[Report] 1600℃ Molten Glass Flows... Broken Glass Becomes the Largest Jumbo Glass

Visiting Hanglas Gunsan Factory
Double-Sized Standard Glass Panels Catch Attention
Smart Automation and Eco-Friendly Facilities from Fuel Mixing to Production Stand Out
130 Billion Won Investment Decided... Aiming for Smart Factory

The Hanglas Gunsan Plant is a manufacturing base that produces the largest flat glass in Korea (3658x6096 mm), and it also boasts the largest domestic production scale by producing 10 million square meters of coated glass annually. Photo by Hanglas

[Gunsan, Jeonbuk = Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Hanglas glass manufacturing factory in Soryong-dong, Gunsan-si, Jeonbuk. At the 60-meter-long furnace of the Hanglas Gunsan factory visited on the 9th, silica sand and dolomite were continuously poured and melted into molten glass. Using the 'float method,' which horizontally flows molten glass at 1600 degrees Celsius over molten tin to manufacture flat glass, this site produces the largest jumbo-sized glass (3658x6096 mm) in Korea.

Regarding the reason for producing flat glass twice the size of existing product specifications, Deputy Manager Nayongsin, who manages the production process, explained, "Producing larger glass sheets reduces the amount of glass waste discarded during cutting." Currently, the Gunsan factory operates three production lines: a float line producing flat glass sheets, a coating line producing Low-Emissivity (Low-E) glass, and a processing line producing insulated glass.

The inside of the float line was hotter than a kiln, and just standing still caused sweat to pour down like rain. The number of workers managing the production line is fewer than ten, and the entire process?from fuel mixing entering the furnace to transportation, input, and product manufacturing?is managed through a smart automation system. Hanglas has introduced an eco-friendly process by operating facilities that remove environmentally harmful gases such as carbon dioxide generated from furnace operation and by sorting and recycling cullet (crushed glass reused as raw material) collected through branches nationwide.

When the reporter asked if photography was allowed while observing the furnace that never turns off for 24 hours, the answer was that it was difficult due to security reasons. Deputy Manager Na added, "The process where molten glass is produced in the furnace is a site where core glass manufacturing technology is concentrated, so it is not exposed to the outside."

Established in 1957 with the Incheon factory and succeeding in producing the first flat glass after the war, Hanglas has consistently maintained its position as the leading domestic glass company. However, since 2010, with the massive import of low-priced Chinese glass, market competition intensified, leading to operating losses and a management crisis.

Hanglas, aiming for structural improvement, focused on high value-added products such as coated glass and specialty glass. In 2016, Hanglas invested 55 billion KRW to build the largest domestic coated glass processing line. Deputy Manager Na explained that by simultaneously conducting flat glass production and coated glass processing at the Gunsan factory, efficiency was improved.

A process where machines detect defects in flat glass produced on the float line that are difficult to identify with the naked eye and immediately cut the defective parts.

Producing 10 million ㎡ of coated glass annually... Overcoming low-priced Chinese imports with high value-added products

The coating line located right next to the float line processes coated glass such as Low-E glass, producing 10 million ㎡ of products annually. Low-E glass is a product coated multiple times with thin layers composed of metals and metal oxides such as silver (Ag) on the surface of architectural flat glass. It offers about 40% better energy-saving effects such as insulation compared to regular flat glass, making it highly demanded at construction sites.

When the produced flat glass arrives at the coating line, it enters a chamber with a vacuum state similar to outer space. When high voltage electricity flows, silver particles adhere to the glass through a plasma phenomenon and coat it. Yoo Byungho, head of Hanglas Technology Research Institute, explained, "Although the coating is applied in multiple layers, the thickness is 10 nanometers, which is 1/10,000th the thickness of a human hair. The core technology of Low-E glass is ensuring that silver particles are evenly deposited on the flat glass." He added, "The amount of silver inside the chamber is worth 100 million KRW." The Low-E glass produced through this process undergoes inspection in an artificial sky zone of a testing room that simulates outdoor conditions to detect defects that are difficult to find indoors, before being shipped to branches and sites.

Hanglas, overcoming the crisis through product diversification, offers various solution products beyond its main product, architectural Low-E glass, including electrochromic glass and smart windows rather than semi-finished products. At the technology research institute located opposite the production line, one could directly observe touch glass surfaces for customized refrigerators, which have recently gained great popularity as wedding gifts, and media facade products with screen functions for exterior wall construction. Director Yoo stated, "We are testing various optical designs for glass coatings connected to near-field communication to launch smart products," adding, "Along with enhancing the functions of architectural Low-E glass, we are also developing solutions that include window functions."

Recently deciding to invest 130 billion KRW in the Gunsan factory, Hanglas plans to build a smart factory by introducing resource management systems and the latest production manufacturing systems. Lee Kanghoon, head of the production technology division, said, "We are expanding new production lines to stably produce and supply high-quality glass," adding, "We will establish pollution control facilities for eco-friendly production processes to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides, which cause fine dust, by more than 70%, and focus on producing products that consider both quality and the environment."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.