Manufacturing Today Issue - 241 October 2025 | Page 165

___________________________________________________________________________________________ AGC
Glass Europe
© AGC Glass Europe
There is no better solution imaginable than when two major players with a long history in technology and process development join forces to develop a new technology that can change the way we produce glass for the next decades
the first European glass manufacturer to receive Cradle-to-Cradle certification. Another recent and revolutionary innovation in insulating glass units brought to the market and manufactured in Belgium is Vacuum- Insulating Glass( with the brand name FINEO). This is the next generation of insulating glass, combining ultra-slim design with outstanding thermal and acoustic performance. Being the most energy efficient insulating glazing range at the moment with a thickness of only 8mm it outweighs other glazing solutions. It is also the first and only Vacuum Insulating Glass worldwide to obtain a thirdparty verified Environmental Product Declaration( EPD) for both standard and Low-Carbon configurations”.
In line with this commitment to sustainability, the company has initiated a groundbreaking collaboration between two of the largest competitors in the industry to push the technological boundaries of glass production. The Volta Project is a joint R & D initiative by AGC and Saint-Gobain to design and install a hybrid flat-glass furnace, combining electric melting and oxy-gas combustion. Currently the industry standard is 100 percent natural gas to power the furnace to create the enormous amount of heat that is needed to melt and refine the glass. This results in high CO 2 emissions which both companies aim to reduce drastically. The new technology, based on a melting process that is 50 percent electrified, and 50 percent fired
manufacturing-today. com 165