Application | Insulating Glass

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TRANSPARENT PRODUCTION Insulating glass is playing an increasingly vital role in construction. It seals in heat and keeps out the cold. Bystronic glass, based in the Northern Black Forest, builds the machines which will in turn be used to manufacture insulating glass. They are currently making the world’s largest insulating glass production line. Ready-made ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT energy chain assemblies from LAPP have enabled them to significantly speed up their production process. ////////////////////////////////

Bystronic Glass is considered a “hidden champion” in the industry. The company is made up of three technology centers with a total of 465 staff in Switzerland, China, and Germany. Machines and systems for manufacturing insulating glass have been made in Neuhausen-Hamberg in southwest Germany’s Black Forest and shipped worldwide for more than 50 years. Architectural glass is the core competence at the Neuhausen-Hamberg site, where they build massive machines that make insulating glass. And there is a growing demand for it around the world, with increasing emphasis on energy efficiency and soundproofing. “Our machines which turn glass into insulating glass are successful wherever demanding energy efficiency guidelines are in place,” said Peter Nischwitz, who is responsible for corporate communication for the international Bystronic Glass brand. This success is no accident – it is the result of constant improvement. For example, through the use of ready-made ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT energy chain assemblies from LAPP. “Stripping cables, removing the insulation from single cores, assembling connectors, and installing them in drag chains – we used to do all this ourselves manually in-house,” reports Thorsten Meier, process planner at Bystronic Glass. “By getting the complete assemblies supplied by LAPP, we have been able to reduce our throughput times from eight hours to one.” With the time saved, electrical engineers at Bystronic glass can concentrate on other added value activities. “We have been able to reduce the assembly times and

The power chains for Bystronic Glass include power and control cables, BUS cables and also hoses for other media

– a machine capable of manufacturing between 800 and 1200 insulating glass units per shift. The world’s largest insulating glass production line is currently being built in Neuhausen-Hamberg. It has a record length of 523 feet (160 m) and is designed for insulating glass panels up to 60 x 10 feet (18 x 3 m). The entire system is a customised construction. “We had to split it into three sections. The first two have already been delivered to the customer,” Thorsten Meier reports proudly. For this production line the design engineering team of ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT at LAPP designed and assembled a power chain to Bystronic’s specifications. The cable chain is a SILVYN ® CHAIN 445 MU power chain for highly dynamic applications. It is 8.9 feet (2.7 m) long and is made of plastic with folding frame stay. The assembly is also customized; the halogen-free ÖLFLEX ® FD 855 P power and control cable is used in the chain. This is ideal for high loads in power chains, allowing small bending radii and long travel distances, and is UL/cUL certified for North America - a crucial factor for the export-focused global market leader. If requested by the customer, ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT SERVO assemblies can also be used. These servo assemblies connect the cable and connector semi-automatically. This results in significant advantages in terms of quality, availability and screening effect. Among other benefits, the

the logistical complexity as LAPP supplies the chains to us just in time.” THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCTION LINE A typical insulating glass production line is between 165 and 230 feet (50 - 70 m) long. “If the customer manufactures a large number of similar glass panels, the number of cycles is key,” said Meier. They have the right equipment for this as well

A variety of LAPP products feature in the power chain

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LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539

MADE-TO-MEASURE ASSEMBLIES Under the name ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT, LAPP provides complete solutions and engineering services for cable systems. The ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT program is based on three main offerings: ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT CABLES comprises classic pre-prepared cables. ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT CHAIN is the designation for the design and assembly of complete power chains. In this case, LAPP also integrates cables and conduits into the drag chain. On request, LAPP can even carry out assemblies in the plant on the customer’s premises. Complex solutions are also possible – for example, fully equipped steel drag chains weighing several tons that are used in a wide range of industries. ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT SERVO, on the other hand, provides pre-assembled servo cables. These servo assemblies are produced according to the drive manufacturer’s standards, i.e. “standard assemblies”, whereas pre-assembled cables and complete power chains are individually developed and assembled for the customer. LAPP has sites in Europe, Asia, and America and thanks to its global structure can guarantee uniformly high quality standards in terms of its engineering, consultancy, and production know-how throughout the world. As part of its ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT initiative, LAPP has expanded its network of pre-assembled cable sites.

screening against electromagnetic interference is 400 percent better than with conventional solutions. A UNITRONIC ® BUS PB Profibus cable assembled with an M12 connector is responsible for data exchange. The chain also contains hoses for other media - a PVC fabric hose with a 0.6 inch (15 mm) outer diameter and a plastic extraction hose with an outer diameter of 1.4 inches (35 mm). The basic chain described has a variable design and can be individually configured according to the size of the system. The lengths of the cables and the installed hoses can also be adapted to the system at any time.

By using pre-assembled power chains, Bystronic Glass has been able to significantly reduce its throughput times

THE WORLD’S GLASS For more than fifty years, Bystronic Glass has been making machines and systems for manufacturing, and their insulating glass can be found around the world. Glass produced on Bystronic machines has been fitted in buildings including the Oscar Niemeyer Tower in Rio de Janeiro, the O2 World in Berlin and the Shanghai Tower. “There’s even a bit of Bystronic glass in the world’s tallest building – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai,” explained Peter Nischwitz.

A BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIP Bystronic Glass and LAPP have been working together for a long time, but they stepped up their collaboration in 2011. “That’s when we started using LAPP’s energy chain assemblies,” recalls Thorsten Meier. Since then, well over 100 LAPP chains have been installed. This has created considerable potential for savings. As a result, there are plans to use more ÖLFLEX ® CONNECT solutions. Thorsten Meier has also worked closely with LAPP to introduce a further improvement - a cable warehouse with 50 cable drums rather than the previous 88. It was LAPP’s Kanban system for the drums that enabled the warehouse to be downsized - as soon as a cable drum is almost empty, an employee scans a code using a scanner provided by LAPP to trigger the replenishment. Thorsten Meier sums things up: “We’ve been hugely impressed with LAPP’s overall performance and know-how.”

Bystronic Glass manufacturing in Neugausen-Hamberg, Germany

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LAPP 29 Hanover Road, Florham Park, NJ 07932 T. 800 774 3539