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Exhibitors were hopeful at the open of GlassBuild America today
at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. "I'm optimistic," said John Weise at F. Barkow. "These
big national shows are pretty good." Michael Spellman with IGE Solutions was also optimistic. "I'm
looking forward to meeting customers and new customers he said.
The company was showing its new Tenon IGE insulating glass production
line, as well as line that produces shower door glass. ACH is one company that is in fact moving more toward an architectural
focus. Cindy Coulter at ACH said that while the historically automotive
glass-focused company's pending sale wasn't final, "we're very
excited about the opportunities with architectural [glass]."
Lisec America is showcasing an extensive line of products at the
show, including a compact version of its spacer applicator, but
there was some buzz about a product that will be a focus for the
company at Vitrum in October. Manfred Lesiak of Lisec says the company
designed a unique tempering line to produce high-quality tempered
glass. Geared toward its European customers, the line has helped
the company to explore new possibilities with glass.
"The machine is so unique-it's really tempering through the glass,
not just the surface," Lesiak says. He says this has allowed
the company to showcase new possibilities for bending tempered glass. Edgetech I.G. Inc. is showcasing its "Hall of Fame" in
its football-themed booth. Among returning products such as the
Eco Coat system and the Form8tor, the company is spotlighting its
Super Spacer TriSeal system. According to Joe Erb with Edgetech,
the spacer features a captive polyisobutylene (PIB) primary seal.
The PIB is encapsulated within the spacer system to better keep
moisture out and keep argon within insulating glass units. The company
is also spotlighting its next generation spacer, the SuperSpacer
nXt. The hybrid technology combines the same desiccant and acrylic
adhesive as the traditional Super Spacer with a new proprietary
core that offers more thermal efficiency. Truseal Technologies Inc. was also sharing news about its warm
edge spacer system. Ric Johnson of Truseal was excited to share
that the company's Dura Platform spacer was used in the manufacture
of its 50-millionth window, in under five years. The company has launched today its Envirosealed Windows campaign
to help window manufacturers and dealers sell the environmental
benefits of the Dura Platform spacers. Tim McKinley with shower door manufacturer Coral products said
his company, which focuses on medium- to high-end residential products,
said they have recently added several new glass patterns, but clear
glass is still the most popular choice. "Frameless, heavy glass remains the main trend," McKinley
said. "Everyone is looking for something different, something
new." The show has certainly not been without new products on display.
Groves Inc. is in the process of introducing several new products
including an insulating glass swing arm rack that has rods that
lift for easy storage and material removal; a new IG harp rack;
and also a mobile glass storage rack for auto glass. The products
are all in prototype development currently but will be available
in the near future. Need more info and analysis about the issues? |
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GlassBuild
Opens Today in Atlanta 