The automotive glass manufacturer Carlex has invested in an industrial site for a new windscreen production line in Luxembourg.

The management of windscreen manufacturing company Carlex have put their confidence in the industrial site of Luxembourg for the construction of a new production line, the Laminating Line 5.

According to Plant Manager Olivier Laufer, who has been running Carlex Luxembourg SA since 1 January this year, the main objective of the complex modernisation measure is to further satisfy the increased demands of buyers in the automotive industry in terms of optical quality and “tailored product” regarding the shape and qualities of the windscreen.

In order to meet the changing demands of costumers and to better compete on the market, Carlex has introduced a new windscreen production line. Whilst the windscreens previously cut and shaped from rectangular glass plates were heated to 600 degrees Celsius using the method of "gravity bending" before being pressed to obtain the desired shape, the new Laminating Line 5, whose final commissioning is scheduled for February 2018 after a test phase, will work with the "External Press Bending" system, which is considerably more efficient. As a result, savings are expected through improved energy efficiency and reduced production scrap.

With this system, the glass is transported on ceramic rolls during the manufacturing process, which reduces energy losses and improves the optical quality of the finished product. From a loading station with automatic positioning, the previously formed flat glass is transported into the energy-efficient oven, which heats the most diverse types of glass in the desired way. The constant-temperature press station that gives the glass the shape of the windscreen has special "Quick Change" modules, which significantly reduce the mould changeover time. Other important elements of the new facility are the raw glass transport and shaping line, as well as a screen printing facility, which allows the glass product to be printed according to the wishes of the customer.

The new line will occupy an additional 3,400 m2 in the company, including warehouses, for an investment of nearly €25 million.