Education has been a key focus for the Insulating Glass Manufacturers Alliance (IGMA) in recent years, as the association continues to bolster these efforts through new and improved programs. 
This was part of the discussion this week as the association’s Education Committee met during IGMA’s 2017 Summer Conference.
It announced at the conference that it will hold another IG Fabricator Workshop November 7-9 at the Intertek/ATI facilities in Plano, Texas. The event will include the same classroom and hands-on demonstrations it has in previous programs, but the committee is working to implement information on spacers and spacer systems—prompted by feedback from past participants.
“This hands-on learning is kind of new for IGMA, and it’s been well-embraced,” said Bill Briese of GED. “We’ve done three sessions so far, so we’re starting to get feedback. We want to make sure it can evolve where [members] want it to go.”
Industry consultant Bill Lingnell encouraged attendees of the summer conference to participate and for up-and-comers within their companies to take part as well.
“If you get some new people and want to get them up to speed on how insulating glass works, this is the place to be,” he said. “And even veterans of the industry come to get a refresher.”
The committee is also working to format video of its Preventing IG Failures Education Seminar as an online education program. At the meeting, several IGMA members volunteered to help determine the best way to make them available—for example, as a package or in separate parts.
Earlier, IGMA’s Technical Services Committee met. A joint task group between the committee and the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) is developing a test fixture to measure edge seal pressure. The committee is also working on a document containing voluntary guidelines for IGU manufacturing tolerances, as well as a technical bulletin on IGUs with unsupported edges. The technical bulletin is a joint effort between IGMA and the Glass Association of North America’s Insulating Division.
According to IGMA, the bulletin addresses “concerns regarding the structural and durability performance of unsupported IGU edges subject to uniform load including glass stresses, practical glass deflections, sealant strength capabilities, spacer stress and deformation limits, load durations, dead load support and setting block location, plus other variables that influence the unsupported edge condition for IGUs.”
Also in the Technical Services Committee, a task group is developing a document on design considerations for IG cavity compensation. Cavity compensation methods included in the manual are capillary tubes, breather tubes, valves, desiccant adsorption/desorption, pre-inflating/pre-deflating the unit, temperature manipulation at the manufacturing environment and bladders.
In the afternoon, Lingnell gave an update on standards he is monitoring and helping develop, and Mike Burk of GED gave a presentation on glass safety awareness.
Emerging Technology and Innovation Committee
The Advanced Testing Fenestration Task Group—working jointly with an Insulating Glass Certification Council (IGCC) group—has been developing what it calls the “Rapid Assessment Chamber” (RAC). John Kent of AMS said the device is being created to help fabricators better predict the quality of insulating glass units (IGUs) in a shorter amount of time compared to ASTM E2190 testing.
The joint group selected Intertek/Architectural Testing’s Variable Environmental Chamber (VEC) as a model to focus on, and a new prototype is being designed. Kent said a “pre-prototype” chamber is currently being built and is expected to be delivered in early August.
At the meeting, the group voted to officially merge with the IGCC committee.
Another task group in the ET&I committee, which worked extensively on the development of the recently published Window Product Category Rule (PCR), is focused on material transparency. This includes PCRs, Life Cycle Assessments, Environmental Product Declarations and more.
Affiliated organizations, including AAMA and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association, are seeking to make certain revisions to the Window PCR. Technoform’s Helen Sanders, who leads the task group, asked IGMA members whether the association should participate in those efforts. Some members were reluctant about being involved given the amount of work already put into the initial PCR, but IGMA will participate.
Also in this committee, a task group on vacuum insulating glass (VIG) is monitoring the development of the International Organization of Standardization (ISO) standard for VIG. Task group chair Dave Cooper of Guardian participated in developing the draft of the part-one durability standard, which he said should be approved by ISO later this year.
The second-phase standard, which covers temperature-induced effects, is currently being created.
Cooper said IGMA will continue to monitor these developments. IGMA executive director Margaret Webb also pointed out that it has a technical bulletin on VIG that is available to members.
Earlier in the day, Lingnell provided an update on thermal stress research that he’s conducted with Lynn Beason and Michael Brackin of Texas A&M. Lingnell said he hopes a draft for an ASTM standard on thermal stress evaluation in IGUs will be available by the end of the year.