Quanex Edgetech, manufacturer of the flexible Super Spacer® insulating glass spacer system, will showcase the latest developments in warm edge technology and innovative insulating glass concepts at glasstec 2026. From 20 to 23 October, an international team will be available at Stand D67 in Hall 17 for technical discussions and expert consultation.
From Skinny Triples to Hybrid Insulating Glass
Achieving higher energy efficiency while reducing weight and maintaining slim glazing structures is one of the key development challenges facing the insulating glass industry. Conventional triple glazing often reaches its limits due to its thickness, weight and CO2 footprint. At glasstec 2026, Edgetech will present two market-ready approaches to addressing this challenge: the cost-effective production of so-called Skinny or Thin Triples and HyLight, an innovative type of Hybrid Insulated Glass Unit (HIGU) using PET as well as glass. Developed by Norwegian company Hybridized, HyLight features the flexible Super Spacer® as its spacer system.
“Both developments demonstrate the remarkable innovative strength of our industry. At the same time, they highlight the importance of close collaboration between different partners in successfully bringing new ideas to market. Neither the commercial manufacture of Skinny Triples nor a completely new insulating glass concept such as HyLight would have been possible without the close cooperation between glass manufacturers, machinery suppliers and component providers such as Edgetech/Quanex,” says Mike Moran, VP Sales Europe & UK at Quanex.
A solution collaboration with Forel has demonstrated that thin triple insulating glass units can be manufactured on existing fully automated high-speed production lines. Following a system upgrade, Skinny Triples can be produced without multi-million-euro investments in new equipment, using Super Spacer® alongside established profile systems and sealing solutions. A key factor is the precise application of the spacer to the ultra-thin centre pane. Even at tolerances well below one millimetre, production quality remains consistently stable.
The Norwegian start-up Hybridized is taking a different approach with its Hybrid Insulated Glass Unit (HIGU), HyLight. In this concept, the centre pane of a conventional triple-glazed unit is replaced by an ultra-thin flexible substrate, either an optical PET film or thin glass. The same production process accommodates both materials without modification.
According to Hybridized, this reduces the glass content by approximately 30 percent, lowering the weight from around 45 to 30 kg/sm at a Ug value of 0.6 W/(smK). As a result, a triple-glazed HIGU weighs about the same as a conventional double-glazed unit while reducing carbon emissions by around 30 percent compared with conventional triple glazing.
The enabler is Hybridized’s production technology, which applies the flexible Super Spacer® directly onto the ultra-thin substrates, allowing them to be combined with standard glass panes. As the additional layers add almost no weight, weight no longer limits the number of panes, from quadruple to higher-order multilayer units that would be prohibitively heavy with conventional glazing. The process is designed for existing fully automated production lines and requires only a system upgrade.
Quanex Edgetech and other partners, including LiSEC, are supporting the company, founded in 2023, in bringing the concept into industrial production. Edgetech contributes technical expertise, provides products for development work and supports climatic testing of the hybrid glazing system.
"HyLight shows that radically lighter insulating glass doesn't need a new factory. By upgrading existing production lines to handle films and thin glass from 0.05 to 1 millimetre, manufacturers can produce hybrid units with the equipment they already have, while opening the door to functional glazing concepts that were previously impossible," says Atle Geving, CEO at Hybridized.
The Flexible Spacer for Demanding Glazing Applications
At the booth, the focus is on the performance characteristics of the Super Spacer® systems: In addition to the energy efficiency benefits of warm edge technology, with Psi values as low as 0.029 W/(mK), ease of processing and process reliability are key advantages. The flexible silicone foam spacer can be applied automatically with a high degree of precision, making it suitable not only for high-volume residential window production but also for complex insulating glass constructions, large-format glazing and demanding parametric façade constructions.
Key to this are the T-shaped geometry and the elastic material of the spacer. The silicone structural foam absorbs the movements of the insulating glass unit caused by temperature and pressure fluctuations. This reduces stress in the edge seal and takes strain off the primary and secondary sealant.
“Buildings such as the OPPO Headquarters in Shenzhen, 2 Finsbury Avenue in London and the new JPMorgan Chase Headquarters in New York rank among the most technically demanding façade projects of recent years. Building owners, glass processors and façade contractors must be able to rely on an edge seal that will maintain its long-term functionality for decades. The fact that Super Spacer® has been specified for these projects demonstrates the importance of processing quality, durability and thermal performance in modern façade construction,” Moran concludes.
Quanex Edgetech will be exhibiting at glasstec 2026 in Hall 17, Stand D67, with a focus on glass processing technologies.
About Edgetech Europe GmbH, A Part of Something Bigger
Edgetech Europe GmbH, located in Heinsberg, Germany, is a fully owned subsidiary of Quanex Building Products Corporation, (NYSE: NX) a global, publicly traded manufacturing company primarily serving OEMs in the fenestration, cabinetry, solar, refrigeration and outdoor products markets. Edgetech Europe GmbH services markets in continental Europe with a total of 490 employees and 17 extruders. We are “A Part of Something Bigger” by improving the performance and aesthetics of end products through continuous innovation, helping customers achieve greater production efficiencies, and giving back to communities where we operate. Visit quanex.com for more information.
