Heat treatment and bending of low-E glass

Automotive companies continue to pressure their suppliers to control cost, and the glass industry, in particular, has had a difficult time penetrating the automotive market with new, innovative, added value products. An exception where both the customer's needs and the supplier's ability to meet these needs have been satisfied is the application of coatings for automotive glazing to efficiently reduce solar heat load in vehicles. Automotive designers are pushing the limits on steep installation angles and increasing glazing areas in vehicles, while the demand for fuel efficiency and environmental concerns are driving the downsizing and efficiency of air conditioning units. Under these conditions the use of tinted glass, which absorbs solar energy, is limited in adequately providing driver comfort. The use of low-E coatings, which reflect the solar energy, is a more efficient way of reducing the solar heat buildup. The widespread use of coated low-E for solar glazing in vehicles owes its existence to a cost effective manufacturing process which requires that the glass is first coated flat, rather than bent. The Hat coated glass is then subsequently bent and laminated, or tempered. Heat treatable multilayer coatings have been developed containing two layers of silver that are finding wide use today in both the automotive and building industries. In addition, since the coating is conductive, a windshield, e.g, can serve a range of functions such as antenna, or defroster and deicer, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.