Manufacturing

A vital component of the innovation process, in-house product testing helps companies enhance product quality, iterate on designs, streamline development cycles, protect intellectual property and foster a culture of invention. 

How Roto is delivering hardware solutions for a new age of innovation.

Mike Synon, president of HHH Equipment Resources, and Ashley Price, Salem Fabrication Supplies, talk end-to-end glass fabrication, the challenges and opportunities involved with integrating automated machinery into a fabrication plant, and Salem’s product and process expertise.   

Maintaining an efficient automated commercial glass manufacturing floor requires proper equipment training, versatile maintenance teams skilled in both modern and fundamental techniques, and consistent preventive maintenance to ensure smooth operations and maximize equipment longevity.

Professionals can utilize various new technologies to face increasing demands and challenges in the commercial glass industry.

Automation is reshaping the workforce landscape, necessitating quality control systems capable of maintaining peak efficiency with fewer experienced workers on the line. Amidst these shifts, the pursuit of higher throughput underscores the critical importance of advanced quality control solutions.…

Automation, after all, is being pushed as THE answer to problems large or small in all industries, right along with AI.  While these are powerful tools, utilizing them in the incorrect way will set you behind. By striking the right balance between automation and human involvement,…

A thorough and detailed inspection of architectural glass and the condition of glazing are vital in maintaining the safety and visual appeal of both commercial and residential structures.

The performance bar for commercial glass and glazing is always high, and it’s vital to minimize inconsistency during fabrication and installation.

Katy Devlin takes a kayak tour through a now-flooded former silica sand mine that provided the raw materials for the flat glass plant that sat atop it.

Hot indoor environments can be just as dangerous and fraught with avoidable heat safety misconceptions. Here are seven indoor heat safety myths to watch for. 

Continuous improvement is essential in any manufacturing environment. It’s the key to efficiency, quality and profitability.

For wall cladding, spandrel glazing and more, ceramic frit and silicone coatings are two ways to apply color onto glass. A good understanding of the two options can assist architects and building owners in determining which approach is better suited for a given application.

As the fenestration industry works through production backlogs, satisfying demand means more than simply getting orders out the door.

Ripple effects of the Baby Boomer generation retiring, compounded by a sizzling hot housing and labor market, drove average pay for non-managerial construction laborers up six percent from the same time in 2021, according to preliminary wage survey data released in February by the U.S. Bureau of…

Tubelite Inc. welcomed back Daniel Politowicz as its logistics manager serving all of the company's locations and personnel, including direct supervision of the company's shipping assistants.

Smart Factory and Industry 4.0; the internet of things (IoT) and the industrial internet of things (IIoT); digitalization and intelligentization; artificial intelligence (AI), radio frequency identification (RFID), enterprise resource planning (ERP); and so many others. While the vocabulary can get…

IG units can be provided with a compensation system that permits regulation of internal gas pressure. Several methods for compensating the IG unit cavity are described in the newly published IGMA TM-3200 manual, Design Considerations for IG Unit Cavity Pressure Compensation.

All parts of insulating glass manufacturing are important. But uncompromising quality on these three points can best help prevent unit failure.

Julia Asoni, senior director of youth engagement at the Manufacturing Institute, the social impact affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers, shared information and resources during the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance 2021 Virtual Summer Conference for companies to plan…

It’s not often the North American float glass industry welcomes a new plant, let alone an entirely new company, to the market. Learn more about Canadian Premium Sand's plans to start a float plant outside of Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

A glance at one economic indicator for glass industry leaders to track as they look to identify opportunities for growth and potential challenges ahead.

The Italian Trade Agency and GIMAV produced a dynamic digital publication highlighting glass machinery, equipment and tool solutions from leading Italian manufacturers. The dynamic and mobile-responsive digital publication highlights products from 22 companies, with videos, photos and additional…

A glass industry guide to adopting new software and digital technologies, for manufacturers and contractors.

We’re in a new era for manufacturing: three considerations for glass fabricators.

As the world reopens with new rules, we’re looking at a very different market than we were in January and February. While construction is down across many commercial sectors, there are still some areas of potential optimism, such as health care, industrial and education. Many forecasts also…

NSG Pilkington's Rossford, Ohio, plant includes two float glass lines, running 24/7. The long and rich history of the Rossford plant, traces the advancements of glassmaking in the U.S. Its current operations demonstrate the industry’s advancements over the decades.

Now that cases of coronavirus have increased across the country, and cities and states have instituted more extreme measures to control the spread, the construction and manufacturing sectors could be in for more serious disruptions. Some reports from across the industry:

Gone are the days when shop-glazed projects were only for large-scale buildings in big cities. Contractors are becoming more adept in prefabrication techniques, particularly for healthcare facilities, hospitality and multifamily projects, college buildings and dormitories, and residential.

The future factory features high-speed, efficient, automated machines whirring away, connected by the Internet of Things. Shop floor workers, rather than piecing together products with their hands and tools, are busy working with software to ensure that all processes are flowing as they should.…

The consequences for mishandling glass can include punctures, crush and strain injuries, severe cuts, amputations and even death. Observing proper glass handling techniques is a major aspect of safety in any workplace where large volumes of glass are handled daily.

The quality level of all manufactured goods assembled and delivered in the curtain wall supply chain flow downhill from design and engineering decision-making, whether good or bad. The assembled system of products that is a “curtain wall system” applied uniquely to each building type and layout is…

An automated insulating glass line at the Sedak, fabrication facilities. Photo courtesy of Quanex Building Products. Shipping high-quality products is the lifeblood of any glass manufacturer, but how we work toward that goal has changed in recent years. Between a skilled labor shortage, the…

Growing up, my dad was the king of do-it-yourself fixes. He used to say that, provided with enough duct tape and a hanger, he could create a quick, temporary repair for almost anything that went amiss around the house. Those handy DIY fixes, however, are not for the glass plant. Last week at the…

Editor’s note: This article is the first of a two-part series on inks and coatings. Read how to troubleshoot common problems with inks in the May 2013 issue. As the application possibilities for decorative glass continue to grow, so does the number of inks and coatings available. These inks and…

Editor’s note: This article is part one of a ‘how-to’ series on glass processing and finishing. In future issues, we’ll address topics such as: how to cut thick glass, glass bonding and corner cutouts, among others. Note, the photos used in this article are for demonstration purposes only. When…

  Structural glass plays a central role in many of the most recognizable buildings in the United States. The John Hancock building in Chicago, for example, features 16,000 windows on 100-stories. Whether the glass is curved, tinted or etched, the materials holding it in place must…