The rain cleans the windows

The new self-cleaning glass, Planibel Easy, from AGC Interpane now makes window cleaning easier, the company has reported.

The special pyrolytic coating of the glazing is durable and uses the UV radiation in sunlight to break down dirt in five to seven days – the next shower of rain then washes the residue away.

The product is useful for glazing that is difficult to reach, such as in the roofs of conservatories, in roof lights, or in large areas of glass that can only be cleaned with great effort.

The self-cleaning function has been independently tested and confirmed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Surface Engineering and Thin Films (IST) according to EN1096-5.

In the rain, the coating distributes the water evenly across the glass and allows it to run off more easily, so that it also dries faster.

The product is available in multiple variants: Planibel Easy Clear (4mm) achieves a high daylight transmittance of 84%, while the solar factor is 82%, which allows solar energy gains to be made in the cooler months; and Planibel Easy Blue (4mm) is the bluish variant, which is recommended, for example, for conservatory roofs – the daylight transmittance is 63%, and the solar factor is 58%.

For insulation glazing, Planibel Easy can be combined with other functional coatings such as iplus for excellent insulation, or ipasol for the best solar control.