Warm Edge System from H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING on the road to success

It is clear that to continually improve the energy efficiency of buildings and to reduce CO2 emissions insulating glass utilizing high performance warm edge spacer system technology is absolutely essential. That is why more and more insulating glass manufacturers count on the specialized Warm Edge technology from adhesives and sealants manufacturer H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING. The Ködispace 4SG system, dispensed from a drum is key to highly efficient, economical, and fully automated insulating glass production and most importantly future proofing the next generation of insulating glass design and production.

Energy efficiency is recognized as one of the main functions of modern building design both from an economic and an environmental perspective. As a result, there is little doubt that building standards and regulations will become ever more stringent in the coming years. This focus extends not only to newbuild projects but also to the renovation of existing properties. According to the VFF (German Window and Facade Association) and BF (German Flat Glass Association), 40 percent of existing windows require replacement in 2021. In order to satisfy this perpetually growing demand for high performance insulating glass, manufacturers are installing automated production lines applying the latest, highly durable reactive warm edge spacer technology from H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING: In the last five years the number of production lines using the Ködispace 4SG sealant, patented in 2012, has doubled and currently, there are over 150 production lines in operation throughout the globe.

The “Rufus 2.0” project – ultra-modern building complexes in Seattle

Rufus is still an important part of the Amazon story. You can tell by the fact that the online shipping giant gave its modern new building project the name “Rufus 2.0”, which was completed last year. “The Spheres” glass igloos are certainly one of the project’s most spectacular buildings. The three interconnected domes are reminiscent of the Eden greenhouse in Cornwall, a botanical garden in a class of its own. The counterpart in Seattle serves as a lounge and greenhouse and is the new landmark of the emerging metropolis. Large glass fronts were not only used for “The Spheres”, but also for the numerous high-rise buildings on the Amazon site – for example the “Day 1” and “Doppler” glass towers.

Block 18 was also built as part of “Rufus 2.0”. It is a 17-storey building in the Denny Triangle neighbourhood and houses some 36,046 square metres of office space. Block 18 was designed by the Seattle-based Graphite Design Group an architectural firm based on the model of an urban treehouse. One of the main features of the high-rise building is its treehouse staircase. From the outside, it looks as if this wooden staircase, which zigzags up 17 floors, is holding together or connecting the two glass parts of the building. Construction work began in 2018 and the office complex has been completed for a year and a half.

The Durable System from a Single Source

Ködispace 4SG reactive thermoplastic spacer (TPS) forms a chemical bond to both the glass and the secondary sealant, resulting in an extremely stable and flexible edge seal. The result is a functional warm edge that far exceeds current global industry requirements for both moisture vapor transmission resistance and gas tightness. This functional chemistry ensures high thermal performance of the insulating glass elements for many decades, even under extreme climatic and mechanical loads. Durability is further guaranteed by the manufacturer's tested and compatible sealant combinations. The flexibility, mechanical stability and resulting long term durability of the Ködispace 4SG reactive thermoplastic spacer system is also repeatedly proven by H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING through intensive material tests, component tests and finite element analyses.

Fully Automated Production Lines

CNC-controlled application process of Ködispace 4SG also offers many advantages for the insulating glass industry. A warm-edge TPS system replaces the combination of spacer, desiccant and primary sealant components found in conventional spacer systems with just one robot applied solution. The production of these insulating glass units runs fully automatically on one single line. Robot application of both spacer and secondary sealant enables instant automatic switching between different spacer thickness and ensures incredibly accurate spacer alignment across double glazed or multi-cavity assemblies. With Ködispace 4SG delivered in a drum, storage becomes easier, safer and requires less space, material wastage is greatly reduced resulting in a much lower inventory cost for the processor / manufacturer. Additionally, Ködispace 4SG Warm Edge technology is designed for structural glazing applications including facades with cold-bent glass. H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING also supports innovative customer projects, providing technical design support and expertise through calculations for joint dimensioning or finite element analyses based on material laws developed in-house. Dr. Christian Scherer, Head of Business Development Glass at H.B. Fuller | KÖMMERLING, is delighted with the continued growing contribution to environmental design and sustainable manufacture and points out that, "Ködispace 4SG provides the industry with a unique warm-edge spacer system applied with full automation that can be used to produce high performance insulating glass units for a wide range of applications from windows to facades, whilst ensuring cutting edge durable gas-tightness and maximum design freedom."

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