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Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico

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Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico


Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico

Uroboros, one of the Portland glass furnaces at the center of a controversy regarding toxic heavy metal emissions, has been sold to a California company that intends to move the company to Mexico. Owner Eric Lovell had previously said that the company would close in early 2017, because it was unable to cope with new exhaust filtration requirements.

The new regulations were put into place after officials from the State of Oregon and the US Environmental Protection Agency discovered high levels of toxic metals around the plant. Bullseye Glass, another Portland glass furnace, has installed a massive new filtration system designed to capture toxic heavy metals before they escape the company’s plant.

Bullseye and Uroboros are two major suppliers of colored art glass in the United States. Since the discovery of the plants’ emissions, the US EPA has been conducting tests at other furnaces around the country to determine whether they should comply with EPA emissions regulations. Prior to the discovery of high levels of toxic emissions, the furnaces were exempt from meeting EPA regulations because they were not believed to be in continuous operation.

The furnaces voluntarily reduced production of certain colors of glass to reduce their toxic emissions to acceptable levels prior to installing pollution control systems.

Uroboros was purchased by Oceanside Glasstile, which will move all of Uroboros’ operations to a facility in Tiajuana. According to Lovell, the Portland facility will begin a staged shutdown on February 1. Bullseye Glass will continue to operate, having recently completed the installation of a bag filtration system that will reduce the plant’s toxic emissions to nearly zero. Bullseye increased its production levels late this year, but is now addressing concerns about increased selenium emissions, and additional groundwater contamination stemming from rainwater runoff from the facility’s roof.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: born 1945, via Flickr.com

3D Glass printing may emerge in 2017

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3D Glass printing may emerge in 2017

3D Glass printing may emerge in 2017

An Israeli company, Micron 3DP may deliver a 3-D glass printer for alpha-testing sometime in 2017. The unusual characterization of glass – a not-quite-liquid solid or a not-quite-solid liquid – may make it an ideal medium for 3D printing.

Programmable printing devices may find use in a wide range of applications, from scientific to artistic. Glass is liquid at high temperatures, and artisans have used this to craft glass into virtually any shape. Being able to “print” a glass object on demand, however, hasn’t been tried.

In 2015, Micron 3DP claimed credit for being the first to “print” with molten glass. The resulting product isn’t the highly transparent, smooth-finished delicate glass that you’d see coming out of an artisan’s shop. Instead, the products are made from precisely coiled, small streams of molten glass, that are painstakingly looped on top of each other to make the final 3-D form. The resulting product is very solid – more like a glass paperweight than a piece of fine stemware.

Nonetheless, the ability to print glass objects is attractive to those who require specialized glassware to complete their work. Micron 3DP promises that the new printer can deliver much more sophisticated pieces made from conventional soda-lime materials. The improvement comes thanks to the new printer’s ability to work with molten glass at a thickness of 100 microns. Previous glass printing was limited to material that was about 4,000 microns thick.

The much finer control provides a finished product that is more densely packed and far more transparent than earlier attempts at 3D glass printing. In addition, the fineness of the molten glass medium as it leaves the printer will allow the device to make much more delicate objects.

The current printer is limited to making objects no bigger than a standard pint glass, but future improvements could lead to devices that can print larger products.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Samuel Huron, via Flickr.com

Under-glass scanner could make all-glass phone

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Under-glass scanner could make all-glass phone

Under-glass scanner could make all-glass phone

Apple, Galaxy, Samsung and other mobile phone manufacturers have been promoting new all-glass versions of their products that are currently in development. One of the challenges they face is getting rid of the home button, which takes up valuable real estate on the front face of the phone.

New under-glass scanners may be the key to saying goodbye to the button. Instead of going for the home button, the phones may include an under-glass scanner than provides touch-based control of the phone. Synaptics announced an in-glass scanner earlier this year, that was designed to work with a glass surface at least .3 mm thick.

At that thickness, the device will work only with the scanner in a fixed location on the screen. Essentially, that limitation requires the scanner to be an analog for the home button. The button is gone, but the user must still return to the scanner’s fixed location to authenticate and issue secure controls.

Synaptic announced earlier this month a new evolution of the under-glass scanner. The latest version works with a glass thickness of .1mm, and that’s thin enough to be used in mobile phones and other hand-held devices. It’s also thin enough to enable the under-glass scanner to be incorporated into the lighted display area of the phone.

Future designs will eventually be able to authenticate the user from anywhere on the surface of the screen, creating the much-desired but not-yet-available edge-to-edge phone. The under-glass scanner that recognizes and authenticates the user from anywhere is still a few design generations away, but it’s definitely closer to the store shelves than it was earlier this year.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Jose Luis Agapito, via Flickr.com

Glass insulator may advance stainless steel use

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Glass insulator may advance stainless steel use

Glass insulator may advance stainless steel use

Some materials are undeniably attractive. Others are undeniably useful. Stainless steel is one of those materials that is both. But that doesn’t mean stainless steel is ideal for all circumstances. Stainless steel is extremely resistant to corrosion, but it’s also highly conductive, so insulating the contents of a stainless steel container is exceptionally important. That’s where ceramic glass insulation comes into play.

Being able to seal the stainless steel completely with ceramics is tricky, because heat is often used to attach the ceramic insulators to the stainless steel. Glass and stainless steel behave very differently in the presence of heat. Glass ceramics are brittle and stainless steel expands rapidly.

Researchers at the Sandia National Laboratory have developed a technique that can help bond glass ceramics and stainless steel together in a way that doesn’t put the ceramics at risk of shattering. By doping the ceramics with an oxidizing agent that reacts with alloys in the stainless steel at the point of ceramic contact, they can gradually build a strong bond between the two materials.

The team tested about two dozen different oxidants before determining the two that performed the best. Their goal was to allow the oxidant interfacing to expand at a rate that was similar to the stainless steel. By manipulating the reaction, the scientists could protect the glass during the bonding process, and limit or eliminate the possibility of shattering.

The team intends to continue research to determine whether the technique can be applied to bonding processes in other dissimilar materials. If they’re successful, their work could be used in energy, aerospace and electronics.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Chris D 2006, via Flickr.com

More cities curbing glass recycling

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More cities curbing glass recycling

More cities curbing glass recycling

Glass is a hard sell in the recycling world. Many cities are removing glass from the list of accepted materials in their curbside recycling programs. Without recycling, that leaves a limited number of options for discarded container glass. In some respects, Coeur d’Alene, ID is ahead of the curve on this issue. They’ve landfilled glass directly for nearly a decade.

North Idaho doesn’t have any glass recycling facilities, and shipping Coeur d’Alene’s containers elsewhere for recycling is too expensive. According to city officials, the closest recycling facilities are in Oregon or across the border in Canada. As a compromise, the city’s new waste hauler plans to crush the container glass it collects and use it as landfill cover. Curbside collection of glass is still off the table, but the waste hauler will place collection containers around the city where residents can deposit their containers.

Once the glass is crushed, it will be used as a daily cover for the city’s landfill, to cut down on odors, trap gases from decay, and discourage trash-scattering by the wind, rodents and birds. Some of the crushed glass could also be recycled, if the company can find a buyer and develop a transportation strategy. Crushed glass, known as cullet, could also make its way into paving materials as a replacement for potash.

A small, members-only recycling company in Coeur d’Alene takes containers and accepts donations from members. The company sorts and crushes the glass, and returns it to members, who use it in a variety of ways, including landscaping, artwork and construction. Currently, that group is limited by the size of their facility, and say that if they had more space, they could accept more of the city’s waste glass.

Spokane, WA is also among the growing number of US cities that is landfilling glass. The city, which switched to single-stream recycling in 2012, contracts with Waste Management to provide recycling services. The company says it can’t find enough interested buyers in waste glass to make a profit on the material.

In the past, Spokane has used pulverized glass in road construction, but the amount needed for those projects is far less than the city collects. So for now, the glass will be pulverized and used as landfill cover, while the city continues to look for more environmentally responsible outlets for container glass.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: H. Kopp, via Flickr.com

Chattanooga Votes To Replace Glass Bridge with Stainless Steel

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Chattanooga Votes To Replace Glass Bridge with Stainless Steel

Chattanooga Votes To Replace Glass Bridge with Stainless Steel

The Chattanooga City Council voted earlier this month to replace the glass panels in the Holmberg bridge with slip-resistant stainless steel panels. The push to remodel the pedestrian walkway, which was opened in 2005, is in response to the City’s annual $10,000-$20,000 expenditures to replace cracked and broken glass along the surface of the bridge.

The bridge consists of 86 glass panels, but they won’t all be replaced right away. Instead, initial replacement contract will cover just twelve sections. Additional stainless steel replacements will be added as needed, and as the City budget permits.

City engineers say that the glass panels are simply prone to breakage. According to the Public Works Department, the City has replaced 51 glass panels since 2009. The City has been looking for alternatives to the current glass materials since 2013, hoping to find another transparent material that was more robust. The City settled on a stainless steel solution after consulting with materials specialists from around the country.

The bridge was named to honor Ruth and William Holmberg, former publishers of the Chattanooga Times newspaper. The Holmbergs were ardent supporters of the arts, and the bridge draws people to the Bluff View Arts District, and provides pedestrian access over Riverview Parkway.

Although the panels consist of multiple layers of laminated glass, the City found that the middle layer of the panel consistently broke. Engineers believe that vandalism, changes in the weather, and unusual wear-and-tear from skateboarders and cyclists is responsible for the ongoing breakage issues. The City anticipates that the entire walking surface of the bridge could be overhauled in 1-2 years.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Larry Miller , via Flickr.com

Chinese Auto Glass Manufacturer Outsources Jobs

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Chinese Auto Glass Manufacturer Outsources Jobs

Chinese Auto Glass Manufacturer Outsources Jobs

In a twist, a Chinese auto glass manufacturing firm has moved 2,000 jobs from its Chinese facilities to a former General Motors assembly plant in Moraine, OH. The Fuyao Glass Industry Group, owned by Chinese billionaire Cao Dewang, reopened the plant in October and could add as many as 1,000 more workers in the coming months.

The Moraine, OH assembly plant had produced small trucks and SUVs, including the S-10, the GMC Envoy and the Chevrolet TrailBlazer. GM idled the facility in 2008, and Fuyao Glass Industry Group purchased it in 2014.

The company, which supplies auto glass for both General Motors and Volkswagen, found it less expensive to manufacture glass in the United States than to manufacture it in China and ship it to the United States.

The company reported profits of $370 million in 2015. Dewang made the difficult decision to move the company’s North American operations to Moraine in response to what he characterized as China’s high taxes and high labor costs.

In addition to reducing Dewang’s overall costs, the move may shield the company from onerous tariffs being considered by the incoming Trump administration. Fuyao Glass has invested more than $1B in its US operations.

Glass is typically produced locally in relation to the manufacturer’s target market, so it’s not entirely surprising that Fuyao Glass would want a North American production facility. Producing glass locally allows the manufacturer to reduce its transportation costs, improve transportation logistics and respond more easily to market demand.

According to Dewang, he pays about 35% more in taxes on his facilities in mainland China than he does on his facilities in the United States. Additionally, the Chinese government has increased social welfare payments and value-added taxes on manufacturing firms. Dewang says that wages in the US are about 8 times higher than the wages he pays to workers in China, but the tax assessments increase his overall costs for Chinese manufacturing.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: Truck PR, via Flickr.com

Could “bendable” glass lead to a folding glass phone?

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Could "bendable" glass lead to a folding glass phone?

Could “bendable” glass lead to a folding glass phone?

The goal of making smart phones lighter and more flexible could be one step closer to reality, thanks to bendable glass. Samsung first introduced bendable glass at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2013. So far, that hasn’t led to foldable glass phones, but some industry experts think that the company could put a foldable glass phone on the market in 2017.

Samsung isn’t the only technology company that’s interested in foldable glass. Apple has long been rumored to be considering the development of a bendable glass phone. The company is already working on an all-glass version of the iPhone.

The goal is to create a foldable device that’s the size of a phone when folded, and the size of a tablet when it is opened up. Such a phone would use OLED technology, and would more than likely feature a curved screen.

Samsung has already introduced a curved glass phone to the market, in the form of the company’s Galaxy S7 Edge, but the company says that its consumer research shows that the end user values the size of a standard phone, but welcomes the extra real estate the phone offers.

The allure of glass has also charmed Apple, which is working on the all-glass iPhone. The company is expected to release the iPhone 8 in late 2017 or early 2018, but there’s no indication that the iPhone 8 will be foldable, or that it will include bendable glass of any kind.

Bendable glass isn’t exactly new. Fiber optic cabling is bendable to some extent, though it’s certainly not foldable. Bendable glass allows designers to create a screen, something that’s never been done before, and it may allow them to create a complete foldable design that provides the form of a standard smart phone that’s expandable to a functional tablet when desired.

Certainly, there are smartphones of varying sizes, but the size of a phone (or a tablet) determines its functionality. If a tablet surface is too small to type, for example, its functionality – and therefore its appeal – is limited. Nothing is announced as far as products or even projects, but it’s worthwhile to note that Samsung has already shown bendable glass. It makes sense that consumers will be seeing that on the market sooner rather than later.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For 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: MomentiMedia, via Flickr.com

New twist on graffiti snares 29 businesses

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New twist on graffiti snares 29 businesses

New twist on graffiti snares 29 businesses

Last month, nearly 30 Berkeley, CA businesses were hit by graffiti of a very different kind. Usually, a spray can is a graffiti artist’s tool of choice. Two teenagers, who were eventually arrested, instead etched the glass windows of 29 businesses in the course of a single night.

Surveillance video captured the pair of vandals doing their worst to display windows along a several-block stretch of Solano Avenue. Police say the teens used an etching tool to inscribe the windows with graffiti, obscenities and the name “Felipe” which police say is most likely a “tag” for one of the teens.

The teens damaged the storefronts on the day before Thanksgiving, which caught may storeowners by surprise. The etched glass cannot be repaired. It must be replaced at a significant cost. Some of the damage may not be covered by insurance. Some policies specifically exclude damage to glass. In that case, the glass will need to be replaced out-of-pocket.

A witness to the graffiti spree called 911 at 2:16 AM, and police arrived in time to apprehend one of the vandals after a short chase. The other vandal was arrested a couple of hours later. The juveniles were released to the custody of their parents, but they now face felony vandalism charges as a result.

Repairing glass often involves replacing the damaged glass. Surface damage on glass is significant because it can ultimately lead to the failure of the glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint doesn’t repair glass, but it is specially modified to bond permanently to the surface of glass without weakening it.

Glassprimer™ glass paint can be used in both interior and exterior applications. It is a low-VOC compound and comes in both oil- and water-based formulations. Either preparation offers easy clean-up, and can be used safely indoors.

Glassprimer™ glass paint will not chip, fade or peel, even in direct sunlight. It’s exceptional UV resistance means that it can also block light waves that generate unwanted heat. If you would 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: Susan Sermoneta, via Flickr.com

Porous glass may help deliver medicine

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Porous glass may help deliver medicine

Porous glass may help deliver medicine

We live in an active age of drug discovery. Pharmaceutical research has led to the development of a high number of medicines to treat temporary and permanent conditions. The idea of “popping a pill” to cure a disease or relieve a condition is attractive, but the human body has built in systems to frustrate the delivery of drugs. One daunting environment is the human stomach. Stomach acids and other digestive juices often change or even destroy pills before their contents can be delivered. Enter the porous glass microsphere.

The small intestines are responsible for a great deal of nutritional absorption, but to get there, one must pass through the stomach, with all of its hideously destructive acids. One clever way to ensure that drugs make it into the small intestines intact is the time-honored “timed-release” delivery. Drugs are specially coated to survive the trip through the stomach. The coating breaks down eventually, but hopefully not before the cargo reaches its target.

But again – there is some variability in the way the stomach works. Digestion really isn’t time-dependent. The stomach can empty its contents into the small intestines much sooner or much later than expected. In either case, the drug doesn’t get delivered in the right amount. Either the time-release coating isn’t broken down or it broke down before reaching the small intestines.

Porous glass microspheres can help control the time-release of a drug. They can be created using several different materials, including bioactive glasses, ceramics, biopolymers and silicates. These structures have small cavities that can hold a precious pharmaceutical payload. When encapsulated in a glass microsphere, drugs can better survive the stomach, and offer a better time-release mechanism. This leads to a more reliable way to deliver drugs at the right time and in the right place. It can also protect drugs from naturally occurring substances in the GI tract that might bind with a drug and make it unavailable to the body.

One of the desirable characteristics of the glass microspheres is that they float! They can pass easily through the digestive tract and offer better timed-release performance. Glass microspheres won’t help with drugs that are likely to break down in acid, but they can assist in delivering timed-release drug therapies.

Photo Credit: Savannah River Site, via Flickr.com