Is it possible to reinvent solar control glass? Yes, it is. Now, for the first time, a range of four different coatings are all you need to cover the varied requirements of an entire architectural project. This revolutionary solution has been devised by glass manufacturers arcon, with a new range of products comprising its sunbelt A70, A60, A50 and A40 coatings, each featuring a different level of light transmittance. They are all designed to be available in both temperable and non-temperable sheet or cut-size qualities. Despite their different properties, sunbelt glass products are optically matched to allow them to be installed alongside each other in the same project. Something hitherto unheard of in the glass industry.
Glass manufacturer arcon heralds a new era in solar control glass, with its sunbelt A70, A60, A50 and A40 coatings. From now on, these four coatings are all you need to cover an entire building’s solar control glazing requirements. „This really is a revolution, and we are restructuring our previous comprehensive range of solar control products to comprise no more than these four coatings,“ says Albert Schweitzer, head of sales architecture.
Thanks to this greatly simplified range, processors, architects, designers and facade constructors can now select the right glass for their needs, faster and more directly than ever before. All sunbelt products are available in sheet and cut-size qualities, and if required, the coated glass can also be tempered. This greatly simplifies processing, saves times, and increases availability. The optical variations that used to occur in glass types with different solar control coatings and which were unavoidable throughout the industry are now a thing of the past. All coatings are colourless and optically coordinated, resulting in a level of flexibility that was previously unheard of.
Glass is now graded into 70, 60, 50 or 40 models in accordance with the light transmittance of the coating. For example, sunbelt A70 is suitable for glazing on the north-facing side of a building. Its high light transmittance of 70 percent allows a high degree of sunlight into the interior. The sunbelt A40 model, on the other hand, has a light transmittance of only 43 percent, which benefits large-area glazed surfaces on south-facing sides. With g-values between 22 and 37 percent, all four new sunbelt products guarantee pleasantly cool interior conditions, even on sunny days, and there is no need to install any additional sunshading facilities or energy-intensive air-conditioning. The Ug value is 1.0 W/m2K. Only an extremely small amount of heating energy is required in winter, because hardly any heat is lost through arcon glass. The low indoor reflectance enables a wonderfully clear view through the window.
By employing the latest in production and coating technology, all production flows can be performed on the premises in Feuchtwangen. This includes processing the base glass into single-pane and laminated safety glass, with the attendant machining, serigraphy, enamelling and coating. This means it is no longer necessary to transport raw components over long distances, and fast, optimised manufacture and delivery of the finished product is now possible within only a few days. This is also facilitated by shorter changeover times.
The first installation of the new sunbelt generation will be the roof glazing of the environment pyramid in the Krugpark in the outskirts of Brandenburg. The exhibition and meeting place is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014, when it will serve as an extension to the existing nature conservation centre. The building takes its name from the shape of its wooden roof construction, which consists of four surfaces, each with six glass panels measuring 1.5 x 6 metres each, allowing an unobstructed view of the sky and the surrounding tree tops. „Three of the six panels have the sunbelt A60 coating and three are the A50 version,“ says Albert Schweitzer, arcon project consultant. The glass was supplied by the Oderglas company and installed by Metallbau Windeck GmbH, a company from the neighbouring town of Rietz that was also responsible for constructing the frame. Proprietor Klaus Windeck is also president of the ‚Krugpark Brandenburg‘ association, which initiated the pyramid construction. „As a metal construction company, we have been a partner of arcon for many years. We use arcon glass directly in the pyramid to allow visitors to experience what solar control feels like,“ says Windeck.
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arcon Glas supplies a wide variety of highly effective magnetron coatings on all types of base glass – from float glass to laminated glass and on to coloured glass and various types of single-pane safety glass.