DE
  • Consulting

  • Product development

  • Tools' development and production

  • Process development

  • Sampling

  • Small-lot production

  • Transfer the technology into your company


IPGlass GmbH

Innovative Processing of Glass


We develop and distribute holistic solutions for thermoforming of glass (Thermal Sheet Molding)

IPGlass GmbH

Imagine you are able to vacuum glass like plastic. Consider to produce thin-walled, three dimensional and really complex glass parts with an impressively high accuracy.
We enable you to do this with the unique proprietary technology of Thermal Sheet molding (TSM). The usual, familiar shapes, known from plastic, can now also be made from glass.
From the early stage of your idea to the serial production of your goods, IPG is your reliable partner for all questions around your 3Dglass.
Our design guidelines gives you detailed information about the wide scope of applications respectively about the few procedural restrictions of TSM.

We offer you:

Consulting
See us as your reliable partner for all questions concerning Thermal Sheet Molding (TSM). In a personal conversation, we work together to find a meaningful solution for your individual task.
Product development
We go along with you starting with your idea to the finished product, focussing on the combination of design and producibility as well as on all economic aspects.
Tools' development and production
We create the optimal tooling concepts for you depending on your product requirements and considering your future process chain.
Process development
We partake in your process chain by making use of our process-related know-how to ensure the perfect synergy of product quality and operational effeciency.
Sampling
An early sampling of components provides an optical and haptic experience to you at an early development stage.
Small-lot production
If required we will manufacture your product as small series.
Transfer the technology into your company
We transfer our know-how in glass thermo forming, including all necessary machinery for an independent production of prototypes, small-scale or line production, if desired.
Design Guidelines (for Molded Sheet Glass)

General Remark

Consider everything that you might already know with regard to thermoforming of plastic sheets (Wikipedia) to be possible for glass as well.

Materials

Most glasses with coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between 3.2 and 9.0 µm/m*K; e.g.:

  • Soda Lime Float Glass
  • Borofloat 33 ® (Schott)
  • Gorilla Glass ® (Corning)
  • aso.

Glass Size

up to 510 x 840mm

Glass Thickness

0.3 mm up to 40 mm


Basic features

Please be aware that the process is a single side tool based process. Thus it is only possible to directly control one side of the part. The other side is a mandatory result of the tool topography and the material thickness used.

In most cases it is possible to use either a female or a male mould approach. Thus you can control the side of the product that is of higher interest to you.

You can mold ...

  • Flat surfaces
  • Curved surfaces of all kind
  • Steps
  • Recesses
  • Protuberances
  • Openings
  • Undercuts
  • Almost all geometries can be combined as per customers demand
  • Smallest feature size app. 200 µm
  • Slope (Side wall angle): down to 0°, depending on material + overall design

Radius: Tool side: down to 0 (sharp edge)
Air side (non tool side): minimum radius = thickness of the glass

Stretching of the thickness: App. 5% of the glass thickness per mm cavity hight/depth.
Please be aware that this value is strongly influenced by the overall design. Real values can vary to the plus or the minus. For critical applications we do recommend to run tests based on the real design for evaluation!

Surface: Smooth, rough, structured; uniformly or combined


Design potentials

  • Logos imprinted into surface (3-D-relief)
  • Surfaces with special haptic properties
  • Moulded openings