Hexad Glass
Glossary
Navigate the glass industry with confidence using our essential guide to technical terms and definitions.
A
Anti-Reflective (AR) glass
Anti-Reflective (AR) glass is high-performance architectural glazing engineered to eliminate the surface reflections typical of standard float glass. By reducing the visible “mirror effect,” AR glass becomes virtually invisible, maximizing transparency and ensuring the visual focus remains on the display or view behind the glass rather than the glazing itself.
Annealing
The controlled cooling process applied to raw float glass to relieve internal residual stresses. Annealed glass serves as the standard base substrate for cutting and further fabrication, but fractures into large, irregular shards upon impact.
C
CNC Cutting
Computer Numerical Control (CNC) cutting utilizes automated, multi-axis machinery to scribe, break, or grind glass into precise geometries. This process is essential for achieving complex shapes, internal cutouts, and tight dimensional tolerances that exceed the capabilities of standard XY cutting tables.
I
IGU (Insulated Glass Unit)
A hermetically sealed assembly consisting of two or more glass lites separated by a desiccant-filled spacer. Designed to drastically reduce thermal transmittance (U-value) and control solar heat gain in building envelopes, IGUs are the fundamental unit of modern high-performance façades.
S
Safety Glass
Glazing processed via thermal tempering or lamination to minimize injury risk upon fracture. Tempered glass disintegrates into blunt granules (dicing), while laminated glass retains fragments on an interlayer. Must comply with impact standards such as CPSC 16 CFR 1201 or EN 12600.