Category: Event

DOE Announces Glass Decarbonization Workshop

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office (IEDO) is inviting stakeholders from across the glass manufacturing supply chain (e.g., glass manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, raw material providers, etc.) to participate in a workshop on glass decarbonization on May 16^th and 17^th, 2024 at the Hyatt Pittsburgh International Airport hotel in Pittsburgh, PA.

The goal of the workshop is to identify key challenges, priorities, and opportunities for decarbonization of the glass manufacturing sector. Emphasis will be placed on technical challenges, as well as applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) opportunities at low to mid technology readiness levels (TRLs). During the workshop, IEDO leadership will provide an overview of the office and share the vision, strategy, and available resources to support innovations to improve energy efficiency and reduce the carbon footprint across U.S. manufacturing operations. Through facilitated discussion, participants will help inform IEDO’s priorities and future plans in supporting decarbonization of the glass manufacturing sector. 

This event is targeting participation from stakeholders with technical and/or practical expertise related to glass manufacturing, decarbonization technologies, and/or applied RD&D. The event has limited capacity and IEDO is requesting that no more than two representatives from each organization participate.

Registration details and in additional information on the agenda can be found here: https://doe.swoogo.com/IEDO_Glass_Decarbonization.

GPC Call for Abstracts

The call for abstracts is now available for the 85^th anniversary Glass Problems Conference (GPC) and the 14^th Advances in Fusion and Processing of Glass Conference (AFPG), being held jointly September 16-19, 2024, at the Glass City Center in Toledo, Ohio, USA. Engineers, educators, researchers, students, and solutions providers in glass manufacturing are invited to submit ideas for presentation at either of the events. Abstracts are due February 23. Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of glass industry experts and representatives, and selections will be announced in Mid-March.

Broad topics of interest include:

• Furnace design and reconstruction
• Physics and chemistry of the melting process
• Modeling of glass melting and processing
• Combustion and heat transfer
• Refractories
• Safety
• Forming and shaping
• Raw materials: engineered, minerals, and chemicals, batching and recycling
• Energy efficiency and management
• Environmental impact of glass
• Advanced process controls and sensors
• AI in glass manufacturing
• Sustainability and glass manufacturing

For questions about the conference or the abstract submission process, please contact Donna Banks at (614) 523-3033 or email: [email protected].

2023 GPC Student Tour

Continuing a ten year tradition, GMIC is awarding up to ten $1,000 student travel grants for the upcoming Glass Problems Conference in Columbus, OH. We’re expecting students from Missouri S&T, Iowa State University, the University of Dayton, and Toledo University. 

The grants provide an opportunity for students to tour manufacturing plants, meet with glass professionals, and gain insights on potential careers in the industry.

This year, students will tour the Owens Corning Insulation Plant located in Newark, OH. The plant has been the company’s flagship since the creation of glass fiber in the 1930s, and it is the largest fiberglass insulation plant in the world. The site includes 1.5 million square feet of manufacturing, warehouse, and office space spread over 250 acres, as well as a waste treatment plant using advanced technology and progressive environmental practices.

Previous student tours have included O-I Zanesville, Holophane (Acuity Brands) and Anchor Hocking.

The program has been made possible by support from the Air Products Foundation, the O-I Foundation, RoviSys, and Owens Corning.