GlassFab Offers Lessons in IG

The Glass Association of North America (GANA) recently featured several educational sessions on insulating glass during its Glass Fabrication and Glazing Educational Conference in Las Vegas.

A recent Glass Association of North America (GANA) event featured several educational sessions about insulating glass (IG).

 The Glass Fabrication and Glazing Educational Conference, held in Las Vegas, included such topics as: IG Standards, Specifications and Certification; the Future of IG Technology; Gas Filling of IG Units; the Role of Desiccants in IG Units; and IG Spacers. GANA lined up several experts and manufacturer representatives to provide their unbiased views and advice over the three-day event. In a session covering the future of IG Technology, Mike Burk of Edgetech IG, and a DWM columnist, said this represents one of the more difficult subjects to report. As in any industry, Burk said IG manufacturers aren’t so quick to illuminate plans and developments for their products. One item Burk was able to share, however, was the eventual presence of translucent IG units. These units, he said, will allow for increased thermal performance, reductions in sound transfer and high levels of daylight transmission, without the need for accoutrements for added privacy.

Another area Burk discussed included sealants. He cited an industry-wide needfor new products that are capable of bonding to a variety of materials.

“We’re looking for sealants that are multi-compatible,” he explained. “Sealants have to be compatible with all of the optional components.”

All optional components may be a tough order for one sealant to fill, as Burk explained that, when all optional components and configurations are combined, there are more than 29 million possible IG configurations. Not all of these options, however, have made it into every product sector.

“Warm-edge technology has been prevalent in the residential sector for some time now, but you hardly see it in commercial,” Burk explained. “Go out there and look at commercial units and you’re going to see aluminum box spacers.”

Put it to the Test
Tracy Rogers, also of Edgetech IG, gave a presentation focusing on the future of testing and certification, an area he said is growing in importance.

“As of last year, NFRC mandated IG certification,” he said. “By 2010, if you want to put an NFRC label on your units, you will have to have testing.”

But before testing is applied, Rogers said it’s important to know what, specifically, you’re trying to address.

For example, when it comes to acoustical performance, he said it’s critical to evaluate specific needs in order to produce test results that directly pertain to a given situation.

“You have to understand the situation and the entire performance of the product,” he urged. Rogers pointed out that sound frequencies for various intrusions vary and while one product may be effective in blocking some frequencies, it may not affect those most critical to a given situation. Furthermore, he warned that the acoustical performance of an IG unit doesn’t necessarily translate to the performance of an overall window system in which that unit is placed.

Desiccant Don’ts
“You can fill up the whole window,” Tom Dangieri joked about the use of desiccants in IG units. Dangieri is senior application specialist for UOP, a desiccant provider.

Similar to Rogers’ advice, Dangieri said selecting the proper desiccant requires assessing specific needs carefully. Variables include: water capacity, solvent capacity, air absorption and inert gas fill characteristics. According to Dangieri, a desiccant should not be selected before considering other factors in IG construction.

A recent concern Dangieri pointed out for the industry included the sourcing of foreign materials.

Speaker Tom Dangieri of UOP employed props while explaining the role and function of desiccants in insulating glass units.

“When you receive desiccants at the dock, every drum should be inspected,” he warned for those sourcing from overseas. Dangieri said manufacturers should inspect seals for damage and drums for possible punctures. He also said damaged bags or drums should never be used and he advised labeling incoming product to ensure inventory is being cycled through properly—the oldest always being used first.

Once product has been delivered in intact containers and labeled with the arrival date, Dangieri suggested testing incoming product prior to use.

“It’s better to test the desiccant and know, than to build a thousand units and find out the hard way [that it was no good],” he said.
Dangieri also said it’s imperative that desiccant be stored properly and protected at all times.

“Cover drums when you go on breaks,” he urged. “Make sure your guys understand this.” He stressed the importance of designing workflow and process around desiccant maintenance and further suggested aligning IG construction with quitting times, as unfinished units that sit during down times will inevitably absorb moisture.

However, when the occasional slip occurs and a drum is left open, Dangieri said not all is lost.

“If someone leaves the lid off, the top few inches may be spent, but the lower desiccant may still be fine,” he said, adding, “But the lower desiccant will need to be tested prior to use.”

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