Among them, the Tiama HOT form measures containers’ infrared emissivity.
Compact system The main feature of the Tiama HOT form is to measure the infrared emissivity of articles. This is key information that allows operators to detect glass repartition issues or temperature issues at the early stage of the process, before containers reach the cold end. To do that, the system has to be equipped with one infrared camera (a second camera can be proposed as an option) located in the lower part of a metallic tube to be protected from the heat of articles on the conveyor. And to ensure a full cooling of the system, this tube is air-cooled thanks to a vortex system. Also, because the space available on the production line at the hot end can be limited, the tube of the Tiama HOT form is directly fixed on the conveyor to limit its footprint on the floor. Moreover, if a customer has already bought a Tiama HOT eye (the module designed for critical defect detection and recognition), the Tiama HOT form camera will be installed in one of the Tiama HOT eye tubes. It
� Tiama HOT form and Tiama
� Tiama Hot form.
HOT eye main screen.
means that the customer will have a maximum of two tubes on his line even if he has a Tiama HOT eye and a Tiama HOT form. Also, both systems share the same software interface. The Tiama HOT form is synchronised with the IS machine. This enables to link the images and the statistics provided by the system to the sections and cavities of the IS machine. Plus, when the system detects a defect on a container it can also reject it immediately. The Tiama HOT form uses the latest generation of infrared cameras. It measures the radiation of containers on the conveyor which gives information on glass repartition. Thanks to this, the system is able to detect defects such as thin glass which may indicate a problem with blank mould cooling or with glass temperature. The system also provides right/left asymmetries measurements of articles. For example,
this information helps to detect wedge bottom, which may be caused by a bad loading (not central) in the blank mould. The Tiama HOT form also delivers statistics to highlight sections or cavities with problems in order to help operators prevent the creation of defects. These statistics are given by zones on the container. Indeed, during the machine setup, the user cuts articles into several areas. The user can then track cautiously the statistics on specific areas based with recurring issues. Continued>>
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A user-friendly interface The new software version has been designed to make machine adjustments and operations as simple as possible for operators. Automatic settings have been implemented to set alarms and reject thresholds. These improvements allow the operator to save time when adjusting the system after a job change. The main screen was also designed to quickly show the sections and cavities with problems to the operator to guide him in his actions on the process. The Tiama HOT form displays trends in the process and can highlight its deviations so that operators can react as quickly as possible. If a problem is found, corrective actions on the IS machine can be taken immediately. There is no longer a need to wait for a cold end feedback. The reaction time is much improved as the lehr time is saved. It also means productivity gains and increased pack-to-melt ratio.
Inside the Smart Factory The Tiama HOT form fits in perfectly with the strategy developed by Tiama under the concept of the Smart Factory. By sending data on glass repartition for every single container through different exchange protocols, the Tiama HOT form is a key sensor in the Tiama YOUniverse data providing philosophy. Tiama launched its concept called YOUniverse at glasstec 2018 which explained how its five fields of expertise are all necessary to move towards a Smart Factory. Traceability, Inspection, Intelligence and Services are all important in the Tiama strategy and Monitoring is key for the YOUniverse to live. The information provided by the Tiama HOT form is sent into Tiama Intelligent supervision systems such as Tiama IQ scan or Tiama ECO-system. It allows the customer to have a complete view of its process and a better control of it. �
*Hot End Product Manager, Tiama, Vourles, France. www.tiama.com
� Real time statistics.
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� Caren McNamara with one of her partners.
Helping create a recycling revolution in container glass Caren McNamara* created her start up company as a way to use refillable glass bottles as an option to reduce single use packaging waste. George Lewis spoke to her about the company’s beginnings and future plans.
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C
aren McNamara founded bottle recycling company Conscious Container when she left major computer giant after 20 years with the company. Her last role at IBM was a Project and Change Management Consultant, but with her time coming to an end she knew she was ready for her own career change. But the transition was very different to what most would envisage and did not involve a move to any of the well-known software giants in her native California. Instead, she decided to do her bit for the planet and promote glass’s recycling qualities. Ms McNamara founded Conscious Container as a benefit corporation in 2017 after a frustration in seeing and hearing about mass amounts of glass bottles ending up in landfill in the USA. She
had witnessed first hand around the world that reusing glass bottles could be done. This became a passion to make a change and from that Conscious Container was formed. The company is a refillable glass bottle marketplace start-up partnering with the craft brewing industry, waste and glass industry partners, policymakers and local businesses and those who believe in reusing a glass bottle multiple times. She told Glass International that recycling is not part of the narrative in the United States and the main aim of the company was to go about changing that narrative. Ms McNamara said her goal at first was to ‘set up connections’ and this is exactly what she had done. Since its inception, Conscious Container has partnered with many different brewers across the USA.
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Company profile: Conscious Container
� Ms McNamara at a glass recycling centre.
The organisation also set up ‘proof of concept’ glass bottle collection pilots in the Northern Nevada and North Tahoe/Truckee regions. These pilots provided an opportunity for its partners and local communities to participate in a programme while Conscious Container gathered information and data on collection infrastructure. Organisations such as Ripple Glass and Momentum Glass have worked with Conscious Container since it started out. Together with Conscious Container they aim to bring a refillable glass bottle marketplace back into the United States economy and infrastructure. Ms McNamara said from the start the craft brewing industry was open to setting up infrastructure in order to have the bottles reused time and again. Conscious Container also looked at wine bottles, but the bottles had too many particulars to be able to use, such as differing labels and glass designs. With the pilots completed, the next step was being able to collect the bottles. Conscious Container partnered with Bayern Brewing of Missoula, Montana, who picks up the bottles and washes them before refilling them. Bayern Brewing founder Jürgen Knöller invested in a glass washer seven years ago and due to the success of the scheme, it is now responsible for an incentive based scheme called EcoLeague, which gives money back to customers for each 24 case of bottles given back for recycling. Along with Bayern Brewing, Conscious Container also work closely with Owens-Illinois
� Recycled bottles ready for shipping.
*CEO/Founder, Conscious Container, California, USA
(O-I), which has already redesigned refillable bottles for use in the industry. Another partner is Boulevard Brewing of Salt Lake City, with the help of its CEO John McDonald. Ms McNamara explained that as the business grows, she hopes there would be the opportunity to buy a bottle washer of its own, which would help reduce the reliance of glass manufacturers and brewing companies. Within a year, Conscious Container and its affiliates collected 24,000 bottles, of which Bayern Brewing could reuse 17,000. Looking to the future, the focus going forward is the redemption centre pilot, which separates out glass bottles for Conscious Container to collect, wash and reuse. Ms McNamara hopes that once the bottle washer has been bought, and more partnerships created, further bottles can be collected, washed and recycled at a greater rate, which could now include wine bottles. She believes that in the last three years the momentum for glass recycling in the USA has increased dramatically and believes ‘it’s clear that this is the right time to launch the business.’ In California, where Ms McNamara is based, its Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, also known as CalRecycle, brings together the state’s recycling and waste management programmes and it is this programme that now has a reuse pilot thanks to Conscious Container. But she advised that recycled glass via CalRecycle is currently in negative, meaning there’s more glass being used and sent for recycling than is currently being recycled. This is something she is determined to change for the better. Another aim for Conscious Container is to eventually have legislation that gives authorities the ability to provide incentive schemes as part of reducing waste in the USA. To sum up the past three years, Ms McNamara said that the journey had been ‘an absolutely phenomenal serendipitous journey’. But she knows there’s much work ahead and she’s hoping her work helps the USA to become more recycling conscious. �
“...It’s clear that this is the right time to launch the
”
business
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Industry 4.0
� The cutting tool is able to get close to the top roller trace while the net glass ribbon gets wider.
An inspection system with crystal-clear value added Peter Seidl* discusses how Grenzebach’s new camera system and IIoT Application Server increases the yield in float glass production.
G
renzebach has launched a new version of the proven Float Scan Edge (FSE) camera system into the market, which will increase yield in the cold end of the flat glass production. The system supplies fundamentally important information for the optimised cutting to size of the glass ribbon. This system is available as a new device as well as an add-on kit for equipment already installed. The cutting equipment allows accurate adjustment, so that a larger portion of the available glass ribbon can be used. In the case of scheduled preventive maintenance, the maintenance staff gets support through new assistance systems. The further development is based on 30 years of experience with the manufacturing of corresponding camera systems. FSE-d can be directly integrated into the digital system by means of the Grenzebach Application Server. The IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) platform was developed in-house and the supplied information are directly useful for product
optimisation and reporting. FSE-d provides more accurate function of the cutting technology, which is the core of the cold end of the float glass production line, with numerous values adds; higher yield; higher quality; easier processes; further networking and more data safety.
Precision The Float Scan Edge system extends over the complete width of the glass ribbon and detects with two single cameras constantly providing useful information. The system detects the accurate position of the glass ribbon on the conveyor system two outer edges of the glass ribbon and more precise position of the socalled knurl marks on the glass ribbon. The limits of the glass ribbon can now be detected with even more precision. Peter Seidl, Product Manager Business Unit Glass at Grenzebach, said: “This helps to precisely calculate the maximum useful width of the available glass ribbon and to transfer it to the cut-to-size optimisation system. “The core piece at the cold end of the
float line works even more effectively and the net width of the glass ribbon rises. “By means of integration of all supplied information via the Grenzebach Application Server, the data can be interconnected and analysed in the overall inspection. “Concrete factors for further optimisation are still available.” The developed camera system includes three decades of experience regarding this task. Particularly as the position of the knurl mark can be determined more accurately and reliably, it is possible to come closer to the knurl marks when cutting. The rejects produced are minimised and the net glass ribbon gets wider. In short, the new camera brings more square metres of glass and the yield rises. The new Float Scan Edge-digital can be used for glass ribbon widths of 1700mm to 6900mm. It can also be used for colour glass with hardly distinguishable features in the glass. Continued>>
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WHEN QUALITY MATTERS www.parkinson-spencer.co.uk
� The new FSE-d was presented for the first time in Düsseldorf.
The system supplies the following information: � Position of the glass ribbon and its outer edges � Glass ribbon drift and wander � Inner and outer edge position of the knurl marks � Evaluation of the knurl mark width � Evaluation of the gross and net glass ribbon width � Optical distortion in position and expansion of the top roller and edge
expandability to Cloud Computing.
Simple upgrading
It supplies important information for product and process supervision, quality control and back-tracking of sequences and settings. Mr Seidl said: “Offering a hand-tight value added for our customers – that is the most important motivation with the development of product up-dates. “The Float Scan Edge contributes to more yield, higher qualities and resource saving for new and existing equipment.”
“To be a strong partner to our customers over the complete life cycle also means to us to take the situation of the existing equipment into consideration with every new development,” said Florian Nagler, Head of Global Service Sales. The advantages and possibilities of FSE-d are also available to those customers, working with the well-proven analogous predecessor model for already many years. The solution: an uncomplicated service update kit, including all components required for the upgrade from analog to digital. The housing of the camera system is conserved, only the electronic components and the software are replaced. This allows to the existing customer to also profit from the new highly efficient and long-lived illumination.
Usage of data
Remote capacity
For the experts of production and processing technology, the new camera system is also a constituent module for further networking in the digital glass production. Mr Seidl explained that “the Float Scan Edge clearly contributes to gather, use and analyse information and data, created in the value-added chain of glass production.” The FSE-d can be integrated into the IIoT in order to digitally show the complete process of production for the warehouse down to the user. For this purpose, a local IIoT platform called the Grenzebach Application Server was developed in-house for all industrial applications - with continuous
“We develop service upon the principles of classic product management – in order to extend our customers’ equipment operating lifetime, to generate additional value and to implement suggestions and needs of our customers at an early stage by means of intensive exchange.” For this purpose, hardware, software and communication inseparably interact. For the communication and collaboration with the customers, Grenzebach pulls out all the digital stops - while every equipment operator has a central contact person in service. �
� The FSE-d system extends over the complete width of the glass ribbon and detects with two single cameras constantly providing information.
For the latest-version, hardware and picture processing software will be used for development. The higher reach of data transmission contributes to an increased operational safety. Increased robustness of the system with respect to failures is another advantage.
Save, archive and send pictures “The software tools for picture processing allow among other things an automatic calibration of the system. This allows to significantly support the maintenance staff by means of the assistance system in the case of recurring tasks,” adds Mr Seidl. The system detects increasing pollution and provides hints to maintenance at an early stage. Besides electronics, the mechanical system was improved as well. For this reason the optical path for the detection procedure was changed and the camera directly faces onto the glass surface. Adjustment and cleaning of deflecting mirrors are no longer necessary; another plus in the maintenance comfort.
Decisive for the cutting result The use of Float Scan Edge digital is a concrete support in process inspection for production and cutting technology.
*Product Manager Business Unit Glass, Grenzebach, Germany www.grenzebach.com
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1993 - 2018
YEARS
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Furnaces
The role of the electrode holder In the overall cost of building a furnace, the electrode holder costs very little. However, for such a low-cost item, its function is colossal in terms of furnace performance, reports Karen Thompson*.
KTG
Engineering has a track record and reputation synonymous with quality. As part of the TECO Group, KTG is a Sheffield, UK-based specialist manufacturer of glass furnace equipment that supplies a variety of products. This includes its SX electrode holder, now used extensively by many of the glass industry’s major players. To further enhance KTG’s reputation, it is delighted to have been awarded the Made in Sheffield quality stamp of approval specifically for its globally known holder. In 2016 KTG celebrated a milestone when its 10,000th electrode holder was made in Sheffield. Production has not stopped since. The holders have been installed at numerous locations around the world and demand for these shows no sign of slowing. Compared to rival electrode holders designed with joints and consequent weak spots, the KTG Engineering SX electrode holder has a one-piece design manufactured from solid high temperature resistant alloy which can be used in both horizontal and vertical installations. Andrew Wales, Product Manager at KTG Engineering said: “Having attended several glass industry exhibitions over the past year or so, we have seen more copies of the SX holder on the market, albeit of a lesser quality and carrying a different trade name. It is interesting to note our competitors are finally realising that our SX no-weld design is the most recognised and trusted electrode holder product on the market. It is the product furnace engineers are aspiring to, to give them continued peace of mind.” The service record of the KTG holder is second to none with all holders boasting full traceability having been subjected to rigorous inspection and testing prior to release to the customer. The robust design, along with
meticulous production and testing procedures, has afforded KTG a proven track record and a reputation synonymous with producing high quality products. Andrew added: “KTG is committed to producing products that are synonymous with quality and excellence. We were delighted to be awarded the “Made in Sheffield” stamp of approval as an endorsement that quality is at the heart of everything KTG does. We are proud to be aligned with such a prestigious quality trademark that is well respected all over the world”. As a standard part of its commitment to quality, KTG investigate any issues that may occur with customer’s holder installations, regardless of manufacturer, in an attempt to find the root cause. KTG does this in conjunction with Sheffield University (SUMAC) and material supplier’s laboratories. Such an investigative course of action has shown that once a faulty holder is retrieved and analysed, the fault has been attributed to a process called stress corrosion cracking (SCC) which can be put down to chlorine/ temperature and stress presence. Due to the robust design of the KTG SX Holder these occurrences are few but are often attributed to more frequent problems on some of the lesser quality holders in the market place.
KTG has visited customers around the world highlighting this particular problem, illustrating the consequences of such a fault occurring. They are urging furnace design and purchasing teams to put proven quality and robust design before cost and unknown quality because of the impact an electrode holder can have on furnace life and continuous, trouble-free production. In the overall cost of building a furnace, the electrode holder costs very little. However, for such a low-cost item, its function is colossal in terms of furnace performance. Purchasers should be mindful that changing a failed electrode holder in a furnace is in itself a high-risk process which could easily be avoided by selecting a holder of proven quality. KTG has made a short film Handmade in Sheffield showing the craftsmanship associated with the making of the electrode holder. Contact KTG’s Product Manager, Andrew Wales on +44 (0)114 275 9955 or by e-mail at sales@ktgengineering. com to find out more. �
*Marketing Manager, KTG Engineering Limited, Sheffield, UK. E-mail: karen.thompson@ktgengineering.com
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CONTINUALLY DESIGNING, BUILDING AND MODERNISING
www.teco.com TOTAL FURNACE CAPABILITY TOLEDO ENGINEERING / TECOGLAS / ZEDTEC / KTG ENGINEERING / KTG SYSTEMS / EAE TECH
We Don’t Make the Glass, We Make it Possible • Glass Melting Furnaces • Batch Plants • Engineering • Turnkey Projects • Annealing Lehrs • Project Management
For more than 70 years HFT has provided world class engineering, procurement and construction services to the global glass industry. Our leadership, experience, quality focus and attention to details have given HFT a highly respected reputation worldwide.
Engineers and Contractors to The Glass Industry
www.hft.com
+1 724 941 9550 info@hft.com
3009 Washington Road McMurray, PA 15317-3202 USA
Fax: +1 724 941 3479
Forming
Gob management
ďż˝ Two cameras.
H
eye Process Control 4.0 is a closedloop solution for the pressing process of all plunger mechanisms within an IS machine. Simultaneously, it keeps the gob weight stable. The technology displays a number of forming events on several selectable charts and permits the improvement of parameter setting by comparing data.
Early recognition at the start of malfunctions increases production efficiency. The integrated plunger cylinders ensure certain gob parameters for press-blow and Narrow Neck Press Blow (NNPB) production. This technology cannot be utilised for Continued>>
www.glass-international.com
Plunger cylinder sensor technology is a proven function of the Heye Process Control system, supervising and adjusting press-blow and NNPB production processes. Until now, these benefits have not been possible for glass container production via blow-blow operation. The new Heye Gob Master system closes this gap, ensuring sophisticated process control integrates the benefits of visual gob measurement.
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Forming
heavy and premium articles produced using blow-blow operation, however. Glass container manufacturers have consequently increasingly requested access to gob supervisory and adjustment technology for blow-blow production as well. The Heye Gob Master satisfies this requirement.
Benefits The camera-based system offers the possibility to determine and control the gob weight and exploits the additionally generated data for all production processes. Two cameras placed underneath the shears act as sensors, generating 3D gob images. The software logic determines geometric data of these digital 3D models, such as length, diameter, position and tilt angle. This data calculates the gob volume and weight. In real-time, the cameras monitor the gob shape. Where malfunctions or deviations are identified, the system reacts and the Heye Process Control directly initiates rejection of the article at the hot end. Consequently, Heye stepper motors automatically correct these
deviations by mechanically adjusting tube height and plunger position. Production runs operating the blowblow process benefit the most from this recent technology. The added value for press-blow and NNPB production runs is also obvious. With Gob Master technology, gob shape and gob fall can be measured, which is impossible using the plunger cylinder functions alone. Gob shape and weight become reproducible, which results in a stable production process, ultimately improving efficiency and quality. There is no waste of energy or raw materials due to data inaccuracies.
�� Live pictures.
Experts Heye International experts confirm that the Gob Master can be retrofitted to existing equipment. Where a Heye Process Control system is already available, the latest version can easily be retrofitted via a plug-and-play device. The Gob Master itself consists of two high speed cameras, a control unit, a water chiller and a monitor. The settings of the Heye Process Control system can easily be adapted to several gob weights running simultaneously
on a single machine. This underlines the flexibility of the system and its sophisticated functionality. �
Petra Heumann, Marketing, Heye International, Obernkirchen, Germany. Email: marketing@heye-international. com#Web: www.heye-international.com
CCMS
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE One system. One operator. One touch performance. High-precision coating measurement for the finish and body of glass containers.
OUR BRAND
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contact us to see thE NEW CCMS: +1.724.482.2163 // AGRINTL.CO M 50 0 Glass International September 2019
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History
Prof. John Parker
Well polished Prof John Parker* provides a brief history of grinding and polishing in the glass industry.
www.glass-international.com
D
istortion-free windows and mirrors require flat surfaces – so historically top quality meant grinding and polishing. For centuries these and similar processes were manual and hence time consuming and expensive. Over time human effort was supplemented by mechanical aids – a strung bow to rotate a spindle, a foot operated treadle; a horizontal glass grinding lathe dating back to the 7th century BC has been unearthed. Eventually, running water provided power and from the 1800s steam was the driving force. Processing remained slow, up to a day for a large sheet, but techniques slowly developed, for example holding the glass panes on rotating metal plates using plaster, then removing and inverting them to polish the reverse side. Multiple steps were needed – initial grinding using coarse powders preceded a medium grinding stage and final polishing used the finest powders. These steps were separated to avoid cross contamination. Grinding removed surface material mechanically. Not only was the glass slowly flattened though - the grinding agent itself suffered attrition and consequently had to be replenished periodically. Crystalline silica (sand) was an early abrasive but was only marginally harder than glass. Later, harder materials, particularly corundum (alumina) and carborundum (silicon carbide), were introduced. Softer Jeweller’s Rouge (ferric oxide) and occasionally tin oxide gave the final polish – their action was partly mechanical but also chemical. By the 1920s a continuous ribbon of annealed glass from the forming operation could be ground over its whole width using large cast iron discs rotating above it, the individual grinding steps being spatially separated along the ribbon. By the 1930s twin grinders could prepare both sides of the sheet simultaneously
but each side was still polished separately until the 1950s. As often happens when one technology reaches its limits another process steps in. In the late 1950s the development of Float Glass obviated the need for mechanical grinding altogether. How is the flatness of large sheets measured? The answer depends on the length scale being considered. A specular (mirror-like) reflection requires a surface which is flat to a fraction of the wavelength of light over short distances. The scratches and mountainous topography remaining after coarse grinding lead to diffuse/ random light scattering and look matt. Profilometers are available to assess such short wavelength surface variations and allow abrasives and polishing methods to be compared. The most common parameters are the mean deviation of the surface from the average (RA) or the maximum peak to trough deviation (RT). Distortion of a reflected image is concerned with a longer length scale and flat surfaces can be used for comparison. Optical flat standards made, for example, from vitreous silica are commercially available. They are placed on an uncharacterised surface; interference patterns created by sodium yellow light reflected from the two adjacent surfaces indicate deviations from flatness. For sheet glass a simple and effective alternative is to view through the glass a geometric pattern (e.g. zebra stripes); no visual distortion is the goal. Mechanical grinding and polishing, use rotating discs with carborundum or diamond abrasives embedded, remain key processes in cold-working glass. The cut edges of large sheets must be smoothed to remove pre-existing damage and avoid sharp edges. The lips of quality drinking glasses can be cut and fire-polished using a ring of fine flames, but this leaves a small bead somewhere along the edge at the last point to physically separate; mechanical cutting and polishing avoid the bead.
Glass artists use small rotating copper wheels fed with a slurry of abrasives to create matt images whose scale can vary from the bowl of a fine wine glass to a large architectural window or door. Water jet cutting of complex 2D shapes under computer control takes this approach to another dimension. The tumbling of glass fragments and hard stones powered by waves on the beach creates smooth translucent pieces called sea glass, widely appreciated by jewellery makers and their customers. Lens, jewellery and ornament making developed in the UK on the back of Ravenscroft’s patented lead glass in 1674. These softer glasses were more easily cold worked than the extant soda-lime-silica fine Venetian Glass. They stimulated an industry based on decorative facets created using rotating sandstone wheels. Such shaping also reduced the object’s weight and lowered the tax due! Buffing using jeweller’s rouge/tin oxide supported on soft stones such as pumice, selected woods or hard felt gave the final polish. During the 19th century chemical polishing using a mix of hydrofluoric and sulphuric acids slowly displaced mechanical polishing; although highly toxic, processing times were much shorter. The true connoisseur though staunchly argued that stone polishing gave the finer finish. Modern glass spectacles are made individually to an optician’s detailed prescription. The outside surface defines the basic power of the lens while the inner surface is precision shaped using a diamond cutter mounted on a five axis CNC machine. Processing takes less than two minutes, some 200 times faster than for an early window! �
*Curator of the Turner Museum of Glass, The University of Sheffield, UK. www.turnermuseum.group.shef.ac.uk j.m.parker@sheffield.ac.uk
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We build your furnace. You enjoy peace of mind.
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Glass Industry Division +81-3-5442-9177 Mita NN Building Floor 6, 4-1-23, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 1080014, Japan
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Stay in touch: Join the Glassman Events Group
@glassmanevents
WWW.GLASSMANEVENTS.COM/ASIA
A RAPID RETURN TO ASIA Glassman Events are pleased to announce the return to Asia with the launch of a new show in Seoul, South Korea.
WHO WILL VISIT?
It is the first time the combined exhibition and conference has been held in this fascinating country. It follows the success of two previous Glassman events in Bangkok and Jakarta in 2018 and 2019.
As an exhibitor at Glassman, you can expect to meet and do business with: • Presidents / owners • Technical / production directors • Factory managers • Plant engineers • Technicians / engineers • Production / R&D / test & inspection personnel • Education & training personnel • Consultants / researchers • Sales & marketing managers
South Korea offers ample opportunities for professionals and has an established glass industry. The country is a hotbed of innovation and is home to some of the world’s most recognised brands such as Samsung, Hyundai and LG Electronics – all of which use glass in their products. Domestic glassmakers include Samkwang Glass, Kumbi Corporation, Techpack Solutions and KC Glass and Material. The Glassman event brings together glassmakers with leading technology suppliers. The two-day show will include a conference that will focus on the latest trends, issues and opportunities in the glassmaking industry. Recent attendees at Glassman shows have included glassmakers such as O-I, Ardagh, Verallia as well as their customers such as Heineken, Coca- Cola and Bacardi.
HIGH PRAISE FOR GLASSMAN ASIA: “I will recommend for my friends and colleagues to attend Glassman Asia, because it’s not only an exhibition, it’s the centre of glass innovation” Narongdech Surasereewong, Bangkok Crystal
Who have purchasing influence in the following areas: • Melting equipment • Forming equipment • Raw materials • Annealing equipment • Inspection / quality control • Batching equipment • Decoration equipment / materials • Cold end equipment • Processing equipment
CONFERENCE The conference will run alongside the exhibition and is free to attend for all visitors to the show. If you would like to present a paper please contact: Greg Morris | Tel: +44 (0)1737 855132 | Email: gregmorris@quartzltd.com
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CLASSIFIEDS
COMBUSTION
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ANNEALING LEHR
UNIT D2, BRO O KSID E BD2, U S Brookside I N E S S P ABusiness R K , G R EPark, E N G AGreengate, TE,C H AD D ERTO N, M24 1G S, ENG LAND Unit Chadderton,
SYSTEMS/BURNERS
INDUSTRIAL GAS ENGINEERS
I NDUST RIAL G AS E NGINEERS T E L E P H O N E : 0 1 6 1 - 6M24 5 4 71GS, 7 0 0 UKF A X : 0 1 6 1 - 6 5 5 3 8 1 2 Tel +44 (0) 161 654 7700 Fax +44 (0) 161 655 3812 E-MAIL: S A L E S @ M O N T S E L A S . C O . U K WWW.MONTSELAS.CO.UK Email sales@montselas.co.uk www.montselas.co.uk
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for electrode holder
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Unit 43, Evans Business Centre, Easter Inch, Bathgate EH48 2EH, Scotland, UK
for bottom / side / top
- Power regulation / Transformers
Tel+44 (0) 1506 657310 Fax +44 (0) 8704 799975 Email Sales@globalcombustion.com Web www.globalcombustion.com
Special services - Hot drilling - Change of electrode holder Bock Energietechnik GmbH Gösen 15 92685 Floss Germany
• Hydrogen, nitrogen & other gases • Enabling flow control equipment
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INSPECTION
Contact Esme Horn T+44 (0) 1737 855136 to book your space
TIAMA ZA des Plattes, 1 Chemin des Plattes, 69390 Vourles, France Tel +33 (0) 4 37 20 15 00, Fax +33 (0) 4 78 07 94 50 Email: marketing@tiama.com Website:www.tiama.com
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RAW MATERIALS
Rio Tinto Minerals 2 Eastbourne Terrace London W2 6LG, UK Tel +44 (0) 207 781 1450 Fax +44 (0) 207 781 1851 Email: simon.cook@riotinto.com Web: www.riotintominerals.com
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•
Soda Ash
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Sodium Sulphate
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Barium Sulphate
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Chrome
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Tiama: your co-pilot on the way to the Smart Factory Introducing YOUniverse, unique to Tiama and further proof why we are the leaders in business intelligence within the glass manufacturing industry. YOUniverse has been specifically developed with YOU and your needs at its core. Utilizing flexible and automated “plug and play” systems YOUniverse makes the inspection process smarter and capable to adapt to any changes.
From batch plant to the warehouse, YOUniverse creates a maximum flow of information to enable as many machines as possible to “talk” to each other to improve efficiency, productivity and profitability. With its open information interchange, this revolutionary system allows machines from any manufacturer to be linked to the YOUniverse. Welcome to the future – yours and your factory‘s.
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Intelligence
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