The Specialist Glass Products team recently had the pleasure of partnering up with Saint-Gobain Glass to run glass curving trials of the COOL-LITE SKN 183 II solar-control glass.
To find out everything you need to know about the energy-efficient glass, our curved glass process and the results, read on below:
What is COOL-LITE SKN 183 II?
The innovative solar control COOL-LITE range from Saint-Gobain Glass features a special coating to achieve 40% solar control. Long-wave infrared heat is radiated back into a building to help reduce heat loss. The product helps to play a crucial role in the goal towards creating net-zero carbon buildings by regulating heat and light to reduce overall energy consumption.
Moreover, Saint-Gobain Glass products use a minimum of 40% recycled cullet in all glass produced at their plant in Eggborough, making it a great sustainable choice for construction and architectural firms, while the low reflective qualities of the COOL-LITE SKN range make the glass an aesthetically pleasing addition to a range of residential and commercial buildings.
The COOL-LITE SKN range by Saint-Gobain Glass proves versatile for both commercial and domestic use. Its solar control attributes contribute to reducing energy costs, enhancing the appeal and value of properties. This adaptable range can be tailored to various applications, including glass doors, balconies, and skylights, offering the additional advantage of optimising available natural light.
In particular, curved glass units of COOL-LITE glass could be a great fit for commercial buildings, such as large office spaces or retail settings, to offer a fantastic architectural addition while controlling light and energy usage to save on operational costs.
Curving the Saint-Gobain solar control glass
During the week-long COOL-LITE curving glass trials, the SGP team utilised years of expertise in traditional slump glass bending. This process involves heating glass to a 630 degrees and then allowing it to “slump” or bend under gravity’s influence into a predetermined shape or mould.
The COOL-LITE SKN range from Saint-Gobain Glass comes with an Easypro coating designed to burn away during toughening and curving. This feature makes the glass processing easier for SGP:
- Shorter tempering cycle times
- Extends shelf life of rest plates
- Improved shelf life after edge working
- Easier transporting of glass with decreased scratching
- Reduction of waste and improvement to quality
The results were fantastic! The glass trial showcased that the solar control glass could tolerate a 1200mm radius curve with no optical distortions while maintaining its annealed properties. Both teams were incredibly impressed with the success of the glass curving trials and plan to trial innovative trials in the future.
Why did we choose the slump glass moulding method?
While we have access to state-of-the-art glass curving equipment in our factory, we opted for a more traditional glass bending method for this project.
Slump glass curving is a versatile choice for various applications, known for its design flexibility, aesthetic enhancements, customisation options, and durability, meeting industry standards for strength and safety. Additionally, it offers environmental benefits by requiring less glass material, contributing to sustainability and resource efficiency.
We would recommend this more traditional process when working with complex, organic shapes that would be challenging to achieve through more innovative methods. Plaster mould bending is a gentler way to process glass curves when compared to our bending furnace.
SGP hadn’t used the COOL-LITE SKN range for this type of innovative experimentation, and we wanted to test how the new glass acted under less strain and were very pleased with the outcome!
Hear from Specialist Glass and Saint Gobain:
Andrew Taylor, Managing Director, commented, “It was a pleasure to strengthen our relationship with Saint-Gobain Glass by working together to test their solar control product line. We are thrilled that the test was a success using both companies’ expertise, and we thoroughly look forward to working together in the future.”
Chris Lloyd, Product Technical Support Manager, said: “We’ve enjoyed a longstanding and highly successful partnership with SGP, and these trials stand as a remarkable testament to our shared commitment to innovation. The results surpassed our expectations, and we eagerly anticipate engaging in more collaborative experiments in the future.”
You can discover more about our capabilities and machinery here and read more about Saint-Gobain’s COOL-LITE glass here.
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