Forel at Vitrum 2021: Automation and Innovation

At the 2021 edition (5-8 October, Milan, Italy) in fact, the latest addition to the Forel insulating glass range will be on display in a fully automated configuration: a line for assembling insulating glass with a thermoplastic profile.

This solution will be part of a completely automated system managed by a single workstation (in keeping with the principles of industry 4.0), guaranteeing optimum precision and productivity.

The line will be fed by the Art. SS Sorting System - Forel's system for managing glass sheets within the production flow - which automates the storage and handling of panes to suit the manufacturing schedule. The advantages of the Sorting System are clear: no bottlenecks, no mistakes, and no slowdowns or indecision; clear improvements in productivity, order, flexibility, safety and quality.

The Sorting System will feed the thermoplastic profile “High Tech” insulating glass line. Making its début in this solution is the new Art. TA applicator, designed to perfectly position the product on the basis of two key principles: productivity and ease of use. The interface already includes all the most widely used work programs and the various options for thermoplastic products: it's simple, intuitive and user friendly. In another step aimed at boosting productivity, the profile thickness changeover process is completely automatic: the operator can produce a thermoplastic spacer of a different thickness by simply modifying the working parameters.

The product is pumped from the drum to the recirculation units, consisting of two units that work in tandem to feed the dosing equipment, guaranteeing non-stop extrusion. The benefits of this configuration are particularly clear when the drum needs replacing, as it means there's no slowdown in production. Continuous extrusion is further controlled by the temperature monitoring system that runs along the entire conduit.

The coupling press with gas filling art. AP has been enriched with a dedicated option for processing the IG pane with thermoplastic spacer. In any case however, this solution  can also process panes with a rigid frame.

The final step is entrusted to the Art. SR “High Tech” sealing robot, which has already earned widespread appreciation for the production of rigid and flexible spacer and has also proved perfectly suitable for thermoplastic products. The process is completed with an innovative automatic unloading system, developed to suit the specific nature of this type of insulating glass, but useful also for IG units with traditional or flexible spacer, as a new resource of integrated logistics inside the glassworks.

As this is a dual purpose solution, Forel's products for the preparation of traditional rigid profiles will also be on show: the Art. PB profile bender, the Art. DF desiccant filling machine and the Art. MB butyl extruder. The profile bender (one of the top machines in its category, thanks to the exclusive “Smart Arm” patent) has also been enhanced with a series of innovations for bending plastic spacer, to offer a perfect 90° “radiusless” bend.

Forel's vertical processing line - consisting of the Art. EM edging machine, the Art. DM drilling and milling machine and the Art. VW washing machine - will also be on display at Vitrum 2021. This solution can handle arrissing, grinding, polishing, milling, drilling and final washing, on both monolithic and laminated glass. The line features three machines that are independent of each other and can work simultaneously on different glass sheets, increasing productivity. With its patents, the Forel vertical processing line has been a best seller in its category for several years now, and is esteemed by the best glassworks all over the world.

“Forel has been taking part in Vitrum for over fourty years, and is a noteworthy presence in terms of both innovations and exhibition space” the company explains. “We believe Vitrum is an event worth supporting and strengthening, given not only its relevance on the national market but also the special significance of this year's edition. The world is just getting back on its feet after the challenges of the last 2 years, and this trade show will be the first major European event for the glass sector. Now's the time to show that our supply chain is up and running and is playing its part in the great, collective return to normality. Our intention is to attend at Vitrum with the same spirit as always: to present innovation and automation”.