Call us at 888.619.2226

Glass watermark now available

/in , /by
Glass watermark now available

Glass watermark now available

Watermarks have been used in business for hundreds of years. The first watermark was used in the 13th century in Italy, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that watermarks became a standard tool in business. Watermarks were developed to authenticate stationery and other official paper documents created by or issued by a particular company. Last month, a Swiss company, called Nanoga, announced that it had perfected a way to place a watermark on glass.

Glass watermarking technique can also be used on ceramics, metal

The new watermarking technology is expected to be used on the face of expensive Swiss watches and other brand name electronics. The watermark is invisible under regular light, but becomes readily apparent under ultraviolet light. The glass watermarking technique was developed at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and can be used on glass, ceramics and metals.

The technique works using a process called vapor deposition, which applies the company’s patented chemical formulation onto the surface of the glass. Following deposition, the process uses lithographic printing to determine which areas of the coated glass will be activated under UV light. The lithographic printing can create an image that illuminates when struck by UV light. The watermark could consist of a logo, image, serial number, word or any other distinctive pattern. The result is known as a photonic watermark.

The technique is attractive to manufacturers of high-end goods because it doesn’t change the appearance of the finished product, and the watermark can be activated with an ordinary device. The devices uses to create the watermark are expensive, and the watermark itself relies on a patented concoction that counterfeiters are unlikely to have access to.

The deposited vapor, which serves as a basis for the watermarking technology is about 1/10,000th as thick as a human hair, so it is imperceptible under normal conditions. The process took about two years to develop, and some watchmakers have already expressed interest in incorporating watermarks into their products.

Glass coatings show a great deal of promise for many different applications. Glassprimer™ glass paint, for example, creates a permanent bond with glass surface. Glassprimer™ glass paint is also UV-resistant and exceptionally durable, even in challenging environments. If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: EPFL

Houston reboots glass recycling program

/in , /by
Houston reboots glass recycling program

Houston reboots glass recycling program

Earlier this year, Houston joined a growing number of US cities that scrapped their glass recycling program because the city’s recycling contractor, Waste Management, determined that it was no longer profitable to include glass in the City’s curbside recycling program. Last week, Houston’s mayor announced that it had reached an agreement with Strategic Materials, the largest glass recycler in North America, to collect Houston’s glass in a pilot program.

Pilot program seeks to re-energize glass recycling

According to the City, Strategic Materials has placed two containers in centralized collection areas for residents to drop off their unwanted container glass. Prior to dropping off the glass, residents are asked to rinse out the containers and remove any caps, lids or corks. Strategic Materials intends to place an additional eight containers in other parts of the city. The City of Houston also operates nine glass drop-off stations for residents who want to recycle container glass.

Under the pilot program with Strategic Materials, the City of Houston will not receive any revenue for the recycled glass, but the pilot offers residents who prefer to recycle glass a free option for safely disposing of container glass.

The issue of glass recycling has emerged in many cities, as they try to cope with the increase in volume of container glass their residents generate at the same time the worldwide demand for recycled container glass has dropped. The City of Houston saved about $2 million by eliminating container glass from the list of items accepted by its curbside recycling program.

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, about 28% of all container glass in the US is recycled, and 80% of the recycled glass comes from residential sources. In the absence of municipal container recycling programs, the agency estimates that more than 90% of container glass would end up in landfills.

About half of all states have at least one glass processing facility that can manage recycled container glass. For the states that don’t have processing facilities, that means paying extra to transport recycled glass to the nearest processing plant. That adds costs and reduces the already-slim margins involved in recycling glass. The issue of cost is significant, and few municipalities have come up with cost-effective methods for recycling container glass.

At the same time, glass has become an architectural staple for both interior and exterior design. If you’d like to see some inspiration for decorating with glass, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center , via Flickr.com

Glass sky slide opens in LA

/in , /by

Glass sky slide opens in LA

Glass sky slide opens in LA

What do you get when you combine the tallest building in Los Angeles with a 46-foot glass sky slide? You get a thrill ride unlike any other. The OUE Skyspace LA opened last month to visitors. The glass sky slide was constructed near the top of the U.S. Bank Tower, the tallest skyscraper in the city. The glass slide offers panoramic views of the city, and promises to be a big-city attraction like no other.

Glass sky slide aims to be key tourist attraction

The slide takes riders just one floor down – from the 70th floor to the 69th floor, but the slide is suspended nearly 1,000 feet in the air. The slide is constructed of 1.25″ thick glass panels on all sides and sends visitors into California’s largest open-air observation deck, which wraps around the 69th floor of the US Bank Tower.

Prospective sky riders can purchase tickets for the attraction online, and prices start at $27 for a single day, single visit admission for children between the ages of 5 and 12. Visitors over the age of 13 will pay $33 for a single-day admission ticket. The tickets are timed-entry, and give visitors access to the sky slide and all four floors of the Skyspace LA exhibit, including two outdoor observation decks. Visitors who can do without the thrill can purchase tickets for the Skyspace LA exhibit, sans the slide. Exhibit-only admission ticket range between $19 and $25.

A VIP experience ticket is also available, which allows visitors to arrive at their own convenience and ride the slide. Prices for VIP tickets start at $48. The space is also available for private rentals and can accommodate as many as 300 people at one time. The observation decks have a maximum capacity of 900 people.

The Skyspace attraction has been in the works for about a year. The US Bank Tower was purchased in 2013 by OUE Ltd., a Singapore-based firm. Originally called The Library Tower, the US Bank Tower was built in 1989 as a mixed-use retail and office space. Before the Library Tower opened, more than 80% of its space was rented to corporate clientele. It has recently fallen on hard times and its occupancy rate dropped to just about 50%, but OUE Ltd., is betting on a resurgence of the area surrounding the US Tower Building. The Skyspace attraction, including the glass slide and observation decks, is operated by Legends, an entertainment firm that also owns the New York Yankees major league baseball team and the Dallas Cowboys NFL franchise.

Landmark buildings in Chicago and New York City have offered glass observation deck access to visitors for years. Although the US Bank Tower is shorter than most observation decks in other cities, the geography of the area permits extensive views of the city. Under new management, and with significant investment in the building, occupancy rate is over 80%, and the building is ready to welcome visitors to the highest floors of the structure.

If you’re looking for more glass inspiration, please check out the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Joseph Engel , via Flickr.com

Turtle Beach Debuts Glass Directional Speakers

/in , /by
Turtle Beach Debuts Directional Glass Speakers

Turtle Beach Debuts Directional Glass Speakers

Turtle Beach, a manufacturer best known for gaming headsets, announced last month that it had developed directional speakers made from transparent glass. The company predicts that the glass speakers could be incorporated into desktop monitors and speakers, automobiles, and display equipment. According to Turtle Beach, the directional speakers could be used to enhance safety in automobiles by directing audible warnings directly at the driver.

Glass speakers can be incorporated into mobile devices

The new glass speakers generate a highly focused audio beam to listeners in a specific location. The company says that the technology, known as HyperSound, is similar to touchscreen glass, which incorporates multiple layers and electronic controls and sensors. HyperSound speakers feature a transparent film layered on top of thin glass, which facilitates a directable ultrasound beam.

The technology operates on low voltage, which makes it ideal for mobile and other low-power applications. Speaker panel size can be adapted to the application, meaning that the speakers can be incorporated into devices of various size.

Transparent glass speakers have a number of important commercial applications, too. Their specialty is creating a highly directional, focused beam of sound that remains clear over long distances. Because the beam is focused, applications can deliver sound to one person without disturbing others. This technology could be used to deliver information in a retail setting or a gallery. Directional audio could also be used to deliver warnings and advice. Turtle Beach envisions applications that include banking, entertainment, food service, health and fitness, hospitality, museums, retail, theme parks and trade shows.

According to the company, the glass speakers are already being tested in two different environments. Build-A-Bear Workshop is testing the HyperSound technology in its stores to provide audio at different workstations within the store. Turtle Beach also says that McDonald’s is conducting a pilot test of the technology in some of its restaurant to provide television audio at dining tables, which allows guests to watch video feeds at their tables without disturbing other diners in the area.

Glassprimer™ glass paint won’t provide directional sound, but it does offer an impressive array of color designed to be applied directly to glass surfaces. If you’re looking for design inspiration from glass, please view the rest of our website. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Turtle Beach

Iconic glass structures – Basque Health Dept

/in , /by
Iconic glass structures - Basque Health Department Headquarters

Iconic glass structures – Basque Health Department Headquarters

What do you do when you need to expand a building in Bilbao, but you’re confronted with a patchwork quilt of building codes that restrict what you can do with the building’s design? You design a double-skinned glass and steel addition. The outside of the Basque Health Department in Bilbao shows an exterior that meets the local building code requirements, and an interior that meets the needs of the building’s occupants.

Glass and steel construction offers energy efficiency

The quirky building extension, which is required to have setbacks, walls that conform to those of neighboring buildings, and a tower, was designed by Coll-Barreu Arquitectos and has quickly become a landmark structure. The original building was designed in 1862, and the original structure – along with its neighbors – was designed in the style of that time. The addition was proposed in 2003 – 2004 and construction began in December 2004. The project was completed in February 2008.

The double-façade approach comes with additional benefits beyond simply meeting local design requirements. The glass and steel façade significantly reduces street noise in the building, because the double skin acts as a sound insulator. It also improves the building’s fire safety and reduces solar heat gain in the working interior of the building, making the addition highly energy efficient. The seven-story addition sits atop a three-level underground parking lot.

The outer façade of the building has a folded, almost random appearance, and is made of glass and tubular steel. The exterior skin isn’t tightly sealed, which allows the space between the inner and outer façades to “breathe.” The angled exterior glass controls the ability of UV-radiation to penetrate the interior façade, which reduces the amount of heat that accumulates in the working structure during the day. The building also features a two-story glass atrium and a roof deck, both of which are used for meetings and events.

The exterior façade uses laminated glass made of three distinct layers – glass, a layer of PVB, and a layer of low-e SunGuard glass by Guardian Industries. The interior façade features double-paned windows made of float glass and low-e laminated Neutralite glass, also made by Guardian Industries.

The Basque Health Department features one interesting way to design with glass. You can also bring glass into your own living and working space. Glassprimer™ glass paint creates a wide variety of opportunities to put glass to work as a decorating surface in both residential and commercial settings. If you’re looking for glass inspiration, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Wojtek Gurak, via FreeImages.com

Smart glass may spur market

/in , /by
Smart glass may spur market

Smart glass may spur market

If you’ve sat in the sun inside a building, you know that full sun can heat up a building quickly. That accumulated heat, along with blinding glare, can make some spaces virtually unusable at certain times of the day. Smart glass proposes to change all of that.

Smart glass can reduce energy consumption

Smart glass is self-tinting glass that changes to increase reflectivity when the Sun is at its worst. Self-tinting glass isn’t new. It’s been used for years in small applications. New manufacturing technologies have vastly increased the size of smart glass panels, opening the glass up as an option for use in building construction.

Smart glass can be installed to reduce glare and minimize temperature increases inside a building. In addition, smart glass is active, so it changes its tint based on the solar conditions. Other options, like low-e glass do not change to meet conditions. Smart glass can reduce or eliminate the need for exterior shutters, shades and awnings to control sunlight entering the building.

So far, smart glass has found its greatest appeal in commercial buildings like hospitals, universities and office buildings. Analysts believe that the market for architectural smart glass will double or perhaps triple between 2014 and 2020. The glass is exceptionally interesting for construction applications. The Department of Energy estimates that buildings that use smart glass could reduce their energy consumption by nearly half, and lower their peak electricity demand by one-sixth.

With the glass, operating costs aren’t the only thing that could shrink. Buildings could use smaller HVAC systems, which would lower construction costs, mortgage costs and the cost of rent. The availability of smart glass could also have an impact on productivity. Studies have shown that virtually all workers perform better when they have a view of the outside.

Even though the windows offer superior energy efficiency, initial cost is still a barrier to more widespread adoption. The glass costs about $100 per square foot, but when compared to both its energy-saving potential, and the need to dress ordinary glass with curtains, shutters or blinds, the cost-benefit analysis often works in favor of smart glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers a cost-effective, UV-resistant option to create opaque or translucent glass, at about $1.00 per square foot. Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in a wide variety of colors, and can be color-matched to any major paint manufacturer’s paint palette. It bonds permanently with the glass and will not peel, fade or chip.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Wendy Lefkowich, via Flickr.com

Chinese researchers develop UV-absorbing glass

/in , /by
Chinese researchers develop UV-absorbing glass

Chinese researchers develop UV-absorbing glass

The damaging potential of UV-light is well know. UV light is the culprit behind sunburns, faded colors and material deterioration. A group of researchers in China may have discovered a glass-based compound that absorbs UV light before it can do damage. The UV-absorbing glass could be useful in space exploration, and preservation.

UV-absorbing compound could be used in glass, polymers

The glass compound is made from glass ceramics combined with cerium-IV oxide. Cerium-IV oxide naturally absorbs UV light. By combining it with transparent glass, the scientists were able to make UV-absorbing shields that can protect biological tissues as well as sensitive electronics that would otherwise be damaged by exposure to UV radiation.

The material can be produced in bulk form or as a film, making it suitable as a thin, long-lasting shield. In space, a radiation-absorbing coating could increase the functional lifetime of sensitive electronic equipment. Closer to home, the coating could help reduce tissue damage from UV light, and could also help preserve cultural artifacts or historically significant relics. The compound can also be combined with polymers to give them UV-blocking capabilities.

The scientists have not determined how long the UV-absorbing coating could last, but they intend to continue working on developing additional materials with UV-reducing properties.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers exceptional UV-resistance, which makes it suitable for use in areas that receive significant sunlight exposure. Glassprimer™ glass paint will not fade, peel or chip when applied according to manufacturer instructions. Glassprimer™ is warranted for interior use, however the paint can be applied to exterior surfaces, and will offer exceptional performance, even in high-UV conditions.

Glassprimer™ glass paint comes in a wide range of colors, and can be matched to the paint palette of virtually any paint manufacturer. This allows you to match household paints with Glassprimer™ glass paint without worrying about issues with color-matching.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Csaba Szabo, via FreeImages.com

Toledo glass makers concerned about closings

/in , /by
Toledo glass makers concerned about closings

Toledo glass makers concerned about closings

Art glass makers in Toledo, OH worry that they’ll be negatively affected by the closing of an art glass supplier in Washington State. Spectrum, which sells glass and supplies to glassmakers nationwide, announced last month that it intended to cease operations. Spectrum became the subject of an Environmental Protection Agency probe after officials noted a spike in the amount of heavy metals around the Spectrum furnace.

Art glass makers say future is in doubt

Spectrum had been operating in compliance with EPA emissions regulations. In a written statement announcing the closure, Spectrum CEO Craig Barker said, “Spectrum Glass Company has operated well within existing environmental guidelines and has been the only stained glass manufacturer to employ baghouse technology on furnace exhaust. Still, we have already accrued extraordinary, unanticipated expenses since the start of the EPA evaluation and cannot withstand additional investments of an unknown scale for an already faltering company.”

Spectrum’s closure leaves the future uncertain for Toledo’s art glass community. Producers worry that they will no longer be able to find specific supplies, or that the cost of making glass will exceed what they can recover from sales.

The Environmental Protection Agency became especially worried about emissions of specific metals from the plant, including cadmium. Cadmium is used to create red, yellow and orange glass. Cadmium is a known carcinogen. The EPA also noted increased amounts of lead around the plant, although residents who live in the area have not shown any increase in blood-lead levels.

Bullseye, a Portland-based glass manufacturer, also ceased manufacturing the supplies to make those colors after the EPA found elevated levels of cadmium in the air around Bullseye’s furnace. The company has reduced its output to just 20% of its regular production level in an attempt to comply with EPA emissions regulations. Findings at the plants in Oregon and Washington have triggered a nationwide review of glass plant emissions.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers an environmentally friendly, cost-effective way to apply color permanently to glass. Glassprimer™ requires no firing after application, and dries to a permanent cure in 24-72 hours.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Sergey Lebedev, via FreeImages.com

Bendable Gorilla Glass? Come on!

/in , /by
Bendable Gorilla Glass? Come on!

Bendable Gorilla Glass? Come on!

Recently, we’ve profiled Gorilla Glass and Vibrant Gorilla Glass. Corning, the manufacturer of Gorilla Glass – which virtually owns the mobile device market – says it may be able to deliver “bendable” Gorilla Glass to the market within 2-3 years.

Flexible glass displays already possible

The company is not willing to commit to a deliver schedule, but says that it’s working on creating reliable flexible glass displays, largely for wearable mobile devices. According to the company, flexible glass isn’t the major issue; the company can already make glass that’s thin enough to flex. To make a highly flexible mobile device work, flexible electronics and flexible batteries must also be part of the package.

Last month, China-based Chongqing Graphene Tech Co., known informally as the Moxi Group (pronounced mou-shee), says it’s getting ready to introduce a flexible touchscreen phone to the marketplace. That device uses a graphene display, rather than one made of flexible glass. The company says its first market product will have a black-and-white display, but it plans to introduce a full-color display by 2018. The expected price for the first product, which will hit the domestic market in the fourth quarter, will be about $750.

According to the Moxi Group, full color displays are more challenging, in part because of their increased power requirements. Color displays require more power. In a mobile device, that translates to improved battery performance. Either a flexible battery or a smaller, more powerful battery would need to be developed to provide acceptable performance for a highly flexible color display.

Samsung and LG both have “flexible” phones, but neither of those devices can be flexed as much as the device to be marketed by Moxi. Moxi Group’s device, which is a candy-bar style phone can be looped into a closed ring. Samsung says it will bring a highly flexible phone to the market in 2017. According to the company, that product is flexible enough to be rolled up and stored in a pocket.

Flexible batteries may be available in the near future. Cooperative research teams in the US, South Korea and China say they’ve developed a highly flexible solar battery for use in wearable electronic devices. The battery, which does not need to be charged, incorporates solar cells into a flexible silicone shell with a flexible copper matrix. The silicone shell makes the battery waterproof, and developers say it can be flexed into virtually any shape.

There’s no timetable on the availability of flexible glass, but if you need inspiration for decorating with non-flexible glass, please check out the rest of the Glassprimer™ glass paint site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .
Photo Credit: Moxi Group

Fire resistant glass fraud lands two in court

/in , /by
Fire resistant glass fraud lands two in court

Fire resistant glass fraud lands two in court

A Toomebridge father and son duo appeared in front of a judge last month in Northern Ireland to answer charges that they fraudulently claimed glass they’d sold was fire-resistant. Seamus and James Laverty, the latter of whom was the former safety director for Glassworks Ireland, are alleged to have supplied ordinary laminated glass to nearly 40 commercial installations, while representing that the glass was fire-resistant.

Fake fire resistant glass ended up in schools, hospitals

The Lavertys are alleged to have misrepresented the glass to schools, hospitals, nursing homes, churches, universities and businesses throughout the UK between 2010 and 2013. The case will be a complex one, because each of the allegedly fraudulent glass must be tested to determine its fire-safety potential.

Fire resistant glass is required in some commercial buildings. It can provide occupants with valuable time to escape during a fire. Fire resistant glass is most commonly used (and required) in Europe. The total market for fire resistant glass is expected to approach $6B by 2019 and has an estimated annual growth rate of more than 12.5%.

Fire resistant glass has a current market potential of about $50 million in North America, but the market is expected to grow as new building regulations come into effect. Increasingly, fire resistant glass – which had been primarily marketed for fireplaces – is being required in building stairwells, since they are the primary escape route for buildings on fire. Most fire-resistant glass is currently manufactured in Europe and shipped to North America for installation. Not surprisingly, European regulations and North American regulations on the use of fire –resistant glass differ.

Fire resistant glass is about 15 times thicker than regular glass and 5-6 times heavier. The characteristics of the finished glass require significant changes to the machinery used to manufacture it. A benefit of fire-resistant glass is that it can provide as much as 120 minutes of fire-resistance, which can provide ample time to evacuate a commercial structure.

Glassprimer™ glass paint offers a thermal resistance of about 350° F, but building fires typically generate temperatures of about 1,000° before “flashover,” and as high as 1,800° F after flashover, when a building is fully engulfed in flames.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Fire Door Inspection Scheme, via Flickr.com