Logistics is a crucial factor for success in the flat glass industry. While the sorting of cut panes before the IG line has long been established, there has been no solution for the automatic sorting of "wet," not yet hardened elements at the end of the IG line. Now, LiSEC's innovative solutions bridge this gap, effectively address the challenges of wet sorting, and, thanks to their modularity, seamlessly integrate into any production line.

Laser technology offers numerous advantages including precision, speed, contact-free processing and minimal thermal load. In which areas of flat glass processing can laser technology currently be meaningfully used?

Polishing glass edges is the most sensitive task in glass edge processing because it largely involves visible edges, which means that almost no tolerances or errors are admissible. The target: Very high surface quality (matt areas are not permitted here), as well as rapid throughput times and extensive flexibility. Prior to this work step, the edge must be ground to the requisite dimensions. Rough and fine grinding take place initially with peripheral wheels, followed by polishing with stone peripheral wheels. It is specifically due to this large number of process steps that glass edge polishing is so elaborate and complex. For this reason, glass edge polishing only takes place if the glass components are to be used for decorative purposes or in furniture pieces and furnishings such as glass tables, frameless glass sheets, mirrors, sliding glass walls, display cabinets or display windows.

After seaming, grinding glass edges is another important work step in glass edge processing. The process is primarily used to remove overbreaks and underbreaks at the edges and to process the glass sheets to size. To this end, the edge processing removes an appropriate grind addition and the glass is thereby ground to the final size (custom ground edge "KMG"). This process also increases the edge strength, which significantly reduces spontaneous breakages. Glass lites sheets with ground edges exhibit a significantly higher strength against mechanical forces such as wind loads or thermal stresses. After grinding, the edge surfaces are matt ground and can sometimes also be used as visible edges. If the complete edge surface is ground, this is referred to as a finely adjusted edge ("KGN").

In glass edge processing, cutting the glass sheet is directly followed by the seaming process. Fully unprocessed glass edges exhibit overbreaks and underbreaks, conchoidal fractures, as well as micro-cracks along the broken edge. These types of damage are caused by the cutting wheels used in the cutting process. It is possible to reduce these cutting wheel-induced defects by using the cutting wheel at the appropriate angle for the respective glass, and by using a maintained cutting wheel axis and cutting wheel holder (service life in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications). This is important because any damage to the glass edge reduces the edge strength and in doing so also significantly increases the risk of spontaneous breakage.