Coated glass is the process of coating one or more layers of metal, alloy, or metal compound thin films on the surface of glass to alter its optical properties and meet specific requirements.
Coated glass can be divided into the following categories based on the different characteristics of the product: heat reflective glass, low-E glass, conductive film glass, etc. Heat reflective glass is generally coated with one or more layers of thin films composed of metals or their compounds such as chromium, titanium, or stainless steel on the surface of the glass, making the product rich in color, with appropriate transmittance for visible light, high reflectivity for infrared light, and high absorption rate for ultraviolet light. Therefore, it is also known as sunlight control glass and is mainly used in buildings and glass curtain walls; Low radiation glass is a thin film system composed of multiple layers of metals such as silver, copper, tin, or their compounds coated on the surface of glass. The product has high transmittance for visible light and high reflectivity for infrared radiation, and has good thermal insulation performance. It is mainly used in construction, automobiles, ships, and other communication tools. Due to the poor strength of the film layer, it is generally made into insulating glass for use; Conductive film glass is a conductive thin film coated on the surface of glass, such as indium tin oxide, which can be used for heating, defrosting, defogging of glass, and as a liquid crystal display screen;
There are many production methods of coated glass, mainly including vacuum magnetron sputtering, vacuum evaporation, chemical vapor deposition and sol gel method. Magnetron sputtering coated glass can be designed and manufactured with multi-layer complex film systems using magnetron sputtering technology. Multiple colors can be plated on white glass substrates, and the film layer has good corrosion resistance and wear resistance. It is currently one of the most produced and used products. There is a certain gap in the variety and quality of vacuum evaporation coated glass compared to magnetron sputtering coated glass, and it has gradually been replaced by vacuum sputtering method. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a process in which a reactive gas is introduced into a float glass production line to decompose the hot surface of the glass and deposit it uniformly on the glass surface to form a coated glass. The characteristics of this method are low equipment investment, easy regulation, low product cost, good chemical stability, and the ability to perform thermal processing. It is currently one of the most promising production methods. The sol gel process for producing coated glass is simple and stable, but the disadvantage is that the light transmittance of the product is too high and the decoration is poor.
The most commonly used types of coated glass are heat reflective glass and low emissivity glass. Basically, two production methods are used: vacuum magnetron sputtering and chemical vapor deposition. Internationally renowned manufacturers of vacuum magnetron sputtering equipment include BOC from the United States and Leybold from Germany, while famous manufacturers of chemical vapor deposition include Pilkington from the United Kingdom. Since the late 1980s, hundreds of coated glass manufacturers have emerged in China. Vacuum magnetron sputtering method manufacturers with significant influence in the industry include China Southern Glass Group Corporation and Shanghai Sunshine Coated Glass Company. Chemical vapor deposition method manufacturers include Shandong Blue Star Glass Company and Yangtze River Float Glass Company.