Volume 11, Issue 7 - September 2010

feature

Showtime
A Sneak Peek at What’s Being Featured at This Year’s Las Vegas Show

Visit DWM in Booth #1252
Come visit the staff of DWM/Shelter magazine in booth #1252 while you’re in Vegas. It’s the place to get information on the show’s happenings—and share your news with your colleagues at home via the DWM Newscasts. If you can’t make it to the event, visit www.dwmmag.com for updates from the trade show floor.

MACHINERY
Booth #2551:
Erdman Automation to Present New Products
This year Erdman Automation of Princeton, Minn., will present a variety of new insulating glass equipment including the Erdman® fixed head IG secondary sealer, IG spacer applicator, 6000 series IG secondary sealer and hand assist glazer/back bedder.

The fixed head IG secondary sealer features a stationary sealant application system on the product giving operators the ability to apply a professional, high-quality, consistent secondary seal to insulating glass units.

The product is available to dispense hot, cold and two-part sealants and can be configured for dual- and triple-pane units. Custom models and sizes are available.

The hand assist glazing table offers a servo-control system to provide a consistent diameter bead of sealant to products at speeds up to 30 inches a second, according to the manufacturer. Hand-assists are available to perform hot, cold or two-part glazing and can be set up for bead sizes from .060 inches up to .50 inches in diameter, according to the manufacturer.
www.erdmanautomation.com

Booth #2252:
Nordson Corp.’s VersaDrum® Dispenses Adhesives
VersaDrum bulk melters from Nordson in Duluth, Ga., deliver consistent dispensing of traditional and reactive adhesives and sealants for a variety of fenestration applications, including insulating glass sealing, according to the company. Featuring hydraulic passages designed to eliminate dead spaces, the product’s bulk melters are suitable for use with reactive materials, such as moisture-cure polyurethanes.
www.nordson.com

SPACERS
Booth 1929: Edgetech I.G.’s New Practices
Edgetech I.G. in Cambridge, Ohio will provide interactive demonstrations during the show for a variety of areas including quality assurance, specialized equipment solutions, technical service, creative marketing support and high-performance products.

High-performance products to be featured include its Super Spacer® warm-edge spacer systems; test equipment powered by EDTM, including glass, window and film test equipment; Gasglass and Spyglass technology for non-invasive gas-fill measurements and glass analysis; IntelliClip® muntin end clips, including the newly added warm-edge clips designed by S.I.L. Plastic; SustainaBLOCK™ setting blocks; E-Z RAD™ grid placement table for simplified grid patterns in shaped glass; Form8tor® vinyl profile bending, designed to allow multiple bends to be produced simultaneously; and Lauren Manufacturing’s custom-engineered weatherstripping and seals.
www.edgetech360.com

Booth #1229:
Truseal Envirosealed Windows™ Highlight Energy-Efficient Windows
Truseal Technologies Inc., a Quanex Building Products company based in Solon, Ohio, will highlight its Envirosealed Windows™ program and will showcase the program’s latest developments, including new options for producing high-performance Envirosealed Windows.

The Envirosealed Windows campaign is designed to simplify environmental and energy savings messaging for window manufacturers and dealers by highlighting the thermal efficiency benefits of the company’s spacer systems.

Program participants can address the growing demand for green products through educational tools such as literature, point-of-sale pieces and a dedicated website.

Through the program, Truseal says it can help manufacturers choose from a variety of pre-certified component packages that yield windows exceeding current tax credit requirements, as well as future Energy Star® standards proposed for 2013.
www.truseal.com

Booth #1021: Technoform Features Warm-Edge Spacer, Insulating Strip
Technoform will be featuring its TGI® warm-edge spacer. Company officials say the spacer provides thermal performance, condensation resistance, structural rigidity and aesthetic appeal. The spacer also is said to provide high argon retention, easy integration with current insulating glass manufacturing equipment, machine-controlled muntin locations and corner connectors that incorporate argon-filling holes.

In addition, the company will display its Bautec structural insulating strip, which is constructed of polyamide 6.6 with 25 percent glass fiber content. Technoform officials say the insulating strip achieves low U-values and has a low thermal conductivity rate.
www.technoform.us

HANDLING EQUIPMENT
Booth #1765:
Motorize Your Inventory System with Bromer
Bromer has created a motorized storage solution and inventory system that moves existing returnable steel racks via a motorized shuttle and control panel. The system can integrate with a manufacturer’s cutting line or optimization system, and can help save both labor costs and floor space, according to the company.
www.bromerinc.com

PROFILES
Booth #1835: Royal Group Inc. Says It’s Advancing Vinyl
Royal Group Inc. officials say the company’s new building products are taking cellular technology to new levels and advancing the value of vinyl. New Royal S4S Trimboard™ offers a smooth, four-sided finished edge for builders and remodelers, eliminating the open-cell edges of traditional trim boards, according to the company.

Royal’s True Square™, Stay Clean™ edges also combine with the Poly Select® surface which the company says offers durability.

Royal S4S Trimboard offers many options and is available in three standard thicknesses: 5/8-, ¾- and 1-inch. Five standard widths range from 4 to 12 inches. Board length is 18 feet and custom lengths also are available.

The new Hybrid Series Window Profiles deliver both environmental efficiency and durability with a multi-chamber 4 1/2-inch hybrid frame, according to the company. The Hybrid Series features a fully welded PVC interior frame with integrated ½-inch and ¾-inch drywall return. The exterior frame and sashes are made of extruded aluminum with mechanical corners. Triple continuous weather-stripping helps ensure optimal energy efficiency, according to the company. Its PVC sashes are fully welded and are adapted for a ¾-, 7/8-, 1- or1 1/4-inch insulating glass unit. 
www.royalbuildingproducts.com

Booth #1221: Access New Market Sectors with PVC-Alu Products from PH Tech
PH Tech has introduced its PVC-Alu window with PVC core, available with a colored aluminum cladding. The sash cladding for casement windows also can be used to clad the frames of hung windows, and the hung window frame extensions can be used to make panoramic windows.
www.phtech.com

SOFTWARE
Booth #939: WTS Paradigm Offers CenterPoint with Base Camp Functionality
WTS Paradigm of Middleton, Wis., says its CenterPoint system generates quick, accurate, professional-looking quotes for your customers and automates all order entry processes. It also acts as the central repository for cataloging options and pricing for your product knowledge. Its configuration technology lets customers store all product pricing and options, including to-scale drawings of each door or window.
www.wtsparadigm.com

Booth #2055:
FeneTech Launches FeneVision ERP Version 7
Aurora, Ohio-based FeneTech Inc. will launch version 7 of its FeneVision ERP. Version 7 was designed in accordance with the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system and expanded with the following additional functionalities: new production scheduling and auto-batching, business intelligence (BI), enhanced capacity planning and contractor-to-dealer online ordering tools, as part of the FeneVision Web Center.

The newly integrated BI is a Microsoft SSRS version of the FeneVision Information Center, which allows for integration into Microsoft Office products. Users can retrieve and analyze internal and external business data to support better decision-making, according to the company. The system is fully integrated and based on a single centralized database from Microsoft (SQL Server 2008). It also uses a dynamic and unlimited bill of material system, allowing the user to configure any type of product, no matter the complexity, providing an open architecture with endless flexibility.
www.fenetech.com

Booth #1973: 360 Innovations Goes Custom
360 Innovations will feature its CustomBuilt360, which the company describes as a one of a kind product configurator to produce accurate quotes and calculate reliable estimates. The company adds that the product is a guided selling solution that integrates all manufacturer products with business specific rules, promotions, price lists in real-time, and with real life graphic configuration renders to improve customers' quote to cash cycle. The software now includes a web configurator module to generate leads and increase sales.
www.360-innovations.com

TOOLS
Booth #1464: EDTM Highlights Its Glass-Chek Pro
EDTM in Toledo, Ohio, will highlight the new GC3000 Glass-Chek PRO instrument. This new digital instrument measures the glass and air space thickness of single-, double- and now triple-pane windows from a single side. This new technology offers numerous improvements and features over the company’s previous offering, including applications involving tinted glass, new low-E coatings, triple panes and suspended film, according to the company.

The product is available in six different languages.
www.edtm.com

GLASS
Booth #1665: Cardinal Glass Industries Introduces High-Performance Loå
Cardinal CG Co. of Minneapolis has a new high-performance, energy-efficient coated glass called Loå-i81TM. This product was developed using sputter-coating technology and is applied on the interior lite of an insulating glass (IG) unit, or on the number-four surface of a double-pane window. When coupled with Loå3-366® glass and argon fill in a double-pane IG unit, company officials say the center of the glass can achieve a U-factor of 0.20. With a visible light transmittance of 81 percent, Loå-i81 is virtually clear with no haze to mar the view, according to the company.
www.cardinalcorp.com

HARDWARE
Booth #1529: Truth’s New Systems
Truth Hardware’s new Sentry multi-point hinged patio door hardware system combines flexibility and security, and features a 90-degree thumb turn located above the handle, high-performance adjustable hinges and multiple handle designs. The system also is designed to adapt to your current door system.

The company also is introducing the Push-Out hardware system, which includes a full line of hinges, locks and related push-out hardware designed for timber, frame, log and craftsman-style homes. 
www.truth.com

Booth 1229: Imperial Introduces New Multi-Point Lock
In an effort to enhance its PG40+ systems, Imperial Products has introduced a new multi-point locking system, the MPLS-3. The product is a cost effective corrosion-resistant multi-point locking system than can be ordered one unit at a time, according to the company. The SureFit™ template system (patent pending) provides for simple, reliable installations in fewer than 15 minutes. A MPLS-3 astragal conversion kit provides an easy way to convert TripleSEAL astragals into a MPLS-3 compatible astragal in less than five minutes, the company adds.
www.home-shield.com

Booth #1265: Vision Makes Locking a “Snap”
Vision Industries introduces its latest series of composite cam locks and keepers which feature a “snap action” cam and lever made from high impact composite materials. Testing results show performance of the locks exceeded DP-50 using impact resistant polymer compounds, according to the company.
www.visionhardware.com

COATINGS
Booth #1273: Renolit Re-Brands Popular Exterior Foil
Renolit has replaced its Fast brand with Exofol FX. The new brand offers several new designs and will continue to offer all of the colors and realistic woodgrain effects in the former range.

The films are made with a three-layer construction, according to the company, and the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) base layer now includes Solar Shield Technology (SST). SST utilizes infrared reflective pigments that reduce heat build.

The two transparent top layers include a middle layer of PMMA and top layer of polyvinyl fluoride film (PVDF). These layers allow IR rays to pass through while the SST pigments in the base film reflect them. The Exofol FX safeguards against dirt, chemicals and environmental pollutants and also makes the finish resilient to abuse, including graffiti, according to the company.
www.renolit.com

Extrusions
Booth #771: Chelsea Offers Variety of New Solutions
Chelsea Building Products, based in Oakmont, Pa., will showcase a variety of products, including The Restoration Pro, one of four R5 solution products.

The company says the product features a multi-hollow design in the frame and the sash for increased structural and thermal performance. Homeowners can choose from 3/4 –, 7/8- or 1-inch insulating glass. The wider glass options with the wide glazing legs easily accommodate simulated divided lites, as well as grilles and blinds between the glass panes, the company says. The Restoration Pro has also been certified with a high performance package for impact ratings.

The company will also showcase Therma-Core, a proprietary, scientifically-engineered PVC composite, compounded and extruded as an alternative to metal reinforcements. Offering the same advantages as metal reinforcements, but without the constraints of steel and aluminum, the reinforcement is manufactured from a highly mineral filled formulation to provide superior thermal properties. The extruded profile virtually fills the cavity, significantly reducing occurrence of convection within the cavity air space. The reinforcement delivers a structural rating of R35 on a 40- by 63-inch double-hung window, according to the company.
www.chelseabuildingproducts.com

Organic Growth
GlasWeld’s G-Force Helps Manufacturers Save Time and Money
Booth #1673

When Bend, Ore.-based GlasWeld first developed its Gforce scratch removal system in 2005, company executives may not have realized the growth potential for the product in the door and window industry and how some glass manufacturers would be vital to its success.

Shiloh Spoo, GlasWeld vice president, explains that the company started selling the equipment to glass companies like Guardian and Cardinal IG, and trained them on its proper use.
“They started recommending us to their window manufacturer customers,” says Spoo. “We came to realize how much of a need there was for not just a piece of equipment, but a solution [to damaged glass].”

Putting It All on the Line
Spoo says some manufacturers may have one to two production lines running while larger companies may have 10 to 12 lines.

“We work with them to develop a plan to integrate our system into their production line,” he says.

Why is such a plan—or for that matter, a product of this type—needed?

“The largest cause of glass damage is handling,” says Spoo.

Whether it’s glass being moved in the Cardinal facility or being shipped to the manufacturer and then to a dealer and ultimately the homeowner, glass damage may occur.

“We look at the plant scheme [of a window manufacturer] and help them figure out how to reduce waste, etc.,” says Spoo. “When we go in and do hands-on training, we look at their manufacturing and look at the best place to set up the Gforce. We’re not stopping the whole production flow to move a piece of glass.”

“It saves us a huge amount of time,” says Benji Hershberger, field service manager for PGT. The company, with plants in Florida and North Carolina, began using scratch removal for the glass in its doors and windows in 2005. “We have our own glass plant so we can turn a piece of glass around quickly. But if you have a laminated unit you have a good amount of time and labor to remake that unit. So from a quality control perspective we are able to buff out a scratch on a piece of glass in 20 minutes versus the 24 hours it would take to remake it; we’re going to choose the former.”

Out in the Field
Scratch removal also is used by the field service technicians for large companies, including PGT.

Spoo outlines a typical scenario to illustrate how Gforce may be used to save companies time and money. A customer with a piece of scratched glass would call his/her local dealer, who would then call his/her local rep to reorder the glass.

The dealer then would de-glaze and re-glaze the window.

“An approach that some more advanced manufacturers take is, ‘Let’s equip them with this equipment. That way if they are on the job they can solve the problem immediately while saving valuable time and expense,’” says Spoo.

PGT is one of such manufacturer, and Michelle Callan, university leader with PGT, works on training field service reps on the system. She says that the company has used the system on both its own production line and in the field for five years. In fact, today, each of its field service reps is equipped with Gforce and is trained at PGT’s facilities.

“PGT has a very proactive program,” says Spoo. “From a manufacturing perspective that’s a bonus for them as they will have [fewer] rejects from their dealers. It’s really about best practices.”

Greg Novak, quality assurance manager at Cardinal Corporation’s laminating plant in Wisconsin, puts it simply.

“We don’t want to be late,” he says. “More important to us than saving money is saving time in getting our product to the customer.”

Novak points out that the company has a one-day turnaround but sometimes even one day makes a big difference.

“The advantage is that we don’t have to run the glass down the line again, then put it on a truck the next day,” he says.

Although time is of the essence, cost does come into play.

“We may have a laminated lite that costs several thousand dollars and you really want to avoid having to throw it away because of a simple surface scratch,” says Novak, who also speaks to the quality of the scratch removal. “There is no distortion. It works very well and we have seen no detrimental effects.”

“You’d be shocked at the amount of glass some companies throw away,” says Spoo. “Saving that glass makes us feel really good at the end of the day.”