Glass october 2014

cover_Layout 1 9/30/14 2:27 PM Page 1

October 2014 Vol. 37 No.9

PHOENIX AWARD WINNER GERRESHEIMER 150 YEARS FURNACES

www.glass-international.com

Glass International October 2014

contents_00_GI_0909 10/7/14 10:32 AM Page 1

Contents

October 2014

Vol. 37 No.9

10

October 2014 Vol. 37 No.9

PHOENIX AWARD WINNER GERRESHEIMER 150 YEARS FURNACES

2

Editor’s Comment

3

International News

www.glass-international.com

Phoenix Award 10 Phoenix Award 2014:Clint Shay a worthy recipient

12

Company Profile Gerresheimer: 150th anniversary

17

Thailand overview

22 Front cover image courtesy of Fives: http://glass.fivesgroup.com/en.html

28

17

www.glass-international.com/ features Decoration LED-UV inks for glass decoration.

Forming Bucher Emhart Glass showcases two of its flagship machines.

Plus find us on Linked-In and Twitter.

22

36 38 42

History

43

Technical Topics

44

British Glass

46

Company profile: GTS Glass Technology Services: A cut above

47

Diary

48

Safety Improving safety in glass plants

50

Energy efficiency Glass and energy management

@Glass_Int

www.glass-international.com

Container glass Communicating the science behind food packaging and health Furnaces An established partner to the industry Thermo chemical recuperator: A step towards energy efficiency Industry veteran strikes out on own An independent cooling design

30 33

On the web:

Recycling Fine glass: A valuable resource

Glass International October 2014

www.glass-international.com

12

1

comment_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 2:30 PM Page 2

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 Sales Director: Ken Clark Tel: +44 (0)1737 855117 Email: kenclark@quartzltd.com

A true glass industry champion

www.glass-international.com

W

hat an absolute pleasure to have met this year’s Phoenix Award winner Mr G Clinton Shay.

Mr Shay, or Clint as he is known, was selected to be the 44th recipient of the Phoenix Award. For those unaware, the award is made by the industry’s suppliers to a person who they believe has made an outstanding contribution to the industry.

In this respect, there can be no doubting Clint’s credentials. Mr Shay is the technology champion of the Fusion sheet forming process and led Corning’s Fusion effort from its inception in 1958.

Clint was also co-inventor of the basic Fusion patent.

Fusion’s strength in making thin, pristine, hard glasses with low-warp, led to its use for LCD displays for hand-held electronic devices, mobile phones, laptops and computer monitors.

Today, most of the world’s LCD displays from hand-held devices through to large screen TV’s are made by the Fusion sheet forming process, either

by Corning or its competitors.

Fusion was the forerunner to Gorilla Glass, today used as a protective cover glass for most mobile phones, tablets and laptops.

There is no doubt that the Fusion process has completely transformed not

only the glass industry but the world itself. Look on any commuter train, plane or bus; and how many people are looking at their mobile phones or tablets? It is rare to see people reading traditional paper magazines or newspapers, especially among younger people. They have grown up with such devices but talking to members of an older generation, such as my uncles and grandfather, they are amazed it is now possible to scroll glass up and down and to tap glass on a device to you to a different web page.

Just talking for a short period to Mr Shay, his profound love of glass, Corning and of the glass industry was made clear.

It is said the glass industry is like a large family and, for Mr Shay, this is true. He spoke with affection about the industry he has so proudly served.

The honour he felt in receiving the award was apparent. His humility, smile and easy-going personality were infectious to those of us in the room with him.

Not many of us can say we have made a difference to the world we live in but, in Mr Shay’s case, he has made a profound and positive difference. r Greg Morris Editor gregmorris@quartzltd.com

Directory 2014 Annual international reference source

www.glass-international.com

2 Glass International October 2014

Production Executive: Martin Lawrence Subscriptions Tel: +44 (0)1737 855028 Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034 Email: subscriptions@quartzltd.com Published by Quartz Business Media Ltd, Quartz House, 20 Clarendon Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1QX, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1737 855000. Fax: +44 (0)1737 855034.

Email: glass@quartzltd.com Website: www.glass-international.com

Official publication of Abividro - the Brazilian Technical Association of Automatic Glass Industries

Member of British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation

China National Association for Glass Industry Glass International annual subscription rates including Glass International Directory: For one year: UK £159, all other countries £224.

For two years: UK £285, all other countries £403.

Airmail prices on request. Single copies £44.

Glass International Directory 2014 edition: UK £206, all other countries £217, post free.

Printed in UK by: Pensord, Tram Road, Pontlanfraith, Blackwood, Gwent NP12 2YA, UK.

Glass International (ISSN 0143-7838) (USPS No: 020-753) is published 10 times per year by Quartz Business Media Ltd, and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Glass International c/o PO Box 437, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437.

Quartz Glass Portfolio

Monthly journal for the industry worldwide

Sales Manager: Jeremy Fordrey Tel: +44 (0)1737 855133 Email: jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com

Glassman specialist exhibitions rotate between America, Asia and Europe © Quartz Business Media Ltd, 2014 ISSN 0143-7836

October_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 10:58 AM Page 1

International news

Ardagh Group reported revenue of €1.281 billion in the second quarter of 2014 an increase of 28% over the same period in 2013.

In its half-year financial report it added that the acquisition of VNA was strategically important: It further expands its glass manufacturing footprint in North America, strengthens the existing relationships with global customers and develops its product

portfolio.

From the date the acquisition closed, VNA contributed revenue of €269 million and EBITDA of €49 million to Ardagh’s results for the six months ended 30 June 2014.

VNA, which has its headquarters in Muncie, Indiana, is the second largest glass container manufacturer in the US. It produces approximately nine billion containers annually from its

13 facilities located throughout the United States.

VNA has annual revenues of approximately $1.6 billion (€1.2 billion).

In its outlook, Ardagh said near-term forecasts for economic growth are mixed.

Most European economies are expected to remain relatively subdued, while the US economy rebounded in the second quarter.

O-I launches champagne-beer glass Owens-Illinois has introduced a new bottle to its standard range to help brewers differentiate their premium and craft beers.

The design retains the deep push up base and shape of a champagne bottle with the convenient 500ml capacity, 300g weight and 26mm crown closure familiar to

most UK and continental brewers.

Scott Gibb, O-I Commercial Lead in the UK, stated: “According to the Marston’s Premium Bottled Ale Report 2014, the category rose by £90 million to £420 million in the past year and could reach £1 billion by end of the decade.”

Glassman Europe 2015 website The website for Glassman Europe 2015 is up and running, providing all the information you need about the international exhibition and conference which will take place in Lyon, France on the 6th and 7th May. Glassman Europe is a b2b

exhibition and conference for the glass container industry, offering professionals and experts from around the world the chance to get together to do business and network.

The Glassman conference will run alongside the event,

with the theme ‘Energy efficiency and environmental solutions in the glass industry’.

For the latest info, updates and contact details, visit http://www.glassmanevents. com/europe/

EME and Sorg supply O-I Innovation Centre

Nikolaus Sor g and EME Maschinenfabrik supplied equipment for Owens-Illinois’ Innovation Centre.

Sorg supplied the furnac e and f orehearth whil e EME delivered the batch plant and cullet return system.

O-I celebrated the opening of the c entre in June. A combined R&D and pil ot plant f acility, the 24,000ft 2 facility is one-tenth the size of a typical manuf acturing plant, and houses a 20 metric ton o xy-fuel furnac e, tw o production lines and inspection equipment.

Saint-Gobain and Central Glass set up joint venture in Indonesia

Saint-Gobain and Centr al Glass hav e signed an agreement to cr eate a joint venture in Indonesia that will specialise in automotiv e glass.

Each gr oup will hav e a 50% s take in the ne w company.

A plant will be built east of Jakarta to meet the Indonesian automotiv e market’s rapid growth.

The ne w f acility is scheduled to c ommence production in 2016, and will have an annual pr oduction capacity of 500,000 windshields.

The agr eement is subject to the appr oval of the antitrust authorities.

Saint-Gobain and Centr al Glass hav e been w orking jointly in the field of automotive glas s sinc e 2002 in Japan, and 2012 in China.

Horn acquires Eurox

Horn Glas s Indus tries has added a ne w subsidiary to its profile – the Eur ox Sauerstoff Mess-Systeme GmbH. Eurox supplies speciall y engineered o xygen measuring pr obe heads f or high-temperature application in industrial furnaces.

VISIT: www.glass-international.com – For daily news updates and regular features

www.glass-international.com

Verallia deal helps increase Ardagh group revenue by 28%

NEWS IN BRIEF

3 Glass International October 2014

October_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 10:59 AM Page 2

International news

NEWS IN BRIEF

Emirates Fl oat Glas s commissions $2.7 million facility Emirates Fl oat Glas s has successfully c ommissioned a facility aimed at enhancing its production capabilities f or the automotive glass sector.

The AED 10 million ( $2.7 million) offline f acility is equipped with machinery from Europe, and c omes with an automated pr ogramming and production line, with limited human intervention to ensur e consistent quality par ameters for the automotiv e glas s industry.

Kazakhstan and Iran build a glass plant

Kazakhstan and Ir an ar e to build a flat glas s plant in Kyzylorda, south Kazakhstan.

The agr eement has been signed by the Investment Fund of Kazakhs tan and Kav eh Glass Indus try Gr oup, an Iranian glass manufacturer.

The pr oject c ost is estimated at $284 million.

The c onstruction of the new plant in the newly created industrial zone of K yzylorda is to begin in October 2014.

ACI Glass Packaging to cut Australian jobs

www.glass-international.com

Australian glas s making company ACI is to cut 60 jobs at its Adelaide plant.

The company is downsizing due to a slowdown in the wine export industry.

Parent c ompany O-I Australia said demand f or domestically-made pr oducts had fallen and the plant would go fr om a doubl e to a singl e furnace.

ACI will retain 150 workers.

Glaston secures infringement case against China’s Northglass

Glaston br ought a law suit against Northglas s ( Shanghai Northglass T echnology Industrial Co) in Hambur g, Germany, f or infringing its European patent EP-679613 relating to bending and tempering.

O-I enters Mexican joint venture with Constellation Owens-Illinois (O-I) has agreed to enter into a 50-50 joint venture with Constellation Brands.

The joint venture will operate the glass container production plant in Nava, Mexico, that Constellation recently agreed to purchase from Anheuser-Busch Inbev.

The plant will provide bottles exclusively for

Constellation’s adjacent brewery, which brews a leading portfolio of Mexican beer brands for export to the United States, including Corona Extra, Corona Light, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo and Pacifico.

To help meet current and rising demand from Constellation's brewery, the joint venture plans to expand

the plant from one furnace to four over the next four years.

O-I and Constellation will each initially contribute approximately $100 million to the joint venture.

The capacity expansion, which is expected to cost approximately $350 million, will be financed by equal contributions from both partners.

Sadness at the death of Dino Fenzi The President of the Fenzi Group passed away in the early hours of Monday 22nd September, in Milan.

Employed by the company since 1959, Mr. Fenzi’s great

entrepreneurial skills, intuition and profound knowledge of the glass industry enabled him, together with his son Alessandro, to lead the

company to international success.

A large part of the history of glass goes with him, leaving an inspiring example of entrepreneurial spirit.

A successful European Society of Glass conference The European Society of Glass hosted its 12th conference in Parma, Italy, and welcomed around 350 delegates to the three-day event.

At the end of day one delegates gathered to watch the presentation of the International Commission on Glass (ICG) and the Society of Glass Technology (SGT) Awards.

This year the ICG Vittorio Gottardi award was awarded to Dr. Julian Jones, of Imperial College, London.

This was followed by the second ICG award, the William E.S. Turner award, which was presented (in absentia) to Dr. Bianca Maria Scalet, of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development.

The SGT Pilkington award

was next, named in honour of Sir Alistair Pilkington and his incredible achievements in the glass industry.

This year’s SGT Pilkington award winner was Dr. Emma

Barney, of the University of Nottingham, UK. A comprehensive review of the event will appear in a forthcoming issue of Glass International.

Prof. Russell Hand, President of the SGT, presenting Dr. Emma Barney with the SGT Pilkington Award.

Be first with the news! Visit www.glass-international.com for daily news updates

4 Glass International October 2014

October_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 10:59 AM Page 4

International news

Ardagh creates diamond bottle for Harrogate Ardagh Glass has created a ‘Diamond’ glass bottle for Harrogate Water Brands as part of the its campaign to reinforce its position as the No.1 premium British spring water.

The contemporary Harrogate Spring Water bottle builds on the original award-winning embossed sparkle design created by Ardagh when it helped the company to launch its first products in 2002.

The bottle, inspired by the classic architecture of Harrogate, UK has been

designed to be instantly recognisable with premium appeal.

A particular feature of the glass bottle is that when filled, the diamond features are enhanced as light refracts to bring the bottle to life and create almost a wave effect.

This interesting design feature also, claims Ardagh, represents an effective means of interacting packaging with the consumer, a particular benefit of intricately embossed glass.

Horn supplies 400tpd furnace to South Africa’s Nampak

www.glass-international.com

German company Horn has supplied a furnace to South African container glass group Nampak Glass.

The regenerative endfired Furnace Number 3 was built between April and June this year. The furnace is designed for an output of 400 tonnes per day of bottles.

Due to its special design

6

and a corresponding additional electric heating, the multicolour furnace can produce container glass in flint, green and amber colours.

The above-mentioned additional electric heating has been designed as bottom boosting with 12 electrodes and 2,400kVA connection power.

Horn also supplied the

entire engineering for the distributor and forehearths.

Horn also supplied the peripheral equipment for the furnace, which was successfully set into operation in the middle of this year.

Horn received this order alongside its partners from the Container Glass Alliance.

BDF Industries South America is operative in Brazil BDF Industries has opened a branch in São Paulo, Brazil, in order to offer better support to customers in Latin America, as well as better Glass International October 2014

understand the local market situation trends and needs, and search for new opportunities.

The São Paulo office will work closely with BDF´s

team in Italy to help South American glass plants to improve their results and reduce costs in a flexible way.

October_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 10:59 AM Page 5

International News

Beatson Clark’s embossed bottle cuts the mustard UK glass manufacturer Beatson Clark has transformed a standard hexagonal bottle for a range of products to be sold in the Oil & Vinegar retail chain Dutch food company Wijndragers already uses Beatson Clark’s standard 250ml hexagonal bottle for a number of its products, but the company needed a bespoke bottle for a private label range to be sold in Oil & Vinegar stores worldwide.

Beatson Clark came up with a solution by embossing each facet of the hexagonal bottle with the Oil & Vinegar logo, which meant the customer could have a unique bottle with minimal outlay.

“Our customer Oil &

www.glass-international.com

Iris launches dimensional inspection

8

Iris Inspection Machines has introduced a solution for the online geometrical measurement of high quality pharmaceutical and perfumery glassware, and luxury tableware.

Proven under factory conditions at the premises of a leading international pharmaceutical glassware producer, the ‘Evolution dim’ equipment provides the advantages of non-contact inspection, no rotation and 3D vision on the production line.

This latest generation technology, combined with intelligent software, is dedicated to the needs of specialist pharmaceutical and perfumery glassware producers, for the inspection Glass International October 2014

of luxury tableware, and for glass jars and bottles requiring high precision geometry.

Developed by Iris Inspection Machines, ‘Evolution dim’ dimensional measurement allows users to measure the geometry of glassware with a high resolution.

It measures profiles and diameters on three axes, as well as 360o verticality, and 3D combination is utilised for precision measurement.

Typical defects identified include tiny body deformations, ovalised sidewalls, diameter deformation and other minor geometrical defects on the body, as well as bulged and sunken sidewalls.

Vinegar wanted a personalised bottle and Beatson Clark is the only company we know that is able to provide this embossing on this particular bottle,” said Christian Lensen, Sales Manager at Wijndragers.

Following recent investment in new sculpting software Beatson Clark is able to add improved definition and quality to its embossing.

And because it can emboss names, textures and logos on to products from its general sale range, the company can produce unique bottles and jars at a volume of around 150k units, when produced alongside the plain version of the container.

AGC invests $150M in float glass Asahi Glass (AGC) is to invest approximately JPY16bn (US$152.6m) in Asahimas Flat Glass (AMG), one of AGC’s consolidated subsidiaries in Indonesia.

The money will be spent on setting up a float glass furnace in Cikampek, Java, to replace one at the Jakarta plant.

Full production is scheduled to start in Q3 2016 and the new furnace will be constructed adjacent to AMG’s automotive glass fabrication unit in Cikampek.

With a 40% increase in production capacity, the new furnace will enhance AMG’s float glass production.

NEWS IN BRIEF

€8 million renovation works at Steklarna Hrastnik

Steklarna Hr astnik has started r enovation w orks in its Special division, which is responsible f or pr oducing bottles, with an inv estment of €8 million.

Production in this division has been tempor arily stopped and will be restarted on 3r d of November.

During the 49 days, the reconstruction of the furnace for the production of bottles will be carried out and the pr oduction line will be modernised.

During the r enovation works Steklarna Hr astnik will r enovate the melting furnace B; ins tall an automated bottle production line; carry out maintenanc e work on the cl osed l oop system f or was tewater treatment; and impl ement the measur es needed to reduce energy consumption, increase oper ational saf ety and reduce emissions.

Friends of Glass launches app

A Friends of Glass Facebook app will all ow user s to browse, shar e and v ote f or their f avourite r ecipes presented in glas s, with weekly prizes f or the mos t popular.

The app is av ailable on Friends of Glas s F acebook pages acr oss Eur ope, boasting nearl y 50,000 followers fr om c ountries such as the UK, F rance, Germany, Italy and Spain.

Press Glass achieves IGCC/IGMA certificate

Press Glas s has been granted the c ertificate issued by American organisations IGCC/IGMA, confirming the quality and durability of its glass.

The c ertificate c onfirms that glas s manuf actured by Press Glas s meets the requirements of IGCC/IGMA standards, including ASTM E2190.

Phoenix winner DPS_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 11:32 AM Page 1

Phoenix Award

www.glass-international.com

Phoenix Award winner 2014: Mr G. Clinton Shay

Mr G. Clinton Shay, co-inventor of Corning’s Fusion process, has been honoured with the 2014 44th Phoenix Award, the ‘Glass P erson of the Year’.

Greg Morris spoke exclusively to Mr. Shay about his career in the glass industr y and attended a gala dinner held on his behalf in Roanoke, USA . z Mr Shay (left) receives the award from Phoenix chairman Wally Evans.

10 Glass International October 2014

Phoenix winner DPS_00_GI_0909 10/6/14 11:32 AM Page 2

Phoenix Award

Fusion process The Fusion process begins when raw materials are blended into a glass composition, which is melted and conditioned. The molten glass is fed into a trough called an isopipe, overfilling until the glass flows evenly over both sides. It then rejoins, or fuses, at the bottom, where it is drawn down to form a continuous sheet of flat glass The Fusion process’s strength in making thin, pristine, hard glass with low warp, led to its acceptance for Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) for handheld electronic devices, mobile phones, laptops and computer monitors.

It was in the 1990s and 2000s when the technology came in to its own, with the emergence of the LCD TV. The majority of the world’s LCD displays today, from hand-held devices to large screen TV’s, are made by the Fusion sheet forming process, either by Corning or its competitors.

Fusion was the forerunner to Corning’s scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, which is the glass used on the majority of mobile devices and tablets, and is Corning’s fastest growing product.

Mr. Shay was honoured for his outstanding contribution to the glass

industry with the presentation of the Phoenix Award at a gala dinner in Roanoke, Virginia, USA, where he lives with his wife Kathryn. The dinner was attended by 109 glass industry people including several senior executives from Corning who had travelled from all parts of the globe to honour Mr Shay.

Humble With typical modesty, the 92-year-old said on receiving the award that it was important to remember the others who had also worked on the process in the early days, including Stuart Dockerty and Amory Houghton who have both since passed away.

He said: “At first, when I was told I had received the award I felt very humbled, because you can’t personalise this, there have been so many people who have worked on this. But then I realised I felt proud both for me and for Corning.”

He added that there was a certain amount of luck involved in the process.

“I hate to mention it because in engineering you try to take the luck element out of it with calculations and work. But there was a lot of luck in it.

“At first this process was a failure because it didn’t turn into something which made money for the corporation.

But 25 years later it saved the company and that has to be luck.”

innovation and risk taking. I am indebted to the leaders at Corning because, in the 1960s, the company had been turned upside down but it still supported me and gave me the funding to continue to work on this process.

Without their support this glass would never have been produced.”

Even after retirement, Mr Shay continued to work as a consultant to Corning well into his eighties. He was well-known for taking part in teleconferences and discussing formulas and factors with PhD students.

He said: “The glass industry is a unique industry. People stay in it for many years because it is a wonderful material to work with and a wonderful industry to be in.”

Highs and lows Mr Shay joined Corning in 1955 after graduating with a Masters of Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.

When Fusion was originally devised it was for use as toughened windshields in automotive glass. For several years Corning secured contracts with automotive makers but UK rival Pilkington’s float glass process was far cheaper, and forced Corning to abandon the project in 1970, losing more than $50 million in the process.

In the early 1980s Corning gave up on the Fusion process. It was a low point for both Mr. Shay and the company as it struggled to find new applications for its glass – but then the LCD television was born. Corning reacted quickly and spotted that the fusion process was the perfect accompaniment. Today about $4 billion worth of LCDs are sold worldwide each year.

“When I started out it was unimaginable that this process would help Corning achieve such sales.

“When I started out it was an era of

Mr Shay believes the future of glass lies in the industry’s ability to continuously innovate.

“The age of this material goes back thousands of years. It has special properties and so it will continue to find new applications. 15 years ago we could not have predicted what has happened with LCD screens, so who knows what will happen in the next 15 years?

“But we cannot sit back, we have to keep innovating and keep looking for applications to stay in front of competitor materials.”

Mr Shay stated that there will be more innovations from the Fusion process in forthcoming years. This already includes Willow Glass, a thin, flexible glass for use on smart phones and tablets.

Only time will tell if the next generation of Corning scientists will be able to match Mr Shay’s life-changing product. y Glass International October 2014

www.glass-international.com

M

r Shay, or Clint as he is known informally, is a true pioneer within the flat glass industry. Anyone who owns an LCD TV, an android phone or a tablet is likely to have a product that stems from Mr Shay’s Fusion process.

This year, he has earned the illustrious Phoenix award for his outstanding contribution to the industry in the field of glass forming. Mr Shay (left of main picture) is now retired from Corning Inc but in 1958 he was the co-inventor of the Fusion sheet forming process. He led the team which developed and advanced Fusion to manufacture a variety of speciality glass products including chemical strengthened, borosilicate, ophthalmic, and speciality electronic glasses.

After working for more than 25 years on the process, and experiencing a number of spectacular highs and lows, the product took off in the 1990s and 2000s with the rise of the LCD screen display in television and laptop screens.

In turn, this success helped transform Corning from an ailing company to one which leads the way in the LCD market today, and has secured its place as an established glass manufacturing giant.

11

gerresheimer_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:36 AM Page 1

Company profile: Gerresheimer 150th anniversary

From bottle manufacturer to global pharmaceutical supplier Worldwide pharmaceutical manufacturer Gerresheimer celebrates its 150th anniversary this year. The company has also moved its head offices to just outside its historic home of Düsseldor f. Here it provides a review of the milestones of the past 150 years.

I

www.glass-international.com

n the early 1860s, Gerresheim was a sleepy little town in north-west Germany, whose main street was called Viehstrasse or Cattle Road. But in another part of Gerresheim, a path that used to turn into a mud bath when it rained had been replaced by a brand new road called Bahnstrasse (Railway Street). It made the difference, or at least, that’s what Bremen-born businessman Ferdinand Heye thought when he was looking for a location to build a glassworks. It caught his eye because a new railway line - the first in western Germany - had opened two and a half years previously not far from the old village centre, which is why the enterprising businessman chose it as his site.

On May 20, 1864 Heye was granted the concession he had been hoping for. He initially started out with a handful of glassmakers from the German town of Driburg, but the company soon took off. Just 30 years later the Gerresheimer glassworks had overtaken all its rivals as the world’s biggest hollow glass producer. It was turning out 45 million bottles every year and, for many years, the company held the fate of the European glass industry in its hands.

12 Glass International October 2014

Flexibility

់ Gerresheimer’s new headquarters at Düsseldorf City Airport.

The Gerresheimer glassworks’ success story is partly due to the company’s flexibility. After suffering its first setbacks in the first and second world wars, it recovered quickly in the post-1945 years and business was soon booming. Although being sold several times and disagreements on the business strategy weakened the Gerresheimer glassworks strong position, it bounced back with a restructured and sustainable business model.

This resulted in Gerresheimer Glas AG selling its main production facility in DüsseldorfGerresheim and its other five companies to the French company BSN Containerglas GmbH & Co.KG in 1999, though its headquarters remained in Düsseldorf.

The company began to specialise in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and small glass products. In 2004, the Gerresheimer glassworks continued »

gerresheimer_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:36 AM Page 3

Company profile: Gerresheimer 150th anniversary

៌ New production line at Gerresheimer’s Essen facility.

៌ Production at Gerresheimer’s Essen facility, 2014.

៌ Semi-automatic machine 1900.

was bought by Owens Illinois (O-I). It was initially announced that the successful business association dating back to 1907 would continue, however O-I closed the glassworks in Gerresheim the next year as part of a market consolidation programme. The locals believed that this meant the end of the traditional company, Gerresheimer Glas. It was a traumatic experience for many of them, but what they didn’t realise is that the Gerresheimer company still existed, had repositioned itself, and was continuing the 140year long tradition.

Almost unnoticed by the public, the company that had been trading under the name of Gerresheimer AG since 2007 continued to expand and went from success to success. As an MDAX-listed company, Gerresheimer was by then one of the world’s most successful, highly specialised pharmaceutical, medical, cosmetic and laboratory-specific packaging manufacturers, and the more than €900 million initial public offering (IPO) in 2007 was one of the biggest IPOs up to that time.

Targeted acquisitions and portfolio specialisation have helped Gerresheimer to consolidate its position in the global markets.

The company has the three divisions of Plastics & Devices, Primary Packaging Glass, and Life Science Research, with worldwide production facilities in Europe, the USA, Mexico, Brazil, China and since recently in India, where growth in business has been impressive. Gerresheimer generated revenue of around €1.3 billion with more than 11,000 employees around the world in 2013. Back in the 1950s the Gerrix jam jars were the company’s top selling products. Today’s top selling products are ampoules, pharmaceutical vials, insulin pens and asthma inhalers.

Reflecting both its global operations and its historical roots in the city of Düsseldorf, the company has opened new offices at Airport City, right next to Düsseldorf Airport, in its anniversary year.

Gerresheimer today The international business is split into three divisions, to which the individual group companies are allocated:

www.glass-international.com

Primary Packaging Glass

14

The Primary Packaging Glass Division manufactures glass primary packaging products for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics such as pharmaceutical jars, ampoules, vials, cartridges, perfume flacons and cosmetic cream jars, as well as special glass packaging for the food and beverage industry.

Gerresheimer has an extensive range of glass primary packaging products for the pharmaceutical industry. It includes moulded glass products such as vials, dropper and syrup ៌ The Owens Machine 1912.

Glass International October 2014

continued »

gerresheimer_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:36 AM Page 4

Company profile: Gerresheimer 150th anniversary

bottles in diverse market and needs-oriented designs. Borosilicate tubing as the input material for the high quality speciality ampoules, vials and cartridges is also produced. As a result, they are able to offer an almost fully comprehensive range of transparent and amber glass for pharmaceutical packaging.

The high quality glass packaging products for the cosmetics industry include bottles and jars for perfume, deodorant, skin care and wellness products. Transparent, coloured and opal glass is used to make the cosmetic packaging range, plus a comprehensive array of design, colour, printing and exclusive finishing technologies.

Gerresheimer also produces standard and customised vials, bottles, jars and miniature spirit bottles for the food and beverage industry. Here, too, you can opt for amber, transparent, coloured or opal glass in a diverse range of designs and with numerous refinement options.

are also manufactured by this division. The Plastics & Devices division is composed of the Medical Plastic Systems, Plastic Packaging and Syringe Systems business units.

Medical Plastic Systems develops complex plastic systems and system components.

Gerresheimer designs and manufactures them within the framework of individual projects, mainly for customers in the pharmaceutical, diagnostics and medical technology sectors.

Medical Plastic Systems provides an individual service across all supply chain processes.

Plastic Packaging’s portfolio includes plastic packaging systems for liquid and solid pharmaceuticals. Administration and dosing systems such as eye drop or nasal spray bottles and special containers for tablets and powder are some of the products in the comprehensive range of high quality primary pharmaceutical packaging.

Plastics & Devices

The Life Science Research Division produces reusable laboratory glassware for research, development and analytics, such as beakers, Erlenmeyer flasks and measuring cylinders as well as disposable laboratory products such as culture tubes, pipettes, chromatography vials and other speciality laboratory glassware. ឣ

www.gerresheimer.com

www.glass-international.com

The Plastics & Devices division’s product portfolio includes complex, customer-specific products for convenient and safe drug delivery, such as insulin pens, inhalers and pre-fillable syringes. Diagnostics and medical technology products ranging from lancing devices and test systems, to plastic packaging for liquid and solid pharmaceuticals with closure and safety systems,

Life Science Research

15 Glass International October 2014

thailand copy_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:37 AM Page 2

Thailand overview

Glassman Asia will make a welcome return to Bangkok, Thailland next year. The country’s container glass market is booming thanks to demand mainly for energy drinks but also as a result of increased consumption among the country’s middle class.

Sally Roberts provides an overview of the country’s main container manufacturers.

I

t’s no secret that Asia’s rapidly expanding middle-class and ever increasing economy are paving the way for massive business opportunities across the container glass industry, for both domestic and international suppliers and producers.

In light of the demand forecast in the region, next year the Glassman exhibition will make a welcome return to Bangkok, the bustling, commercial centre of South East Asia.

Conveniently located between China, India, Malaysia and Indonesia, and with a solid stake of its own, Thailand is perfectly placed to cater to this increasingly dominant region. 600 million people live in the South East Asia region, a figure further buoyed by a constant stream of tourists, and Bangkok is at the heart of South East Asia both geographically and commercially. As well as this, Thailand’s neighbouring countries of Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia are all markets which are

expected to blossom over the coming years, almost inevitably providing further opportunities for the welldeveloped Thai industries.

The Thai container glass market has an approximate annual market value of US$1.5 billion, and recently Thailand has recovered from its political crisis sufficiently to have its GDP increase by an estimated 4% for 2014 compared to a fall of over 6% in 2013.

Forecasts predict this figure to further increase looking ahead to 2015.

Container glass Currently there are 17 container glass plants throughout the country including five that have opened in the past four years, demonstrating the rapid increase in demand from consumers for all things glass. Primarily focused within a twohour radius of Bangkok, the country’s

continued » Glass International October 2014

www.glass-international.com

Energy drinks fuel Thai container glass market

17

thailand copy_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:37 AM Page 3

Thailand overview

hollow glass manufacturing industry caters to the beverage, food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and tableware markets.

The Thai container glass market includes industry old-timers, for example Thai Glass Industries and Bangkok Glass Industry, as well as newcomers such as Asia Pacific Glass (owned by the Carabao Group) which was incorporated in 2005 and is scheduled to start production at its factory in mid-2014. The factory, which is equipped with three production lines and a furnace with a capacity of 310 tonnes a day, will be dedicated solely to producing the 150ml flint bottles used for Thailand’s increasingly popular Carabao energy drink.

Thai brands such as Singha and Chang (both brewed in Thailand for the domestic market), is bound to ensure that neighbouring countries import more Thai beer in the coming years, which can only be a boon for the

Berli Jucker Company

www.glass-international.com

Energy and beer

18

The energy drink market in Thailand has boomed in recent years, encouraged by the growing health and wellbeing trend in the country, and increasing consumer spending on beverage products in general. For the period of 2007-2012, sales of sports and energy drinks grew at a CAGR of 9.2% and demand is expected to increase to grow at a CAGR of 14.4% during the period of 2012-2017. This trend is good news for the glass industry, as the majority of energy drink brands, including Red Bull, Carabao and M150, sell their product in bottles instead of (or as well as) aluminium cans, with the 100-150ml packaging popular among the ‘trendy’ working population.

As well as energy drinks, beer continues to be a strong market for the container glass industry in Thailand.

Although a developed country, transport to more rural parts of Thailand is still limited to vehicles that have to navigate undeveloped, bumpy roads, which is better suited to glass bottles rather than easy-to-dent aluminium cans.

As well as the practical side of it, glass is also the preferred package of choice in terms of image, and is the overwhelmingly popular option for Thailand’s bars and clubs that cater to the busy tourist industry.

In 2012 the beer market in Thailand experienced solid growth due to favourable economic factors such as a low unemployment rate and a decrease in inflation, as well as a tax-rise on spirits. The ASEAN Free Trade Agreement also had a huge impact on the import and export of beer in that region, as tariffs were eliminated on products traded between these countries. This agreement, along with the popularity of Glass International October 2014

plant, with the construction of another furnace which will be finished by the end of 2014. As well as that, Bangkok Glass is constructing a new plant in the Photaram district of Ratchaburi with an investment amount of up to US$65 million, which is due to be completed in 2015. These investments will bring the company’s capacity total up to 4,405 tons a day, which equates to around five billion bottles per year.

The joint venture company’s principal shareholder is Boon Rawd Brewery, brewer of Singha beer and BGI’s largest customer, with shares of more than 63%.

Other important customers include Coca-Cola and Red Bull.

factories that produce the bottles.

Bangkok Glass Recognised as Thailand’s largest provider of packaging solutions, Bangkok Glass accounts for approximately 40% of Thailand’s container glass market with over 3,600 tons per year. The company owns six glass production facilities throughout Thailand as well as three non-glass packaging sites, and started up in 1974 with an investment capital of 50 million baht. By 1980 its first plant had been built in the district of Thanyaburi in Pathumthani province, with a 150 ton furnace and capacity for a million bottles a day.

Since then, the Pathumthani plant has increased its production to four furnaces, and produces about 30% of the company’s output. Four other plants have been established throughout major provinces in Thailand, to enhance manufacturing flexibility.

The company’s glass production facilities now include a plant in the Klang district of Rayong (three furnaces), the Uthai district of Ayutthaya (two furnaces), the Muang district of Khon Kaen (two furnaces), and the Ban Sang district of Prachinburi (one furnace).

The company is currently expanding its production facilities at its Ayutthaya

BJC is a large public company in Thailand, which has over time acquired both Thai Glass Industries and Thai Malaya Glass, to make it the second largest container glass-packaging manufacturer in the country.

Established over 60 years ago, Thai Glass Industries was first established in partnership with Australia Consolidated Industries, and claims to be the first glass packaging company in Asia to use a fully automated manufacturing process.

The company has two plants, based in the province of Samutprakarn (Bangplee) and Bangkok (Rajburana), with a combined capacity of continued »

continued »

thailand copy_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:37 AM Page 4

Thailand overview

approximately 2,400 tons per day. The Rajburana plant is the smaller operation of the two, with three furnaces combining to produce 700 tons a day, while the Bangplee plant produces glass bottles across five furnaces, with an output of 1,745 tons per day. Thai Glass Industries produces bottles for the food and beverage industries.

Thai Malaya Glass has a plant in the Nongkhae district of Saraburi province, and is currently building a third furnace with five forming lines and a daily capacity of 400 tons per day. Currently, the two companies together produce 2,745 tons per day for BJC, although there was a loss of 300 tons in 2013 due to the closure of two old furnaces in Rajburana.

In 2010 BJC established a 50/50 jointventure company with O-I for its operations in Malaysia and Vietnam, and the company is also looking to expand into Myanmar and India.

www.glass-international.com

Siam Glass Industry

20

Siam Glass was established in 1977, with an initial start-up capital of 70 million baht. Its factory is in the Samutprakarn province, the company produces glass bottles for the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, in sizes 15ml500ml, the beverage and beer industries in sizes 100ml-750ml, and the food industry in sizes 60ml-700ml.

With a daily production capacity of 600 tons spread across 11 production lines, Siam Glass produces both narrow and wide-necked bottles in flint and amber and has entered into a ‘technology collaboration’ with Japan’s largest glass bottle manufacturer, Nihon Yamamura Glass.

Glass International October 2014

Tableware

Wellgrow Glass Industry

Thailand also boasts its fair share of tableware and glassware manufacturers.

Today, Lucky Glass is one of Thailand’s leading manufacturers of glass tableware and home products. Established in 1965 under the name ‘Kaew Thai Charoen Part’, the company originally specialised in handmade blown glassware, but switched to automatic to keep up with demand in 1973. With one production site located in Samutsakorn and a relatively new factory built in Ratchaburi in 2010, the company produces tumblers, mugs, plates, bowls, shot glasses, candle holders and other glassware for the home.

As well as Lucky Glass, Ocean Glass is one of Asia’s leading glass tableware manufacturers, and was established in 1979 with manufacturing activities commencing in 1982.

Its factory is located on Bangpoo industrial estate, Bangkok, which has an annual production capacity of 140 million pieces. United Glassware is another of Thailand’s major glassware companies, and is a wholly family owned company that has produced handmade glassware for 40 years. ឣ

With over 30 years’ of experience in the container glass market, Wellgrow is situated in Chacheongsao Province, approximately 50km east of Bangkok.

Using glass colour technology, the company can produce glass in green, red, blue and yellow, among others, across its nine production lines.

The company produces bottles for the food, beverage, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, and supplies glass containers to international companies such as Unilever.

*Glassman Asia, in combination with the International Commission on Glass annual meeting, takes place at the Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok, between September 20 and 23rd, 2015. www.icg2015bangkok.com/index.php/en

Company

Tons per day

Bangkok Glass

3.635

BJC

2.445

Siam Glass

600

៌ Table 1.Thailand container glass production (2013).

mogensen.QXP_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:51 AM Page 1

Glass recycling

Fine glass: A valuable resource Dipl.ing Eckhard Zeiger*discusses how the correct processing and sorting of fine glass can allow this waste product to be recycled back into the glass manufacturing process as a valuable resource.

G

lass has always been synonymous with quality and long life. All around the world, both high-quality and mass-produced products are filled into glass bottles. This reputation doesn’t come from nothing; the filled product practically doesn’t react at all with the container glass, with the latter providing protection against oxygen and other environmental effects.

energy required is reduced by around 0.2 to 0.3 %”2.

According to Germany’s Federal Environment Agency2, in 2006 “the mean use of cullet amounted to 40% in the production of brown glass, 57% in white glass and 63% in green glass. The peak values for individual melting furnaces depend on glass colour and the

Recycling

www.glass-international.com

Container glass does not change its properties in the recycling process. The glass can be reused without any loss in quality and without any limitations even after many cycles (in contrast to paper, plastics or composite materials).

For the production of glass bottles, however, a considerable amount of energy is required (230g CO2 are emitted for one modern 1-litre non-returnable lightweight glass bottle)1. With the use of recycled glass in the glass melt, “per percentage point of cullet added, the

22

Fig 2. Fine glass storage.

Fig 1. White fine glass 0-10mm awaiting further processing.

melting technology applied and reach around 70% (white glass and brown glass) or around 90% (green glass).” The main energy saving comes from the shorter residence time of the material in the melting furnace, while other sources see the energy saving derived from a lower melting temperature. The saving of primary resources (silica sand, soda, lime, dolomite, feldspar in correspondingly high quality) also plays a role.

To actually utilise the energy saving, the recycled glass must be cleaned and any ceramic, stone and porcelain (CSP) efficiently removed as this material melts more slowly or poorly.

The limits currently still stand at <25g CSP/t glass, but <10g/t and less are already called for. For this reason in the processing and recycling plants, besides a manual pre-sorting (picking), automatic separation equipment such as NF/FE separators, separating tables, air classifiers, extraction, optical sorting and screens are used. continued »

mogensen.QXP_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:52 AM Page 3

Glass recycling

According to many recyclers and glassworks, the most important CSP impurities fraction in the size range >10mm is now well under control.

To fully exploit the energy saving potential, in recent years efforts have been concentrated on the fine material <10mm. This currently constitutes the largest input of impurities in respect of CSP and so far it has not proved possible to process this with the same quality as coarser cullet.

What is described as fine glass?

For glass manufacturers, every CSP particle >0.8mm is a potential source of problems in the finished glass bottles.

Depending on the technology in the glass recycling plants and especially the technical equipment installed for sorting, cullet in the particle size range 0-10mm is termed fine glass; in older equipment sometimes 0-15mm may still be referred to as fine glass.

The possibilities for processing the fine glass depend on dedicated processing steps for this material in the plants. One important aspect is the application of sorters that are adapted to this material with regard to speed and resolution in image processing, speed and accuracy of valve actuation and the discharge behaviour.

Fig 3. Allgaier TT double-shell dryer for drying recycled glass.

Unfavourable optical properties with a higher content of fracture surfaces in the cullet.

Processing fine glass

Fig 4 a. Recycled glass 0-20mm before drying.

Origin of fine glass

www.glass-international.com

Internationally, various systems are used for the collection of bottle glass. These lead to differences in the volumes of fine glass, colour compositions and impurities content: MRF (all recoverables in one bin).

Kerbside collection (glass bottles, tins and plastic packaging in one bin).

Bottle bank system (similar to the German collection system for glass bottles).

24

The fine glass content is also influenced by the type of transport, the number of intermediate storage and transfer points as well as the size reduction technology used in the recycling plants.

Material properties The quality of the fine glass to be processed is subject to variations: Content in recycled glass 1030wt.%, up to 50wt.% in extreme cases.

Miscolours, similar to coarse glass, between 10 and 15% (as in collection systems) up to mixed Glass International October 2014

Fig 4 b. Recycled glass 0-20mm after drying.

glass (for MRF or kerbside collection) with changing colour content.

Impurities content in the fine glass from 500-10 000 g/t.

The properties of fine glass 2.5-10mm differ clearly from coarser glass cullet 1018mm in several respects: Lower cullet weight (coarse cullet 5-50 g, fine cullet 0.3-2g).

A higher number of particles per kg. Higher water content in the mix (coarse cullet <8%, fine cullet <12-15%).

Unfavourable sliding behaviour of fine cullet on inclined surfaces in the wet state.

A typical glass processing operation consists of the following process steps: Pre-screening → manual sorting → extraction → size reduction v FE/NF separation → fractionation → automatic sorting of the glass >10mm (CSP and miscolours) Generally the material is kept in outdoor storage facilities, often exposed to periods of heavy rain and snow (Fig 2). At a moisture content >2%, the screening surfaces clog up and a considerable proportion of fine materials finds its way into the process for coarse material. Sorting is impaired by the increased moisture as the sorting machines for coarse material cannot discharge the fine material in the usual way. In addition, the increased water content makes the coarse and fine material slide irregularly on the feed chutes. With the undefined feed speeds compared to dry material, the detection and material rejection system no longer functions correctly.

In a wet state, fine glass cannot be sorted with nearly the same accuracy as coarse glass, leading to poor final qualities and high material losses caused by oversorting.

For a long time, fine glass was therefore treated as a nuisance waste or only processed with simple means.

Although the material did not meet any of the applicable quality criteria even after processing, it was frequently mixed into the processed coarse cullet. Other disposal routes were, or are, the cheap aggregate in the building industry, or for

continued »

mogensen.QXP_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:52 AM Page 4

Glass recycling

www.glass-international.com

Fig 5. Mogensen’s new MSort AK fine glass sorter for processing fine glass from 2.5mm.

road construction at landfill sites. The material is often stored intermediately (Fig 2), as landfilling is too expensive or no longer permitted and a useful processing technology is not yet available.

For the processing of fine glass, the drying of the entire material or at least a sub-stream of the material (e.g. 0-15mm or better still 0-25mm) is necessary. For this purpose, dryers have been specially developed for recycled glass, such as Allgaier’s TT combined cleaning and drying double shell dryer (Figs 3, 4a and 4b).

The average operating costs incurred for drying range between 0.5-5 €/t feed material. In a business assessment of the increased costs versus the benefit of glass drying, many factors must be taken into consideration: The processing and sorting of fine and coarse glass can be adapted more precisely to the respective material properties.

Processing runs over the entire year and is stable despite different weather conditions.

The capacity of the existing equipment can be better used and sometimes even substantially increased.

No special provisions need be taken for the processing of wet glass (such as processing rate reduction, adaption of sorting

programmes, more frequent cleaning cycles).

The fine glass can be processed with higher capacity and similar quality to that of coarse glass.

Landfilling costs are reduced.

The number of complaints on account of varying impurities content in the final product is reduced.

For the processing of the dry fine glass, Mogensen has worked with partners to develop a coordinated process that minimises the impurities content prior to sorting (screening, air classification, separating table). After this, processed particle size ranges from 2.5-5mm and 510mm are available, which can then be further processed (Fig 5).

MSort fine glass sorting machines Mogensen’s previous fine glass sorter has been completely reworked and accessibility for cleaning and maintenance work improved. The current machine generation is equipped with an LED lighting system, which provides a long-term stable light and enables different types of lighting.

The hardware and software developed at Mogensen can process a number of particles and ultrafast valve closing times. The graphic user interface has been simplified and redesigned to be more user friendly.

In addition, other changes have been made: Reduction of the distance between the detection level and line of nozzles. This reduces the influence of time and position changes considerably.

Nozzle distance < than the smallest particle.

Every nozzle is actuated by only one valve.

Fast valve response times.

High camera resolution of 0.15mm/pixel for clear identification, image analysis and precise assignment of a sorting decision.

Air pressure level for discharge of good or misplaced material at 1.52 bar instead of 4-6 bar.

Extraction of entrained air and dust from the sorting process by means of annular extraction in the rejection box prevents dust whirling up and causing visibility problems on the detection level.

With this machine technology, fine glass can be processed from a material moisture <0.5%. Once operation is up and running, feed rates of up to 10 t/h per machine can be realised, which are sorted with comparable efficiency as that for coarse glass 10-18mm with regard to the removed CSP and miscolours.

Thanks to the systematic further development of sorting technology and tailored process and plant engineering, fine glass can be supplied to the glass industry in higher quality and quantity.

Fine glass is no longer waste but a valuable resource (Fig 6).

*(Environmental and Process Engineering), Mogensen GmbH, subsidiary of the Allgaier-Group www.mogensen.de

References [1] Bergischer

Abfallwirtschaftsverband:

http://www.bavweb.de/abfallberatung/abfalltipp s/abfallwirtschaft-und/

Fig 6. 3D layout of a plant for processing dried recycled glass 010mm.

[2] Bundesumweltamt: http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/abfallkreislaufwirtschaft/entsorgung-verwertungausgewaehlter-abfallarten/glas-altglas

26 Glass International October 2014

food p_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 12:54 PM Page 1

Glass container

Communicating the science behind food packaging and health The Swiss-based charitable foundation Food Packaging Forum communicates scientific facts about the chemical composition of food packaging materials and how their migration into foods at low levels impacts health in the long term. Jane Muncke* explains.

www.glass-international.com

M

28

ost food and beverages are packaged: For protection of the content from microbiological spoilage, transportation, marketing and convenience. And most types of food packaging have a plastic layer in direct contact with the food (Fig 1). Foods also come into contact with storage and processing equipment, as well as kitchen and tableware.

Together with packaging they are known as food contact materials (FCMs). The most important types of FCMs are plastics, which are not inert materials, consisting of a mixture of many different chemical substances (Fig 2).

Plastics can transfer small molecules at low levels into foodstuffs. This process of chemical transfer is known as migration, and it can occur into all types of foods, including dry and solid foods.

Typical migrants are for example the starting substances used in the manufacture of plastics, called monomers, but also additives and reaction by-products have been shown to move from FCMs into food at individually low levels.

Chemicals present in people From human blood and urine sample measurements it is known that many different industrial chemicals, including food contact substances, are present in people at low levels. Toxicological research is controversial as to whether these low levels affect human health or Glass International October 2014

not, and there is also a lack of knowledge regarding the possible mixture effects for the many different substances found to be present in people from all population groups.

On the other hand, certain chronic diseases are increasing worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) (http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/en/).

For some of these diseases causal relationships with chemical exposures (including some food contact

substances) have been found but often there is no agreement about the relevance of these findings for human health, thus limiting regulatory action.

The new toxicology For decades it has been assumed that ‘the dose makes the poison’, when assessing the risks of chemical exposures. However, more recent

continued »

Tin plate Glass

Aluminium

Carbon board

PET

Paper

Multilayer

PP

HDPE Plastic multilayer

LDPE

PVC

PS

Fig 1. Market basket study pie chart. Mostly plastic packaging is in direct contact with packaged food and beverages. Data from Pocas et al. (2009) Food Additives & Contaminants Part A, 29(6):1314-1324

food p_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 12:54 PM Page 2

Glass container

Consumer choice Avoiding plastic food contact materials (including coated metal packaging) has been shown to lead to reduced body burdens for the hormone active chemicals bisphenol A (BPA) and some phthalates.

However, it is not evident to consumers what types of packaging do or don’t contain chemicals of concern, and food packaging is not the only source albeit an assumedly important one. A preference for fresh, unpackaged and organically grown foods likely helps reduce chemical body burdens. Glass is a good alternative, but unwanted chemical contamination can also be present in glass-packaged foods stemming from storage or processing equipment, or from the plastic or metal

Monomer

Polymer

Additives: Optimisation of polymer material properties NIAS ( Non-intentionally added substances): side products, impurities

Plastics structure

Fig 2. Plastics structure. Plastics are made by polymerisation of the monomer. Polymer molecules are large molecules made up from up to 10 000 monomer units. Final plas tics properties are achieved by addition of additives. Plastics also contain so called non-intentionally substances, reaction by-products and impurities. Altogether plastics are a complex mixture of many small and large molecules.

About the Food Packaging Forum The Food Packaging For um Foundation was established in 2012. Its aim is to raise awareness for the transfer of chemicals fr om all materials that come into contact with foodstuffs (including beverages), the so called food contact materials, and to communicate scientific research on health consequences of daily exposure to low levels of food contact substances via food in a balanced manner . The website offers backgr ound information and daily news updates, as well as summaries of r ecent scientific studies.

The Food Packaging For um also publishes a fr ee newsletter twice a month and hosts an annual public workshop. The target gr oup consists of pr ofessional stakeholders, such as packaging manufacturers, food producers, regulators, academic scientists, public inter est groups and journalists.

Operational and strategic oversight is per formed by the independent foundation boar d, consisting of international academic scientists and a science communication exper t. The Food Packaging For um’s office employs a staff of four academically trained officers and is based in Zurich, Switzerland.

The foundation is charitable and funds itself thr ough donations; curr ent donors and founders of the independent organisation ar e Bucher Emhar t Glass, Consol, OwensIllinois and V etropack. Donations fr om anyone inter ested in suppor ting the Food Packaging Forum’s work are welcome. www.foodpackagingforum.org

closures glass containers rely on.

A glass industry opportunity A constructive dialogue with food manufacturers about sources of chemical food contaminants is therefore a real opportunity for the glass food packaging industry. If manufacturers understand that food contact materials can be optimised concerning their chemical migration behaviour, foods can be protected from chemical contamination, benefiting public health and ideally also the fillers themselves, who can promote healthy packaging. One example is the low migrating metal closures by German

company Pano, ideal for oily condiments packaged in glass jars. In addition, addressing the regulatory situation for glass jar closures may be beneficial for the glass industry: Currently, glass’ low migrating properties are negated by allowing glass jar closures to leach proportionally far higher levels of chemicals compared to migration limits for other materials. Also a dialogue with closure manufacturers seems opportune.

*Managing Director, Food Packaging Forum, Zurich, Switzerland www.foodpackagingforum.org Glass International October 2014

www.glass-international.com

research has shown that some chemicals mimic natural hormones, the messenger molecules that control many different biological processes in our bodies (including reproductive, neurological and immune system function).

Synthetic chemicals can interfere with this normal hormone function by either increasing the signal or blocking it partly or entirely. Especially during the stages of early development (pregnancy, first two years of human life) such disruption can have detrimental effects on health later in life; the consequences can range from metabolic disorders and obesity, allergies, neurological problems, to infertility and cancer. Therefore, today it is clear that dose and timing make the poison, and that chemical mixtures, even if the chemicals are present at individually low levels, can cause harmful effects.

Most troubling are recent findings from the field of epigenetics which describe how the genetic information from the DNA is made available during growth and normal life. The DNA has small markers on its outside which will determine if a gene is active and gets translated into a functional protein.

Exposures to chemicals and other factors, such as malnutrition or stress, can alter these epigenetic markers on the DNA. As a consequence, different diseases can develop not only in the exposed animals but also in generations to come: epigenetic changes are heritable, similar to the information stored in the genes themselves. This, too, is a new scientific finding yet to be considered by regulatory risk assessment for chemicals.

29

Fives Stein_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:41 AM Page 1

Furnaces profile: Fives

An established partner Glass supplier Fives has recently completed an installation at the V ivix float glass plant in Brazil. It describes its work within the float and container glass industr y.

Can you describe the overall position that Fives group holds in the glass industry?

activity with the acquisition of several companies beginning with Fourment- Ladurée (1989), specialising in medium-capacity glass melting furnaces and silicate furnaces; BH-F (1993), specialising in hollow glass forming equipment; BGE - Belgium Glass Equipment (1997), specialising in tin bath equipment for float glass and Penelectro (1999), specialising in electric melting furnaces for glass and crystal.

A milestone was set in 2000: The first complete hot end engineered and supplied by Fives.

In glass, Fives provides solutions to glassmakers, to enhance plant performance and competitiveness.

It designs, engineers, manufactures, installs, tests and commissions glass equipment according to a glassmaker’s needs. With 60 years of experience in many glass processes and applications all around the world, it has partnered with customers in the automotive, architectural, ultra-thin, container, perfume, fibre, crystal and other glass industries.

When were the different glass divisions rebranded into Fives?

Where does the name Fives come from?

Fives is the name of a neighbourhood in France near Lille where one of its companies was founded in 1865 under the name ‘Société Parent, Schaken, Caillet & Cie’. An unoccupied 16 hectares manufacturing plant still covers the area.

From 2014, all shared values of the group are now promoted under an international brand: Fives.

This rebranding is symbolised by its new tagline: Ultimate machines, ultimate factory. The tagline aims to capture its expertise in high quality machines and key process equipment as well as its ability to develop optimised and integrated glass production solutions.

www.glass-international.com

Away from the glass industry, can you give a brief history of the Fives group?

30

The historical origins of Fives date back to 1812 and coincide with major industrial and economic world events. Fives is responsible for some of the most impressive achievements of the industrial age, from the first steam locomotives to the Alexandre III Bridge in Paris, the metal framework of the Orsay train station in Paris and the elevators for the Eiffel Tower.

When Cail and Fives-Lille (two companies dating from the 19th century) merged in 1958, the group became the ‘Compagnie de Fives-Lille’ and later changed its name to ‘Fives-Lille-Cail’ and ‘Fives-Cail-Babcock’. This finally became ‘Fives’ in 2007.

Which former glass companies became part of the Fives group?

The glass division of Fives, formerly Stein Heurtey and Fives Stein (2007-2013), developed its Glass International October 2014

Interior of the Vivix furnace.

How many people overall are employed by Fives Group and how many are active in the glass market?

Fives has about 8000 employees in 30 countries, with hundreds directly serving the glass industry on each continent.

Can you explain how the company now operates with the different divisions?

Fives is an industrial engineering group with an extensive multi-sector expertise. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is organised in human-sized companies, each specialised in its market, whether geographical or technological. It believes in this strategy, which promotes a sense of initiative, an understanding of its customers, technical excellence and excellent team spirit.

Fives Stein_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:41 AM Page 2

ELECTROGLASS YOUR LINK TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY A tin bath for Italy’s Sangalli groupi

In Glass, what is Fives’ scope of supply?

It is an integrator, with a capacity to design, engineer and supply any glass equipment of the hot-end from the batch plant to the cutting line. Its expertise is both thermal and mechanical, with a track-record on melting furnaces, tin baths, annealing lehrs and forehearths.

Although its core competence is within float glass (its has supplied more than 20 float glass complete lines worldwide), it can also produce hollow glass, solar glass, container, touchscreen and tableware glass manufacturing equipment.

What are its recent achievements?

It has commissioned a complete float glass plant in Brazil for the company Vivix, which has created around 3000 jobs. The plant is one of the most modern in South America and has an output of 880 metric tons per day.

The new float glass plant integrates, through Fives, the most recent technologies from the raw material treatment to glass handling services. In addition, Fives has also provided the startup and operation assistance services for a long-term partnership with Vivix.

Fives was selected in August 2011 as the EPCM contractor for the complete process line, composed of the batch plant, the melting furnace, the tin bath, the annealing lehr and the cutting line.

How important is R&D to Fiv es?

Fives believes that innovation is an ongoing lever for growth.

For instance, with the Low Energy Melter Technology (LEM) developed by Fives, melting energy can be reduced, without compromising glass quality. It aims to offer to customers low energy consumption, ultimate glass quality, easy operation and maintenance, and optimised investment costs.

What role does Fives play in the Chinese glas s industry?

Fives has an important sales and design office in China, which is one of our main markets for our glass activities. The Chinese market has strong demand for glass, especially in the automotive and architectural sectors.

Its China Design Office specialises in annealing lehrs, and it works with clients such as Guangzhou, Fuyao Glass, Kibin, TG Anhui, Xinyi and Yingxin.

Fives, www.fivesgroup.com Glass International October 2014

EVERYTHING WE DO IS FOR IMPROVED...

Energy Efficiency, Glass Quality, Furnace Output

Specialists in electric glass melting and conditioning Electroglass Ltd, 4 Brunel Road, Manor Trading Estate, Benfleet, Essex SS7 4PS, England t: (44) 01268 565577 e: info@electroglass.co.uk w: www.electroglass.co.uk

hygear2_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 2:27 PM Page 1

Furnace design and operation

Thermo chemical recuperator: A step towards energy efficiency In 2013, HyGear* and CelSian** started the development of a Thermo Chemical Recuperator (TCR) waste gas heat recover y system for glass melting furnaces. The T CR can be applied to reuse the waste heat of furnaces to convert natural gas and water into a high calorific reformer gas mixture. Now, one year later, the first results of this development project are available.

Energy Savings

Pelletised batch materials melt more easily and lead to an improved glass quality and to less dust formation.

CelSian is currently developing this solution, which has an outlook of 20% energy savings.

The flue gases can also be used to generate steam or electricity. The generation of steam is only applicable if there is a local demand for steam. The

continued Âť

Fig 1. Energy saving technologies.

Material supply

Nowadays there are different types of flue gas heat recovery systems commercially available that can re-use waste heat of glass furnaces (see Fig 1): Preheating of raw materials, cullet or fuel/oxygen Generating electricity Generating steam The preheating of raw materials and cullet can lead to energy savings of up to 15%. However, several problems can occur such as dust formation and degradation of refractory materials.

Another possibility of preheating with flue gases is to preheat pelletised batch.

efficiency of electricity generation with flue gases is relatively low and only leads to energy savings of up to 5% .

The TCR technology may lead to energy savings of about 20-25%. Other strong points of TCR to be mentioned:

Mixing

Melting

Processing

Decreasing energy loss

Heat recovery from flue gas

Use heat to generate syngas

Use heat for electricity generation

CO2 recovery from flue gas

Use heat for preheating

www.glass-international.com

I

ndustrial glass furnaces produce between 10 and 1000 tons of glass per day, 365 days of the year. In most cases natural gas or fuel oil is used as fuel to heat the furnace. Unfortunately, a large amount of the energy supplied to the furnaces is lost through flue gases.

Even todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most efficient regenerative or oxygen-fired furnaces generally show waste gas heat losses of about 25-30% of the total furnace energy input.

Dutch companies HyGear and CelSian Glass & Solar started an initiative to develop a Thermo-Chemical Recuperator (TCR) that can be applied to re-use the waste gas heat of furnaces to convert natural gas and water into a high calorific reformer gas mixture. The project is supported by the National Committee Netherlands Glass industry (NCNG) and the glass companies AGC, Philips and Saint-Gobain Isover.

33 Glass International October 2014

hygear2_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 2:27 PM Page 2

Furnace design and operation

TCR NG H2O Heat H2 & CO

Syngas

NG

NG

= total use NG 100% CURRENT SITUATION Fig 2. HyGear's small-scale Steam Methane Reformer.

No carry-over of batch materials and less refractory corrosion Less batch segregation and thus better glass quality Applicable for all types of glass (soda-lime, borosilicate) With TCR, the heat of the flue gas is used to convert natural gas into hot synthesis gas (mainly CO and H2), which has higher energy content than natural gas. This valuable and hot synthesis gas can substitute natural gas, resulting in a decrease of the overall natural gas consumption.

www.glass-international.com

Thermo chemical recuperation The core unit of the TCR is the steam reformer (Fig 2). Conventional steam reformers are only efficient on a large scale, but HyGear has developed a reformer that is efficient on a smallscale. The small-scale reformer is already deployed in HyGear’s Hydrogen Generation Systems that generate hydrogen on-site. For the TCR, HyGear has modified the reformer to match the waste heat recovery system.

The steam (produced by heating water with waste heat) and desulphurised natural gas are mixed and heated with the waste gas heat. When the mixture reaches a temperature level of 700900°C, it is exposed to the catalyst in the reformer. In the reformer a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, socalled synthesis gas (reformer gas or syngas), is formed by the following endothermic reaction:

34 Glass International October 2014

= total use NG max. 75% WITH TCR

Fig 3. Energy reduction with TCR.

xCH4 + yH2O x)H2O

(2x+y)H2 + xCO + (y-

Cost and energy savings The hot syngas has higher energy content than natural gas. Natural gas is added to the hot syngas and the new fuel mixture is fed to the furnace. Using the TCR, less natural gas is needed to melt the same amount of glass.

Furthermore, since the oxidation of syngas generates more heat than natural gas, the total amount of fuel is reduced and thus also less oxygen needs to be used. Currently, oxygen is obtained by an energy intensive process and therefore expensive.

Determination of energy and cost savings is specific to each situation and tailored calculations are needed for each potential TCR user. The energy savings and cost reductions have been estimated for oxy-fuel and recuperative glass furnaces with different types of glass

Fig 4. Evolved Gas Analysis and High Temperature Melting Observation System.

(soda-lime-silicate as well as borosilicate).

Generally speaking, energy savings can reach about 20% in all cases, while cost reductions are higher for the oxygen-fired furnaces saving natural gas and oxygen at the same time. In this way, the expected cost savings in the EU region are between €2.5 and €3 million per year for a large oxy-fuel glass furnace producing more than 500 ton/day, and about €0.5 million per year for a small recuperative glass furnace producing about 150 ton/day (Fig 3).

Feasibility results The combustion of reform- or synthesis gas in a glass furnace has impact on the heat transfer of the flames to the surroundings and the composition of the flue gases (the moisture contents will

continued »

hygear2_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 2:27 PM Page 3

Furnace design and operation

Fining onset temperature (°C)

1440

Base case natural gas

1420

TCR syngas 800°C

1400

1380

1360 0

20

40

60

80

100

TCR syngas 900°C

% H2O in atmosphere

Fig 5. Fining Onset Temperature as function of water content in the atmosphere.

Velocity XY (m/s) 0.003 0.005 0.007 0

0.01

Fig 6. Flow patterns in the melting tank f or 3 different situations. For better visualisation, the glass height is scaled with a factor 3.

Glass melt results The changed conditions in the furnace might have consequences for foaming, fining, evaporation and glass quality.

The glass melting behaviour under TCR conditions has been studied using the Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) and High Temperature Melting Observation System (HTMOS), Fig 4. This set-up is used to visualise the behaviour of the melting batch as well as foaming and fining processed. Furthermore, the released gases (CO2, SO2) from the melting batch are determined.

From the experiments it was concluded that there is hardly any effect on the batch melting kinetics. However, the amount of fining agent in the batch (Na2SO4) should be reduced to the new situation (with a higher partial pressure of water) in order to obtain good fining and to avoid foaming problems.

Otherwise, the fining onset temperature (FOT) will decrease and extra foaming is observed. Fig 5 shows as an example the measured fining onset temperature in soda-lime-silicate as a function of the water vapour concentration in the atmosphere.

The combustion of hot reform gas might, among other things, influence the heat transfer from the flames to the surroundings. The complete glass melting process (melting tank and combustion chamber) has been simulated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). For the simulations, the CelSian GTM-X glass tank

simulation tool and combustion model were used to simulate the combustion process of syngas burners in a large oxygas fired soda-lime silicate glass furnace of 600 ton per day.

The simulations show that the local heat flux from the combustion chamber to the glass melt slightly reduces in cases where reform gas is used. Probably the reformate induced flames are less sooty and thus less radiant. Nevertheless, the results show that it is possible to generate sufficient heat transfer for the melting process.

Fig 6 shows that there are no significant changes in the flow patterns.

Moreover, the residence time of particles in the glass bath is the same in all studied cases leading to a glass product with the same quality.

Operational results The optimum process conditions for syngas production have been investigated at HyGear’s laboratories. It was shown that complete conversion and degradation of the catalyst can be avoided for temperatures above 800°C at a steam-carbon ratio of about three.

In addition, the interaction between flue gases from a glass melting furnace and reformer tubes was investigated with so-called fouling tests.

Flue gases of glass furnaces contain volatile species (e.g. Na, K and B compounds) that might condense on the surface of the reformer tubes.

Aggressive vapours in the flue gases might corrode the reform tube and the condensed deposits will influence the heat transfer of the flue gases to the reform tube. The preliminary results of a test with a reform tube exposed to the flue gases of an industrial glass furnace show limited fouling and corrosion.

Additional industrial fouling tests will be performed in different glass furnaces.

Besides the above-described developments, CelSian and HyGear are also working on pipelines and gas skids to control fuel flow rates and leakages since syngas is composed of toxic and flammable gases (CO and H2) at high temperatures (600-900˚C).

Next steps It can be concluded that the first outcomes are positive. Therefore HyGear and Celsian will continue the development of the Thermo Chemical Recuperator. The most important outcomes of the feasibility study are: With the TCR, less natural gas and oxygen is needed to melt the same amount of glass The TCR has no significant effect on the batch melting kinetics The TCR gives no substantial changes in the flow patterns The TCR causes limited fouling and corrosion to the reformer tubes In phase 2, planned for the end of 2014/beginning of 2015, a pilot unit will be developed, constructed and tested at a (pilot) glass-melting furnace. HyGear's existing and proven reformer technology for hydrogen production will be adjusted to meet the specifications for application in the flue gases of glass furnace.

After the evaluation of the pilot phase, a full scale TCR will be engineered and demonstrated at a glass furnace.

If you would like to receive more information about the Thermo Chemical Recuperator, please contact Ms. Viola van Alphen (HyGear) at viola.van.alphen@hygear.nl or Mr. Hans van Limpt (CelSian) at hans.vanlimpt@celsian.nl

www.hygear.nl Glass International October 2014

www.glass-international.com

increase). CelSian has evaluated the impact of the reform gas combustion process on the glass melting process, while HyGear has focused on the optimum operational conditions for the reform tubes as well as the engineering of a TCR heat recovery unit for glass melting furnaces.

35

neil Simpson_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:42 AM Page 1

Company profile: Simpson Combustion and Energy

Industry veteran strikes out on his own Popular industry veteran Neil Simpson has recently set up his own glass-based consultancy business, Simpson Combustion and Energy Ltd. Here he discusses his 20-years in the industr y.

Congratulations on your new role as an independent consultant to the glass industry. Can you tell us a little about what segments you will serve?

Thank-you! My plan is still to cover all segments since I have worked in the Float, Fibre, Container, Tableware, TV and speciality as a supplier of technology, burner products and industrial gases.

www.glass-international.com

You have a vast amount of experience within the industry. Can you tell us a little bit about your personal history and your industry experience?

I obtained a practical BEng degree in Energy Engineering from Napier. Combustion was an easy subject as a result of my Chemistry and Physics background so it was suggested I apply to Laidlaw Drew Combustion Engineers.

I started in product development in steel, incineration and process development before I moved over to glass. My first ever visit to a glass plant was Redfearns which had cross-fired furnaces! In the early 1990â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I started working on oxy fuel burner development before moving to the US to develop the CGM system.

When Eclipse acquired the assets of Laidlaw Drew I got my ticket home to look after the European Glass Industry.

I was approached to rejoin BOC and until recently led the UK team of experts supporting Glass, Metals and Materials including cement. My role was becoming increasingly a Sales Management one and less time supporting the technical challenges.

What do you enjoy most about the glass industry?

The glass industry is possibly unique with furnaces operating continuously for in excess of 20 years. Unlike batching processes you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just add a shift or work a Saturday to catch up.

The attitude is different from other industries, yes its conservative nature can be frustrating but the overriding importance is finding a solution to a problem and not apportioning blame.

36 Glass International October 2014

What made you decide to change from your previous role?

This had always been my long-term career goal but I originally thought I would do it later. In a discussion with a peer in their 60â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s they felt they were too old to become a consultant which was a surprise. Having now seen the effort required in starting a business in financial terms there is a longer time to have returns on investment.

neil Simpson_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 9:42 AM Page 2

What are your strengths compared to other experts in this field?

The Clear Advantage

I have been involved in combustion and burner development since the early 1990’s and specifically oxy fuel. How many other experts are there? Not that many and I suspect that few, if any, are independent.

Will you just be based in the UK or will y our work take you further afield?

The glass industry is global in nature and I have worked in over 40 countries throughout my career. It would be nice to think I could do most of work in the UK but the reality is I am prepared to travel to most countries subject to Foreign Office recommendations.

You are becoming an independant consultant while the glass industry is still in a fairly fragile state after the recent financial recession. Will this make your new role harder to succeed?

I accept the challenge (sentiment and concern) however I believe that the fragility and lack of experience resources left in the industry conversely give me the greatest chance of success, coupled with my years of experience.

Will there be any areas that you will focus on in particular, such as improving energy efficiency?

Combustion in the furnace is where my experience and passion is predominant. Energy and emissions are inextricably linked (excluding electric). Since 60-80% of the energy goes in to the furnace I am also looking to support the ESOS requirements.

In your view, what are the current glass industry challenges and opportunities?

The biggest challenge facing the industry is human resources and specifically the skill sets. British Glass and the Society of Glass have identified this in establishing the Glass Academy and Training Days respectively.

I am still one of the younger ones in the industry whereas I should really be an older one.

Can you tell us of any plans f or the future you may have for the role?

The challenge of any new business is getting through the first year. My hope and plan is to work in combination and in collaboration with other individuals or organisations. I have enjoyed supporting the training sessions and see this as a possible growth area.

You are a well-known speaker at UK conferences such as Furnace Solutions and Living Glass. Can we expect to see you speaking at future conferences?

If they will have me, yes! My first big presentation was to the Glass Problems conference and have presented at AFGM and Glassman too.

® HIGH PURITY SILICA

PURESIL® is the essential silica component to achieve the demanding transmissivity specifications of solar glass covers. High purity quartz feedstocks are beneficiated to produce PURESIL grades that are chemically uniform with extremely low iron and other refractive elements.

Glass covers produced with PURESIL virtually eliminate reflected energy losses for greater total direct and indirect light transmission. The advantage is more efficient solar energy conversion in crystalline and thin-film modules.

For product information and local availability contact us: U.S. and Canada: 800-243-9004 Fax: 800-243-9005 Worldwide: 203-422-2500 Fax: 203-972-1378 E-mail: ContactUs@glassmaker.com

If there is anything else you would like to tell us about your new role?

In preparing my CV I was surprised to find that I have over 20 published patent applications many of which are recent. My hope is to continue product development. ឣ

Neil Simpson, Simpson Combustion and Energy Ltd. www.simpsoncombustionandenergy.com Glass International October 2014

® PURESIL is a registered trademark. All rights reserved. ©2014

liz montagen_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 10:05 AM Page 1

Furnace design and operation

An independent cooling design Gianni Carbone* outlines some of the opportunities available to glass plants to reduce energy and to save on costs. This includes independent bottom bay cooling which is an ideal solution for a balanced design and one which can save energy.

38

Glass International October 2014

and in every sector where it is wasted.

There are many opportunities available at individual plants to reduce overall consumption. While the expected savings associated with some of these may be relatively small, the cumulative effect of all potential measures across an entire plant may be large. The majority of these do not alter the final glass quality and can be implemented with minimum capital expenditure.

Increasing a plant’s productivity should be approached from several directions. First, a glass line uses energy for equipment, also requiring regular maintenance, good operation and

replacement when necessary. A second and, equally important, area is the proper and efficient control of this equipment to enable an operator to meet the required production operating set points with no effort and under all circumstances; process optimisation and ensuring that the new technologies are in place, is key to the efficiency of every plant’s operation. Energy is wasted if a system is erroneously engineered, for instance if it is either oversized or undersized relative to its application.

continued »

Power generation 5% 60% regenerative heat recovery for glass melting

100% Energy input

www.glass-international.com

R

educing energy in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured is the ultimate challenge for every glassmaker.

In recent years, the industry has benefited from energy efficiency improvements, mainly from combustion control optimisation, refractory development, improved wall insulation package, exhaust gas heat recovery, cullet introduction and low melting temperature batch techniques.

The effort and capital investment dedicated by glassmakers to optimise all relevant melting processes and material is the natural consequence of the energy required to carry out the furnace-related activities. The melting process is the most energy-intensive phase, involving between 60 and 80% of total energy consumption of glass manufacturing (Fig 1).

However, the challenge of maintaining high product quality while simultaneously reducing production costs can often be met through low-cost investments in productivity-efficient technologies and practices.

Lizmontagens Luxembourg Consulting (LLC) promotes the development of alternative energysaving projects for all relevant areas of glass production. This effort is essential since the rational use of energy calls for a broad application of new technologies

74% Glass melting (fuel oil/gas/electricity)

Waste gas losses 20% Radiation losses 28%

47% Energy inherent in glass

26% Auxiliary processes (electricity/gas)

៌ Fig 1 Energy balance in the glass melting process.

Process energy, partly with secondary usage

liz montagen_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 10:06 AM Page 3

Furnace design and operation

៌ Fig 2 Typical bottom cooling assembly.

www.glass-international.com

Bath bottom cooling

40

Conventional bath bottom cooling design provides opportunities for improvement. These choices include design of ducting, location of the blower within the building, type of blower and the level of sealing and insulation to be employed in between some. The knowledge and effort required for an engineer to control by design the side effects on the overall system performance from all these variables is considerable, therefore, the next best practice should be considered.

The bottom surface of a float bath casing is air-cooled to prevent liquid tin attacking the mild steel supporting structure. Temperature ranges of about 120°C to 130°C are targeted to keep the tin in contact with the hot face of casing below its melting temperature.

In addition to structural preservation, variation of bottom casing temperatures can have consequences on the final quality of the glass, creating surface defects, particularly open bottom bubbles. It is therefore preferable to have a reliable cooling system design that enables a uniform temperature distribution across the whole tin bath area casing and at all times disregarding any changes in production output or cooling air temperatures.

A conventional bath bottom cooling design consists of a small number of large centrifugal fans (typically two or three) blowing cold air to a main tunnel located directly underneath the tin bath assembly. The air is then delivered to the bottom casing via mild steel risers and finally spread using a series of nozzles Glass International October 2014

with different diameters and arranged at suitable pitches to cover the whole area of the casing. The number of risers depends on the total length of the tin bath. A manual damper located in the risers’ body can control the airflow delivered to the individual casing (Fig 2).

Bath bottom design issues There are numerous issues associated with the standard bath bottom cooling design: ᔢ High construction costs. The expected large capital investment is dictated mainly by the numerous issues faced by the designer of a bath cooling system in today’s building constraints (i.e. the overall length of the ducting, lack of appropriate space to accommodate large centrifugal fans, need of cold air intake to maximise cooling effect from the system). ᔢ Poor air balancing. When a system is balanced, all of the tin bath sections receive the correct air volume, therefore

៌ Fig 3 Axial fans versus centrifugal fans.

maintaining the desired operational temperature.

Otherwise, even a simple manual adjustment of cooling airflow in a single area of the tin bath can have direct consequences on most of the process temperature profile. Erratic system operation reduces its efficiency. The lack of appropriate air balancing opportunities in the system also leads to, or can be indicative of, too much ‘back pressure’ on some of the ducting in the system. This can impact the life of blowers, increasing the likelihood for breakdowns and required maintenance.

In turn, excessive ‘back pressure’ on some of the ducting can lead to premature ducting breakages and high noise levels. ᔢ Excessive pressure drop and energy consumption. It is well known that flow restrictions of any type in the system, such as an obstruction or roughness, results in higher operating pressures than needed. Conventional cooling systems usually suffer from an increase in pressure drop from undersized or leaking ducting, manual regulators, valves, nozzles on the cooling side, as well as silencers, filters, or isolating dampers on the supply side. ᔢ Lack of flexibility within the system. If a blower becomes suddenly non-operational, it takes considerable time to normalise the operation and get back to original temperature profile, increasing the temperature fluctuation inside the tin bath that is a potential cause of glass surface defects.

The ideal cooling system must be safe, efficient, easy to control, virtually maintenance free and provide a fast return on investment. It is clear the best cooling system is the one ‘balanced by design’.

continued »

liz montagen_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 10:06 AM Page 4

Furnace design and operation Desirable solution Independent bottom bay cooling seems the desirable solution for a ‘balanced design’ and to improve energy conservation.

This could be achieved providing a number of blowers matching those of the bath casings to be cooled, installed directly in the application area. Equipped with variable frequency drives, these would allow perfectly profiling the cooling-air flow to achieve production set points and to the specific heat load for each bay independently.

The frequency-drive would either be a small modular installed next to each individual blower, or a single cabinet with parallel outputs to each individual unit. In either solution, this works as a closed-loop system enabling automatic control of the fan-speed in line with the corresponding tin bath bottom temperature. Automatic finetuning of each fan supply, to match the measured temperatures (adjusted to their pre-set levels) of the tin bath bottom, will assist providing at every moment the optimal cooling airflow volume with the minimum need of energy.

This arrangement also appears to be the answer to eliminate the need of manual louvers-dampers and to limit the pressurelosses to the absolute minimum.

Axial fan have all the features to ensure reliability and efficiency of the alternative concept. These are maintenancefree (no lubrication required), with a motor located in the airstream and therefore constantly cooled. Axial fans are in most cases standard product, implying low cost and fast delivery times. Each unit would be mounted with a low motorpower, sized to meet the heat load of each specific bay and easy to handle, providing good access in case of a major mechanical failure or a preventive maintenance procedure (Fig 3).

Real site deployment would be required to validate the estimated savings of up to 76% of absorbed energy, calculated using intake cooling air at 56°C temperature, from directly below the tin bath where the fans would be ideally located.

Further energy-gains can be obtained with colder cooling air temperatures.

Lizmontagens Luxembourg Consulting is confident it can supply the expertise to allow every customer to improve profitability and to reduce both capital and the running costs associated with their standard cooling design.

While a new construction offers all the opportunities to implement a perfectly designed system, this can be incorporated during operation or at major tank repair.

To assist its development and its exploitation, it provides an engineering package developed with the assistance of specialised consultants and for each area of expertise. A typical project implementation plan covers data collection, preengineering assessment, acoustic study, fluid dynamics and cooling study, fan engineering, mechanical study and drawings, cost estimation and risk assessment.

These packages are generated to suit the particular project constraints. The close collaboration of LLC with a client’s team provides a technical solution enabling an optimisation of furnace and tin bath design. ឣ

*Managing Director, Lizmontagens Luxembourg Consulting, Luxembourg. www.lizmontagens.com

ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS FOR GLASS CONDITIONING PROBLEMS

PSR System 500 Forehearths and Distributors.

GUARANTEED* performance where the glassmaker needs it most.

*Subject to technical specification, terms and conditions System 500 forehearths and distributors are offered with guarantees covering temperature stability, thermal homogeneity and fuel consumption.

Are yours?

PARKINSON-SPENCER REFRACTORIES LTD Holmfield, Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. HX3 6SX Tel: (44) (0) 1422 254472 • Fax: (44) (0) 1422 254473 Email: admin@parkinson-spencer.co.uk • www.parkinson-spencer.co.uk

41 Glass International October 2014

HISTORY October_Layout 1 10/2/14 3:03 PM Page 1

History

Prof. John Parker Turner Museum of Glass and ICG

www.glass-international.com

J

42

Chill!

ohn Parker discusses the benefits of the chilling of molten glass. An artisan is rumoured to have demonstrated glass strengthening by quenching to the Emperor Tiberius. His fate was summary execution because such a priceless material would devalue the Emperor’s treasure.

Prince Rupert of Rhine was less extreme but enjoyed pranks: One trick used glass drops, made by chilling molten glass into water. The bulbous head was hard to break, resisting hammer blows, but fracturing the thin tail causing the whole to shatter explosively into fine dust. This was more exciting if a gullible courtier was persuaded to cup his hands around the drop first.

Prince Rupert demonstrated this to the UK’s Charles II in 1662, and these novelties have borne his name since.

Their discovery is attributed to Northern Germany in 1620, although an alternative name, Dutch tears, suggests another source. They became available throughout Europe and were celebrated in verse and in Pepys diary (mid 1600s).

Now, YouTube offers for entertainment films of the propagating crack taken using high-speed photography.

Chilling molten glass creates steep temperature gradients, enhanced by its low thermal conductivity. Initially it can flow and remains stress free. Once cold though, its temperature is uniform. This means a large temperature fall and substantial shrinkage for the interior compared with the outside, causing surface compression with balancing tension inside. But glass only fails in tension and invariably from its surface. So fracture requires sufficient deformation to change surface compression to tension.

This is difficult for the bulky drop but easy for the thin tail, where small forces generate high stresses.

The 19th century saw attempts to commercialise the process by rapidly

Glass International October 2014

quenching glass sheets in oils, with the first patent taken out in 1873. Control was difficult though, because a thin but variable gas layer at the glass interface caused uneven cooling. Finally, in 1930 air quenching was patented in Rudolph Seiden’s name, an Austrian working in the USA. Of course technical issues remained, e.g. how to support the viscous but fluid glass. Once toughened, glass cannot be further processed by fire polishing, cutting, drilling. Variability in cooling rates across the surface also caused visible mottling, particularly noticeable through polarising sunglasses.

By 1932 this product was a legal requirement for UK car windscreens, its failure mode being its key advantage.

Fracture gave fine cubes, which caused less serious damage than the jagged shards produced by annealed glass. Still, car accident victims could be seriously injured because they were ejected through the windscreen and not contained within the vehicle. So now lamination is the norm. The inner pane can be toughened to reduce personal damage on impact while the outer leaf, which suffers impact from flying stones, is not. Sidelights are still quenched because fracture facilitates rescue e.g. from a submerged car.

Internal tensile stresses are problematic if inclusions are present; nickel sulphide is particularly serious. It can transform spontaneously to a less dense state, generating cracks which lead to catastrophic failure. Heat soaking can identify rogue pieces but nickel is banned from many flat glass factories.

The induced stresses depend on cooling rate, on thickness and thermal expansion coefficient (TEC). Halving thickness reduces the thermal stresses by four. Thus, toughening is ineffective for fine glassware or fibres and similarly for low expansion glasses. Now more complex cooling schedules create so-

called Engineered Stress Profiles and various levels of toughening for different applications. Toughened containers present an attractive proposition but it is difficult to cool equally both outer and inner surfaces. Typically the outer surface cools more quickly and is in compression. That is a positive result but is matched by an inner surface in tension. This surface for a blown bottle is pristine and consequently strong but any subsequent damage that introduces a flaw can induce spontaneous failure.

While this makes a great demonstration for glass lecturers it is unwise in a product for sale. Solving such problems is the stuff of engineering and machine manufacturers are now reporting positive developments. A stronger bottle can be lighter, and a lighter bottle needs less energy to make it.

Mechanical strength is one advantage of toughened glass but another is thermal shock resistance. Oven-to-table ware always relied on a low TEC borosilicate glass to confer thermal shock resistance but one US company has moved to thermal toughening. Its glass originally had a TEC one third of that for conventional silicate glasses and so created one third of the stresses for a given temperature gradient. Thermally toughened products should behave even better. Silica ware with its much lower TEC is less easily replaced. Interestingly, one ‘industry’ allegedly hit badly by this change is illicit drug production. The fast quench rates central to their processing need thin glassware and are apparently less easily achieved with the new products so borosilicate laboratory ware is now a prime target for theft. ឣ

Prof Emeritus John Parker, Curator of the Turner Museum of Glass at Sheffield University, UK Email j.m.parker@sheffield.ac.uk www.turnermuseum.group.shef.ac.uk

Tech topics Oct_Layout 1 10/2/14 3:06 PM Page 2

Company profile

John Henderson Henderson Technology

Temperature or Viscosity? knowledge of raw materials and their likely variation is key. Man-made materials are generally reliable with negligible variation in the major components, however, naturally occurring materials, no matter how well blended or controlled, are just that, natural and can vary in composition. Knowledge of these variations and their effect on the glass should be known. How well do you know yours?

Weighing and mixing Weighing and mixing are also important as these introduce variations to glass composition depending on the accuracy of equipment. Do you know the potential for variation inherent in your system? If not you should. Is your batch transport system effective, do you have losses before delivery to the batch feed hopper? Then we have cullet; the variation in external cullet supplies could probably fill a column on its own but it still needs characterising and its potential influence on the glass viscosity assessed.

You may have checked and gained a measure of control over your ‘mechanicals’ but what about your furnace? In any system running continuously above 1400°C there are losses of key ingredients and your furnace is no exception. Physical batch carry over and ‘evaporation’ from the glass mean that not all the chemicals you put in the batch end up in the glass and the effects of this on the composition of the glass, and hence its viscosity/temperature relationship, can be significant but there are techniques for estimating the effects and allowances can be made.

Great strides have been made in the characterisation of glass viscosity against composition both on the experimental and thermodynamic levels but it still remains one of the most difficult glass properties to measure.

There are computer programmes which will take a given composition and estimate the viscosity/temperature relationship of that glass well enough for broad practical use. They would be especially useful in a control situation where only one glass was being assessed against itself with compositional variations. The question is, are glassmakers willing to put in the resources to look at the potential benefits that a better understanding of viscosity will bring? ឣ Glass International October 2014

www.glassmediaonline.com

W

hen thinking about the content of this column I was drawn to the subject of raw materials again. However, readers of the calibre that Glass International attracts will have immediately noticed the title may not reflect reality. However, bear with me and I hope you will see a relationship develop.

I heard recently of a container manufacturer who was getting significant variations in the performance of their IS machines (some might say it is always like this) despite ‘everything being the same’. I wish I had a pound coin for every time I have heard this excuse (or ‘nothing has changed’), I might not be a millionaire but I would be considerably richer. However, back to the subject: It was reported that the machine settings were correct for the type of ware being produced, the temperatures, cullet ratio and pull on the furnace were stable and that the temperatures in the forehearth were controlled to within a quarter of a degree of that considered desirable.

Have you spotted the key error yet? Yes, the control was there but was it controlling the critical parameter, obviously no, as the process was varying outside the normal deviations expected on the particular article being made.

They were assuming that the viscosity of the glass was remaining constant and, of course, it was not so the excellent control of temperature was having an effect only at those times when the glass viscosity was within the range good enough for making those types of containers.

The subsequent investigation suggested that the viscosity variation was equivalent to about 30°C in temperature terms!

Should we be concerned by this as the majority of glass containers are made to specification and are fit for purpose? I suggest we should on at least two counts. Firstly it shows a fundamental gap in the knowledge of this glassmaker about the basic material of their trade – Glass, and how it is a complex material within a hot dynamic process, and secondly just think of the increases in utilisation and pack rate if a more proactive approach to controlling viscosity was made.

I realise that temperature is much easier to measure both fundamentally and as an operational control parameter than viscosity but there are things that can be done. A good

43

British Glass oct.qxp_Layout 1 10/2/14 3:09 PM Page 1

British Glass

Nick Kirk, Technical Director, GTS

An evolution in glass ser vices Glass Technology Services Ltd (GTS), reports on continued ser vice extension, improvement and exciting innovations for the dynamic glass manufacturing industr y. Dr Nick Kirk, GTS Technical Director, explains:

www.glass-international.com

G

44

lass continues to play a leading role across a diverse range of industries and applications.

For GTS this means a continually evolving service offering to support companies throughout the glass supply chain – from raw materials to finished products. It is also involved in development projects that are revolutionising products and processes across the industry.

The past two years have seen a substantial and ongoing expansion of our service offering.

Closely monitoring changes in market demands, product standards and regulatory requirements, enables us to refine and expand our offer. In the past two years these changes have included expanding our foreign body analysis to non-glass objects, becoming a Notified Body to provide Initial Type Testing for flat glass products with thermal, solar and impact performance, FEA modelling and simulation, ICP trace analysis, updates to our durability and pharmacopoeia testing and the launch of a delamination assessment service.

Growing demands upon glass manufacturers and processors as well as increased engagement with designers and brand owners across container, tableware and architectural applications have seen an increasing demand for our design critiques, FEA simulation, chemical, mechanical and performance testing – providing essential due diligence data for manufacturers, brand owners, retailers and installers.

Our team have introduced a flexible Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme Regulations 2014 (ESOS) assessment service to help clients meet their obligations by December 2015. Building on our environmental experience and management of glass sector climate change agreements and emissions trading schemes we’re providing a flexible assessment service, using our knowledge in glass to help them achieve compliance without duplicating existing effort or expense.

With grant funding in the past two years topping £3.6 million and grant applications achieving a 100% success rate, our team is keen to continue to develop further projects. There are funding opportunities for both existing and new clients to explore, develop and commercialise their

Glass International October 2014

The past two “ years have seen a substantial and ongoing expansion of our service offerings.

”

ideas. Our most recent projects see us continuing to work in partnership with traditional glass manufacturing sectors and glass processing, but also bringing the unique benefits of glass to entirely new sectors and applications including energy, shale gas, nuclear waste, medical devices and orthopaedic applications.

In one of the most recent collaborations, we’re leading a consortium of academics and commercial organisations to develop new glass processing technology in the ‘Bright Slice’ project, which will use a laser technique to provide faster, safer and low-maintenance processing, cutting and engraving of glass.

This past month also saw our team joining international experts for clean shale stimulation research and development. The addition of our team to the ecorpStim research consortium is important to furthering ecorpStim’s goals of advancing proprietary concepts for the use of silica, the raw material with which glass is made, in the environmentally sustainable development of shale hydrocarbon production.

All of these expansions and projects must be governed by adherence to technical, environmental and administrative standards.

Again, we have seen success across all of our accreditations and are delighted to have scored highly across all technical (ISO 17025), administrative (ISO 9001) and environmental (ISO 14001) performance audits, including making major extensions of scope to our comprehensive technical UKAS accreditations and only this month successfully completed our full UKAS (17025) re-accreditation.

The glass supply chain continues to present exciting opportunities – whether to verify quality, improve processes, develop new technologies or investigate and troubleshoot issues – from raw materials to finished products; it is an everchanging and developing challenge. ឣ

For further information visit www.glass-ts.com, email enquiries@glass-ts.com, follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+, subscribe to our newsletter or telephone +44 (0) 114 290 1801.

gts_00_GI_0909 10/7/14 8:18 AM Page 1

Company profile: GTS

Glass Technology Services: A cut above The world of glass technology is constantly evolving, in terms of both the actual equipment and processes, and the environmental impact they are expected to achieve. Recently Glass Technology Services (GTS) has been working on projects that span both these issues, and Robert Ireson* and Nick Kirk** were able to discuss a couple of these ventures with Glass International.

G

TS is an independent research and development, consultancy, and testing facility, which provides analysis and support to all parts of the glass supply chain, from raw materials to the end consumer.

As an example of the broad spectrum of services it offers, recently GTS has been collaborating with the University of Leeds to improve glass-cutting techniques using laser technology, and has also launched an ESOS assessment service which will help companies comply with new regulations and be compliant by the deadline of December next year.

www.glass-international.com

Cutting edge technology

46

GTS has been working alongside the University of Leeds on a project which uses laser technology to improve existing glass-cutting techniques. The aim is to revolutionise glass processing capabilities across the industry.

The ‘Bright Slice’ project has been funded by a £93K grant from the UK’s innovation agency, the Technology Strategy Board.

Having started in April, the year-long project will take advantage of GTS’s new laser laboratory facility and use bench-top laser systems to investigate and demonstrate the feasibility of this novel technique, whilst developing a business case to justify further investment to turn the technology into a commercial system.

Glass International October 2014

zx Robert Ireson, Innovation Team Leader at GTS (pictured above) and Dr. Nick Kirk, Technical Director at GTS (pictured below).

Robert Ireson comments: “We anticipate the technique will offer several benefits over existing systems - including improved safety, increased speed and minimal ongoing maintenance.

“If successful, it is hoped that the technology could translate from flat glass, to be used in other sectors of the glass industry - such as in the manufacture of glass tableware, optical components and for specialist processing.”

‘Bright Slice’ utilises non-contact laser technology to emit radiation at specific absorption bands within the glass to generate controlled fracture of the glass. Designed to deliver a cleaner, safer and more cost-effective process, the new technology is targeting an investment payback of less than two years.

“Lasers have been used for cutting and processing glass for many years, but there are fundamental problems in terms of the speed and power at which they operate. We have identified opportunities that will allow these barriers to be overcome and potentially revolutionise the process of cutting glass.

“Our partnership with the University of Leeds allows us to exploit these opportunities through their laser expertise combined with GTS’s deep understanding of glass science & technology. We are very excited about the possible applications of continued »

gts_00_GI_0909 10/7/14 8:18 AM Page 2

Company profile: GTS

t glasstec International fair for the glass industry, machinery/equipment, skilled trade, architecture.

October 21st -24th 2014 Düsseldorf, Germany CONTACT: www.glasstec.de

Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme Aside from working on new technology, GTS offers a comprehensive range of consultancy and support services to the glass industry. This month the company launched an ESOS assessment service to help companies comply with the new environmental regulations.

The Energy Savings Opportunities Scheme Regulations 2014 (ESOS), also referred to as ‘mandatory energy audits’, came into force on 17 July 2014.

The ESOS regulations require non-SME businesses to undertake audits of their energy consumption, and then notify the Environment Agency (EA) that the assessment has been conducted and that the business is compliant with the scheme obligations.

The ESOS implements article 8 of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) 2012/27/EU into UK legislation.

“Every business will differ in terms of their ESOSreadiness depending on the amount of work they’ve already undertaken on energy auditing,” said Dr Nick Kirk. “So we’re providing a free initial consultation for organisations and a flexible assessment service to help them to achieve compliance, without duplicating existing effort and expense.

“These regulations don’t apply to every company, but they do apply to any company with more than 250 staff, or less than 250 staff but a turnover of over €50m and a balance sheet exceeding €43m”.

It also applies to smaller companies who are part of a corporate group which includes a business which meets those non-SME criteria.

It is estimated that this legislation will cover approximately 7,300 enterprises, representing 170,000200,000 buildings and consuming around one third of the total UK energy demand. The deadline for compliance with Phase I of ESOS is 5 December 2015, by which time qualifying organisations must have carried out their ESOS assessment and have notified the Environment Agency (EA). y For further information visit www.glass-ts.com/esosassessment<http://www.glass-ts.com/esos-assessment.

t Glasstech Asia 2014 Southeast Asia ’s tr ade event for the glass industry.

November 25th -27th 2014 Manila, The Philippines CONTACT: www.glasstechasia.com.sg/ t Glasspex India 4th international e xhibition f or glass production, processing and products.

March 13th -15th 2015 Mumbai, India CONTACT: www.glasspex.com t Glass World 2015 7th International Exhibition for Glass Technology, Machinery and Equipment.

April 21st -23th 2015 Cairo International Convention Center, Egypt CONTACT: http://glassworldex.com/ t Glassman Eur ope 2015 The w orld-famous Glassman exhibition and conference is to return to Lyon, France.

May 06th -07th 2015 Cité Centre de Congrès de Lyon, France CONTACT:jeremyfordrey@quartzltd.com www.glass-international.com/events/view/glassman-europe-2015 t China Glas s 2015 Organised by the Chinese Ceramic Society in as sociation with the China National Association for Glass Industry.

May 20th -23th 2015 Beijing, China CONTACT: www.chinaglass-expo.com t Mir Stekla 2015 Key glas s indus try e vent f or Russia, the CIS region and Eastern Europe.

June 08th -11th 2015 Moscow, Russia CONTACT: www.mirstekla-expo.ru/en t 13th International Seminar on F urnace Design The event will focus on Furnace Design - Operation & Process Simulation.

June 17th -18th 2015 Velke Karlovice, Czech Republic CONTACT: seminar@gsl.cz t Glassman Asia 2015 In conjunction with the ICG Annual Meeting in Bangk ok, the Glas sman e vent returns to Bangkok for the first time since 1998.

September 21st -22nd 2015 Centara Grand Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

CONTACT: kenclark@quartzltd.com

* Innovation Team Leader at GTS **Technical Director at GTS http://www.glass-ts.com/enquiries@glass-ts.com

www.glass-international.com

the technology - allowing glass, especially flat glass, to be processed in ways that have previously been impossible.”

The glassmaker’s diary

c The GTS offices, Sheffield, UK.

47 Glass International October 2014

heye_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 10:10 AM Page 1

Safety

Improving safety in glass plants

Wilfried Seidensticker* discusses Heye International’s HiPerform.

F

or several years Heye has aimed to improve the safety conditions in glass plants. It is convinced that investing in safety results in high productivity. This is why it has developed the Heye multi-level safety concept.

www.glass-international.com

Multi-level concept

48

Its concept pinpoints three areas: The perfect engineering of the whole plant, well-trained and educated staff, and the right equipment.

Cleanliness makes a plant look better but is also an important point concerning safety. There is no slippery ground where the employees can fall. It also reduces the risk of dirt and particles entering the container, leading to a safer product.

The second important point is a welltrained and confident acting personnel.

This requires the employee to be trained well and to give the highest possible level of knowledge. A fully-trained staff contributes to productivity and safety.

Heye International offers various courses that are taught by experienced production specialists either in our training centre in Obernkirchen or in customer plants.

The bottlers especially will look more to this important spot, because of their reputation. Staff will have the benefit of a high safety standard because every accident leads to injuries, damages of the equipment and downtime.

Blank Side loading position monitoring With this new feature of Heye’s process control, it monitors the correct position of the plunger positioners during the gob loading and the timely exit of the plunger just before opening the blanks and the transfer of the parison.

Safety in the hot end We are sure the future will bring a lot of new requirements concerning safety. It starts with different government laws, regulations by organisations such as GOST (Gosudarstwenny Standart) in Russia, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) in the US, the European standards for Europe or the CCC (China Compulsory Certification) in Asia.

Glass International October 2014

៌ Speedline protection grid.

In the event of a malfunction, the plunger positioner can reach too late, the section is stopped immediately and the transfer of the parison does not take place.

Why is this monitor so useful and how does this relate to security?

A not reached or not reached in time loading position or a late departure in the press process can result in a damaged container finish.

The bottles can defect as a result. If the defected container remains undetected by the testing machines it can affect the bottler or even the end user.

Second, in an undeveloped container finish it does not ensure secure hold during the transfer from blank to blow side.

And there is a risk that the defective preformed container could become a projectile.

Both risks are limited by the Loading Position Monitoring, because this system works in real time and stops the section immediately.

The dead plate position for each cavity is monitored by an infrared sensor underneath the dead plate over the whole cycle of a section.

If the heat radiation is abnormal or does not exist at a certain time a failure in glass handling or de-moulding has occurred.

In that case the following gobs for the section will be rejected. This minimises downtimes and avoids wasteful maintenance.

continued »

heye_00_GI_0909 10/3/14 10:10 AM Page 2

Safety

The new injector generation is now compactly arranged in the operator’s field of vision. A rapid interchangeability and an exact pre-adjusted capacity that match with the lubrication point size are ensured.

Together with Heye’s six cycle central lubrication system, it is ensured that only so much oil will be spent as is required at the different lubrication points.

There are two advantages: Less oil consumption and a cleaner machine. It saves on oil costs and reduces the danger of slip hazard and fire risks.

Equipment which is protected against something must not be repaired in case of an accident. And it is not necessary to repair in the production area. Well protected equipment has durability, is easier to clean and in general is more secure.

Heat protection on blow side There is the possibility to mount in each line our new HI Safety Snap Valve (normally for the critical functions like Blank and Blow mould open and close, baffle down, funnel down and blowhead down).

This HI Safety Snap Valve ensures that

no unintended motion of the equipment can happen during maintenance or repair in the section.

The HI Safety Snap Valve closes the pipeline between the pilot air and the cartridge with operating air. And therefore can arise either by an electrical pulse or by actuating the overides inadvertent movement of the mechanisms.

Only after the deliberate release of the valve from its latching is pilot air is released again and the usual function of the operation is regained.

Our next highlight in terms of safety is our protection grid on the blank side. It is not merely a simple grid, but is a logical link with the control, an automatic safety device.

To perform the lubrication programme of the preforms, the operater actuates the corresponding button, the station is moved to rest position, the grating is lowered and gives access to the lubrication process freely.

After the lubrication process is completed, the operator confirms the corresponding button, the guard goes back up and the station goes into operation again.

For experienced machine operators only, there is a key switch which allows

the grid to lower during production to make any necessary work such as optimising gob loading to check cooling systems or similar things.

So in normal production the people on the blank side are protected. ់ Protection ladder.

Safety and Clean Design are two factors that belong together because both staff and equipment are protected as well.

Machine downtime and loss of staff decrease, the quality of the products and the profit, however, increase. ឣ

*Heye International, Product Manager in the Hot End Area. www.heye-international.com

www.glass-international.com

Injector generation

49 Glass International October 2014

energy siemens_00_GI_0909 10/2/14 4:11 PM Page 1

Energy efficiency

Glass and energy management Steve Barker* discusses the importance of energy management to businesses at every level.

www.glass-international.com

T

50

he UK glass and solar manufacturing sector is making tangible progress in managing its energy consumption, with 79% reporting a beneficial impact on the bottom line as a result of their efforts, according to a new report.

The Siemens Industry report entitled The Future of Energy: The UK Manufacturing Opportunity canvassed the views of 600 board directors, senior management and energy managers from UK manufacturers operating across all major sectors, including manufacturers from the glass and solar industry.

Most glass and solar manufacturers (82%) now view energy as a business critical issue and nearly two thirds (65%) plan to increase their investment in energy management over the next 12 months. The primary drivers behind such activities are to meet regulatory requirements and reduce the organisation’s carbon footprint.

When compared to other manufacturing sectors, glass and solar leads the way in terms of understanding their annual business energy spends, with 78% aware of the cost of energy to their business. The sector is also leading the way by taking steps to ensure their environmental policies are on display.

However, assessed alongside sectors such as chemicals & pharmaceuticals, automotive, aerospace, food & beverage and metals, glass & solar fared less well in terms of commitments to increase energy management investment levels over the next 12 months and sharing successes with staff.

Barriers When questioned about perceived barriers to investing in energy management, glass and solar manufacturers were most concerned about uncertainty associated with a return on investment.

Most businesses (70%) had clear energy management objectives in place ៉Future of energy automation

Glass International October 2014

for the year ahead, with more than 56% also indicating they had planned for the next five years.

As an energy intensive sector, it is most welcome to witness the progress the glass and solar manufacturing industry is making.

Our findings indicate that the sector is being driven by the high energy costs it is having to deal with, as well as recognising and meeting environmental responsibilities. Its main restriction appears to be around an allocation of investment to energy efficiency projects.

However, the real reward for glass and solar businesses is evidenced in the bottom line benefit that 79% of companies say they are seeing as a result of the actions they have taken.

Some are still struggling to recognise the benefits, but often the perceived barriers to investing in energy

Leading from the top?

management can be easily overcome with the right information and flexible financial support from companies such as Siemens.

There are already manufacturers taking action in this area and with technology partners, they can help inspire and educate those who say they have ‘other priorities’ over energy management.

For the high energy-consuming glass and solar manufacturers in particular, the challenges around managing energy consumption will only intensify in the years to come and doing nothing is not an option for businesses that want to thrive. ឣ

*Head of Energy Efficiency and Environmental Care, Siemens Industr y www.siemens.com/

Investment & Engagement

ᔢ 90% say that energy management is

ᔢ 65% increased investment in energy

discussed at board level in their organisation

management in the last 12 months, while 65%

ᔢ 82% say managing energy is a business-

plan to increase investment in the year ahead

critical issue

ᔢ 69% have formalised training in place for

ᔢ 68% say energy management is on a par with

staff on energy management

other strategic decisions

ᔢ 75% have purchased energy

ᔢ 68% say there is a senior

saving technology

director responsible for

ᔢ 77% have invested in

energy management in

renewable/self-generation

their organisation

technology

Strategic approach?

Strategic approach?

ᔢ 70% have energy management goals in place

ᔢ The most important criteria for assessing the

one year from now

success of an energy management project are

ᔢ 56% have energy management goals in place

achieving a competitive advantage and staff

five years from now

morale

ᔢ 78% know the annual energy spend of their

ᔢ 82% say the main barrier to inv esting in

organisation

energy management projects is a poor or uncertain return on investment