Benefits And Uses of Laminated Glass

Laminated glass is an excellent alternative to ordinary glass, offering a tough, strong and unbreakable structure. Laminated glass is suitable for a wide range of uses and is an increasingly popular material. If you are considering adding glass to your home or business, you should consider installing laminated glass in its place. If you are unsure what laminated glass is or are unaware of its benefits, we can help. Here we have put together this guide to how laminated glass is made, the benefits and when to use laminated glass panels.

This article will focus on how laminated glass is made, its benefits as well as its uses.

How is laminated glass made?
Laminated glass is made by bonding two or more layers of glass together with a flexible PVB laminate. This is achieved through a process of heating and pressure, where chemical bonds formed between the glass and the PVB interlayer not only join them, but also 'bond' them together to form a completely new material.

What are the benefits of laminated glass?
The robustness and thickness of laminated glass provides a number of benefits.

Reduced emissions: Low-e glass helps to reduce the amount of heat gained from the sun, thus reducing the frequency of air conditioning use and reducing emissions.

Reduced noise pollution: Installing a thick piece of laminated glass causes noise waves to break as they pass through the material, helping to reduce noise pollution.
Increased safety: As the glass does not shatter when broken, the risk of someone being cut or injured by shards of glass is reduced.

Resistant to natural disasters: In the event of a natural disaster or changeable weather, laminated glass will remain within its frame, reducing the risk of accidents and making life-threatening situations safer.

More design options: Laminated glass is available in a wide range of colors, tints or shades and can be manufactured in straight or curved shapes for greater versatility.

What are the uses of laminated glass?
The most common use of laminated glass is in car windscreens. This is because laminated glass is not only much stronger than normal annealed glass and does not break easily, but on the rare occasions that it does break, it does not shatter into sharp pieces, but the glass fragments stick together in a spider web pattern, thus reducing the chance of serious injury.

Laminated glass is a good choice for use in buildings when providing protection against disasters such as fire or earthquakes. Laminated glass is more fire resistant than normal glass, meaning that the building's occupants can escape the time it takes to be shattered. During an earthquake, the glass will not immediately shatter and fall off the frame, making it safer for people to pass through windows and walk outside. This application of laminated glass extends to residential and commercial spaces.

Shop windows and doors are often made of laminated glass to hold in the event of an attempted break-in, as shops are particularly vulnerable to robbery. For the same reason, laminated glass windows and doors are even installed in house construction.
For safety reasons, laminated glass is used as a protective cover in jewellery shops, art galleries, aquariums, banks, currency exchange centres, showrooms and other places where valuable items are stored. In addition, laminated glass can also be used to enhance the visual appeal of a space, as it is available in a wide range of colours.