Heat Treatment
VASGLASS operates an oscillating tempering furnace with a preheating convection chamber and an infrared camera (linescanner), which allows for ultra-accurate reading of the safety glass temperature through all tempering stages, starting with the heating process and leading up to the cooling phase, thus ensuring the highest possible quality outcome. The level of technology utilized makes it the most advanced installation to-date in Greece, providing further justification for the standing of VASGLASS as a pioneer and leader in architectural glass.
Heat treated architectural glass shows the following characteristics compared to annealed glass:
- Physically stronger, as it can withstand higher loads and stronger impacts, depending on the level of heat treatment
- Thermally stronger, as it can withstand wider temperature variations (over 100 °C), preventing the occurrence of thermal sock.
TEMPERING LINE – PREHEATING CHAMBER
The use of the preheating chamber within the tempering line installation plays a pivotal role in achieving the installation’s core goals:
- Attaining the highest quality results possible
- Through the most efficient production process
The furnace has a capacity for processing glass sheets ranging from 4mm up to 19mm in thickness, with dimensions ranging from 30mmX250mm up to maximum size. Additionally, it offers the ability to produce thermally treaded coated glass, including soft-coated low-e types, with emissivity as low as 0,01.
The process is controlled by two PLCs that manage all relevant parameters (temperature, speed, flow synchronization, etc.). The line and its peripheral components can be centrally controlled so as to achieve full automation.
LINESCANNER CAMERA
The use of an infrared camera, located between furnace exit and the entry to the cooling chamber plays a pivotal role in the achievement of the highest quality results.
The infrared camera allows for extremely accurate temperature measurements in a wide range of applications, ranging from 150o up to 750oC. It incorporates high accuracy infrared signal processing, coupled with powerful control processors that manage the entire production process.
The linescanner camera features significant storage capacity as well as playback and analysis tools, while being capable of processing and cross-referencing data collected in real-time via multiple heat sensors with temperatures stored in its database.
Benefits
- Achievement of the highest quality tempered safety glass.
- Tight monitoring and management of the thermal process.
- Timely detection of potential quality issues.
- Minimal setup time requirements, minimal product waste.
