Non Autoclave Laminating Equipment
New Non Autoclave Laminating Equipment
A new non autoclave laminating equipment called GLS has been developed by Gyrotron Technology Inc. for producing laminated glass, solar panels, and touch screen displays without the use of an autoclave. This equipment provides continuous production of safety, hurricane, ballistic, fire-rated and other laminated glass products by using standard, commercially-available adhesive films such as PVB, EVA,TPU, etc. It can also be used to encapsulate different kinds of solar modules, including those with backsheets , as well as touch panels and displays. This non autoclave technology is suitable for clear, coated, mirrored or colored glass in an annealed or tempered state and also for laminating products sensitive to pressure and temperature as well as those with decorative and functional inserts. GLS offers substantial financial benefits, including reductions in capital, labor, energy, and floor space costs.
The exiting laminating technology involves extended heating under high temperatures (approx. 80°C-140°C) and high pressure (4MPa-20MPa). The main problem currently encountered is the air that gets trapped between the film and glass surfaces. This air must be removed in order to prevent the laminate from bubbling which, again, would require long extensive heating and high pressure. The bubbling is an objectionable visible defect that, in most cases, is absolutely unacceptable. Bubbling within the laminate may effectively reduce its strength in that particular area and cause de-lamination. GLS, the new glass laminating equipment based on GTI’s patented new technology, is free from such problems.
GLS provides exclusive heating of an adhesive film in a low-pressure environment via shortwave infrared radiation. At the beginning of the process this radiation penetrates through the glass and heats the film to a higher temperature than the surrounding glass sheets. As a result, the air, moisture, and gases that would otherwise be trapped are completely pumped out while the film is not sticking to the glass. The continuation of heating leads to increasing the temperature of the glass sheets and the film sticks to the glass completely. A very high quality laminating result is provided because there are no gases or steam surrounding the film. The sandwich lies freely on the conveyor without being subjected to pressure.
The GLS non autoclave laminating equipment can be built for any custom sizes and variations of glass thickness. The laminating cycle in a standard GLS design is 3-6 minutes; however, a special design for cycles of less than one minute is also available. Only 0.15 kW-h is needed to laminate one square foot. This is almost 50% less energy than required by common laminating lines with autoclaves.
Both large and small companies can benefit by using the new non autoclave laminating equipment. It is fully automated and easy to operate. GLS requires minimal maintenance and no special knowledge or experience. It is the best option for bringing your laminating business in-house. The average return time on investment is less than one year.
For more information about the new non autoclave glass laminating equipment please visit https://www.gyrotrontech.com/
