Is Your Glass Safe Enough

Safety glass is one of those areas we hear precious little about in automotive circles.

Why is it that we get inundated with press releases about the latest shock absorber or the newest engine with 12 valves per cylinder and almost nothing about safety glass?

You could argue that the reasons are, well, transparent. After all, glass isn't a very sexy subject, while talking about cylinders and pistons will raise the pulse of even the most jaded enthusiast.

But think about it: After brakes and seatbelts, what's more, important to the safety and comfort of a car's occupants than glass?

Here at Frisco Auto Glass repair in Texas, where our offices are based, it's a veritable fashion show out there on the freeways. In a town where breast implants outnumber brain surgery by a wide margin, it's no wonder that we spend so much time gawking at one another in our cars.

But glass -- hard, simple, clear glass -- makes it all possible. Without glass, we wouldn't be able to stare. Without glass, we'd be running into each other.

It's common knowledge that the skin is the largest organ on the human body. So, too, glass plays a primary role in covering and protecting your car.

Auto Glass of Frisco Advancements

Recent advancements in automotive glass have paved the way for a new family of products. Volvo, an automaker long identified with safety, has now joined Mercedes, BMW and other European automakers with the introduction of Enhanced Protective Glass (EPG), a cutting-edge technology developed by Solutia Inc., a St. Louis-based chemical company. Currently available as an option on the S80 sedan and the new V70 wagon and sport wagon, EPG has a number of benefits over the traditional automotive shatter-proof glass, such as:

• reduced weight
• protection from ultraviolet light
• theft deterrence
• protection from occupant ejection during accidents
• protection from outside projectiles
• reduction of unwanted traffic and highway noise

Volvo's Enhanced Protective Glass is made from polyvinyl butyral (PVB), a new kind of laminated glass specifically developed for side and rear windows of motor vehicles. Marketed under the trade name Saflex PVB, the product is made by laminating a sheet of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) between two sheets of glass under heat and pressure. This is similar to the process used in manufacturing windshields, although it is engineered to 3.8 millimeters, much thinner than a windshield. (Windshield glass typically runs thicker, between 4 and 5 millimeters, sometimes more.)

The idea for automotive safety glass goes back to 1905 when Englishman John Crew Wood received the first patent for laminated safety glass. Believe it or not, the original interlayer was made from natural tree resin. Advances followed. In 1910, an inventor named Douard Benedictus proposed using gelatin to adhere to the glass and plastic layers. His product became known as "Triplex" glass and was used during World War I for goggles, gas masks and windshields in airplanes. It also found its way into automobile windshields.

Auto glass replacement in Plano has come a long way since then, and hopefully, we can continue to service this into a secure and safe feeling.  So the next time one of you see that cracked windshield running through your car glass consider replacing it at your local Plano auto glass service shop.