World’s first with glass aircraft windows
- First aircraft glass transparency to pass all required tests including the strictest fire requirements
- Lightweight, ultra-thin, scratch-resistant and will outlast the aircraft
- Superior optical quality, no haze and easy to clean with all possible chemicals
Grubby, scratched plastic windows and fogged-up mirrors; this was, until recently, what you were facing when travelling by plane. There must be a better way, recognized Jaap Wiersema, Managing Director of Aviation Glass & Technology. He started a high-tech production site for laminated glass (specifically intended for the aviation industry) together with investor Marcel Boekhoorn, at the Appelseweg in Voorthuizen, the Netherlands, in 2012 — and with remarkable success.
Armed with all required test results, and European and international certificates, Wiersema embarked on his mission to upscale the interior of aircrafts to a superior on-board experience with glass mirrors and transparencies. So, no more plastic in aircraft interiors then? If it is up to Wiersema, yes, plastic is on its way out. “We are seeing a month-by-month increase in demand for our products and we are attracting many new customers. The plastic transparencies that are currently being used scratch easily when opening and closing the window shades. This has become a challenge for many airliners. They are forced to replace these inner windowpanes every 3 to 5 years. That’s a major cost and a big pile of plastic. It certainly doesn’t help the airliner to reduce its environmental footprint.”
Major aircraft manufacturers and completion centers, which handle new design as well as aircraft renovations, were the first to see the benefits of laminated glass. Not only is it more durable, but also more transparent and lightweight. Wiersema continues: “In the past years, our company has grown significantly. We have expanded our machinery substantially, and recently added a fully automatic magnetron sputter coater for mirrors, as well as a laser installation. Meanwhile, our team has tripled in size and we now have permanent contracts for a number of models of commercial aircraft manufacturers.”
Therefore, it will not be long before an extension of the production facility is necessary; Aviation Glass is outgrowing its present premises. Thanks to the clean-room conditions and high-tech machinery, all aircraft mirrors, aircraft transparencies, glass panels and room dividers are currently the best out there; you will not find any dust or stains on them. And no scratches for that matter, because the glass has been chemically tempered and can withstand just about any form of vandalism including extensive cleaning. Grubby, scratched plastic windows and fogged-up mirrors are now definitely a thing of the past.
