Upgrading a pane to smart glass by adding a function or new look creates additional markets and the potential for higher value.
HEGLA boraident, company based in Halle/Saale, Germany, and part of the HEGLA Group, is a specialist in such finishing treatments and now offers a process that effectively makes glass antibacterial.
Lasers coat the glass in silver ions, which penetrate the glass and are deposited there. This triggers the pane’s permanent antibacterial function, which ensures that bacteria and germs are immediately killed upon contact, preventing further reproduction.
Glass with this coating is ideal for all areas in which the most stringent hygiene requirements apply and the spread of germs must be suppressed as widely as possible: in industrial kitchens, hospitals and nursing homes, for example. It is also advantageous in places where many people gather and repeatedly touch the same surfaces.
“In public buildings, retail environments, supermarkets or, for example, safety screens in museums or zoos, antibacterial treatment provides additional protection, enhancing safety against germs and the quality of the visitor experience,” said Dr Thomas Rainer, authorised signatory and Head of Development at HEGLA boraident.
The antibacterial finishing treatment is a functional application that has been patented for the Laserbird laser system. It can be used to functionalise all types of flat glass and prefabricated IGUs.