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Address:
Glafo, Box 5157,
SE-350 05
Växjö
SWEDEN
Visitor's address:
Vejdes plats 3
Tel: +46 10 516 63 50
E-mail: info@glafo.se
You find
a map at the
"about Glafo" page.
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POLISHING
GLASS BY MEANS OF WATER CUTTING TECHNOLOGY – CROSS-DICIPLINARY
COLLABORATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The aims are:
- to develop an environmentally friendly polishing technique that produces
the same finish as an acid-polished finish; for flat surfaces, cut edges
and holes both in float glass and in crystal glass
- to create a network within this field
- to appoint a person in the area of water cutting
- to produce a prototype glass polishing installation
Glass is increasingly being used as a building material and also for
decorative purposes. Where glass is used in structures, a commonly-employed
technique is to use holes that accommodate bolts. These holes can be
made stronger by polishing the edges. As yet there is no rational technique
for polishing small holes or recesses with sharp corners.
Within the art
glass manufacturing industry the only sufficiently effective method
available for polishing more complicated shapes such as holes and cut
edges is acid polishing. However, acid polishing is an expensive process
that involves some risk, and the industry is very keen to develop techniques
that can replace it.
Experiments have
shown that water jet technology can be used to polish glass to the same
level as can be achieved by acid polishing. However the technique has
not been used on art glass or developed for the industrial processing
of float glass. Water jet technology could be developed and adapted
to become an environmentally friendly alternative to acid polishing.
The project
is run by:
Glafo in close cooperation with the Swedish Waterjet Laboratory.
Financial
backers
European Regional
Development Fund, Glafo, Region Blekinge, Regionförbundet i Kalmar
län, Swedish Waterjet Laboratory, Lunds universitet and Orrefors
Kosta Boda, Glasteknik i Emmaboda, Water Jet Sweden, KMT, Swede Matic
and Pilkington.
CURRENT
PROJECTS
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