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.
CEO Mazzaroppi Engineering Srl
