Insulated Glass Technical Resources - Quality Control

At Fenzi North America, we want all our customers to focus on quality in their insulated glass production.

As we all can agree, proper pump and equipment use is critical, but so are the daily procedures which make up the manufacturing process for insulated glass.

We have included articles and suggestions from many in our industry and hope that you and your company can use this information as a ‘Technical Resource Pool’ – a resource to the betterment of your business – which ultimately benefits Fenzi North America as your sealant supplier.

As stated, we do believe in working with our customers, as we are ‘Partners in Business’

Estimated Sealant Usage Per Gallon

 Chart to view different air space profiles with estimated usage per lineal foot. Based on manual gunning, with an estimated waste factor of 10%. Chart for both US gallons and Imperial gallons. Allows you to plug in your gallon costs and determine an estimate for your lineal foot cost.
 

Quality Control

Insulated Glass Workmanship

 Chart for staff to do visual inspection of finished units, what to look for with polysulphide bondlines for a visual inspection of the sealant cavity fill.
 

Insulated Glass Quality Control

It is a good practice to get all your staff involved in understanding the importance of Quality Control in the manufacturing of insulated glass.

While this process ends with the visual inspection of the finished units bondlines per the above chart – it begins as all components – glass, spacer profile, corner keys, muntin bars, desiccant and PIB are cut, stored, filled, assembled and applied. It is during this process that all staff doing these independent job duties can assist the overall QC of your insulated glass production.

Proper handling of each component, prior to final assembly and sealing is key to overall unit integrity.

Examples of mishandling of the components while preparing for assembly include the following:

 Glass edges can chip or shell
Spacers can burr while being cut, may make contact with glass skin surface causing breakage in the field
Spacers if handled improperly can pick up dirt and residue
Proper argon hole drilling or punching
Desiccant bin may be open to the atmosphere, compromising the manufacture’s drying capacity of the product
Spacer legs filled improperly or not completely
Corner keys not snug, creates possible opening for desiccant dust to enter air space
Muntin bar cutting and assembly, creates oils and residue that can remain in the air space if not cleaned
Muntin bar touch up paint – use what your supplier recommends – not typical ‘White Out’ – some contain solvent that may not flash off before assembly
Proper muntin clip insertion, not forced to disfigure spacer profile
Finished spacer assembly allowing to hang on rack squarely, avoiding contact with the ground (can pick up debris)
Glass fed thru the washer, not being allowed to touch – possible glass edge damage if the ‘bang’
Spacers being placed onto the glass, squarely and evenly

While this list is brief, it gives one the idea that – if each person in contact with these components, were aware of what to look for – the overall finished quality of your production will be improved on a regular basis.

And, all of this is before you introduce argon into the cavity – which, creates another list of QC concerns for staff to be aware of – i.e. for the proper gas fill rate, not allowing gas hole to remain open too long after filling before proper patch applied, correct plug or screw insertion, proper patching and sealant coverage over the hole etc.