glasstec: Many good reasons to celebrate

The 25th glasstec will have plenty of reasons to celebrate. The supporting programme will be compact and of a high standard, with a range of new highlights. Moreover, it will closely reflect everything that happens in the halls, while also forging an even better link between theory and practice.

Four months before the event, registrations for exhibition space were already exceeding the total for 2016, and are now approaching the record figures of 2008. Once again, organisers are expecting to see more than 1,200 exhibitors from over 50 countries.

glasstec 2016 attracted over 1,230 exhibitors from more than 50 countries, again making it the biggest and most important trade fair in the industry. Over 40,100 visitors (from 121 countries) benefited from products in glass manufacturing, processing and finishing, the glazing trade, architecture and construction, windows and façades and also from the wide-ranging conference programme. Furthermore, the organisers are encouraged by the large number of exhibitors who have registered so far and the amount of space they have booked.

“All the leading international companies in the industry have committed themselves to exhibiting at glasstec 2018. Visitors and exhibitors can look forward to an anniversary with plenty of great new products,” says Birgit Horn, Director of glasstec, who is already excited about the event.

glass technology live: New team, new blueprint 

The supporting programme will centre around a special exhibition entitled glass technology live in Hall 11. In 2018 it is being organised for the first time by a network of universities – the Technical Universities of Darmstadt, Delft, Dresden and Dortmund – with a presentation of the hub @ glasstec. The range of topics will span all industries, covering applications and solutions from the following areas:

• Interactive façades and display glass
• Energy and performance
• Structural glass: solid, thin and container glass
• New technologies
• Further details about glass technology live are available at www.glasstec.de/1530

glasstec conference: all conferences under a single roof 

The glasstec conference in Hall 10 will feature high-calibre talks and provide in-depth background knowledge on the exhibits of the special show glass technology live, thus forging an even closer link between theory and practice. Overview of conferences and topics:

The full programme can be found at www.glasstec.de/konferenz

New START-UP ZONE for international businesses from the glass industry  

The START-UP ZONE at glasstec 2018 might become a new magnet for trade visitors. 16 young international businesses from 10 different countries (Norway, Finland, India, Italy, Switzerland, Lithuania, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Taiwan) have already signed up for the START-UP ZONE. They will be presenting their innovative ideas and products to the world of professionals. Here are some examples:

• Ateliers Glassex Private Limited from India uses state-of-the-art technologies for direct screen printing onto glass bottles.
• The Italian start-up MO.S.A.I.C. offers engineering services in plant engineering, robotics and industrial automation.
• Stealthcase OY from Finland has a technical solution called Tiivi Connect for the lossless transmission of mobile signals through window frames.
• The Seeory Materials Corporation from Taiwan will be presenting its low-temperature manufacturing process for laminated glass films.

For details of the participating companies go to www.glasstec.de/startup

Craft LIVE: Join in and make new discoveries

The Craft Center invites visitors to join in and try things out for themselves. Its central focus will be the stand of the Federal Association of the German Glazing Trade in Hall 9. The same hall will also host the special exhibition Craft LIVE on the subject of “Finishing Glass: from the Warehouse to the End Product”.

A number of practically focused stations will illustrate the entire process chain, showing visitors from the glass-processing trade what kind of requirements, procedures and products make it easier to work with and transport glass. Anyone from the glass-processing trade is welcome to have a go at using the tools and materials themselves.

Another major feature at the Crafts Center will be a special exhibition entitled Glass Art. The spectrum of exhibiting artists from internationally renowned galleries will range from glassware through sculpture to glass painting.

New competition for young people in the glass-processing trade:

The glasstec challenge

Trainees in their third year of apprenticeship will work under competitive conditions during the trade fair, creating various exhibits. Assessment criteria are not just the quality of the exhibits, but also the timing, preparations and the use of protective and work clothing. The winners can look forward to attractive prizes such as CPD vouchers and free seminars.