Textile glass from the Johns Manville company - German/German
"Glass pellets" serve as the basis for the glass textile fibre production of the Wertheim company Johns Manville - the former Schuller Textilglas company from Thuringia. The company has been based in Wertheim since 1952. The pellets are melted down again using a drum-drawing process to produce glass fibres, glass fibre yarns and glass fibre fleeces. These are further processed, among other things, as carriers for bitumen roofing membranes and floor coverings and as reinforcements for plastics, from snowboards to ship and railway construction.
The Johns Manville company in Wertheim melts its glass in the form of glass pellets in two modern electric furnaces: about 63 tonnes of hot glass can be melted there per furnace per day. After 6 to 8 years, the furnace with a base area of 25.5 square metres has to be replaced. Over time, the coating of the furnace made of refractory material becomes thinner and thinner and liquid glass can leak out. The "rebuild" - the "tub change" from "glass to glass" - takes six weeks. The "furnace journey" is the time during which the glass melting furnace melts glass without interruption. During this time, knowledge is gained about the refractory material and the optimal "operation" of the glass furnace.
Textile Glass from the Johns Manville Company - English
"Glass pellets" provide the basis for the glass fibre products from the Johns Manville company here in Wertheim that used to be Schuller Textile Glass from Thuringia, but moved here in 1952. The pellets are re-melted and the molten glass is passed through bushings, or thread inserts with narrow nozzles that it drips out of and is then drawn into a thread. With this action the drips become glass fibres, fibreglass threads and glass fibre mats. They are then processed into reinforcement for many items including tarred roofing felt, floor coverings, synthetic materials for snowboards, through to items for ship and railway construction.
The Johns Manville Company in Wertheim melts the glass pellets in two modern electric tank furnaces: each with a daily capacity of 63 tons of molten glass. These tank furnaces, with a floor area of 25.5 square metres, have to be replaced every 6 to 8 years because the fireproof cladding becomes thinner and thinner until eventually molten glass could leak through. The rebuild takes 6 weeks. During the tank furnace's functional lifespan, data is collected to optimise not only the fireproof material, but also the best mode of operation.