Auto Glass Review: Past, Present
What does family safety, rising energy costs, sleeker designs, and vehicle interior maintenance all have in common? These are just some of the factors that have gone into the forefront of auto glass technology. Let’s take an imaginary journey from the earliest history of the automobile to the “other side” – where auto glass is no longer just a means to provide protection. -------------------------------Imagine the Past of Auto Glass-------------------------------Slip on those goggles and raingear and let us begin the trip in a vehicle with a folding windshield! The earliest windshields, introduced by 1904, allowed the driver to tip the top half down for an unobstructed view. These “wrap-around” windshields were actually considered a luxury and sold as optional equipment to motorists. By as late as 1919, nine out of ten cars had only a one-person top and side curtains. It wasn’t until 1929 that the majority of vehicles were equipped with glass all around to provide protection from wind, rain, mud splashes, road dust and flying debris. Two inventors were responsible for the inception of safety glass which was originally developed in 1905: French scientist Edouard Benedictus accidentally discovered safety glass when he knocked a flask to the floor containing nitrocellulose; it had dried up leaving an adhesive film which kept the bits of fragmented glass from separating. And British inventor, John C. Wood, had developed his own method which came to be produced under the brand name Triplex. -------------------------------Some additional auto glass breakthroughs include the following:-------------------------------PPG’s first Solar glass, Solex, brought about a change in style and comfort in 1952 to absorb some of the infrared, heat-producing part of the solar spectrum to avoid interior damage.Curved side windows began to appear in the early 60’s and fabricating techniques were developed to permit drilling of holes in side windows for anchoring and lifting mechanisms. What did this mean? More styling flexibility and the opportunity to add more built-in safety features.-------------------------------Current
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