SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION DECEMBER 2014
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Company profile: Pochet du Courval
Case study: Emhart Glass
Siemens/British Glass
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Plus more inside...
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Contents
Special Digital Edition December 2014
No.2
SPECIAL DIGITAL EDITION DECEMBER 2014
2
Editor’s Comment
3
International News
8
French profile: Pochet du Courval France’s Pochet du Courval pushes the fragrance boundaries
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Company profile: Pochet de Courval
Case study: Emhart Glass
8
Siemens/British Glass
Plus more inside...
Case study 11 Buchart Emhart helps Serbian glass factory renew production
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Front cover image courtesy of Morguefile.com
Interview: Niall Wall 12 Ardagh CEO: Verallia takeover is a good deal for customers
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14 Glassman Europe returns to Lyon
16 British Glass Column
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Events world 17 Clear Choice Awards 2014
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Glass melting 18 Molybdenum: Experiences and insights
22 Worldwide television programme visits Gerresheimer’s Essen facility Plus find us on Linked-In and Twitter.
Glass Technology Services 24 £1.5 million glass vitrification project
@Glass_Int
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17
Quality control 25 Tableware processing
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Editor’s comment
Greg Morris
www.glass-international.com Editor: Greg Morris Tel: +44 (0)1737 855132 Email: gregmorris@quartzltd.com Editorial Assistant: Sally Roberts Tel: +44 (0)1737 855154 Email: sallyroberts@quartzltd.com Designer: Annie Baker Tel: +44 (0)1737 855130 Email: anniebaker@quartzltd.com
Merry Christmas to you all
Sales Director: Ken Clark Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com Sales Manager: Jeremy Fordrey Tel: +44 (0)1737 855133 Email: jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com Productive Executive: Martin Lawrence
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A
long time ago and in a world far, far away from our industry, I was told that the glass industry was a fairly staid business where not much happened. The industry was fairly traditional and ran along conservative lines, I was told. The advice I was given was that news would be at a premium and new ideas that could be turned into published features – the staple of this magazine – would be hard to dig out. I’m pleased to say, dear reader, that in the three years since I was given this ‘advice’, I have found not a single word of it to be true. Life is what you make of it and, since accepting the role of editor, I have found there is, in fact, a wealth of news and features to be uncovered in the glass industry. In the glass container industry alone there have been enough acquisitions and launches to fill an entire magazine. But when you combine the container industry with the flat glass industry, there is an incredible amount of material to be published. We’ve increased the amount of editorial copy available to readers with the launch of our free weekly newsletter delivered to thousands of people in the industry. We’ve also upped the number of technical features we publish on our website. This is not only because we have more than enough material to fill the
magazine but it also allows us to reach out to a larger audience. Glass International usually has a gap in the quiet winter months of December and January but, like last year, we have found there have been enough news and features in the past few months to justify the publication of an extra issue. The aim of this digital-only issue is to fill the gap in these quiet months and to give readers a titbit of our regular, hardcopy offering. This issue contains regular items such as the news pages and a column, as well as company profiles and technical features that readers have become accustomed to reading in the hard-copy version. Our market research has found that the digital version reaches more people in the industry in a conveniently portable way. As a result we plan to send more digital copies in the New Year, which will be sent to a far greater audience than the hard-copy. The hard-copy will still be published 10 times a year but, by making the digital issue more accessible, we feel we are making Glass International more inclusive to more people. All of us here at Glass International wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Greg Morris Editor gregmorris@quartzltd.com
Quartz Glass Portfolio
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Directory 2015 Annual international reference source
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International News
AGC’s Technovation Centre opens in Belgium
NEWS IN BRIEF
Zippe builds batch plant for Brazil’s Vidroporto
Vidroporto placed the order with Zippe Industriean-lagen for a batch plant with a maximum capacity of 400 t/d. It is part of an order to install a fully automatic cullet return system for the new furnace 3 in Porto Ferreira, Brazil. Apart from the equipment and the complete control system, the steelwork is also part of Zippe’s scope of supply.
Bohle acquires Lixon
new glass products for the construction and automotive industries. Employees can benefit from advanced facilities where the different areas (offices, laboratories and semi-industrial pilot lines) are designed to promote communication between and within the various teams on the site. As well as being close to the group’s production units, the site is located in the middle of a technology park, thus bene-
fiting from a network of industries, laboratories and universities conducive to attracting international researchers and developing synergies associated with open innovation. “This facility will promote the emergence of new glass solutions for our customers while speeding up their development time, thus giving our research even greater impact,” said Jean-François Heris, President and CEO of AGC Glass Europe.
Schott to move production from US Schott is to move select optical glass production from its Duryea, USA site to Germany, resulting in the loss of up to 80 jobs at the Pennsylvania plant. Schott will move and centralise a portion of its optical glass production to its headquarters in Mainz, Germany. The move is scheduled for March 2015.
The decision only impacts select optical glass production inside Schott’s Advanced Optics Division. It does not affect Schott’s non-continuous melting operations, which will continue to manufacture laser glass, infrared glass and other specific optical glasses. Schott’s North America Research & Development Cen-
tre, also located in Duryea, is not affected by this decision. By consolidating a portion of the optical glass production to its headquarters in Germany, the company centralised its worldwide production of optical glass, which has been manufactured in Germany since the foundation of the company in 1884.
Gerresheimer Bünde reduces emissions
Gerresheimer Bünde has put its first combined heat and power (CHP) plant into operation, resulting in energy savings and lower emissions. The CHP was manufactured by Sokratherm and is used for the decentralised production of electrical power and heat, in accordance with the heat and power co-generation principle. The 570 HP truck engine at the heart of the plant is gas operated and generates around 400kWh of electricity. The operation of the engine also generates 520kWh of heat, which is recovered by a system of heat exchangers and is used for heating and hot water supply.
VISIT: www.glass-international.com – For daily news updates and regular features
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The King of Belgium has inaugurated the AGC Technovation Centre, serving AGC Glass Europe, on 5th November in Gosselies, Charleroi region (pictured). With an investment of around €30 million, the AGC Technovation Centre brings together some 250 researchers, technicians and engineers in new premises. Staff at the facility will focus on improving glassmaking processes and developing
Bohle has taken over the cutting wheel producer Lixon, the negotiations for which took place at this year’s glasstec event in Dusseldorf. The long-established company from Ransart, Belgium has had an influence on the development of glass cutting wheels for flat glass for more than 100 years. The Clip-S, still widely used today, was one of the company´s product innovations. The negotiations about the acquisition of all company assets, including machines, customer data, trademark rights, patents and production goods were conducted at glasstec 2014.
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International News
O-I’s white vodka
NEWS IN BRIEF
Fuyao Glass chooses Henry F. Teichmann
Henry F. Teichmann has secured a contract for a cold repair project with Fuyao Glass Group. The project is for the turnkey cold repair of two float glass production lines in Mt. Zion, Illinois, USA. Fuyao acquired these production lines from PPG in August 2014. The production facility will be repaired and upgraded to manufacture automotive float glass. Both parties expect the new glass production to start in the 2nd quarter of 2015.
Sangalli reduces production capacity
Due to continued challenging conditions within the Italian architectural market, Sangalli Group is reducing its production capacity and output to match the requirements of its customers. The company’s Manfredonia furnace is approaching the end of its working life and will be cooled in December 2014. Sangalli is planning an extended cold repair. This action is part of the restructuring programme aimed at enhancing the company’s competitiveness in the current market conditions. Sangalli will ensure continuity of supply from its Porto Nogaro site.
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Glaston’s first FC1000 machinery deal to the US
Glaston Corporation has closed a deal worth approximately Euro 3.4 million with US-based Cardinal Glass Industries for toughening machines FC500 and double chamber FC1000. The order is booked in Glaston’s Q4 2014 order book. The machines are set for delivery during the first and third quarter in 2015. Cardinal Glass Industries develops residential glass for windows and doors. The company was founded in 1962 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Owens-Illinois (O-I) has created a distinctive white bottle for Warninks White, a new vodka liqueur by De Kuyper, a liqueurs and spirits company. With the new glass container O-I captured the character of the liqueur. Warninks White is destined for the UK market and has been available exclusively from ASDA supermarkets since October. Owens-Illinois took up both the design and manufacturing of the new bottle. Patrick Waegemakers, Segment Manager beer, wine and spirits packaging at O-I Benelux said: “De Kuyper and O-I have a history of cooperation. “We have produced new glass packaging for them for dec-
ades. In 2013, O-I developed the new bottle for the whole range of De Kuyper liqueurs. “Due to the years that we have spent working together, we are thoroughly familiar with the traditions and values of De Kuyper, and can convert those characteristics into glass packaging.” The new bottle for Warninks White has a fresh white look and emphasises the character of the product. The use of the red Warninks logo on the top of the bottle, with a silver floral decoration underneath highlights the premium qualities.
Glassman Europe call for conference papers The organiser of the Glassman Europe conference in Lyon next year has announced a call for papers. The Glassman conference theme will be ‘Energy efficiency and environmental
solutions in the glass industry’ Dedicated sessions will discuss how the glass production process is becoming more environmentally aware and how manufacturers are imple-
menting new processes in order to reduce costs and comply with changing legislation. For further information or to submit your presentation proposal, please contact: gregmorris@quartzltd.com
UK’s Dismatec presented with Queen’s Awards for Enterprise UK company Dismatec has been presented with the Symbol and Scroll for the ‘Queen’s Awards for Enterprise in International Trade 2014’ by the Lord-Lieutenant for the county of South Yorkshire. Dismatec was presented with the award following a reception at Buckingham Palace
to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and other Royal guests. To achieve this recognition the company has demonstrated commercial success over a period of three years, together with providing assurances of responsible conduct in man-
aging the impact on society and the environment, in the selection and control of suppliers, management of each project process, human resources and customer service. Dismatec is based in Sheffield and is an SME engineering company that operates in the glass industry.
Be first with the news! VISIT: www.glass-international.com for daily news updates
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New Hybrid Glass Melter with Cleanfire® Technology
International News
Sisecam invests €65 million in Romania
Regenerators Air-Fuel Burners Waste Gas Exit
Checkerwork Chimney Damper
Oxy-Fuel Burners
Air Products’ innovative new Cleanfire® HGM™ hybrid glass melter offers a wide range of productivity and glass quality enhancements for new or existing air-fuel furnaces. It can help improve your melting operations and reduce emissions. And it can help you overcome heat recovery system problems that can limit production. Overall, you can produce higher quality glass at a lower total cost. For more details on the Cleanfire HGM hybrid melter, call 800-654-4567. And remember, when you want to make glass better, put Air Products in the mix.
tell me more www.airproducts.com/hybridmelter
(Left to Right): Executive Vice President for Flat Glass Business of Sisecam Group, Reha Akçakaya; Ambassador of Republic of Turkey in Romania, Koray Ertas; Sisecam Group Vice Chairman and CEO, Prof. Ahmet Kırman; Prime Minister of Romania, Victor Ponta; President of Romanian Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceamo.
Sisecam Group has opened its GlassCorp automotive glass facility in Romania, the largest Turkish investment in the country. The facility is part of Sisecam Group’s sustainable growth target. After acquiring GlassCorp in 2012 Sisecam has invested €65 million in this new glass plant. The opening ceremony was attended by Romania’s Prime Minister Mr. Victor
Ponta, who noted that the automotive supply industry is one of the most important factors behind Romania’s development. Prof. Ahmet Kırman, Sisecam Group Vice Chairman and CEO, said, “Driving half of its sales income from international markets, our group has manufacturing operations in 13 countries across a vast geographical area ranging from Russia to Germany
and from Egypt to India. “We focused on investment opportunities in Romania in 2012 not only because of our technological development and capacity increase requirements, but also our efforts towards expanding our reach.” The facility, which is the largest automotive glass manufacturer of Romania, will provide 300 job opportunities in the Buzau region.
British Glass elects new President Davia Walmsley, Creative Director at Daedalian Glass, has been voted in as President of the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation. This will be effective from 1st January 2015 for two years, and will see Davia work closely with the team at British Glass to promote glass as a material in all its forms and applications, rais-
ing the profile of the industry. Davia is the driving force behind Daedalian as co-Director and Creative Head of the business. Educated at Hornsey College of Art in ceramics and glass, Davia moved around the UK, building her skills and knowledge in glass art, until settling on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire and found-
ing Daedalian Glass Design with her husband, Chris. Dave Dalton, CEO of British Glass, said: “With a wealth of experience working in the glass industry and a passion for inspiring the next generation to join the sector, she has much to offer as our President.” Davia is the first female President of British Glass in its 100-year-history.
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International News
NEWS IN BRIEF
P-D Refractories wins Chinese container order
Steklarna Hrastnik’s automated production lines.
Steklarna Hrastnik completes upgrade automation of production and improved technological processes, which will strengthen the company at the global forefront of niche manufacturers of technically demanding bottles. In the past year, Steklarna Hrastnik has reduced water consumption by 55%, NOx emissions by 75%, dust par-
ticle emissions by 35% and emission of CO2 by 30%. The latest investment in the Special unit will reduce energy consumption by an additional 20%. The values of NOx emissions are now 800 mg/Nm3, which is currently below the legally prescribed limit. Emissions of CO2 have dropped by 10%.
Hotwork International moves headquarters
Corning invests in South Korea Corning is set to create an R&D centre in South Korea, as well as invest $800m in existing production lines. Corning CEO Wendell Weeks said during a meeting with President Park Geun-hye, “We are planning to build an R&D centre in South Korea to
work on flexible displays and touch screen technology.” The R&D centre is scheduled to be set up in Asan City, South Chungcheong Province, and employ 30 researchers. Corning is also said to be investing $832 million to the repair and remodeling of its
production lines in the country. The company is said to be increasing its Gorilla Glass production volume at least fivefold by 2018, while more than doubling the HPD glass manufacturing volume within four years.
Encirc appoints new HR Director Encirc has appointed James Currie as HR Director to oversee its 12-strong HR team. James will direct all aspects of the company’s HR provision across its sites in Elton,
Cheshire, UK – where James is based – and Derrylin, Northern Ireland, UK. James will be responsible for implementing effective learning and development
for Encirc’s 1,200 employees, and will take charge of recruitment, employee and industrial relations, and operational HR support.
Horn Director resigns Max Sollfrank is resigning from the Board of Directors at Horn Glas Industries, from the end of December 2014. Mr. Sollfrank has been on the board since 2001 and was previously CEO for the former company Horn Glasanlagen.
During his time at Horn, Mr. Sollfrank witnessed the company change from a family-run business to a group member company, and was involved with identifying and developing new fields of business and markets.
Hotwork International, a global service provider of specialised heat-up service as well as Low NOx combustion technology, has a new head office at Romanshornerstrasse 123, 9322 Egnach, Switzerland. The company is spearheaded by its Managing Director, Benjamin Koester. Its management aims to meet the distinct demands of its clients not only in the glass industry, but as well in the fields of steel, cement, petrochemical and power. Now in its 10th year as a Swiss-based company, the Hotwork International group continues to develop new technology, promoting high energy-efficiency and low emissions.
Zippe acquires share in UAS Messtechnik The company management will now remain with current board members Mr. Christoph Jatzwauk and Mr. Stephan Meindl. Mr. Sollfrank will now be responsible for managing the Horn subsidiary in Asia.
In September 2014 Zippe Industrieanlagen and UAS Messtechnik signed an agreement for a strategic partnership on Plant-WideAutomation (PWA) concepts and integrated batch and furnace control solutions.
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Steklarna Hrastnik has completed an 8.5 million euro upgrade in its Special glass containers unit. The Slovenian company has increased its production capacity to 138 tons of glass per day. Steklarna Hrastnik will increase production capacity of high-quality boutique bottles for spirits. It has gained an
P-D Refractories has secured an order for the delivery of its silica G100 from Yantai Changyu Glass container manufacturer in China. Yantai is rebuilding its furnace number 2 and is the next move in its expansion programme. The programme aims to double the existing combined pull of 1200t from its seven furnaces and 20 production lines at its two sites in Shandong province. The new 320t/d petroleum coke-fired container glass furnace has been designed by Horn Glass Technology and will produce 90% wine bottles and 10% tableware. The key features of P-D Refractories’ no-lime (Ca0), binder-less silica grade G100 are purity (99.8% SiO2), high refractoriness under load and superior corrosion resistance.
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Pochet du Courval
France’s Pochet du Courval pushes the fragrance boundaries Nestled in the historic glassmaking region of the Bresle Valley, French fragrance and cosmetic bottles expert Pochet du Courval is currently modernising its Furnace Number 4 at its Guimerville, Normandy site. Greg Morris travelled to the region and spoke to Christian Durand, Managing Director Operations, and Antoine Planque, Managing Director of Sales and Marketing, to find out more about the company and its decoration techniques and technologies. This profile is part of a series of articles in the lead up to the Glassman Europe exhibition and conference in Lyon, France, in May 2015.
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Can you give a history of the company? The company is the result of the association of two companies: A glass maker, Les Verreries du Courval, founded in 1623 in the Bresle Glass Valley, in Guimerville in the north of Normandy and a glass decorating company, Pochet, located in Paris, which was the distributor of Verreries du Courval in Paris. Pochet acquired Verreries du Courval in 1919. In 1853 Les Verreries du Courval had produced the first glass bottle designed for a perfume: The Guerlain ‘L’Eau Impériale’. This was the start of a key change for perfume: From that day, perfumes were not filled in standard bottles, but rather in customised glass bottles. The company has always been a leader in the Fragrance/Cosmetics glassmaking market, by innovating and pushing the limits of feasibility,
and making possible creative designs for fragrance companies.
How is the company structured? Pochet du Courval is part of Groupe Pochet, which comprises three divisions dedicated to the high end fragrance and cosmetics packaging: The Glass division with Pochet du Courval, the Plastic/ Metal division with Qualipac, and the Decoration division with Solev, a specialised decoration division. Pochet du Courval comprises the French operations, with the glass making plant in Guimerville and three decoration plants in Guimerville, Gamaches and Beaugency; and the US operations with a decoration plant in Wayne, Continued>>
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Pochet du Courval
NJ. Both operations total around 1800 employees.
Can you tell me more about the Guimerville site, such as the number of production lines, and type of specialist equipment used? The glass manufacturing site has four furnaces and 18 production lines. The equipment has evolved to adapt to the specific needs of our market. Today, our key challenges are to enhance our process control equipment, and our inspection equipment. Our focus remains to serve our customers’ needs and push the limits of design feasibility to produce extraordinary products.
“Since 1997 we have
reduced our CO2 emissions by more than 30%. Also as far as volatile organic compounds are concerned, we have also reduced our emissions by more than 50%.
What products do you make and which is your most popular?
”
We produce customised glass bottles for the Fragrance and Cosmetics markets. Our most popular products are the leading fragrance brands from the industry leaders, for which we have mastered the glass repartition to achieve the most difficult designs. Our innovation department, working with the manufacturing team, constantly introduce new inventions, which have made the impossible, possible.
How have the Perfumes and Cosmetics markets performed in recent years, in light of the recent global recession?
that it says push the limits of perfume bottle manufacturing. Shown here is an example of ‘Eole’ patented technology (pictured top), ‘Texture’ technology (middle), and the company’s ‘In’pressive’ sculpting technology. (bottom).
You are also a specialist in decoration. Can you explain some of the decoration techniques that you use? Decoration has always been a key activity of our operations. We decorate not only in Guimerville, but also in our production sites at Gamaches, Beaugency and in Wayne, NJ, USA. Of course, we have more ‘standard’ operations of lacquering and silk screening, but we are also involved with Continued>>
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z Pochet has recently launched three bottle types
Both high end Fragrance and Cosmetics are global markets, where the brands are produced in a few locations and distributed in all countries. For the Fragrance market, the 2001 to 2012 period had an annual average growth of approximately 3.5%, which made a 40% increase during that period. In the past two years (2013 and 2014), the growth was more moderate, at around 1.5 to 2.5%. The growth of the travel retail market is compensating for a stagnation of the sales in the key countries of Europe and USA, while the Latin American market, mainly Brazil, is still growing at a high rate. For the Cosmetics market, the growth in the 2001 to 2012 period was even higher, with an average growth at 4.4% for glass products, which made a 53% increase in the period. The key markets are Europe, USA and Asia. The last two years have seen a lower growth in the first two markets, compensated by high growth in Asia.
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Pochet du Courval
hot stamping, pad printing and gluing. We also work closely with our sister company, Solev, which specialises in high-end applications such as metallisation, laser engraving and sublimation.
our investment strategy, which targets installing equipment that offers the best available energy use. Since 1997 we have reduced our CO2 emissions by more than 30%. Also as far as volatile organic compounds are concerned, we have also reduced our emissions by more than 50%. The path to sustainability is to continuously challenge ourselves and strive to implement the best technology available for any given investment.
Has decoration become more important in recent years? As far as the evolution of decoration in our company, I would say there are two trends. The first is that for certain types of packaging the purity and the design are focused on sublimating the glass itself. On these products there is actually little or no decoration. On the other hand, there are products where decoration is truly a way to enhance the product.
What are the current glass industry challenges and opportunities?
Are there any ‘green’ technologies in place at the plant?
For the Fragrance and Cosmetics markets, the challenge is certainly to keep a high pace of innovation. Product differentiation is a key marketing element for the end product marketeers and if they can achieve this on the packaging, it follows that they will offer the winning product to the market. The challenge is always keeping the right balance between the ‘handcraft’ and ‘industry’ parts of our world. Recently, we have introduced three innovations that bring to our customers huge potential for new creative designs: The first is the ‘In’pressive’ patented technology: Sculpting the inside of the glass bottle, which has never been done before. We have made a first launch with a key player in the Prestige Fragrance market. The second innovation is the ‘Eole’ patented technology, which gives different possibilities of internal forms in a ‘classic’ glass bottle, also something that was not achievable until now. The third innovation is the ‘Texture’ technology, which allows us to produce very fine external designs on the surface of the bottle. We also have ‘e-motion’, which involves light design.
Being involved in a high-energy use operation, it is key to keep in mind ways to improve our environmental footprint. One area on which we focus is how we utilise energy. We do this on one hand by operating procedures and also via
Pochet du Courval, Guimerville, Blangy-Sur-Bresle, France www.pochetducourval.com/
What geographical markets does Pochet serve? The Fragrance and Cosmetics markets are global markets for our customers, most of which are located in Europe and the USA. We serve our European, Middle East and Asian customers from our French plants and we serve the North American customers from our US plant.
How important is the French market? Due to the fact that several French groups have been able to consolidate into world leaders in the Fragrance and Cosmetics market, with manufacturing operations in France, it is a key country for our deliveries in terms of percentage. We deliver to our customers in France and then they deliver worldwide.
What is your daily output of glass?
France is a key country for our deliveries in terms of percentage.
”
www.glass-international.com
It is one million bottles a day.
“
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Case study
Bucher Emhart helps Serbian glass factory renew production Srpska Fabrika Stakla (Serbian Glass Factory) was the location of a major project by Bucher Emhart Glass encompassing the full range of its hot end and inspection equipment. Major undertaking “Bringing together so much equipment from different sources is a major undertaking,” stated Paolo Gallo, BEG’s Project Manager based in Savona, Italy. “Delivery must be co-ordinated, the workforce must be supervised, and all the different suppliers involved must be managed. The only approach is to stay calm and alert and take it one step at a time. Eventually the glass is streaming, the moulds are set up, the machines are running and you’re seeing red-hot containers running through the line.” The Line 5 furnace was officially opened earlier this year at a ceremony attended by the President of the Republic of Serbia. “It’s a great feeling to have been involved in this project,” added Paolo. “It goes to show that our organisation is solid and working just as it should, thanks to all the people involved and their professional attitude to their respective tasks. I extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved from both
BEG and Srpska Fabrika Stakla, and look forward to more collaborations in the future.” r
Serbian Glass Factory, Paracin, Serbia, www.srpskafabrikastakla.com/en Bucher Emhart Glass, Cham, Switzerland www.emhartglass.com
z The plant is located in the Pomoravlje district of Parancin
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T
he installation at the Parancin, Serbia site was completed with no problems and on schedule, thanks to a productive collaboration between Bucher Emhart Glass (BEG) Service Engineers, who supervised activities on site, and Srpska’s technical managers. The plant is located in the Pomoravlje district of Parancin and has been operating continuously for almost a century. The factory’s third furnace still features an old Emhart Drum Machine as well as an Emhart Power tableware machine – not bad going for these old warhorses! There have been ups and downs during the factory’s life, but managers’ positive attitudes and quest for improvement have always kept the plant on track. In 2012-13, this proactive approach saw the complete rebuilding of the B1 furnace and machines. This increased glass production to 70 tons per day. The plant completed its new furnace for Line 5 the following year, which included an overall plant rebuild, supported by Bucher Emhart Glass. This took capacity to 230 tons per day, allowing Line 5 to produce a total of 180 million bottles and jars per year. BEG was involved in every aspect of the Line 5 project, including both hot end and cold end. For the hot end, BEG supplied and installed a 10-section 5 1⁄2” double-gob IS machine, complete with Servo Feeder System and FPS Plunger Up. The cold end included FleXinspect T and BC machines for all four furnace lines. BEG also provided and installed other equipment, both its own and from other suppliers including a cooling-fan system specifically for the IS machine, warehandling equipment, vacuum system, shear and scoop spray system for the four lines, hot-end coating system, annealing lehr, and cold-end coating station.
BEG supplied and installed a 10-section 5 1⁄2” double-gob IS machine.
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Interview: Niall Wall
Ardagh CEO: Verallia takeover is a good deal for customers
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Some of Glass International’s highlights of 2014 have been interviews with key members of glassmaking companies, which has included senior executives from Owens-Illinois, SGD and, right, Ardagh. Here is a reproduction of an interview with Ardagh CEO Niall Wall, which was first published in May 2014.
Continued>>
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Interview: Niall Wall
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he Ardagh Group has won US antitrust approval from the US Federal Trade Commission to buy Verallia North America, after agreeing to sell six of its nine glass container manufacturing plants to KPS Capital Partners. Following the US$1.7 billion acquisition and the divestment of these assets to KPS, Ardagh’s North American Glass Division will generate annual revenues of approximately $2 billion from 16 glass manufacturing facilities with a workforce of 5000. The Ardagh Group now has global sales of US$6.5 billion, (€4.8 billion), operating from more than 100 locations in 24 countries employing 20,000 people. Heading the new division as President of Ardagh Glass North America will be John Riordan, who has been Finance Director of the Ardagh Group since 1999.
the financial crisis started in 2008, but are now littered with disaster. “Whilst we are very open to entering all markets, we remain to be convinced by the BRIC countries. We have no bias against these regions, but unless the criteria are right we will not invest in them. I’m not saying we will never do it but as yet a viable investment opportunity has not presented itself.” When asked whether China presented a challenge or an opportunity to Ardagh, Mr Wall said that China currently has too much capacity, has not consolidated, and has structural issues. “There is so much embedded capacity in every industry in China. If industry grew further the entire economy would suffer from unsustainable overcapacity. Under our business model we support our customers’ strategic requirements, but we would not put speculative capacity into any market, no matter how attractive it looked”.
Acquisitions
BRIC countries While much of the glass industry’s growth is in the developing BRIC countries, Mr Wall said Ardagh currently has no plans to invest in those countries. He said areas including Russia and Eastern Europe were regarded as a gold mine before
“Glass prevents waste so benefits the planet. It preserves food so plays a positive role in the reduction of food waste. It is also a permanent material that can be recycled and reused infinitely.
”
Future of glass Unsurprisingly, Mr Wall is very optimistic about the future of glass packaging, which has many intrinsic benefits to withstand the challenge from competing materials. “The reality is that glass is still very relevant because it continues to be loved and trusted by consumers. We have seen a switch from PET into glass for some products, particularly in the health food and beverage categories. These sectors really understand the benefits as well as the inertness of glass. “Go into any bar, look at the spirits display, and you cannot fail to notice the innovation and creativity in bottle designs. This demonstrates the enormous flexibility of glass in terms of colour and shape. Glass packaging protects products, enhances brand equity and distinguishes a wide variety of products, yet it is not exclusive to luxury brands. For example, the wine and beer sectors, where many brands are packaged in glass, cover the whole spectrum of drinking occasions from special celebrations to socialising with family and friends.” Mr Wall had also championed glass’s environmental benefits: “Glass prevents waste, so benefits the planet. It preserves food so plays a positive role in the reduction of food waste. It is also a permanent material that can be recycled and reused infinitely.”
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Mr Wall said: “Our business model is essentially to acquire businesses in relatively mature markets and then create value with the extraction of synergies, a model which has worked well for us. We have completed 17 transactions since 1999 and have grown over a hundredfold by revenue in an industry which is relatively flat from an organic growth standpoint.” He believes that this latest acquisition is a good deal for US customers: “We already have strong relationships in North America with a number of our global customers and this acquisition means we will be much more relevant to them.” It also enables Ardagh to expand its R&D focus. Mr Wall explains: “R&D is a huge focus of ours. We work closely with our customers and we continue to invest in R&D, which we regard as a competitive advantage. “One of the benefits of this deal is for our Heye International business, (a global leader in glass making technology), to join forces with GPS America to become a strategically critical asset for the future development of our business”. He also commented on the appointment of John Riordan as President of Ardagh Glass North America: “John’s appointment reflects the importance of this market to the future growth of the Group. His replacement as Group CFO, David Matthews, brings considerable experience from his time at DS Smith plc and Bunzl plc to Ardagh, as we move to the next stage of our development.”
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Glassman Europe returns to Lyon The third largest glass container producer in Europe, France is a hub of activity for the glass manufacturing community due to its thriving wine, perfume, champagne and cosmetics industries. The Glassman Europe exhibition and conference is set to return to Lyon, France in May 2015. The Cité Centre de Congrès de Lyon. Credit: Nicolas Robin
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T
he only exhibition that caters exclusively for the container glass industry, Glassman Europe will take place on May 6 and 7, 2015 at the Cité Centre de Congrès de Lyon exhibition hall. The event is a free of charge, business-to-business exhibition and conference for the hollow glass industry, offering professionals and experts from around the world the chance to get together to do business and network, as well as discuss the latest technical advances from within the industry. The event was last held in Lyon in 2009 and proved to be popular with exhibitors and visitors alike, despite the financial recession that Europe was facing. Today the tide is turning, and France remains one of Europe’s most important glass manufacturing regions with glass container production of over 3,000,000 tonnes in 2013 . France plays host to homegrown leading glassmakers such as SaintGobain, SGD and Arc International, while international glass manufacturers including Owen-Illinois (O-I) and Stoelzle also have manufacturing bases around the country. Several of the most important suppliers to the glass industry are based in the Lyon area, making it a top destination for anyone interested in doing business in the country.
The conference Alongside the exhibition, Glassman Europe will include a technical conference with leading experts from within the industry. The conference theme will be ‘Energy efficiency and environmental solutions in the glass industry’. Dedicated sessions will discuss how the glass production process is becoming more environmentally aware, and how manufacturers are implementing new processes in order to reduce costs and comply with changing legislation. Papers so far include presentations on this topic from members of FEVE, the European Container Glass Federation, and other industry veterans and experts.
With international speakers from across the industry invited to present, this conference will address the major issues faced when achieving sustainable primary glass manufacturing. This theme is especially relevant given the changes in EU legislation that will pass into law at the beginning of 2016. The limit values for nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides will be strictly monitored, resulting in the need for most glass manufacturers to invest in modernising their factories. A ‘call for papers’ has been issued for the conference, so if you would like the opportunity to present a paper please Continued>>
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The last Glassman show, held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Lyon by night.
The city of Lyon. Credit: Jacques Léone.
contact the editorial team at gregmorris@ quartzltd.com or sallyroberts@quartzltd. com.
others. Companies from across all sectors of the glass manufacturing process will be represented at the show, including suppliers of equipment for raw materials, batch plants, melting furnaces, combustion equipment, refractories, feeders and forehearths, forming machinery, hot end handling materials and systems, annealing and decorating lehrs, cold end handling materials and systems, tempering/laminating plant, processing machinery, laboratory services and analytical equipment, decoration materials and equipment,
instrumentation/process control systems, turnkey plant construction services and technical assistance and training. Together, the exhibition and conference will offer exhibitors and attendees the chance to do business and also discuss the latest, relevant issues affecting the container glass industry.
The exhibition Glassman exhibitions are leading events for the international glass manufacturing community, with suppliers of the equipment and materials used at every stage of the primary glass manufacturing process invited to take part and exhibit. Confirmed exhibitors for the event already include Zippe, Iris, Heye, FIC, Electro Glass, Sorg, Fonderie Valdelsane, Vidromecanica, and AGR amongst
www.glassmanevents.com/europe/ Exhibition: kenclark@quartzltd.com or jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com Conference: gregmorris@quartzltd.com or sallyroberts@quartzltd.com
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6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
Glassman Europe returns to Lyon in 2015 due to popular demand. Join us 6-7 May for this international exhibition and technical conference. We are looking for: Equipment manufacturers, suppliers and service providers who want to meet an international audience of glass producers
6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
Technical experts in the primary glass manufacturing process who can discuss the opportunities and challenges in the market and/or present case studies
6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
Professionals and decision-makers working within the glass industry who are looking to develop competitive advantage and new opportunities for their business
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In association with:
Visit the website for more information www.glassmaneurope.com For more details contact: Jeremy Fordrey 01737 855133 jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com
Ken Clark 01737 855117 kenclark@quartzltd.com
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6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
@glassmanevents the Glassman Join Events group
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Greg Morris 01737 855132 gregmorris@quartzltd.com
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Research and development
Siemens and British Glass secure technology partnership The close ties between Siemens and UK trade body, the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation, have been strengthened with a new technology partnership between the two groups, as Siemens vows to invest up to £4m over the next five years.
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O
ver the next five years, Siemens will invest up to £4m as a key strategic partner to the UK glass sector, providing technology, research & development and skill support services. As British Glass embarks upon the next phase of its development to ensure the UK glass industry remains globally competitive, Siemens will work alongside the organisation in a variety of areas. A central element to the strategic growth plan for the sector will be the establishment of the new British Glass Innovation Centre, Sheffield, which will provide a centre of excellence for glass manufacturers and support the development of an innovative culture and skills for the sector. The Centre, planned to be built on the Phase 2 site of Sheffield Business Park, will include fully functioning glass production plants, as well as promoting leadership in important areas such as new product development and fast prototyping. It will also be home to The Glass Academy, the training and skills development initiative set up by British Glass to train the next generation of engineers and technicians entering the sector with the relevant fit-forpurpose skills and qualifications, and to continue to upskill the industry’s current workforce, encouraging a culture of lifelong learning in the sector. Siemens will provide technical, product and manpower support to ensure British Glass’ plans benefit from world-class manufacturing expertise,
z Pictured: L - R Dave Dalton CEO, the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation and Brian Holliday, Managing Director, Digital Factory, Siemens UK & Ireland.
technical excellence and global sector knowledge. Brian Holliday, Managing Director, Digital Factory – Siemens UK & Ireland, said: “ We are impressed by the strategic ambition of British Glass to develop an innovative culture and to make British glassmaking a globally competitive leader. “Siemens has a long-established relationship with the glass industry across the UK. “By developing this technology partnership we want to ensure glass manufacturing is at heart of the future of manufacturing agenda.” “The newly proposed British Glass Innovation Centre at Sheffield is a prime example where the leaders in the sector
are setting out a clear vision for the future and this must be applauded and supported.” Dave Dalton, CEO of British Glass, stated: “Siemens is the first major partner to commit to working with us on the journey to an exciting and highly competitive future. The breadth of Siemens’ technical expertise and support offered to us through the partnership will be vital if we are to successfully transform our industry for the 21st century. “In addition, the concerted efforts by Siemens to help us develop the skills of people in the sector, as well as those entering it, ensures we have a powerful combination to push our industry forward over the next five years.” r
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Events world
Ardagh’s Saegram’s Distillers Reserve bottle.
z O-I’s BeanBlossom Hard Cider bottle.
z Vitro’s Jim Bean Signature Craft bottle.
Clear Choice Awards 2014 T
he winners were chosen from the field of 71 entries based on criteria including package design and consumer appeal. In addition to seven products specifically selected by the judges, three other products received President’s Choice awards, selected by GPI’s president, Lynn Bragg: Two for advancements in sustainability, and one for reinvention and innovation.
Owens Illinois Owens Illinois (O-I) won the award for the beer category, with its black bottle created for Miller Fortune. The black glass gives a premium image, whilst also giving more UV protection to the beer itself. The company also won the food category award, with its Beech-Nut Baby Food jar, which was designed to help Beech-Nut stand out by maximising the visibility of the natural, yet very colourful, baby food. Finally, O-I also won the conversion recognition category, with its wineshaped BeanBlossom Hard Cider bottle.
Oliver Winery re-launched the cider in a ‘shareable’ 750ml glass bottle after more than 20 years of producing it in a singleserve aluminum can, emulating the social aspect of wine.
Ardagh Ardagh came first in the wine category with its leopard print Moreno Sparkling Wine bottle. The metallic gold finish coupled with hand-applied Swarovski crystals was clearly created to make a statement. As for the non-alcoholic beverage category, Ardagh won this award with its Straus Family Creamery Organic Milk bottle. The company is the first certified organic creamery in the US making 100% organic products, of which the glass packaging plays an important part. Ardagh also won the People’s Choice Award for its charcoal coloured, embossed Saegram’s Distillers Reserve bottle.
Vitro Vitro Packaging won the award for the distilled spirits category, with its Jim Bean
Signature Craft bottle. This was released for its 12 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and was designed to reflect a laid-back concept. The company also won the cosmetics/ fragrance category for the eleventh consecutive year, with the bottle it created for Estee Lauder’s Micro Essence Skin Activating Treatment. This is a high-end jar with a heavy heel, and the added complication of having a plastic cup inserted into the jar. This meant the internal depth and shape had to be constantly monitored. Lastly, Vitro won the President’s Award for Advancements in Sustainability, for its light-weight Q-Tonic beverage bottle.
Anchor Glass Anchor Glass also did well at the event, winning the President’s Choice Award for Reinvention and Innovation, with its Ball’s Decorative One Gallon Jar, and the second President’s Award for Advancements in Sustainability, with its Squatters Organic Amber Ale bottle for Utah Brew. r
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The Clear Choice Awards recognise manufacturers who push the boundaries of glass packaging design. This year Ardagh, Owens-Illinois (O-I) and Vitro each won three awards for creating glass packages with shelf impact.
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Glass melting
Molybdenum: Experiences and insights Elisio Ferreira Neto* discusses the use of molybdenum in glass tank reinforcement and how the metal, coupled with Sibor coating, can increase the lifetime of a glass tank.
T
he history of glassmaking can be traced back to Stone Age societies across the globe. Despite this long history, glassmaking processes are still being constantly evaluated and optimised. Various topics dominate current discussions, with key words such as high-strength, light-weight, less impurities, cost-effectiveness, and emission reduction frequently heard at glass conferences and in discussions between glass producers. Competition from alternative materials such as plastics for bottles is increasing rapidly. Glass producers are forced to improve product quality, but at the same time reduce the costs for consumers. Possible ways to increase the cost effectiveness, for example, are to reduce the production reject parts and prolong the campaign length of a glass tank.
Molybdenum reinforcement Great effort has already been made to
increase the lifetime of a glass tank. The quality and corrosion resistance of the refractory bricks have been improved year by year. In particular, sintered refractory bricks have been replaced by cast refractories to protect the most heavily worn sections of a furnace. However, even the cast quality exhibits corrosion rates that cannot be ignored, and the only way to drastically improve the corrosion resistance of glass tank parts that are exposed to heavy wear is to protect them with metal. Only a few metals can withstand the high temperatures required for the production of glass, and Fig 1 shows a comparison of the corrosion resistance of different metals and AZS material to the most commonly used glass melts. This illustration shows how limited the possibilities are. Iron, iron-based alloys, nickel and nickel-based alloys are not able to fulfil the high requirements of glass
production. The melting point of these metals or alloys is much too low, and even when used below this temperature they show high corrosion rates and pollute the glass heavily when immersed in the melt. Two metals have already been proven to exhibit good corrosion resistance without pollution of the glass melt - platinum and molybdenum. The corrosion resistance of platinum is unrivalled, but is closely followed by molybdenum. Two main differences exist between these metals: r The oxidation resistance r The price Platinum is the only metal currently used which can withstand corrosion and oxidation. The oxidation resistance (Fig 2) of molybdenum is poor and therefore it requires special protection from oxidising atmospheres until it is Continued>>
Temperature [째F] 2012
2192
2372
160 Corrosion rate [mm/year]
2732
2912
C-glass (glass wool) Soda lime glass Crystal glass (lead-free) Borosilicate glass TV glass
180
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Temperature [째F] 2552
140 120 100
High-alloy steels Ni-based alloys
80 60 40
AZS-blocks
20 0 1000
Molybdenum 1100
1200
1300 Temperature [째C]
Platinum 1400 1500
z Fig 1. Corrosion resistance of different metals and AZS material.
1600
30
392
752
1112
20
1472
1832
2192
2552
2912
Mild steel SIBOR
10 Specific mass change in 200h [mg/cm2]
1832
0 -10
Platinum
-20 -30 -40
Molybdenum
-50 -60 200
400
600
800 1000 Temperature [째C]
1200
1400
1600
z Fig 2. Oxidation resistance of several materials.
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z Fig 3. Cross sections of molybdenum with Sibor coating. immersed completely in the glass melt. Nowadays this can be achieved with a coating, called Sibor. The big difference between molybdenum and platinum is the price. Platinum is a precious metal and must be priced at a market rate, which is determined on a day-to-day basis by the stock market. 10 to 15 grams of platinum cost approximately the same as 1kg of molybdenum sheet already coated with Sibor. The quantity of platinum required is much too high for most uses and it is therefore limited to very special applications such as platinum feeders for special glasses with very high purity levels. Another big disadvantage of Pt is its weak creep resistance. Due to this weakness, cladding large areas of the tank in platinum is impossible, while molybdenum can do this easily due to its high strength and creep resistance.
z Fig 4. Schematic diagram of a glass tank showing critical areas.
Sibor coating z Fig 5. and 6. Corroded wall and throat channel at
z Fig 7. Dog house reinforcement.
the end of a tank campaign.
z Fig 8. Bubble maker / cross-wall protection. The Sibor coated molybdenum parts (glass melting electrodes or glass tank reinforcements) can be installed in a cold glass tank before the up-tempering process starts. The parts will remain intact without any oxidation throughout heatup, even with a slow up-tempering rate of 5°C to 10°C per hour. It is guaranteed to last as follows: 5000 hours at 1200°C
(2192°F); 500 hours at 1450°C (2641°F); and 50 hours at 1600°C (2912°F) after heat up, so at isothermal conditions in the tank. This time/temperature performance enables glass producers to install the molybdenum parts easily and safely in a cold tank. Further advantages Continued>>
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As shown in Fig 2, molybdenum has a poor oxidation resistance at temperatures above 600°C (1112°F). In principle, various solutions exist to protect refractory metals like molybdenum against oxidation: Alloying, packing with ceramic powders, glassification, cooling, application of protective gases (e.g. hydrogen, argon), cladding with platinum or – last but not least – coating with an impervious layer. The only coating which can guarantee an ‘oxidation free’ period is the so-called Sibor coating. This patented coating consists of silicon and 10% boron by weight and is applied to sand blasted molybdenum surfaces using a plasma spraying process. The coated molybdenum parts are then annealed to ensure outstanding oxidation resistance. Fig 3 shows three cross sections of a molybdenum sample with Sibor coating after each production step [3a: Sibor coating as sprayed; 3b: Sibor coating after annealing; 3c: Sibor coating after 400 hours in use in air at a temperature of 1450 C (2642°F)].
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of the Sibor coating are the properties of the layer. The Sibor coating is not as brittle as ceramic coatings like the SiCrFe coating and silicide coatings (e.g. MoSi) and can withstand normal handling during the installation process without chipping. The Sibor coating will be dissolved by the glass within a few days. At the beginning bubbling can occur, but it will decrease rapidly after 24 hours. Due to the composition of this coating (Si, B) it will not cause any discoloration or contamination of the glass melt.
failure of important functions. The performance of the Sibor coating mentioned above now makes it possible to use the good corrosion resistance of molybdenum to protect the areas of a glass tank that are exposed to heavy wear in most glass melts. Some of these areas are critical for the lifetime of the glass tank; others are critical for the performance of the tank and the glass quality.
Glass tank reinforcements The lifetime of different glass tanks can vary greatly between a few months and several years. It depends on many factors such as the glass composition and temperature, but also daily production quantities. Opal glass, for example, is a very aggressive glass and a tank campaign lasts only a few months. Glass tanks for container glass (soda-lime glasses) have a service life of up to 10 years (6-8 years on average). The duration of a tank campaign is determined by the rate of wear within the tank and the subsequent
MoZrO2 A new material for glass melting electrodes MoZrO2 has been developed especially to be used for glass melting electrodes. Doping molybdenum with small amounts of ZrO2 improves its properties considerably. It offers higher corrosion resistance against molten glass, as well as increased high temperature strength. The excellent thermal and electrical conductivity as well as the good machining ability of molybdenum remain unchanged. Therefore, MoZrO2 is the most suitable material for solving corrosion problems in glass melting electrodes.
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Superior high temperature strength The steady state creep rate of MoZrO2 at 1600°C /2912°F is approximately 5 times lower than of pure molybdenum and the tensile strength and the 0.2 % proof stress are considerably higher. The use of MoZrO2 allows the active lengths of an electrode in the melt to be increased and drastically reduces the risk of sagging during operation.
z Fig 9. Schematic installation of a throat channel reinforcement.
Excellent corrosion resistance Compared to pure molybdenum MoZrO2 shows higher corrosion resistance in white and green glasses as well as in molten Sb2O3 and Sb2O3refined glass. In 2001 Martinz/Matej/ Leichtfried discovered that MoZrO2 considerably reduces the corrosion rate in glass melts. In white sulphaterefined container glass the corrosion rate is decreased by approximately 25 %, in green glass by approximately 45 %. New investigations by Prof. Dr. J. Matej at the Laboratory of Inorganic Materials of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry ASCR in Prague demonstrate the corrosion behavior of MoZrO2 against antimony. Matej compared pure molybdenum and MoZrO2 in molten antimony at elevated temperatures. In demanding isothermal and thermal cycling tests the diameter reduction of MoZrO2 samples was 43% lower than of pure molybdenum. Optical and electron microscopy were carried out in order to determine the mechanism of corrosion prevention. The most likely conclusion is that the combination of a fine grain structure and the presence of chemically resistant ZrO2 in the grain boundary damage.
The critical sections are marked in Fig 4, which shows a schematic diagram of a typical glass tank: r 1 Throat channel r 2 Bubble maker and wall r 3 Dog house r The ‘throat channel’ – the transition between the melting area, the working end and the feeders, and essential for the glass quality – heavily stressed by corrosion and erosion processes. r The ‘cross wall’ – controls the convection streams in the melting area and the transition time of the glass melt, most important for a good glass quality – heavily stressed by corrosion and erosion processes. r The ‘bubble maker’ – where large, defined bubbles are added to the molten glass to agglomerate the small bubbles – heavily stressed by corrosion and erosion processes. r The ‘doghouse’ – where the raw materials for glass production are introduced into the glass melt – heavily stressed due to the oxygen content of the batch and the formation of foam. The appearance of the wall and the throat channel at the end of the tank campaign as shown in Fig 5 and Fig 6 are very familiar to all glass producers. Cladding with Sibor coated molybdenum sheet protects these critical areas of the glass tank against wear, maintaining their form and reliability for longer periods. This of course helps to optimise the manufacturing process and glass quality and significantly improves the service life of the glass tank.
Samples Generally speaking, glass tank reinforcements are molybdenum sheets (thickness 6-10 mm, 0.25-0.4”), which are produced in various shapes and designs using bending and machining processes. 100% of the surface is then coated with Sibor to achieve complete oxidation resistance of the whole assembly. Tank components made of molybdenum can easily be fixed to the tank using different methods: r 1) Clamping between the refractory bricks r 2) Fixing with bolts which are inserted through the sheet into the refractory brick Continued>>
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r 3) Simply covering of the parts requiring protection such as the wall or the bubble maker Fig 7 shows a doghouse reinforcement. Simply formed molybdenum sheets are fixed with pins onto the corner bricks of the doghouse. This helps to prevent corrosion to the bricks as the batch enters and often produces foam in this area. Fig 8 shows a simple bubble maker cover. The same principal can also be used to protect cross-walls. The U-shaped sheet is simply placed over the refractory bricks and clamped between the bottom bricks. It ensures that the form and function of the bubble maker (or crosswall) are maintained for a long period. The most critical area in a glass tank is of course the throat channel. This section is located between the glass tank itself and the working end and controls transition time and glass flow. The throat channel construction consists of several refractory bricks (two side bricks, one top brick and several bricks for the channel). To guarantee good corrosion protection it is also
z Fig 10. Throat channel protection - front and back views.
necessary to cover the joins in the brick. This is only possible if the reinforcement plates used have a greater width and height than the individual bricks and they have to be fixed to the outside of the bricks (cladding). Fig 9 shows how a throat channel can be effectively protected. The throat channel protection assembly consists of two parts: The front plate and a ‘U’-channel (Fig 10). The connection between the two parts is specially designed and produced to prevent any penetration of the glass. Similarly other components such as flow pipes inserted in a cross-wall (used to generate additional convection currents) and delivery pipes can be produced in molybdenum and protected against oxidation. In such cases Sibor coating is required on all surfaces. The design of each glass tank reinforcement is adapted to suit individual customer requirements. Such parts can be installed easily by either the glass producer, the furnace constructor or by Plansee. r
*Plansee South America
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Events world
Johannes Büchs (l.) from the WDR broadcasting company and Volker Knoth (r.) of Gerresheimer looking through the ‘sunglasses’ for cough medicine.
Worldwide television programme visits Gerresheimer’s Essen facility The German television programme Mouse TV visited Gerresheimer’s Essen production facility to find out why medicine bottles are made of brown glass. Marion Stolzenwald has been Senior Manager, Corporate Communication at Gerresheimer since 2011. One of her external communications responsibilities is to support TV crews. Here is a report on the filming of one of Germany’s most famous children’s TV shows.
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O
ne of this year’s special events for me and my glass production colleagues in Essen was a visit from the famous German TV programme, Mouse TV. It is a children’s format that delivers a mix of fun and educational stories. The programmes are aired in around 100 countries around the world. Many parents watch them with their children. Mouse TV is famous for explaining complex subjects in such a simple way that children can understand them without a problem. The mouse visited us to find out why cough medicine bottles are made of brown glass. The educational feature on the brown glass cough medicine bottle compared its function to that of a pair of sunglasses. You put on a pair of sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV light and the brown glass bottle is brown to protect the cough medicine against UV light. To make brown glass you need sand, lime and soda, plus sodium sulfate and iron oxide for the brown colour.
The seven-man TV crew had a challenging time filming the glass production process. They had 28 different motifs on their filming schedule. Some of the highlights included a peephole camera shot into the furnace, as well as shots of the top end of the production line to show how the molten glass gobs are fed into the moulding machine. The filming took around eight hours to complete and all stages in the production process were filmed, from delivery of the raw materials to the finished bottle and from the hot end to the cold end.
“When you only have one day to look over the production employees‘ shoulders, you feel a great sense of respect for the work that they put into what we perceive as a very simple product like a glass bottle,“ said Johannes Büchs after filming, adding that precision is another important ingredient of bottle making, in addition to sand, lime and soda. r
www.gerresheimer.com The mouse visited Gerresheimer’s facility and was amazed to see how quickly the melted glass is transformed into bottles.
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Your success is our focus.
SORG keeps an eye on your processes from raw material delivery through glass conditioning systems. We offer planned maintenance as well as rapid reaction services should they ever be necessary. Whatever it takes to ensure your success.
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Glass Technology Services
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£1.5 million glass vitrification project Over the next 15 years, up to 145 nuclear reactors, predominantly based in Europe, are set to reach the end of their life span. With this in mind, the UK’s Glass Technology Services (GTS) is leading a £1.5 million project partnership to transform the processing of intermediate level wastes.
G
TS will be working with Sellafield Ltd, the National Nuclear Laboratory, and the University of Sheffield on the project, which is part of a £13 million package of funding announced by the UK’s Business Secretary Vince Cable to develop safe and smart nuclear technologies. Named the Hazmelt project, it has received a £1 million grant from Innovate UK, the national innovation agency and the new name for the Technology Strategy Board.
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The aim The aim is to formulate novel glasses with new melting technology capable of vitrifying a wide range of intermediate level radioactive waste (ILW) streams. The Hazmelt project will offer great improvements for dealing with these wastes, including enhanced wasteform passivity; improved durability; and maximal reductions in waste volumes. Intermediate level wastes include a range of ion exchange resins, chemical sludges, nuclear fuel cladding and contaminated materials arising from the nuclear fuel cycle and decommissioning of plants. Much of this waste is currently encapsulated into concrete before being packaged into steel drums for long-term storage.
The Hazmelt project aims to revolutionise the waste treatment process, significantly reducing the volume of processed waste and potentially creating a product which is both stable and durable, due to the unique chemical structure and properties of the glass materials under development.
Partners During the three-year project, due to commence in April 2015, GTS will exploit the innovative Apollo furnace technology, developed between GTS and Apollo Furnaces, and combine its glass expertise with that of project partners the University of Sheffield, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and Sellafield Ltd in order to develop a novel thermal treatment process with distinct advantages over existing technologies for ILW. “The new treatment technology will be demonstrated through a series of 500kg trials, using simulated radioactive waste,” said Robert Ireson, Innovation team Leader at GTS. “Hazmelt combines customised glass frits and oxide batch mixes with the ILW in a refractory lined melter, which uses a novel electrode design to melt, mix and vitrify the streams - creating homogenised, highly durable end products with
enhanced wasteform passivity and maximum volume reduction. It has a number of advantages over existing thermal treatment technologies for ILW and will enable us to process a wide range of compositions.”
The market Hazmelt received the highest single grant in the £13 million of funding announced by Vince Cable to companies and consortia across the UK, to help develop innovative technologies for the current and next generation of nuclear power stations. The decommissioning market is set to expand, with up to 145 mostly European reactors expected to reach the end of their lives in the next 15 years and an estimated global market worth £50 billion annually. For UK businesses in the area of nuclear engineering and associated technologies, innovation could deliver direct benefits to the UK worth up to £14 billion by 2050. r
The GTS portfolio of non-confidential projects is available online at www.glass-ts.com/projects. Email: enquiries@glass-ts.com Web: www.glass-ts.com
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Table ware processing î Ł Fig 1. Typical burn-off rim.
î ¸ Fig 2. Biebuyck laser Generation 2 cold cutting.
Werner Paszukiewicz* discusses hot versus cold laser cutting for tableware, and a range of technology dedicated to helping glassmakers achieve the best results on rim edges.
Hot cutting Ten years ago, after feasibility research and before the launch of a prototype, the majority of the acquired data concerning the laser, such as the precision of positioning, environment for the operator, efficiency, and geometrical tolerances, were understood thanks to the accumulated experience of laser applications in the tableware industry since 1996. After carrying out thousands of tests on the experimental station, it became clear that hot laser cutting was an economically preferable alternative to cold laser cutting,
but did not rival it in terms of the quality of the edge or productivity. On the experimental station we built in 2001 for hot laser cutting, we obtained lab results close to the cold cutting. However, we knew that the conditions applied on glasses in a laboratory, which could be selected and treated in an individual way, were far from the industrial conditions when considering the standards of the forming machines and the oily and dusty environment of the hot end of glass factories. Consequently, we had to indicate to potential buyers the definition of the edge which would be obtained, as well as the geometrical and maintenance requirements. There is no doubt that this hot laser technique was the logical result of our policy to find successful and economic solutions, without forgetting the
performance demands of equipment supplied worldwide. Four types of tableware rim are now globally established:
The Burn-off rim Burn-off cutting creates the fusion of the edge by means of an annular burner, with the glass item being suspended downward. This technique creates an edge with a fairly prominent roll, or so called bead (Fig 1). The efficiency depends on the performance of the forming machines upstream, and on the quality accepted by the market. The issues are often the symmetry, the size of the bead and the presence (or not) of a so-called tear drop. Whether or not this technology is chosen is dictated by the level of Continued>>
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I
n 2000, rather than take inspiration from flame cut-off technology, Biebuyck approached laser hot cutting technology from the point of view of an extension of the cold cut, which is traditionally superior.
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Preheating
Controlled preheating pre-stretching
Laser pre-stretching
Laser final cutting and polishing
Upper part with moil
Pull
Final rim
Sequences fixed after preliminary trials in 2004
z Fig 4. The D4-24T04 single, an example of a machine with a turning table.
z Fig 3. The ‘modus operandi’ of hot laser cutting. investment and the segment of the chosen market.
The pulled rim A variant of the burn-off, the pulled rim is used in some cases to reduce the size of the bead. Again, this process can be heavily affected by the overall efficiency. During separation from the parison, the moil is taken in sustenance but not maintained. This cutting is not realised in an individual way for each article, so the approach towards a thin edge affects the efficiency.
The Federal rim In this less wide-spread version the glasses, which are placed on the foot, move in front of a series of burners. A cold pin touching the heated area causes the separation of the moil, but not in a well guided way. The edge is then directly fire polished, giving a beaded rim which is more or less prominent depending on the intensity of the burners. Here again the glasses are processed in mass without any attention to their single forming tolerances.
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The cold cut rim This technique differs from the burn-off cutting due to a better individualisation of glasses (Fig 2). The separation of the moil and the finishing of the edge are not combined, but are carried out sequentially in different specific operations which are optimised independently. The scribing, whether made by a scribing wheel or made by the laser (generation 2), defines the exact place of separation of the moil perfectly parallel
to the foot. The processing by the diamond tools gives a perfect geometry and a remarkable flatness to the edge. Using the laser generation 2 instead of mechanical scribing gives the advantages of a constant digital system independent from the human error factor, and allows the high efficiency processing of sophisticated designs such as cocktail glasses. The high flexibility of the cold cutting production lines type S2/S3 with G2 lasers allows for the processing of the most common tableware shapes. Even complex items can be processed with symmetrical high quality edges, with the most demanding customers requiring a bevelled fire polished edge or a regular rounded edge for higher production volumes.
Laser hot cutting Our first trials of moil cutting with laser in the hot-end were carried out in 2000, in cooperation with Zwiesel Kristall (ZKG) in Germany. The methodology of laser hot cutting was established after hundreds of trialand-error tests in the laboratory, and was applied in an industrial way in 2004 by ZKG. After positive feedback from the market, the key points applied in this technique on blow-blow glasses were then extrapolated for the hot cutting of glasses with thicknesses such as those produced with press-blow machines. Today we consider this technique to be well established, with stable results that match the market requirement. Several Delac hot cutting units have been in operation for years in famous glassworks. While having obtained relatively good results in the hot cutting of articles with
big diameters such as vases, we did not place this as a priority in our development as the quality of the edge obtained was not able to compete with a cold cut and mechanically polished edge.
Modus operandi The ‘modus operandi’ of hot laser cutting, determined in 2001 and applied to all the machines in production today, is described below and briefly outlined in Fig 3. The glass position on its foot was an unavoidable choice, as it ensures the absence of bloom condensation in the gob. The risk of fragments of glass in the gob is extremely limited, and generally results from bad formation of the moil. This position also allows the gripping, stabilisation and controlled separation of the moil. The accurate gripping and stabilisation mechanics being on the top require less maintenance than when placed at the bottom. The bottom part of the cutting machine is also well protected from both cullet and dust resulting from eventual broken glass from upstream processing. The glass is brought to the machine in variable temperatures according to its shape and weight. The path has to be as short as possible to avoid the appearance of uncontrollable thermal stresses. It can be compensated by a small stabilisation lehr that can be delivered with the machine. A sequence of preheats brings the cutting place to a temperature close to the transformation temperature. At the last station upstream of the laser position, the controlled motion of each burner individually harmonises the Continued>>
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z Fig 5. The DELAC 57T16, an example of a linear chain transfer machine.
maintenance, and for ease of adjustment. The optics are installed in a pressurised box on a robust structure. A phase of edge polishing with the laser can be selected with the downstream burners if necessary. In most cases, this stage is not required.
Industrial application It is indisputable that it is advantageous to install the rim processing before the lehr. But it remains a challenge for glassworkers to present to the market an edge that is rounded differently to a burnoff rim but not comparable to a cold cut edge with bevels, and to concentrate on a more rigorous forming of articles. It is utopian to believe that this technique is as versatile as the cold cutting which is achieved on lines S2 and S3. The geometrical variations and the irregularity of the blowing, and the possible imprecision of the forming machine are a few of the factors which influence the efficiency and result on the quality. Having surpassed the possible obstacles above, the glassworker will find a compatible and well established range of machines dedicated to blow/blow and press/blow glasses. The configuration will vary, naturally, according to the speed of the blowing machine upstream. Beyond the process, the handlings are also optimised by trying to follow the
well-known rule in the glass industry that each handling is a potential vector breakage. The programme divides into two groups. The first type, are machines with a turning table (Fig 4) and linear chain transfer machines (Fig 5) designed for higher speeds and/or for additional systems or process integration. The first machine with a turning table was installed in 2004 at Schott Zwiesel. The second, more compact, version adapted to a speed of production of 28pcs/min was installed at Rona in 2007. This version already integrated many innovations, and shows an original layout that certainly inspired some other suppliers. A wide range of Delac generation 3 laser cutting machines is now available, covering a speed of 20 to 60 pieces per minute. All the machines are driven by powerful torque motors with a regulated transfer cycle, so as to transfer articles with a thin leg in the optimal conditions and with the least possible distortions. The configuration also allows the user to complete the operation of moil cutting by additional operations such as the marking or the quality control. r
*Sales Director, Biebuyck, Belgium http://www.biebuyck.com
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temperature of the cutting area according to the variations of the wall thicknesses from one article to another. The processing temperature is given as data from the glassmaker according to the composition of the glass, and then adapted and optimised to become the instruction memorised by the system. Each item is thus individualised. The position of the glass on its foot allows the equipment to precisely grip the moil of each article. The holding is done in a way that obtains the best axial separation and reduces the side offsets which would result from a lack of precision. The vertical motion of each upper head is exactly guided and the pulling force is servo controlled. This allows the option for an adapted mode of pulling to obtain a controlled thinning down, a sort of stretching, of the wall at the place to be cut. Each article is optimally maintained and individually processed to compensate the blowing geometrical variations. This preliminary stretching sequence before the laser cutting can be selected or not depending on the nature of the edge or the type of item. In some cases it allows the preforming of the cutting edge, creating a necked region which will then be completed by the laser beam. The cut is then achieved by a laser beam in a programmable sequence which controls the laser power used during the process, as well as the beam shape, its position and its intensity. Each successive phase of processing is also customisable in terms of time or in relation to the position of the upper head during the pulling sequence. The ‘cut’ sequence ends with the separation of the moil individually from each article. This sequence is variable according to the geometrical data of those in the frame of the cycle. The question of implementing multiple successive beams was raised in the early stages of our development, but was quickly eliminated due to the complexity of keeping the precise positioning of each beam in relation to each other; the complexity of maintenance; for safety reasons due to the beam direction; and to avoid the installation of laser resonators directly in the processing environment. Our lasers are deported and installed in a cell separated from the operational cutting area of the machine. This configuration is also much more favourable in respect to safety standards,
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6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
Glassman Europe returns to Lyon in 2015 due to popular demand. Join us 6-7 May for this international exhibition and technical conference. We are looking for: 6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
6-7 May 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès, Lyon, France www.glassmaneurope.com
Equipment manufacturers, suppliers and service providers who want to meet an international audience of glass producers
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Visit the website for more information www.glassmaneurope.com For more details contact: Jeremy Fordrey 01737 855133 | jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com Ken Clark 01737 855117 | kenclark@quartzltd.com Greg Morris 01737 855132 | gregmorris@quartzltd.com
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