As the first step in melting and shaping glass, refractories play a vital role in the container manufacturing process. In this article, Refractories Lab Manager Larry Finn looks back over the history of BEG’s refractory operations and outlines some major recent developments.

Bucher Emhart Glass has grown since Martin Jetter took over its leadership 13 years ago. He told Greg Morris how he believes Emhart has set the trend in digital glassmaking.

Allied Glass, based at Leeds, UK, has been using Bucher Emhart Glass’ servo-driven BIS forming technology for the last two years. We hear in Allied’s own words how they got to grips with their new machine and the benefits they’ve realized from it.

Dr Matthias Kümmerle has worked for Bucher Emhart Glass for 10 years. The company’s VP of Technology discusses his role and explains how innovation remains at the heart of the organisation.

Bucher Emhart Glass (BEG) launched NIS, its first all-servo machine, in 1999. NIS is ideal for high-volume, high-speed production, but less suitable for smaller producers who need to manufacture in smaller volumes. So in 2010, BEG introduced BIS, which offers the same repeatable precision as NIS but can handle a wider variety of container designs, sizes and weights.

A job change on a glass-forming  machine is always a challenge and has economic impact on the plant. Therefore, diminishing the downtime is a key goal. To optimise the machine shutdown, there is a high level of co-activity on the machine, with operators working simultaneously on both sides of the machine. Numerous parts of the section equipment have to be changed and adjusted.