Heat-Treated Glass

Heat-Treated

• Heat-Strengthened
• Tempered
• Heat-Soaked Tempered

To increase the resistance of its primary and coated products to thermal and mechanical stresses, AFG Glass uses a variety of heat-treating methods—including heat strengthening, tempering, and heat soaking.

Many applications demand that primary and coated glass products be strengthened to resist mechanical and thermal stresses—such as high wind loads and heat build-up between lites. To meet its clients’ customized strength requirements, AFG Glass offers three heat-treating methods: heat strengthening, tempering, and heat soaking. The specific type of heat treatment required is usually dictated by building codes or industry safety standards—but AFG can also lend its expertise to customers as they work to specify heat-treated glass products that meet the highest standards for strength and beauty. Whichever heat-treating process AFG customers choose, they can rest assured that AFG Glass will employ leading-edge technologies—and stringent quality standards—to ensure a glass solution that combines exceptional strength with extraordinary aesthetics.

Heat-Strengthened

AFG’s heat-strengthened glass solutions offer twice the strength of its primary annealed glass products—making them the ideal choice for a number of commercial applications.

Heat strengthening is a process by which annealed glass is reheated—then cooled quickly—in order to increase its resistance to thermal stresses. The resulting heat-strengthened glass is twice as strong as annealed glass of equal thickness—and offers significantly greater resistance to thermal loads. Heat-strengthened solutions from AFG Glass are perfect for many commercial applications, including spandrels, laminated skylights, and windows in high wind load areas. By applying a heat-strengthening process to AFG’s outstanding annealed products, commercial architects and builders can meet building codes and satisfy safety requirements—without compromising their aesthetic vision.

Tempered

Tempered solutions from AFG Glass deliver four times the strength of annealed glass—as well as the ability to disintegrate into small pieces when broken, to minimize safety concerns.

Similar to heat strengthening, glass tempering involves reheating annealed glass products to increase their strength. But tempered products are cooled with a much more intense air flow—increasing their strength to a level four times that of annealed glass. Tempered glass offers outstanding safety protection, as it disintegrates into small pieces when broken—minimizing the physical risks to people nearby. Tempered glass solutions are ideal for any area where high traffic and human contact may be a concern. An obvious choice for automobile windows, tempered solutions from AFG Glass are also perfect for commercial storefronts, entryways, display cases, railings, skylights, and overhead lighting fixtures. In the home, tempered glass is used in entry doors, patio doors, shower and tub enclosures, and fireplace surrounds.

Heat-Soaked Tempered

AFG Glass offers heat-soaked glass solutions for special applications with high wind loads or heavy human traffic, where it can reduce the risk of spontaneous tempered glass breakage.

In some parts of the world, building codes demand the use of heat-soaked glass. Following the tempering process, glass is heated to a lower temperature for a period of time, then cooled slowly. This accelerates the growth of any nickel sulfite inclusions in the glass. The result is a glass solution with a lower risk of spontaneous breakage, which can be important in commercial buildings with extremely high wind loads or heavy human contact.

While many international building codes demand heat-soaked glass, this trend is only beginning to impact North America. However, AFG Glass offers a full line of heat-soaked glass solutions to help customers meet this specialized need. By applying a heat-soaking process to AFG’s superior tempered solutions, commercial builders and architects can meet the very highest strength, safety, and aesthetic standards.