Leading unit manufacturer’s approach to gas filling gas filling with confidence

An Inagas IGA 60 two line gas filling machine for insulating glass (IG) units has just been installed at the Glasgow factory of Darby Glass Ltd. This upgrading of the company’s gas filling capacity in Scotland is the final step in a programme to equip all six plants with modern gas filling and gas fill testing equipment, all from Inagas.

Recent changes in Building Regulations with regard to thermal insulation values, the introduction of EN1279 and the growing demand for gas filled units have all fuelled Darby Glass’s concern to provide the best possible service in this increasingly important aspect of IG unit manufacture.

Sales and Marketing Director, Chris Roberts, explains: ‘We already have accreditation to EN 1279 Part 2 and we are very conscious of the need to provide the highest possible standards in all aspects of IG unit manufacture. We have offered gas filled units for some time, but recently we decided to review our procedures and equipment to ensure that we are geared up for increasing demand. We are expecting to increase our gas filling to around 20 per cent of output across the group.

Quality control

‘All our customers, all over the UK, have very high expectations of our service and product quality. The onus was on us not only to choose reliable equipment that would give us the necessary gas filling capacity, but also to integrate fully the gas filling operation into our quality control procedures. That’s why we bought gas fill testers for all six factories as well as the filling machines. We have to be certain that we are getting it right first time, every time.’

Thorough evaluation of the market resulted in the orders being placed with Inagas Ltd, one of the leading UK supplier of both gas fillers and test equipment. As well as the new IGA 60 two line machine at Glasgow, single line machines are operating at Newcastle, Wolverhampton, Portsmouth and Gloucester. A high speed machine with a gas flow rate of around 180 litres per minute is operating on the automatic robot line at the company’s headquarters site in Scunthorpe, where an IGA 60 is installed on the specialist units line.

Testing for gas fill

TestAr gas fill test units have been supplied to all six factories. The small, handheld unit allows quick and easy checking of gas concentration in production units. Normally calibrated to 85 per cent fill, the Darby Glass TestArs have been re-calibrated to 90 per cent; a mark of confidence in the gas filling equipment and the company’s operational procedures. The daily testing regime in the factories is supplemented by the availability of a Gasglass non-invasive test unit, also supplied by Inagas. This is held at headquarters in Scunthorpe and is regularly used for spot checks in all the factories.

The IGA 60 at Glasgow has been supplied on the new Inagas mobile gas trolley. Fabricated in high quality aluminium, the trolley has a small footprint and an overhead boom to keep gas filling lines clear of the floor.

Malcolm Kemp of Inagas comments: ‘Darby Glass really are setting the pace in gas filling provision to the UK industry. As a large, multi-site organisation, they can combine the best of local service in the regions with big company resources. Their investment in gas filling and gas fill testing shows how seriously they take their responsibilities to their customers.

‘Darby staff in all the factories responded very positively when we commissioned the machines and provided thorough training in gas filling and testing techniques. It proves that what management say about quality and service is acted on throughout the company. With EN 1279 a reality for everyone making IG units, Darby Glass are a good example to others.’

Darby Glass processes some 20,000 tonnes of glass per year, producing IG units, tempered safety glass and a wide range of leaded, decorative and Georgian bar units for the construction, home improvement and related markets.