As the first step in the IG manufacturing process, glass cutting is critical to the quality of your finished windows. Lack of proper maintenance on your cutting tables can lead to decreased cut accuracy, poor cut quality, and ultimately more broken glass.
Recommendations Critical to Quality
Take cutting wheels for example. GED recommends changing the carbide cutting wheel every seven miles of cut (or about every 1.5 days), as our experience shows a measurable increase in glass breakage as cutting wheels dull. The score line gets shallower as the cutting wheel dulls causing more variance in the break pattern. It is possible to achieve proper score depth with increased head pressure, but using head pressure to compensate for a dull wheel actually crushes the glass below the surface and leads to micro cracks and stress points that are difficult to identify with the naked eye. The end result? More broken glass.
Identify & Troubleshoot
Worn bushings, wheel axles, tool posts, drive belts, and bent spindles can all contribute to inaccurate cuts and negatively influence edge quality as well. Regularly running the pre-programmed test patterns will help identify accuracy issues, and GED's maintenance manual provides troubleshooting techniques to pinpoint the problem.
Use Proper Parts
Another area that can have a significant impact on cut quality is the cutting oil you use. The cutting oil GED supplies is specially designed to lubricate the fissure and stay in the fissure long enough to separate the glass before it evaporates. Inferior cutting oils produce glass shards which are not only a safety hazard but also negatively affect edge quality of the glass. Our oils come in several container sizes and we keep them in stock so we can ship them out on a moment's notice.
Whether it is changing cutting wheels more often, replacing the carpeting, or using the recommended cutting oil, it all has an effect on your glass quality and overall profits. Improve your glass quality today before the busy season hits!
Where to GED Find Cutting Table Parts
Register or login today and use the promo code Cutting519 for special discounts on some of our cutting table products when you buy through our online store.
Information On GED Glass Cutting Tables
GED launched the CleanCut™ 1700 Series glass cutting table in 2020 and the CleanCut™ 1800 Series in 2022. Both series include a cutting only model (1700 and 1800) and an edge deletion and cutting model (1700-D and 1800-D). Both include enhanced built-in safety, updated technical features, rapid processing speed, programmable pressure and energy conservation, increased throughput, and seamless software integration. The difference between the two new series is glass size capabilities. The 1700 Series accommodates smaller glass – a maximum of 72" x 102" (183cm x 259cm) while the 1800 Series is scaled to accommodate larger glass – a maximum of 96" x 130" (244cm x 330cm). Learn more about CleanCut™ 1700 & 1800 Series on our website.
