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SHOW REVIEW: More than 1,000 exhibitors at glasstec 2008

With more than 1,000 exhibitors reserving more than 705,000 square feet of exhibit space, glasstec 2008 promises to be the largest trade show to date in its history.

Key themes will focus on photovoltaics and solar thermal systems
 
With more than 1,000 exhibitors reserving more than 705,000 square feet of exhibit space, glasstec 2008 promises to be the largest trade show to date in its history.

The International Trade Fair with Special Show glass technology live, takes place from October 21-25 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“We are extremely satisfied with the great demand. We are receiving new enquiries from companies around the world every single day,” says project director Marianne Ingenhoven, adding that interest from international glass producers has increased compared to the previous event in 2006.

“Needless to say, this outstanding development for glasstec has not just happened coincidentally. Glass is today as much in demand as ever and companies naturally also want to participate in the world’s leading industry event,” adds Ingenhoven.

Glass technology will be on show at glasstec 2008 in Düsseldorf, Germany. The largest exhibition category at glasstec 2008 will be glass machinery and equipment manufacturing.

Two of the key themes at glasstec 2008 will be photovoltaics and solar thermal systems. The “Solar and Laser Center” in Hall 11 will display interesting innovations such as novel thin-film modules, with their films only measuring a few thousandths

of a millimetre, they constitute a promising alternative to conventional silicon solar cells. The solar theme will also be the central topic on two of the five conference days of the Technical Symposium which will accompany the “glass technology live” Special Show.

The other segments of the glass industry will focus just as much on innovations that reflect the diversity of this booming market. In Hall 9, craftsman-type finishers and pro-cessors of glass will present their practical applications of this material, from the finishing of flat and hollow glass to the construction of glass furniture and the use of glass as a lifestyle product in modern architecture. In Halls 10 and 11, firms representing glass production will showcase new developments such as anti-microbial glass that kills up to 99.9 percent of bacteria for applications in both hospitals and nursing homes. There will be high-tech features such as titanium coatings applied to the outer side of glass lites, such as “easy-clean” coatings that allow sunlight to break down dirt deposits. The largest exhibition category at glasstec 2008 will be glass machinery and equipment manufacturing in Halls 12 to 17.

The Special Show “glass technology live” in Hall 11 will also have “glass and energy” as the main topic. The organizer, professor Stephan Behling from the Institute of Building Construction at the Stuttgart University will deliver a presentation that will cover both today’s resource-saving measures and a preview of tomorrow’s technologies. The Innovationpark will feature the four segments: Light and Transparency, Photovoltaics, Solar Thermal Systems, and Heat and Solar Protection. Current international architecture projects and glass applications will demonstrate the implementation and integration of the latest technologies in insulation glass, windows and façades and will provide information on the construction of energy-efficient and integrative building covers along with relevant manufacturing and production processes.   

The accompanying symposium will address issues such as Glass for Energy-Saving and Energy Generating Applications and Glass Architecture. Case studies will provide compelling examples of the sensational and versatile applications possible with glass as a construction material.  n