The Secret of Advanced Architectural Glass is Advanced Sputter-Coating Technology

Guardian has invested tremendous resources toward continuous improvement in glass performance in solar heat gain, U-value, and other measures. As a result, the specification and use of SunGuard Advanced Architectural Glass continue to grow in the commercial construction market. We offer a wide range of products that:

• Can achieve dramatic energy savings
• Will meet or exceed varying local and regional building energy codes
• Can satisfy different aesthetic and design requirements
• Can provide shorter lead times for fast-track projects

The science of sputter coating

Historically, there have been two ways to apply coatings to glass. During the “online” (pyrolytic) process, the coating is applied during float glass production. The “off-line” process occurs after the float glass is produced, using a Magnetron Sputter Vacuum Deposition (MSVD) coater. In general, the MSVD process offers more coating options and improved solar, thermal and light-to-solar Gain options than the pyrolitic process.

SunGuard offers the best of both worlds, giving our network of independent SunGuard Select Fabricators the ability to cut, temper and fabricate glass after a coating has been applied, while offering the improved aesthetic and performance characteristics of MSVD coatings.

To produce Advanced Architectural Glass, Guardian uses Magnetron Sputter Vapor Deposition (MSVD). It works at the molecular level to produce outstanding performance and offers significant advantages over “hard” (pyrolitic) and traditional “soft” coatings. By using different gasses, such as argon or nitrogen and oxygen, and by layering metallic and dielectric layers in different sequences, we can produce a wide variety of coatings to meet most design and performance requirements.

The SunGuard advantage over other coatings

SunGuard’s post-temperable coatings can be heat-treated and fabricated locally by independent SunGuard Select Fabricators, unlike traditional soft-coatings, which require glass to be cut and tempered before coating – limiting the fabrication options and potentially increasing lead times.

Guardian’s patented SunGuard coatings also provide enhanced solar and thermal performance compared to typical pyrolytic low-E and reflective coatings.

In short, Guardian’s SunGuard post-temperable coatings have significantly improved the supply chain of commercial glass, providing shorter lead times, enabling fast-track job completion and allowing independent SunGuard Select Fabricators to stock standard sizes of SunGuard Advanced Architectural Glass.