What is the difference between tempered and laminated glass?
A. Laminated glass is used in the manufacture of windshields. A laminated windshield is made up of two pieces of plate glass sandwiched around a layer of rubber-like laminate. The purpose of this type of construction is to protect against penetration, either from the outside in or the other way around. Youll notice that when a windshield is badly damaged, it will normally remain in one piece. Tempered glass is plate glass that is specially heat treated so that when it breaks, it does not shard.
A. Laminated glass is used in the manufacture of windshields. A laminated windshield is made up of two pieces of plate glass sandwiched around a layer of rubber-like laminate. The purpose of this type of construction is to protect against penetration, either from the outside in or the other way around. You’ll notice that when a windshield is badly damaged, it will normally remain in one piece. Tempered glass is plate glass that is specially heat treated so that when it breaks, it does not “shard. Most non-windshield glass is tempered, and when it breaks, it does so in to hundreds of little pieces that lack the long, sharp edges normally associated with broken glass.
Tempered glass is a safety glass used in doors and windows were safety is a concern. It is manufactured by heating and then rapidly cooling the glass. This cooling process causes the outside surface to form a hard “skin” which is up to 7 times stronger than “annealed” glass. When broken, it shatters into small, less harmful fragments.
Tempered glass is regular float (plate) glass which has been cut-to-size and heat-strengthened. It’s much stronger than ordinary glass, but when broken shattters into thousands of very small, relatively harmless pieces. Once tempered the glass can not be re-cut.. If you’ve ever had your car broken into you know how much of a mess it is to clean up. Nevertheless, it’s a great product.
Laminated safety glass is composed of three layers – two outer layers of glass with a strong layer of clear laminate sandwiched between them. When broken it typically holds in place with spider lines running through one or both sides. It can be cut-to-size but requires a slightly more advanced technique to do so than ordinary glass. Car windshields are made with laminated glass.
Which is better? Each has its own pros and cons depending on the application, but both are exponentially safer than ordinary float (plate) glass.
