Glass production places extreme and highly specific demands on insulation, refractory materials, sealing systems, hot glass handling components and maintenance solutions. Insulcon Group supports glass manufacturers throughout the process, from furnace lining and backup insulation to float bath applications, feeders, annealing lehrs, expansion joints, glass contact components, repair materials and hot gas filtration.
Discuss your glass process challenge
Every process area in float, container and specialty glass production requires a different balance of thermal performance, refractory resistance, mechanical strength, surface contact behaviour, movement absorption, gas tightness and maintainability.
Insulcon Group does not start with a single product. We review the process zone, operating temperature, atmosphere, glass chemistry, mechanical load, available installation space, maintenance strategy and current failure mode. Based on these conditions, we help identify a suitable combination of insulation, refractory, textile, sealing, repair, filtration or engineered components.
As an Alkegen distributor, Insulcon provides access to Alkegen's portfolio of high temperature insulation fibres, blankets, modules, boards, papers, felts, vacuum formed products, engineered thermal components, refractory materials, coatings, mixes and filtration media. This includes established product families such as Fiberfrax®, Insulfrax®, Isofrax® and Saffil®, supported by technical documentation and specialist application knowledge.
Combined with Insulcon Group's engineering, conversion, textile production, machining, vacuum forming, warehousing and service capabilities across Europe, this enables us to support standard supply, planned shutdowns, urgent repairs, furnace rebuilds and customer specific projects.
Glass plants operate continuously. Even a local material failure can affect energy use, product quality, safety and production availability.
Typical challenges include:
Share your operating conditions and current failure mode
Reliable furnace insulation helps limit heat loss, protect surrounding structures and support stable process conditions. Depending on the process zone and lining design, solutions may include fibre blankets, modules, boards, papers and felts, microporous insulation, calcium silicate, insulating fire bricks, refractory plates, blocks and vacuum formed shapes.
Typical applications include melting tank backup lining, refiner sidewalls, pool bottoms, doghouses, crown and wall backup systems, annealing lehrs, kiln cars and auxiliary hot equipment. Alkegen fibre solutions are available in different chemistries, forms, densities and temperature classes to match the required thermal and handling performance.
Zones exposed to direct heat, molten glass, vapours, batch materials, chemical attack or mechanical wear require refractory materials selected for strength, stability and service conditions. The group can support projects with AZS blocks, dense alumina bricks, silica bricks, insulating fire bricks, burner blocks, burner block gaskets, castables, mortars, mouldables, precast shapes and isostatic refractory components.
For container glass applications, this may include tubes, plungers, spouts, orifice rings and feeder or forming area components. Final selection depends on glass chemistry, temperature, wear profile, dimensional tolerances, installation method and lead time.
Float bath systems and associated heating zones require materials that can perform in controlled atmospheres and under continuous thermal load. Depending on the equipment design, Insulcon can support selected applications with insulation boards, refractory components, seals, textiles and custom machined parts.
Application details, atmosphere, temperature profile and component geometry must be reviewed before a recommendation is made.
Hot glass contact materials must combine temperature resistance, dimensional stability, mechanical strength and controlled interaction with the glass surface. For flat glass, tapes, sleeves and packings can be applied to rollers in and downstream of heat treatment furnaces. For container and hollow glass production, specialised textile and flexible metal solutions can be used on pushers, transfer equipment, stackers and other handling components.
The portfolio includes Fibrinox® stainless steel fibre textiles, NEFAGLASS® flexible metal contact products, glass paper, silica fabrics, aramid tapes and sleeves, stacker tapes, vacuum pads, specialised braids and customer specific contact parts. Ready to install components and complete welded assemblies may also be considered. For selected applications, existing metal handling parts may be refurbished after inspection of the underlying component.
Thermal expansion, vibration and gas leakage are recurring issues around flue gas ducts, furnace connections, doors, joints and hot process equipment. Insulcon Group supplies fabric expansion joints, Wearflex® expansion joints, high temperature fabrics, ropes, tapes, sleeves, packings, gaskets, quilted sleeves, telescopic seals, heat shields, curtains and application specific textile assemblies.
Refrex® solutions may also be used in selected high temperature duct, tube seal, multi tube bellow and lining applications. The correct construction depends on temperature, gas composition, pressure, movement, vibration, dust load and installation geometry.
Planned stops and local repairs require materials that are practical to install and suitable for the available shutdown window. Insulcon can advise on castables, mortars, mouldables, coatings, rigidizers, repair mixes, non wetting products and engineered refractory repair solutions.
Typical focus areas include furnace bottoms, damaged linings, burner areas, flue gas ducts, boiler stop locations and surfaces exposed to heat, dust or chemical attack. Protective blankets, heat shields and temporary insulation solutions can also support maintenance activities.
Glass production increasingly requires reliable control of dust, emissions and high temperature process gases. Through access to Alkegen's filtration expertise and high temperature fibre technologies, Insulcon can support the selection of filtration media and related thermal materials for demanding gas streams, including selected baghouse and hot gas filtration applications.
Selection should consider operating temperature, dust loading, gas chemistry, pressure conditions, maintenance access and required filtration performance. Insulation, duct sealing, expansion joints and repair materials can be reviewed as part of the same system.
Not every glass industry challenge can be solved with a standard product. Across the group, Insulcon combines material knowledge with CNC machining, waterjet cutting, die cutting, sawing, sewing, textile production, welding and vacuum forming.
These capabilities can be used for custom insulation parts, machined boards, vacuum formed shapes, gaskets, covers, heat shields, textile handling components, replacement parts, repair aids and application specific insulation assemblies. Customer drawings, samples or damaged components can provide the starting point for engineering.
Float glass production includes melting, refining, float bath, forming and annealing stages. Materials in these zones are exposed to high temperatures, thermal cycling, atmosphere specific conditions and strict surface quality requirements.
Container glass production combines high temperature, movement, wear and repeated contact with hot glass.
Material selection is therefore closely linked to process reliability, product quality and maintenance frequency.
Glass production is continuous, so installation time, material availability and documentation can be as important as technical performance. Insulcon Group supports maintenance teams during scheduled rebuilds, warm repairs, cold repairs, local interventions and urgent replacements.
We can review the process temperature, access conditions, installation method, expected movement, available shutdown time and service requirements. This helps narrow down suitable materials, prepare custom components and assemble the required technical documentation before work begins.
Planning a shutdown, rebuild or local repair? Involve Insulcon early
Always an energy efficient solution!
A reliable recommendation starts with the application.
The following information helps our specialists assess the most suitable solution:
Can Insulcon support both float and container glass production?
Yes. Our portfolio covers furnace insulation, refractory components, float bath related applications, feeders, annealing lehrs, hot glass handling, sealing points, expansion joints, filtration and maintenance solutions.
What does Insulcon's Alkegen distributorship provide?
It provides access to Alkegen's portfolio of high temperature fibre insulation, refractory and filtration materials, supported by product documentation and specialist application knowledge. Availability and final product selection depend on the application and region.
How is the right insulation or refractory material selected?
Selection depends on the process zone, temperature, atmosphere, glass chemistry, mechanical load, available space, installation method and expected service life. A material suitable as backup insulation may not be suitable for direct hot face exposure.
Can Insulcon help reduce marking during hot glass handling?
Depending on the application, specialised textile or flexible metal contact materials can help limit marking and wear. Performance depends on temperature, glass load, line speed, component geometry and maintenance procedures.
Can existing handling components be refurbished?
For selected applications, refurbishment may be possible after inspection of the metal component and confirmation that it remains suitable for continued use.
Does Insulcon supply fabric expansion joints and sealing systems?
Yes. Insulcon supplies Wearflex® fabric expansion joints and a broad range of high temperature sealing, textile and custom made solutions for systems involving movement, vibration, thermal expansion and gas tightness.
Can components be custom made?
Yes. Insulcon Group can manufacture customer specific insulation parts, vacuum formed shapes, machined boards, gaskets, textile components, covers, heat shields and engineered assemblies.
Can Insulcon support urgent or maintenance driven projects?
Yes, subject to technical review, material availability and production capacity. Early involvement is recommended for planned shutdowns, repairs and furnace rebuilds.
Whether you are working on a furnace rebuild, local repair, energy saving project, sealing issue, hot glass handling application, flue gas duct problem or filtration challenge, Insulcon Group can help assess the operating conditions and identify a practical high temperature solution.
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