Glass washing: why to wash the glass after or during processing?
The glass during processing supports some treatments which can cause problems for the following steps
The oil used for cutting remains on the glass surface
The operators can let fingers impressions on the glass surface.
During processing (cutting, edging, drilling, polishing..) some glass particles remain on the glass or some products used (cooling oil for edging or for bevelling, cerium oxide for bevel polishing..) can also remain on the glass surface.
The water can let calcareous spots when drying
You can meet dust when the glass is in stock for some time
Sand particles remain on the glass after sandblasting
….
If the glass is not perfectly cleaned some problems can arrive
-Scratches
-No perfect transparency
-Some colors can appear
And, often, these problems cannot be solved.
To remove scratches on glass is not an easy work , especially if the scratch is deep.
In case of double glazing the smallest defects can cause the replacement.
If the glass has to support a heat treatment after processing, the noxious particles are going to move inside the glass with possible local color changes.
The industrial washing machines wash the glass with only hot water, with in some cases rinsing with demineralized water.
There are two main machines types, with horizontal or vertical washing.
