New Ultra-Light Impact Glass is Poised to Shatter Expectations

Story at a glance:

• PGT Innovations and Corning Incorporated join forces to revolutionize the glass industry.
• Diamond Glass is up to 45% lighter and far more durable than traditional impact glass.

PGT Innovations and Corning Incorporated have long enjoyed a collegial relationship, but it wasn’t until 2018 that the industry leaders began collaborating on new products. To date their work has yielded two types of revolutionary glass products for doors and windows in residential and mixed-use settings. One product in particular, dubbed Diamond Glass, is a game-changer when it comes to impact resistance. That’s especially good news for areas—specifically in southern Florida, the Gulf states and on the East Coast—that are frequently hit by hurricanes.

Up to 45% lighter and three times more scratch-resistant with superior optical quality compared to traditional laminated glass, even the largest pieces of Diamond Glass meet the famously rigorous Miami-Dade testing standards. The technology will soon be standard across PGT Innovations’ impact-resistant WinDoor product portfolio.

To learn more about this cutting-edge glass technology and the ongoing collaboration that produced it, we spoke with PGT Innovations President and CEO, Jeff Jackson, and Thomas Bertin-Mourot, Advanced Windows Innovation Growth leader at Corning. Here’s what they had to say.

The Mission

Jeff Jackson: The goal of our collaboration with Corning is to develop and introduce new next-generation glass technology that will revolutionize the fenestration industry with regard to energy efficiency and impact resistance. Diamond Glass is a perfect example of this from the impact-resistant side.

First, Diamond Glass is significantly lighter than typical impact resistant glass, making it easier for our team members to maneuver and for professionals in the building industry to install, which contributes to an overall reduced number of injuries for our team, our dealers’ employees, and independent installers. The reduction in weight also means less fuel used during transportation, and—one of the biggest benefits—less effort for homeowners to open and close their windows and doors.

Thomas Bertin-Mourot: The overall mission of our work together is to deliver game-changing window and door designs featuring ultra-thin glass to the industry. We have worked to design products that address current and future energy efficiency and sustainability challenges of the building industry while remaining cost affordable to consumers. We are committed to supporting the development, delivery, and adoption of industry-leading window and door products, enabled by ultra-thin Corning Architectural Technical Glass (ATG).

Collaboration

JJ: At PGT Innovations we have a space we call the iLab, which is short for Innovation Lab. We’re constantly looking at new and innovative features we can add to a window, a door, or another opening to make that product more user-friendly, more environmentally friendly, and safer. Corning has their own Emerging Innovations Group, so we connected them with our iLab. Those two groups started working together, and five years later PGT Innovations has two great products—Diamond Glass and our Thin Triple insulated glass unit—we can really stand behind. PGT Innovations is the biggest impact player in the market, and with Corning’s infrastructure and ability to supply, we’re going to change the glass industry.

TBM: Corning has been working with PGT Innovations for a number of years. We worked closely to develop the company’s new impact resistant Diamond Glass, featuring Corning ATG. We focused our work on significantly reducing the weight of PGT Innovations’ impact-resistant product category. We are excited to work with PGT Innovations’ team on the development of Diamond Glass featuring Corning ATG, which is 45% lighter than standard impact glass and is easier for manufacturers and installers to handle and homeowners to operate.

As the industry began to focus more on energy-efficient products due to new initiatives and incentives from the US government as well as PGT Innovations’ willingness to expand their market reach to northern zones of the US, our work together began to shift. We collaborated to support PGT Innovations in its offering of Thin Triple insulated glass units (IGUs), featuring ATG as a center pane. This IGU enables advanced performance—including a lighter weight, improved thermal performance, and a drop-in replacement footprint, as compared to traditional residential windows. PGT Innovations’ market leadership paired with Corning’s thin glass and manufacturing expertise has been foundational to the success of our collaboration thus far.

Current and Future Projects

JJ: PGT Innovations’ commitment to advancing the industry and making a positive impact is unwavering, as demonstrated by our constant search for innovative solutions and fruitful partnerships. The success of our collaboration with Corning exemplifies the power of working together with industry pioneers, and we look forward to the possibility of continued engagement with them, building upon the achievements we have accomplished so far.

Internally, our iLab is not only envisioning new products to add to our brand product portfolios, but they’re also reimagining solutions to improve existing products—for example, security-related glass. Currently, even if you have a security system in your house, someone can break a window and get in. Our iLab engineers are working on a type of glass that resists intruders as well as ballistics.

Whether it’s exploring new opportunities through our team or via partnerships, PGT Innovations remains dedicated to driving the industry forward and shaping a brighter future for all.

TBM: We continue to collaborate on opportunities to leverage thin glass for a variety of window and door applications and categories. We believe there is immense potential in future product offerings.

We are also continuing to work with PGT Innovations to enable large-scale production of thin triple IGUs to meet expected market demand in the US residential window sector.

At Corning we succeed through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers. Our collaboration with PGT Innovations is a great example of that. Given PGT Innovations’ industry leadership and commitment to innovation, this collaboration is enabling us to develop category-defining products and transform the window and door industry all while working to enhance people’s lives.