Belgian flat glass manufacturer Glaverbel, the EU unit of Japan's Asahi Glass, plans to spend US$ 27.2M on a magnetron unit for the application of low-emissivity coatings at the Cuneo plant in Piedmont, north-eastern Italy, the company said on 3 July 2007. Glaverbel said it had decided on the move because of strong demand for low-E coatings on the Italian construction market. The new magnetron facility is expected to be operational by the 2H of 2008 and will mainly supply the Italian, Spanish and French markets. Glaverbel has low-E magnetron units in the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Russia. Low-E coatings are almost invisible layers of metal oxide deposited on the surface of glass to give it greater thermal insulation against cold and/or heat. Low-emissivity coatings are also known as low-E glass or superinsulating glass.
