Tecnoglass changes all tempering furnaces over to Glaston FC500

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Reference Case Tecnoglass
Tecnoglass changes all tempering furnaces over
toGlaston FC500
Choice of architects and consultants
In a recent blind test of glass manufacturers in
New York City, Tecnoglass of Colombia beat out
its competitors by makinga real impact on
architects and consultants with the glass quality
it delivered as part of the bidding process.
Tecnoglassdelivered visibly superior quality,
thanks to its investment in a Glaston FC500
tempering furnace. An order for anadditional
five more FC500 furnaces followed when
Tecnoglass decided to change all its furnaces
over to the worldsmost modern technology.
Newest fleet of furnaces
elative newcomer to themanufacturing of
tempered,
appreciated, states Christian Daes,Owner and
Managing Director of Tecnoglass
in the world
A
laminated, insulated, silk screened
. Jose Manuel Daes
and curved glass. Tecnoglass wasfounded in April
1994 in Barranquilla onthe northern coast of
Colombia along theCaribbean Sea. This location
has provenideal when reaching outside its
bordersThe US has become a major market forthe
company over the past few years, aswell as
countries in Central and SouthAmerica, and
beyond.
The decision to change over to the GlastonFC500
tempering furnace was quite
Today, the Tecnoglass facilities in Colombiaspan
over 1.2 million sq. ft. and include aglass
manufacturing and finishing facility,an aluminum
facility and a glazing companywith its own
facilities. Manufacturing is
straightforward. Christian Daes explainsWhen
we saw the new furnace about twoyears ago at a
show, we decided to testone. The furnace
features major tech-
controlled from the beginning to end toensure
superb quality for a very diverse
nology changes. For example, quenchmarks on the
glass have been completelyeliminated.
portfolio of glass products that are designedfor
extremely demanding use, such as
meeting the challenging building regulationsin
hurricane areas along the Gulf of
Mexicocoastlines. The company also has a sales
We have been very impressed with thehigh
quality of the machines. Also thecompany
provided us with a tremendousamount of support
when we first beganour production, which we
really
The results from our tests were so goodthat we
decided to change all of our
furnaces over to the FC500 to have themost
modern fleet of furnaces in the
and technical support office in Miami toserve
customers in the US.
world, he continues with pride.
Christian T. Daes, Tecnoglass
The results from our tests were so good that we
decided to change all of our furnace
FC500 to have the most modern fleet of furnaces
in the world
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Our customers are placing more importance on the
quality ofthe glass. They demand negligible
distortion and minimal glassiridescence. For us
to keep growing at the same pace as weredoing
now, we need to know that our equipment is up to
thechallenge. The new Glaston FC500 furnaces
are giving us thatedge to move ahead
Easy control with iControL
We couldnt believe it!
The first Glaston FC500 furnace wasinstalled in
November 2011, and the secondone was installed
at the end of 2012. Fouradditional furnaces are
scheduled forinstallation and commissioning in
March,April, June and September 2013.
Each Glaston FC500 furnace is equippedwith the
advanced iControL automationsystem, which
features an intuitive
The furnaces have been a big success forus
financially. Our customers really noticethe
difference in quality, which is extreme-ly
important to us, Christian says.
touchscreen user interface, easy recipesharing,
and fast furnace adjustments toprocess a wide
range of glass.
He goes on Just recently, we were invitedto
participate in a blind test in New Yorkwith some
of our fiercest competitors. Thepanel of top
architects and consultants
Armando says that the man-machineinterface is
very easy to understand andconvenient. His
operators were able toquickly learn and take
advantage of thefeatures.
Giant leap forward in glass
quality and energy efficiency
for the project chose our glass because ofthe
superior quality. We couldnt believe it!From
all the contenders, Tecnoglass wasby far the
smallest.
Glastons FC500 has created the indus-trys new
standard for optical quality andglass
distortion. During development,
Support in all
engineers focused on minimizing theiridescence
phenomenon of heat-treatedglass with new
technologies for bothheating and quenching the
glass. Theresults have enabled a giant leap
forwardin final soft-coated glass quality and in
thelines energy efficiency.
Christian T. Daes is convinced, however,that the
decision to make Tecnoglass theworlds leader
when it comes to the mostsophisticated equipment
for high qualityglass has been right on target.
After installation, Glaston staff has beenable
to provide us with all the support andtraining
that weve needed, Armando
praises. We have always had accessto the right
technical person who couldanswer our questions.
The furnace hasa VPN connection that makes it
easy fortechnicians to review any problems, if
Our customers are placing moreimportance on the
quality of the glass.They demand negligible
distortion andminimal glass iridescence. For us
to keepgrowing at the same pace as were
doingnow, we need to know that our equipmentis
up to the challenge. The new GlastonFC500
furnaces are giving us that edgeto move ahead,
he concludes.
The optical distortion is very low in clearand
Low-E glass, says Armando
required. This enables the Glaston Finlandstaff
to work directly online and allow theirexperts
to solve any difficulties immediately.
Del Vecchio, Technical Manager at Tecno-glass.
We also notice a significant
decrease in quench marks because of thespecial
chiller nozzle design.
He also appreciates the fact that Glaston
hasstock for all spare parts on hand.
Whenevertheres a need, the part is sent
immediately.
Christian comments Were also impressedby the
furnace efficiency with lower energyconsumption
figures and the overall glassquality. Glaston
FC500 increases
Glastons highly trained staff help us notonly
with machine issues, they also work
with us to create new recipes and even teachus
how to move into new glass types to
production capacity by up to 40 while
con-suming 30 less energy of a
conventionaltempering furnace.
increase our productivity, he comments onthe
attentive support.
For more information, please contact us
Tel [phone], info_at_glaston.net,
www.glaston.net
Copyright 2013 Glaston Corporation