Laminated Glass
Although the term "laminated glass" is
occasionally used as a synonym for glass that has been fused in the
kiln, it is more properly used to refer to glass that has been
joined using one of two processes that takes place outside the kiln.
Most often, lamination refers to bonding two or
more layers or glass to an intermediate layer of transparent plastic
film. This type of safety glass, often used in automobile
windshields or
as a sound barrier, usually uses annealed (not tempered) float glass
and a film made of PVB plastic (polyvinyl butyral). If the glass
breaks, the pieces are adhered to the film and are less likely to
break into shards that could scatter and cause injury.
The simple process of stacking and gluing glass
sheets is also sometimes called "lamination." In most cases
float glass is used and the gluing is accomplished with ultraviolet
(UV) glue. By stacking and gluing carefully shaped pieces of
glass, this cold-working process allows the formation of
three-dimensional sculptural objects.
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Copyright 2005 Brad Walker.
All rights reserved.
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