Eastman’s LTS program offers insight for customers.
When it comes to glass lamination, it’s all about precision and quality control. That’s why Eastman has created a program designed to help laminators determine and maintain quality systems within their facilities for the production of laminated glass. The Laminate Testing Service (LTS) provides Eastman’s direct customers with analysis data on laminated samples submitted from routine production. The data generated can be used to compare the results obtained on duplicate samples in the customer’s laboratory. Long-term benefits can be derived from the charts and data supplied with each report. The graphs show trends and variations in production over a period of time and provide useful tools to help ensure that a high level of quality is being maintained.
Not your grandparents’ laminated glass
Laminated glass has become significantly more sophisticated and complex in recent years. Eastman customers are seeking ways to ensure that high-quality laminated glass can be appropriately specified and delivered. Standard industry practices are gaining exposure and, in some cases, being developed into international testing standards. These tests can be administered at the laminator and verified in a round-robin style through Eastman’s LTS, and technical service can be accessed if needed for any deviation that may be noted. The continuous use of this service allows for the development of historical trends, which are highly valuable if troubleshooting is necessary.
What exactly is LTS?
Our Laminate Testing Service is provided by Eastman to direct customers only. It is used by both automotive and architectural laminators. Laminators submit samples, and within a very short time frame, they will receive a report which contains the pertinent quality information on those samples. Those published reports contain historical data for 12 months, and when applicable, a comparison of customer data and Eastman data is provided to manage procedural and measurement accuracy.
The program is designed to test basic glass configurations as a mechanism to ensure the baseline of production is under control and running appropriately. Complex and specialty laminates must be based on solid production and quality parameters. Although not part of the LTS program, Eastman does offer services through their customer support laboratories for the evaluation of specialty products.
LTS is full service. Eastman provides boxes and labels for the samples to be shipped to one of our regionally located labs. We accept up to six laminates within a month from each customer location. Ideally, the laminates being submitted should be spaced in production throughout that month and have the required labeling information.
Once the samples are received, they are analyzed for glass thickness, orientation, and color. The laminates are sectioned, and testing for moisture, interlayer thickness, and adhesion via pummel test is completed. A representative section is also subjected to a two-hour boil test to check for proper deairing.
In most cases, the analysis for LTS will be reported to your technical service representative in 14–21 business days of receiving the samples at the laboratory. All individual results as well as statistical analyses are reported along with the plotted data of the pummel and moisture from recent audits.
The results generated by the LTS program are strictly confidential between the laminator and Eastman.
Hurricane glazing? We have you covered.
For customers who fabricate panels and wish to be on the Authorized Hurricane Laminator list for Dade County, samples with typical hurricane-thick interlayer may be submitted annually to Eastman for analysis and qualification. The requirements are outlined in a separate document titled Hurricane Qualification, which is available through your technical service representative. After meeting the requirements of the program, the proper authorization document is issued and the customer will be included on the Eastman Authorized Laminator List, which is supplied to Dade County, Florida.
Eastman maintains a worldwide staff of technical service representatives and customer support laboratories in each world area to provide assistance to laminators in process optimization, quality improvement, and problem resolution. For technical assistance, contact a local Saflex technical service or sales representative.
