Success at the First Attempt: Darby Glass (Scotland) passes EN1279 Part 3

Ayrshire-based Darby Glass (Scotland) Ltd has achieved EN1279 Part 3 at the first attempt using Swisspacer V. The standard was achieved using Swisspacer V, corner keys and manual gas filling with a PIB primary seal and a polyurethane secondary seal. CEN Solutions submitted the units to TNO for testing.

EN1279 Part 3, a legal requirement for all sealed unit manufacturers making gas filled units, relates to the mandatory allowable gas leakage rate. Achieving EN1279 Part 3 is not easy, as many unit manufacturers have found to their cost: some companies using alternative warm edge spacers have had great difficulty in achieving the standard. Gas loss ratings can be no greater than 1% per annum under EN1279 Part 3. Darby Glass achieved 0.8%.

Darby Glass (Scotland) Ltd started using Swisspacer in April. Managing Director June Smith comments: “We chose Swisspacer V as our warm edge solution because it has superb thermal performance and it’s a proven technology. It doesn’t need specialised machinery and we were easily able to achieve EN1279 Part 3 at our first attempt. This is a real achievement as many companies find it difficult to attain. Gaining the standard puts us ahead of the competition. Our customers know they’re using quality, top performing sealed units which help them achieve the best Window Energy Ratings.”