Slovenian glassmaker receives more melt for its money
Based in Slovenia, Steklarna Hrastnik is a premium and super premium glassmaker for spirits and perfumery packaging.
Wanting to increase the melting capacity of Furnace G to 120 tonnes/day of high quality soda lime flint glass, the manufacturer called upon Germany’s SORG Group for its support in glass melting and conditioning technologies.
Existing space at the plant is very limited, so to meet the requirements for glass quality and production capacity, SORG’s calculated design strategically enlarged the melting surface from 39.5m² to 57m².
In addition, the melting burners have also been increased from two to three on each side, while an air-cooled barrier wall has been included to separate the melting area from the refining area. By installing this wall, the refining process will be greatly improved as the glass is forced to flow upwards, towards the glass bath surface.
Although Slovenia was classified as high risk and implemented a strict Covid-19 lockdown, three dedicated specialists from SORG were prepared to travel there to master the challenges of reconstructing and commissioning the furnace on-site. The project was successfully completed on schedule to the customer’s satisfaction.
