Antonio Mazzaroppi, Autore presso Mazzaroppi

Are there glass tempering furnaces that are easy to use?

This is one of the greatest fears of companies and glassworks that want to invest in a glass tempering furnace: to invest in a machine that costs a lot of money and then find that it is too difficult to use.

The risk is that you will lose what you have spent on the investment and will not even have the funds to employ specialist staff, or even to enable your staff to attend specialist courses to enable them to use the hardening furnace to its full potential.

Those who buy a glass tempering furnace do so to give their business an extra boost, so it is essential to make the most of it to give it a competitive edge.

Are there glass tempering furnaces that can be used by non-specialists? Fortunately, yes. And they also guarantee top quality performance and reduced environmental impact.

How easy is it to use a tempering furnace?

The general shortage of skilled labour has affected all manufacturing sectors in recent years and even companies of all sizes working in the glass sector have often found themselves having to employ staff who are not fully trained and experienced in working with this material.

This is where the technological equipment of the glassworks can come to the rescue, so that even a new operator can easily master the use of very sophisticated machinery, such as tempering furnaces.

A furnace of this type, whatever its size, can indeed be designed and built in a user-friendly way: the ‘secret’ lies in the machine management software.

Today, intelligent software is available that is able to regulate and manage the operation of the furnace almost automatically, based on a few commands from the operator.

Furnaces equipped with this type of software are integrated in the context of Industry 4.0 and are therefore designed to improve the productivity of the company, the quality of the products produced and the working conditions of the operators.

Based on advanced algorithms, the easy-to-use management software is able to automatically calculate the most efficient way to achieve the desired result, without requiring any special or in-depth knowledge on the part of the operator.

Two other important benefits of advanced management software

Advanced software not only makes it easier to communicate with the furnace, it completely revolutionises its performance, delivering exceptional operational benefits.

One of the first benefits is certainly energy saving, as these software packages are designed to optimise the consumption of the machines by reducing energy absorption peaks. For example, there is software that can detect the areas of the furnace occupied by the glass plate and heat only those precise areas accordingly, without wasting energy.

And then there is another important operational benefit: thanks to the software, maintenance of the quenching furnace is also simplified and will be less frequent because it is continuously monitored and it is easier to detect if something is wrong and to take timely action on the critical issue.

Advanced software can therefore greatly simplify the management of a complex piece of machinery such as a glass tempering furnace. However, it is essential that all the know-how of the manufacturing company is incorporated into the programming of this software, as this is the only way to adapt the furnace to the needs of the customer.

Mazzaroppi tempering furnaces, for example, are the most energy-efficient solutions for glass tempering: thanks to innovative proprietary technologies, they can consume up to 70% less energy than other furnaces, while maintaining very high performance and ease of use. What’s more, we guarantee all our customers in-depth training and coaching to learn how to get the most out of their Mazzaroppi furnace.

Would you like to equip your company or glassworks with a tempering furnace, but are you afraid that it will be too complex to operate or that it will consume too much energy? Give us a call and you will be amazed at what we can do for you!

ASK FOR FREE A MAZZAROPPI ENERGY SAVING CHECK

Antonio Mazzaroppi

CEO Mazzaroppi Engineering Srl

Antonio Mazzaroppi
23 March 2024

Glass tempering furnaces: five myths to dispel

There are many companies and glassworks that could revolutionise their business by equipping themselves with their own glass tempering furnace. But they often decide not to take this step.

Why not? In most cases, this choice is due to a number of misconceptions that portray quenching furnaces as machines that are only suitable for large companies and that require an exorbitant investment, both in terms of purchase and daily use.

While this may have been true in the past, there are now many innovations in the world of glass tempering that are revolutionising the old concept of these furnaces.

1) A small glasswork does not have the space to install a tempering furnace > WRONG

This may have been true in the past, but today there are tempering furnaces designed to meet the needs of a small to medium sized glassworks.

They are characterised by a more compact design, which allows them to fit into the smallest of spaces. For example, Mazzaroppi’s TP Compact is only 15-19 metres long, so it can fit into a normal laboratory.

2) Installing a hardening furnace always requires expensive masonry work > WRONG

This too is a belief that has been overtaken by the latest innovations.

There are models, such as the TP Compact by Mazzaroppi, that have been designed to avoid the need for brickwork: this compact oven can even be installed in the middle of the glassworks workshop without the need for a supporting wall.

This makes the installation of the new machinery much easier and less costly, as no demolition or renovation work is required.

3) Installing a tempering furnace always requires upgrading your electrical system > WRONG

Fortunately, this is no longer the case: there are indeed solutions that can operate with a 200-kW cabin!

Some quenching furnaces equipped with energy efficiency technologies can reduce cabin costs by up to 70%.

4) Tempering furnace consumption is always high and therefore not a worthwhile investment > WRONG

It is true that glass tempering requires energy. But the latest innovations on the market make it possible to reduce the consumption of annealing furnaces in ways that were unthinkable until recently.

In fact, Mazzaroppi furnaces can save up to 70% of energy compared to other competing solutions, while maintaining very high glass tempering performance.

How can you save so much on your energy bills? Thanks to special technologies designed to optimise the energy efficiency of installations.

For example, the Start&Stop technology, which allows the ovens to be switched off every night so that they can be heated up very quickly the next morning. Or those based on multi-zone control systems, designed to heat only the areas occupied by the glass pane, without wasting energy where it is not required, but concentrating it where it is needed.

Therefore, by choosing a technologically advanced oven, it is possible to reduce energy consumption and pay back your initial investment more quickly.

5) Hardening furnaces depreciate quickly > WRONG

This is the fear that every entrepreneur has before making a major investment: “What if this machine is no longer worth anything in a short time?

Fortunately, this fear is unnecessary when it comes to heat-treatment furnaces, provided that you choose a model that offers certain guarantees. In fact, there are ovens that guarantee a residual value of up to 40% after 10 years of use: these are models that are made with top-quality materials, assembled with the greatest care, and meticulously tested before delivery.

By choosing such a model and, of course, not neglecting the maintenance of the system, you can ensure that the tempering furnace will have an average life of more than 30 years. And if the needs of your company or glassworks change, you can consider upgrading the furnace before considering the purchase of a new machine.

Innovation in the world of glass tempering is continuous and evolving, both in the direction of guaranteeing ever higher performance and in the direction of reducing consumption. This is why it is now possible to guarantee amazing energy performance by choosing the tempering furnace model that best suits your needs.

Mazzaroppi’s solutions are the most energy-efficient in the sector, thanks to the know-how acquired and deepened over decades of activity and to the continuous study of new technologies able to respond to the precise needs of companies.

Would you like to know how much money and energy you could save with a Mazzaroppi quenching oven?
Ask for your Energy Saving Check now and we will tell you, free of charge and without obligation, how much your costs could drop with an energy efficient solution.

ASK FOR FREE A MAZZAROPPI ENERGY SAVING CHECK

Antonio Mazzaroppi

CEO Mazzaroppi Engineering Srl

Antonio Mazzaroppi
16 February 2024

What characteristics should a tempering furnace for a small/medium-sized glassworks have?

The lack of autonomy in production and the inability to handle more orders are among the reasons that slow down the growth of small and medium-sized glassworks.

The simplest solution to be more autonomous and serve more customers is certainly to purchase a glass tempering furnace and thus manage the processing in-house, without having to submit to the time frames and prices imposed by external suppliers.

It is not true that only large companies can equip themselves with a glass tempering furnace. For a medium/small glasswork, this type of machinery can really make a difference, but a wrong purchase can even sink a craft enterprise.

That is why it is essential to choose a model that is designed precisely for the needs of a small company. What does a tempering furnace have to guarantee to support a small glasswork in its growth?

Investment Protection

The performance of the furnace is obviously essential to ensure that the glassworks can do the work it no longer wishes to outsource. But since this type of machinery is not purchased every day, it is also essential to pay attention to the economic aspect.

A small/medium-sized glassworks must therefore purchase a furnace that not only requires an initial outlay that is not excessive, but above all that can guarantee both a long service life and a good residual value after several years of use.

Opting for a product made from first-rate materials by an experienced and qualified company is certainly a great way to protect your investment and quickly turn it into profit.

Optimisation of glassworks space and equipment

Choosing a tempering furnace model that does not take up excessive floor space is very important for glassworks that do not have very large rooms.

There are plenty of models that may even offer acceptable performance, but which require brickwork for their installation and are very difficult to move: these are definitely not for a medium/small glasswork.

Attention must also be paid to the electrical installation. Many glassworks have a 200kW electrical cabinet, and the installation of a tempering furnace may require an extension, which involves extra costs and often long months of waiting. That still delays the commissioning of the furnace and therefore the time when the glass can be tempered completely independently.

But there are also exceptions, such as Mazzaroppi’s TP Compact: a super-compact, high-performance oven that can even be installed in the middle of the plant because it is the only model that does not need to be flanked by a wall. Thanks to its excellent energy performance, the TP Compact is also fully operational with a 200kW electrical cabinet.

Ease of use

Small to medium-sized glassworks generally do not have many staff. This is why it is essential that, once the investment has been made in the purchase of a new tempering furnace, there is no need to bring in new people to operate it.

The ideal furnace for SMEs in the glass industry must therefore be user-friendly, easy to manage and as automated as possible. The management software must be intelligent, so as to optimize the information available to autonomously regulate the operation of the machinery.

Unfortunately, finding specialised ‘tempering’ technicians is often not an easy task, and it may not be easy for a small glasswork to find an expert to manage the furnace. Rather, once the furnace has given an extra boost to the company’s business, it may be possible to think about expanding the workforce according to the most frequent requests received from customers.

Energy Savings

Tempering glass is an energy-intensive process, and this is certainly the first deterrent for glassworks, who fear that they will have to pay such high bills that the benefit of tempering in-house is practically non-existent.

Fortunately, there are now kilns on the market equipped with cutting-edge energy-saving technologies, such as just-in-time ignition systems that allow the kiln to be switched off when the glassworks are closed and brought to temperature again the following morning in about half an hour, thus cutting unproductive costs to zero.

And that’s not all: there is also specific software for optimizing the energy required by the kiln, which allows, for example, energy absorption peaks to be contained and ensures very low dissipation.

An example of this is the Mazzaroppi tempering furnaces, whose technological innovations allow the glassworks to save up to 70% energy compared to other furnaces.

Mazzaroppi is the only family that has been dedicated to glass tempering for over 60 years.

Throughout its history, it has registered over 20 patents with innovations that have enabled it to guarantee not only the highest performance for its furnaces but also the best energy efficiency in the industry.

Do you have a glasswork and would like to know if it is possible for you to temper glass at home? We have the solution for you, perfectly adaptable to your space and in line with the consumption you do not want to exceed.

ASK FOR FREE A MAZZAROPPI ENERGY SAVING CHECK

Antonio Mazzaroppi

CEO Mazzaroppi Engineering Srl

Antonio Mazzaroppi
12 January 2024

How to make glass tempering sustainable

Can an energy-intensive practice like glass tempering also be sustainable? Fortunately, yes.
Provided, however, that we equip ourselves with the right technologies to reduce the consumption associated with processing and, consequently, reduce the environmental and economic impact of tempering.

What is glass tempering?

In a nutshell, it is a process that is carried out using special high-performance furnaces to make glass stronger and more resistant. Tempering is a thermal process and consists of bringing the glass to very high temperatures (over 600°C) and then cooling it. This alters the structure of the material.
Heated glass reaches a plastic state and can then be moulded into the desired shape. Cooling it back down to a solid state creates internal and surface tensions on the material, making it very difficult to break and resistant to temperature changes and bending.
Moreover, toughened glass will not explode into sharp shards but will ‘crumble’ into small, much less dangerous fragments.

Three features of tempering furnaces that reduce the energy required.

Tempering glass requires a lot of energy, firstly to get the furnace up to the required temperature and then to heat the glass panes to over 600°C.
But there are features of quenching furnaces that can dramatically lower the energy input essential for high-quality quenching.

Call us to find out more.

Start&Stop technology

What makes hardening ovens energy-hungry is primarily the fact that in many cases they cannot be turned off, not even at night or at the end of a work shift, because they have very long warm-up times. During these periods, the oven cannot be used but continues to consume energy (and increase the energy bill) for hours on end.
There are, however, hardening furnaces with quick-ignition systems that can reach a temperature of 680°C in just 30 minutes once they have been set up for the first time. This allows them to be switched off at the end of the day and thus bring unproductive costs to zero.
Ovens with start & stop technology are designed to absorb high and continuous temperature fluctuations, allowing companies not to consume energy unnecessarily to keep the oven at a very high temperature even when not in use

Multi-zone control system

Thanks to advanced software, the oven automatically recognises which internal areas are occupied by the glass pane and what percentage of them is occupied. In this way, only the necessary zones can be turned on and heated, with the double advantage of reducing the energy required and being able to change thicknesses quickly.
The software that manages the switching on and off of each area is based on a complex algorithm that takes multiple variables into account. But the benefit to be gained from this technology is extremely simple: reducing the environmental and economic impact of tempering by heating the glass and not the furnace.

Energy-saving software

Alongside the advanced technologies we have just seen, there is also software that was created precisely with the aim of optimising energy consumption.
These are advanced systems that focus on increasing efficiency and allowing very low dissipation. Thanks to software of this type, today there are hardening furnaces that can save up to 70% energy compared to less innovative solutions.
There are several possibilities companies can choose from today to improve the sustainability of glass tempering, starting with optimizing the energy management of this process. Once one has selected one’s energy-efficient furnace, one can then further reduce the environmental impact of tempering with other measures, such as favouring energy supply from renewable sources.
The innovative technologies we have just seen allow even small glassworks to equip themselves with a furnace to temper their products in-house, without resorting to subcontractors and without having to fear exorbitant bills, which jeopardise the survival of their business.

Would you like to know if the technology you are currently using to temper glass is wasting your money and energy?

Ask for a free Mazzaroppi Energy Saving Check, and we will tell you how much you could save with a more energy-efficient solution! Mazzaroppi hardening furnaces can guarantee you up to 70% less energy consumption than the competition, which is good for your sustainability.

ASK FOR FREE A MAZZAROPPI ENERGY SAVING CHECK

CEO Mazzaroppi Engineering Srl

Antonio Mazzaroppi
21 December 2023

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