Energy efficiency is no longer optional in glass production, it’s essential in order to remain competitive, says Nolan Millard, director at Unilam Machinery.
As energy prices continue to rise, especially given the volatile situation in the middle east region, glass manufacturers are under growing pressure to reduce consumption without compromising performance or safety.
Unilam Machinery is known for offering innovative solutions in glass manufacturing and is now able to offer a unique solution which encompasses the key areas of high energy efficiency and operational safety.
Cooltemper, through a 30-year co-operation with Unilam, has long been known as a pioneer in the field of glass toughening and is now able to offer one of the biggest opportunities in an often-overlooked area: cooling (quenching), which accounts for a significant share of total energy use.
Rethinking the impeller
Traditional steel impellers are capable of limited speed control, force high idling energy use, and over time can lead to fatigue failures, resulting in wasted electricity, higher maintenance costs, and safety risks.
Steel impellers typically require significant electrical energy when idling between loads, resulting in many thousands of pounds in effectively lost energy / cost in standby power. This is especially the case with thinner glass, for example 4mm, where the power requirement for quenching is high and the cycles are shortest.
Carbon fibre impellers
Thanks to a lightweight yet robust design, carbon fibre composite impellers can:
• Reduce cooling energy consumption significantly.
• Adapt instantly to production needs by accelerating and stopping when required.
• Significantly cut idle energy use – especially critical in thin-glass production.
• Offer far increased critical failure safety.
• Deliver fast ROI.
Safety and durability
Beyond energy savings, carbon fibre impellers offer enhanced operational safety, lower system stress, longer service life, and reduced downtime. Even in the unlikely event of breakage, the material poses minimal risk compared to steel impellers.
Carbon fibre impellers can be integrated into new tempering line blowers or retrofitted to existing ones – a simple, cost-effective way to boost performance without replacing the entire blower system.
Smarter engineering
By combining advanced materials with intelligent design, Unilam & Cooltemper continue to help glass manufacturers improve productivity, workplace safety, and energy efficiency while reducing environmental impact.
In summary, the new carbon fibre technology offering from Unilam and Cooltemper can yield exceptional energy savings, increased workplace safety as well as environmental and costs savings in line with increased product lifespan.
Unilam can offer carbon fibre impellers on all new machines, as well as offering a replacement, retrofit or upgrade on existing Cooltemper plants.
