Euroglas upgrades tempering with Glaston Roller Heat Control

Euroglas chose Glaston’s Roller Heat Control (RHC) upgrade to improve its tempering line performance as part of a series of investments to grow with its customers. “We aim to offer the width and depth of glass products they need to be their best partner,” says Frederik De Knijf, CEO of Euroglas in Belgium.

Euroglas serves the construction market in the Benelux countries with tailor-made glass. Founded in the 1960s, its broad glass portfolio strongly focuses on all interior glass types. The company also offers glass accessories, such as hinges and locks.

Expanding its operations, Euroglas acquired new production sites in the early 2000s and again in 2017. Today, it serves customers from three locations in Belgium – Meer, Fleurus and Bornem.

LARGEST TEMPERING FURNACE AT THE TIME 

Euroglas co-invested in a first tempering furnace for its facility in Bornem in 1995 together with two other independent glass processors. In 2000, the same three partners joined forces again and purchased a Tamglass, now Glaston, ProE tempering furnace for the factory in Meer, just northeast of Antwerp. It was the largest tempering line in Benelux at the time. The company added a third tempering furnace, again from Glaston, when it acquired its production site in Fleurus.

In recent years, Euroglas has updated its machinery and product offering as part of a longer-term investment strategy.

UPGRADING PERFORMANCE 

“In the past few years, we’ve replaced our core machines – the cutting, polishing, drilling and washing machines. But since tempering lines tend to wear less than equipment that is constantly in water, we decided to upgrade rather than replace our ProE,” De Knijf says.

The first driver for the upgrade was the ability to fully utilize the furnace bed, since the rollers no longer heated evenly. Especially larger glass sheets were prone to warp and other glass faults.

“The second driver was that we planned to start laminating. And to do that, we knew we needed A+ tempering quality. B+ wasn’t good enough,” De Knijf says.

The company chose Glaston’s RHC to bring Euroglas’s tempering furnace up to speed. They began the project at the end of 2023.

FULL BED UTILIZATION AND QUALITY ISSUES RESOLVED

“Our two goals have been achieved,” De Knijf says.

“Earlier, we could only use part of the furnace’s capacity, and we needed to run the furnace for about 16 hours. When we used the complete furnace bed, we had quality issues. Now, we are averaging 12 hours because we’re able to use its full capacity.”

And the quality issues have all been resolved – no more warping or surface defects like tempering marks.

QUALITY GLASS AND GOOD CUSTOMER FEEDBACK

The overall installation went well, and communication was smooth. “I would say it was a good, positive project,” De Knijf says. “We’re also currently considering the RHC for our other tempering furnace, although it is a smaller one.”

Customers have also given Euroglas positive feedback, saying they appreciate the improvement, especially with larger glass sheets. “When we ran a full-size 6 x 2.8 m glass sheet as part of our lamination line approval process, everything went smoothly. That was all the proof we needed!” De Knijf adds.

THE RIGHT TOOLS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

“Operators, too, have been very excited to use the upgraded tempering line. They no longer need to work magic to get the quality and quantity out of the furnace,” De Knijf describes. “It was too much trial and error before.”

Now operators have much more control over the furnace. With the new control panel, they can monitor the different zones to see exactly where the heat is. They can see the uniformity. The heat cameras show images of the heat distribution within the glass before it exits.

“With the right tools, our operators are much more motivated to do their jobs well,” he confirms.

GRADUAL GROWTH FORWARD

Euroglas plans to continue evolving over the years with its customers, gradually and steadfastly growing alongside them. “We will continue to challenge them – as they do us,” says De Knijf.

According to De Knijf, investing in quality equipment enables Euroglas to offer the full scope of glass products its customers need – helping the company strengthen its role as a trusted partner. “That’s why having first-class lines is so important,” he concludes.