Schott’s new tank for architectural glass – equipped with state-of-the-art process control technology – at the Schott site in Gruenenplan, will be used to manufacture premium quality glass products such as Opalika® white flashed opal glass, Artista® coloured glasses, as well as restoration glass for use in architecture.
Following several months of construction work, Schott is now ready to start firing up its new melting tank for the manufacture of high-quality special-purpose glass. The technology group invested approximately EUR 6 million in the tank equipped with state-of-the-art process control technology that will be used to manufacture premium quality glass products such as Opalika® white flashed opal glass, Artista ® coloured glasses, as well as restoration glass for use in architecture. Through this investment in its future, Schott will be able to offer its customers long-term reliability of supply.
Only months after the old melting tank for coloured glass was shut down, Schott now has an ultramodern tank that offers improved productivity and lives up to the Schott standard. In addition to the radiation shielding glass RD 30, mainly architectural glass products such as translucent Opalika® white flashed opal glass, a material for use in lighted ceilings and surfaces, decorative Artista® coloured glasses, and the restoration glasses Restover® and Goetheglas will all be melted in this tank in the standard sizes 1.60 meters x 2.40 meters. “This new tank brings planning security for our customers,” notes Martin Rüttgers, Vice President of Schott Architecture + Design. The goal is to continue to grow in the area of decorative glasses, an area that is expected to experience solid growth in the future.
Schott also manufactures a number of innovative products for use in technical applications at its site in Grünenplan. The site is also home to the competence centres for ultra-thin glass products and coatings. The most prominent products are currently flexible, ultra-thin glasses only 100 micrometers in thickness for use as a substrate material in electronics and biotechnology. Conturan® Daro, a coated glass for use in professional touch displays, is also new. For the first time ever, this development combines antireflective properties with a protective film that resists soiling, fingerprints on cover glasses, for example.
Schott is an international technology group with more than 125 years of experience in the areas of speciality glasses and materials and advanced technologies. Its core markets are the household appliance, pharmaceuticals, electronics, optics, solar power, transportation and architecture industries.