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CLEAR CUT
Welcome to IGE's Blog: CLEAR CUT, where we clearly define the challenges facing today's glass fabrication process and cut through the noise to effectively address profitability and the ever important topic of safety in the workplace.
With over four decades in the industry, we've witnessed the evolution from hand fabrication to full automation. CLEAR CUT is our opportunity to share this knowledge with the industry and together, find new ways to improve modern day glass fabrication.
GlassBuild America: Back at It, Doing What We Do Best
For decades, IGE has done more than sell glass fabrication equipment. We’ve helped bring some of the world’s most innovative equipment manufacturers to the North American market. We’ve introduced new names, new technologies and new ideas—and in many cases, helped build those brands into recognized names throughout the industry. Times change. Technologies change. And the needs of glass fabricators change. That means every so often, you have to take a fresh look at what you’re
Carolyn Spellman
2 days ago2 min read
Peace of Mind Is Part of the Package
Better machines are only part of the equation. When you invest in glass fabrication equipment, you’re not simply buying a machine. You’re making an investment in your factory, your people, your productivity—and ultimately, your profitability. And what happens after the machine is installed matters. For nearly 50 years, IGE has traveled the world searching for advanced glass fabrication technologies and bringing those solutions to North American fabricators. But we’ve always b
Sara Spellman
2 days ago1 min read
Our Greatest Asset is Our People - How IGE's Service Department Keeps our Customers Up and Running
IGE's Service Department of factory trained technicians for all types of glass fabrication equipment including Forvet
Michael Spellman
2 days ago1 min read
Heat is Easy. Uniform Heat is Engineering. And this is where Sail Glass Tempering Furnaces Excels
The Heating Section Is the Heart of Every Great Tempering Furnace. Anyone can build a furnace that gets hot. Building one that heats glass uniformly, consistently, and repeatably is a completely different engineering challenge. That’s where great tempering furnaces distinguish themselves, and this is one of the many reasons why IGE has chosen to partner with SAIL GLASS for the long-term. When glass enters the furnace, every degree of temperature matters. Every heating zone ma
Michael Spellman
4 days ago2 min read
Could a furnace engineered to consistently temper borosilicate naturally produce higher-quality soda-lime glass as well?
I’ve spent nearly 50 years in the glass industry. (Yes…I finally did the math, and I’m still trying to convince myself it’s wrong.) One thing those years have taught me is that innovation doesn’t always begin with answers. More often, it begins with a simple question. During my recent trip through China, I had the opportunity to visit several manufacturers producing borosilicate tempering furnaces. What caught my attention was that many of these same furnaces were also proces
Michael Spellman
4 days ago2 min read
When You Improve How Glass Moves, You Improve Everything
Your Single Source Provider for Glass Fabrication Equipment, Spare Parts, Service, Supplies, Rebuilds, & Retrofits Over the past four decades, I’ve had the opportunity to walk through glass fabrication facilities all over the world - different countries; different cultures; different levels of automation. But one thing is always the same: How glass moves through the factory determines how well that factory performs. All of these factory walks have taught us a lot, and all of
Michael Spellman
Apr 92 min read
On Friday, The Idea Sounded Impossible...On Saturday, We Were Living It
Last Friday, we were with a customer discussing the idea of a ghost shift in glass fabrication — an entire shift running with no direct labor — technology that is increasingly possible through smart automation and partners like systron . The reaction was immediate: “I could never be comfortable with that.” Fair enough. A lot of breakthrough technology sounds impossible right up until the moment you experience it. Then Saturday happened. We woke up in San Francisco surrounded
Michael Spellman
Mar 242 min read
Water...The Most Overlooked Ingredient in Glass Fabrication
fully automatic closed loop water filtration system for glass processing
Michael Spellman
Mar 172 min read
Big Projects Are Only Part of the Story: The IGE Ecosystem
For decades, IGE Glass Technologies has been known for delivering some of the most advanced glass fabrication projects in North America. Entire tempering plants. Integrated automation systems. Factory modernization programs. Those projects matter...But they are only part of the story. What many fabricators do not realize is that IGE operates as an ecosystem of solutions — from simple upgrades to full factory transformations. Our goal is always the same: Make glass fabrication
Michael Spellman
Mar 162 min read
systron Delivers 97% Uptime and Real Return on Investment
In every corner of glass fabrication, the rules never change. You are judged on accuracy, quality, and throughput; your bottlenecks determine your margins; your edge work determines your remake rate. And the smallest details, from holes to notches to coating protection, decide whether customers stay loyal or start shopping around. This is where systron has earned its standing. systron's machines do not get attention because they are loud or flashy - they get attention because
Michael Spellman
Jan 132 min read
2025 Year End Review
PDF FLIPBOOK VERSION AVAILABLE HERE https://www.flipbook.igesolutions.com/2025-year-end-review
Michael Spellman
Jan 61 min read
From Defining Glass Automation to Understanding Its Return: IGE’s Perspective on the Evolution from GPAD to GFAB
WHERE THE CONVERSATION STARTED Before glass automation became a marketing term, it was a practical necessity. In the early days of modern glass fabrication, plants were defined by manual handling, disconnected processes, and risk that was simply accepted as part of the job. Performance depended heavily on people rather than systems. Safety was often reactive. Capital decisions were driven by immediate needs rather than long-term flow. That reality helped give rise to Glass Pr
Michael Spellman
Dec 23, 20254 min read
Stop Lifting Glass. Start Driving Profit.
The ATIS Manipulator Pays for Itself in Months. Turns 3 Operators into 1 Driver. Every glass shop has that one lift station everyone avoids. Three people to move one sheet. Two aching backs and one torn shoulder later, and your “manual” process has just cost more than the manipulator that would’ve prevented it. Every day you lift by hand, you’re paying an invisible labor tax — time, fatigue, and lost production. The Shift: From Lifting to Driving Meet the IGE + ATIS Pneumatic
Michael Spellman
Nov 13, 20252 min read
The Third Revolution — The Story of a Dream That Wouldn't Die
The wait is over. The third revolution in glass has begun — and this time, it’s being written in North America. For nearly two decades, this dream seemed impossible. Flights that blurred into years. Meetings that ended in maybes. Engineers who refused to give up. Partners who believed when the world didn’t. There were moments of breakthrough, moments of heartbreak, and moments that tested everything we had. But we kept going — because we believed that one day, the revolution
Michael Spellman
Nov 5, 20252 min read
The Search For Clarity: Because in Glass Fabrication, What You Miss Can Cost You Dearly... and What You Detect Can Pay You Back Every Shift
Why did IGE choose DELTAMAX for our Glass Inspection System solution? Because in glass fabrication, what you miss can cost you dearly... and what you detect can pay you back every shift. Every fabricator has had that gut-punch moment. The glass looked perfect when it left the line... crystal clear, flawless, ready for the truck. Then comes the call — “Hey... there’s something wrong in this shipment you delivered today.” And you just stand there for a second, staring at your p
Michael Spellman
Oct 14, 20252 min read
From Cutting to Trucking — How Fabricators Turn Flow Into Profit
As you walk through a busy glass plant, you can hear the rhythm of money moving. The sound of broken glass, to me, is the sound of lost...
Michael Spellman
Oct 8, 20252 min read
New Machines Are Serious Investments. But Don't Overlook the Diamond & Polishing Tooling that Drives Them
When fabricators talk about investments, the conversation almost always starts with machines — a new CNC, a vertical polisher, a...
Michael Spellman
Oct 3, 20252 min read
Clean Water. Clean Glass. Clean Profit.
Every glass fabricator knows the pain of dirty water. Sludge builds up in grinding, polishing, drilling, and milling lines. It destroys...
Michael Spellman
Oct 1, 20252 min read
Buy New or Retrofit? The Decision Process for Tempering Furnaces
Buy New or Retrofit? With today’s high interest rates, a 55% tariff on Chinese tempering systems, fluctuating tariffs on European...
Michael Spellman
Sep 30, 20252 min read
The ROI Everyone Misses: "Downtime" is the Most Expensive Line Item — So Why Isn’t It in the ROI Model?
In today’s fast-moving, financially-driven glass industry, return on investment (ROI) is the guiding light. Rightly so — whether you’re a...
Michael Spellman
Sep 29, 20252 min read
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