In the world of architecture, glass has, undoubtedly, made its mark with its innovative abilities and superior fluid aesthetic appeal. But, glass, as we know it today, has had its genesis from a special type of glass, which is known as the annealed glass.
Let us find out all about annealed glass.
A Glimpse into Annealed glass
Annealed glass, also commonly known as float glass and clear glass, is the foundation on which modern glass innovations rest. Annealed glass is made from the process of annealing. The annealing temperature falls in the range of 454-degree to 482-degree Celsius. Annealed glass is subjected to a regulated cooling process in the ‘annealing lehr’. This controlled cooling process helps the annealed glass get free from internal stress. After the glass is cooled gradually in the ‘annealing lehr’ it comes out with uniform thickness and a flat surface. Once this process is done, annealed glass can be drilled, cut, filleted and worked on quite easily.
Points To Consider Before Buying Annealed Glass
If you are looking to purchase an annealed glass for your residence, workplace, or any other commercial establishment, you should know a couple of things about annealed glass.
- Clarity
An excellent feature of annealed glass is its superior clarity. The high-quality clarity of the glass has an excellent lustre which is why it is best suited for building showcases in your home or workplace. When buying annealed glass, make sure to pick one that offers 100% distortion-free clear vision, as it will complement the purpose of a showcase well. Moreover, when installed in windows, the high clarity of annealed glass allows for a higher degree of natural light to permeate into your home or office, making the interiors bright and cheerful.
- Customisable as Per Architectural Projects
Annealed glass is highly favoured in the construction of various architectural projects. This is because different processing techniques can be carried out on the annealed glass. Thermal toughening, sandblasting, acid-etching, insulating, glazing are just some of the processing techniques that can easily be carried out on the annealed glass. Since, annealed glass can be cut, drilled, and polished, you can get it customised as per your final requirements. While purchasing annealed glass, make sure to pick a processing technique according to your needs. It is this quality of the annealed glass, which makes it highly popular for various architectural projects, like windows, room partitions, showcases, balustrades, tabletops, and so on.
- Maintenance
When buying glass, you should know how to maintain it so that it retains its pristine condition. Annealed glass, in that respect, is quite easy to work with. Annealed glass doesn’t collect a lot of grime or dust. However, you should still know how to take care of annealed glass so that they stay dust-free. Wipe the annealed glass once a week with a soft microfiber cloth for best results. You can soak the cloth in soapy water to wipe any grime or debris off the glass surface. Also, always ensure that you leave no soap residue on the glass surface after the cleaning process as this will attract more dirt.
- Robust and Impact-Resistant Glass Solutions
Annealed glass is quite brittle and can break when faced with a harsh impact. If you are thinking of installing annealed glass, but you want to ensure that it won’t break from any severe accidental impact, then you can get the annealed glass further processed to obtain toughened glass or laminated glass. The process of tempering and laminating can make the annealed glass stronger.
A toughened or tempered glass goes through a thermal tempering which improves the annealed glass’ bending or tensile strength. This makes toughened glass far more likely to resist harsh impact. Another quality which the process of tempering provides is that in a situation of breakage, toughened glass breaks into small, blunt chunks. These blunt chunks are less likely to cause injuries to anyone. Toughened glass is also four to five times stronger than annealed glass of the same thickness and size.
On the other hand, laminated glass offers you a robust structure that is difficult to break. The Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) interlayer holds the glass together to form an intact uniformed layer upon any harsh impact. The interlayer in laminated glass can absorb the impact and resist penetration. This results in the glass fragments sticking to the frame and not shattering easily in the situation of a breakage. As the glass doesn’t shatter easily, it minimises the risk of injuries. So, when buying annealed glass, if you want to get a tougher alternative, then opt to get your annealed glass further processed.
- Energy-Efficient and Glare Solutions
If you want to safeguard your home or office from solar glare, fret not! Annealed glass is available in several tints and shades, which can produce a diverse range of opacities. While buying annealed glass, you can opt for tinted annealed glass as the tint will act as a barrier and protect your interior space against solar glare. Tinted annealed glass can allows natural light to pass while keeping you safe from Ultraviolet rays and Infrared rays.
If energy-efficiency is one of your main criteria when installing windows in your property, then you should know that annealed glass alone won’t be able to make your property energy-efficient. This is why you should consider the different glazing options available in the market. Durable and high-quality glazing can offer many additional benefits to your interior space. Double-glazing can keep the heat inside your property in winters and reduce heat flow into the interior space in summer. This will help you in reducing the usage of artificial heating or cooling systems and will make your property more energy-efficient. Additionally, this will also help in saving more on energy bills.
When looking to buy high-quality annealed glass for your interiors, turn to AIS Glass. AIS Glass is India’s most significant and organised player in the architectural glass processing segment. Our superior-quality annealed glass with high precision flatness is highly customisable and can be used for all your architectural projects. As India’s leading company in integrated glass manufacturing, we offer high-end glass products for all your architectural needs. Moreover, we offer a complete 360-degree glass solution for all your glass needs. Our glass solutions include tempered glass, laminated glass and much more!
So, reach out to us today!