Laminated Glazing - A Glass Manufacturers Perspective

Dr. A.C.Woodward, M.Greenall

During the last few years there has been increasing interest in the use of laminated glazing all around the vehicle. The driving force has been mainly from a security aspect, however laminated glazing opens up significant new product opportunities which have benefits in a number of environmental and safety areas. It is predicted that the move to laminated glazing could be rapid once the overall benefits are recognised more widely. This paper looks at the manufacturing challenges that face the glass supplier in moving from toughened to laminated products for side and rear glazings. The manufacturing process route is analysed to illustrate the significant changes that are necessary to meet the product specification from a shape complexity, fragility, weight, optical quality and tolerance point of view. The paper also hopes to illustrate that the manufacturing cost penalty for laminated glazings is advantageously offset by creating opportunities for advanced product performance specifications.

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