See further with Solidion glass!

This year, the Saint-Gobain Group has successfully completed a new production of Solidion glass for the aerospace market. 

Avec Solidion, le verre voit loin !
©C.SASSO_CAPAPICTURES

Saint-Gobain Sully (France), an entity specialized in manufacturing glazing for the aviation industry, proposes a range of solution from armored glass to plane windows, and uses specific materials for each product (glass and acrylics, a high transparence plastics) to meet the requirements of the targeted aircraft. 

Every 10 years, Saint-Gobain Sully orders a glass like no other in a float line of Saint-Gobain Glass; Solidion glass, to manufacture and assemble plane cockpits, notably for Airbus and Dassault. It is also used to replace these windows throughout the life of the aircraft via sales to the operating airlines.  

Its destination, the aerospace market, requires specific chemical and mechanical properties. The glass designed must have an optimal surface quality, as well as increased mechanical resistance. It requires preparing the float line beforehand in order to adapt the equipment to ensure exceptional glass surface quality. At the same time, specific raw materials must be researched, validated, purchased and transported to adapt the usual raw material mix to this production. All these parameters explain why production only takes place once every ten years, with the preparation of the line taking as much time as the production itself.  

In order to meet the demand of the SBU Aerospace (part of the HPS Mobility Business Unit), Saint-Gobain Glass has to manufacture enough glass to meet the needs of the industry over a ten-year period, with a range of thicknesses from 3 to 8 millimeters. The requirements led to the selection of Saint-Gobain Glass' Aniche-Emerchicourt flat glass line in northern France for this unusual production. 

Once glass production came on stream in early 2022, Saint-Gobain Glass France and Saint-Gobain Sully teams worked hand in hand to monitor, analyze and adapt the furnace operation in real time to meet the quality requirements of Solidion glass. The Solidion 2022 campaign was a real industrial success for all the teams. It sets a new benchmark, with improved light transmission (ratio between the luminous flux entering the room and the total flux received on the glazing) compared to the 2012 campaign. 

A fine example of the complementary nature of the expertise within the Saint-Gobain Group.