Offering a wealth of process and quality control solutions (averaging four patent registrations per year), Tiama’s philosophy lies in providing real-time recommendations and technical data to help its glass-making customers to deliver products with the required quality and to improve their productivity.

Innovation has always been central to Tiama’s strategy. Constantly seeking solutions for its clients, the company has created Tiama Xlab, a new machine for glass container measurement and sampling that combines high technology and ease of operation with full 3D modelling.

Designed with and for glass makers

Tiama Xlab has been designed in collaboration with glass makers to precisely fit factories’ and technical centres’ needs in term of quality automation to support regular and advanced measurement operations.

Employing unique patented technology, the Xlab has no limit on container shape and glass colour. Any container – from standard shapes to more complex designs for premium and cosmetic markets – can be fully measured in three dimensions externally as internally, all in one operation. Providing key information on end container shape, glass distribution, variations between sections, cavities and half moulds, the Xlab’s 3D image sharing facility allows faster diagnostics for performing fine-tuning of the manufacturing process and final mould design – particularly useful when producing first samples.

Designed to be production-oriented and user-friendly, Tiama Xlab can be integrated into any existing glass production process, at the hot end, cold end or in a laboratory. Used for hot end process control, the Xlab ensures quality control from the first manufactured containers, making faster process and quality countermeasures and improvements. In a laboratory setting, the Xlab offers standard and advanced quality controls, and the ability to automate multiple operations with one tool.

Next-generation support

The Tiama Xlab is Industry 4.0-compatible, offering an intelligent, upgradable solution that provides more data than ever before: a “mine” of information to help glass makers optimise their quality control from the first containers produced to ongoing routine checks and individual control, or to validate new container models from the start. Tiama’s next-generation system is intended to support quality and production personnel with their most complicated operations and, while their expertise in diagnostics and countermeasures remain important, it can greatly reduce human error. Last but not least: Tiama Xlab is fully integrated into Tiama Data solutions.

Unveiled at glasstec

Initially launched during a special digital event in December 2020, the Tiama Xlab was presented ‘in real life’ for the first time last September. During the four days of the glasstec show in Düsseldorf, Germany, the Tiama Xlab was the guest star of the company’s booth. Laboratory and Sampling Solutions Marketing Product Leader Sébastien Beltran and Consultant Engineer Antoine Planel gave a series of demonstrations, and customers were “very impressed” by what the new sampling solution was able to do.

Eight “major factories” on three continents have already adopted Tiama Xlab for their regular quality and process operations, quality diagnostic, process improvement, and ramp-up of new products, with use ranging from standard containers to more challenging cosmetic and premium designs.