FABRICATION
Fabrication
Commercial glass manufacturers typically produce flat sheets of glass of uniform size and thickness. These uniform sheets work fine for many applications, and may require no further modification. However, homeowners and business owners often require glass that’s been modified to fit a specific use. In order to fulfill our customer’s’ needs, we offer a wide range of glass fabrication techniques to alter and manipulate standard glass sheets.
Fabrication Options
Cutting:
Cutting is used to change the size or general appearance of a flat glass sheet. Some projects call for straight cuts, while others require some sort of curved cut. The cutting process may be performed with traditional hand-guided tools, or with automated, modern devices such as water jets and CNC (computer numerical control) machines.
Grooving:
Grooving is used to carve simple or complex patterns into the surface of a glass sheet. Products that may undergo this process include windows, mirrors, shower doors and cabinet doors.
Drilling and Countersinking:
During drilling, precisely shaped holes are made in a glass sheet. While hand tools can potentially achieve the required accuracy, professionals commonly rely on machines to ensure consistency and quality control. Countersinking produces a conical hole rather than a straight-sided hole.
Bending:
The bending process relies on the closely controlled application of heat to curve, fold or otherwise change the basic shape of a flat sheet of glass. Because of its complexity, this process can only be carried out with dedicated professional machinery. Experienced companies can bend almost any type of glass, including tempered glass and laminated glass.
Grinding:
Grinding is used to smooth, shape or polish the edges of a sheet of glass. The process may involve the use of hand tools or machines.
Edging:
During edging, the edges of a glass sheet are shaped into specific decorative profiles. See our dedicated Edgework page for further details on this popular process.
Additional techniques used during glass fabrication include engraving, sandblasting, acid etching, satin etching, lamination (the use of multiple, bonded layers of glass to make a single, stronger glass sheet) and tempering (the use of heat or chemical alteration to make a stronger sheet of glass). Advanced fabricators can also perform UV bonding. This modern technique relies on a special ultraviolet light-sensitive adhesive to permanently bond pieces of glass together.
In other words, insulated glass improves the window’s overall “u-value,” which measures a building’s heat transmission through windows. The lower the u-value, the better the insulated glass is performing. Insulated glass is effective in reducing the transfer of heat through it, so your building stays warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.