The Glass
We must invent and learn at the same time
Viraver designs, develops and manufactures flat or curved glass sheets, laminated security glass and other bespoke glass products tailored to the Nautical, Automotive, Architecture, Industrial and Armoured sectors.
For each sector and circumstance, Viraver contextualizes its products with particular attention to norms, regulations, and individual specifications. The company’s innovative solutions come as the design trend is heading towards ever larger glass applications. Viraver’s unique specialty is to deliver these large sizes using thinner sheets of glass, for a consequent weight reduction, but with no loss of resistance or structural quality.
Process
Viraver uses the sag bending technique to create large curved surfaces.
With this technology, even very thick sheets of glass can be bent, to form cylindrical and spherical curves, while retaining excellent optical properties and creating surfaces free of flaws, distortions and undulations.
The experience acquired in obtaining curvature, and using the 3D processing technique for surface detection, allows the team to guarantee the continuity of the surfaces even in the most complex projects. Viraver’s larger new furnaces are able to bend glass sheets as large as 21.32ftx10.17ft (6,50mx3,10m).
The chemical strengthening process of glass is used to improve the physical characteristics of glass, increasing its resistance to mechanical stresses and to thermal shocks.
The chemical strengthening process by its nature does not involve any kind of optical distortion and imprint on the treated glass.
The chemically strengthened glass is not subject to the risk of spontaneous rupture from inclusions of Nickel Sulphide and therefore does not require Heat Soak tests.
Viraver prides itself on being the only company to be able to produce chemically strengthened glass sheets as large as 26.4ftx10.53ft (8mx3,21m).
Silkscreen printing is a glass printing technique which serves both aesthetic and and functional purposes, as it helps to safeguard the quality of the gluing.
It is achieved by printingon glass or plastic interlayer, with the use of silkscreen printing frames and suitable ink of compact and shaded bands.
Laminated glass is one of the most used products in projects where glass is a structural part because it combines transparency with the robustness and security features required by standards and norms.
In Viraver lamination is executed for each piece of glass by bag technique and autoclave cycle.
The stratification techniques used in Viraver allows innumerable materials to be added to the plastic interlayer that further enhance the purpose to the glass, for example: heating elements, heat shields, electromagnetic radiation shields, electric and decorative opacifier films.
This is the process in which the union between the glass and the plastic material that make up the stratified takes place. In Viraver lamination is carried out in an autoclave, which consists in subjecting the laminate to the simultaneous action of pressure, temperature and vacuum in order to generate the intimate union of the different materials. Viraver is equipped with a new large autoclave for glass and polycarbonate sheets equal to 29.53ftx10.83ft (9mx3,30m).
Viraver has an ISO 9001: 2015 certified quality management system.
Viraver monitors all business processes in order to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and quality of its processes, products and services.
Viraver systematically controls its products before delivery with the aim to verify the customer’s standards, and in particular in particular the optics, aesthetics and dimensions of the products.. The checks on the finished products are carried out by qualified national experts.
Technologies
ViraPlain is a new product that offers a technology embodying two functional characteristics: aesthetics and privacy.
This technology uses a double layered dots screen printing, distributed on the external and internal surface of the glass, light on one side black on the other.
Viraver interprets the implementation of glass and considers it as a design element functional to its purpose and this product, one of the protagonists, has the characteristic to blend chromatically with the colors of the hull creating an almost total uniformity, until one gets closer to the yacht and the integral element (glass) can be discerned.
The privacy offered to the interior spaces is guaranteed by the way the dots are configured which cut the source of direct or indirect light therefore incrementing the shielding ability from the exterior towards the interior and is so doing offering a private and comfort area.
Nowadays, during the stages of development of Super and Giga Yachts, the fire resistance characteristic is more and more frequently requested; this property is determined through the application of the Fire Test Procedure Code issued by the IMO.
Viraver has introduced to this specific safety sector a fire protection system of excellence, which confirms Viraver Technology’s leadership in the yachting sector.
Viraflame revolutionizes the concept of fire rated windows using an exclusive technology.
A system certified by Viraver, which seamlessly combines the need for safety and design, offering superior quality, compared to traditional products on the market, in terms of reduced thickness, transparency and stability of quality in time. The fire protection system Viraflame, in fact, does not use intumescent gel but rather exploits design innovation related to the frame, the type of fixing and the sequence of installed materials.
The classification obtained, in accordance with the FTP tests, is A0 (extendable to A30 with dedicated splinklers), with a maximum size for the element equal to 3m X 2m. The Viraflame system also complies with the Passenger Yacht Code – CISR.
The weak point of the classic fire-resistant glass with intumescent is in its instability. Already at temperatures ranging from 70° to 80°, that can easily be reached simply by direct exposure to sun rays, the gel begins to react to the temperature, causing bubbles and progressively losing its transparency.
The fire protection system Viraflame, maintains its qualities of transparency unaltered even over the passing of time. Because the system does not use intumescent gel, both in normal circumstance and during a fire on board, the transparency of the glass guarantees that one can see and evaluate the eventual state of danger.
FTP code class divisions
| CLASSE FTP | INTEGRITÀ STRUTTURALE (MIN) | ISOLAMENTO TERMICO (MIN) |
| B-0 | 30 | 0 |
| B-15 | 30 | 15 |
| A-0 | 60 | 0 |
| A-15 | 60 | 15 |
| A-30 | 60 | 30 |
| A-60 | 60 | 60 |
Viraver has qualified a particular 
product with a specific non-slip function.
It is a laminated glass on which on its surface has been deposited a non-removable paint that significantly increases the roughness of the glass.
It is possible to deposit the paint on the entire surface or to respect a specific design, such as a logo or dotted grid, to maintain the transparency of the element.
Viraver produces flat and curved glass with de-fogging or de-icing heating systems to ensure maximum visibility in all environmental conditions.
The heating effect can be obtained by using two different technologies; by inserting micro-wire heating elements or coating heating elements.
According to customer requirements, Viraver offers a wide range of design solutions to fully integrate the element according to the power supply, unitary heating power, electrical use as per component.
In order to optimize the optical-luminous performance of the glass, in addition to providing a wide range of coatings available on the market, which can be adapted to complex shapes, Viraver uses shielding solutions through the use of special interlayers or selective films incorporated within the plastic interlayer.
There are several technologies and materials that Viraver uses, depending on the conditions of use, the requirements of the Customer’s binding laws and specifications.
As an example, the IR filter helps improve comfort by reducing the infrared component of solar radiation by 50 per cent and thus preventing interior spaces from overheating.
Viraver is the only Italian licensee of Kuraray's SentryGlas® Expression ™ technology.
There are several technologies and materials that Viraver uses, depending on the conditions of use, of the requirements of Customer’s binding laws and specifications.
Through this technology high resolution digital print is applied, using specific inks and PVBs, any photographic image, logo, geometric design or material reproduction inside laminated flat and curved security glass.
Privacy and protection are provided by windows that allow screening of electromagnetic emissions.
By applying the Faraday Cage principle and ensuring a good compromise between visibility and the required shielding value, laminated glass shielding electromagnetic radiation is produced, attenuating it within certain frequency bands.
For indoor privacy management where traditional curtains are not used, windows are available that can be rendered opaque by means of a simple electrical command. This effect is obtained by interposing a specific encapsulated film containing liquid crystals.
When the film is active, the glass plate is rendered transparent, when turned off, the plate assumes a translucent-opaque appearance. The Viraver Shady Glass maintains the laminated glass safety features and complies with the CE marking regulations.
Viraver offers a full range of bulletproof and anti-burglary solutions, certified according to different levels of protection. ViraShield BR (bulletproof glass) is a laminated glass composed of glass and polycarbonate sheets, joined together by the use of specific interlayers; all Virashield BR compositions are anti splinter. During development, Viraver’s ViraShield BR (anti-bulletproof) and anti-burglary (Viralam) products can be adapted to the customer’s architectural and design needs through the use of heating systems and / or opaque films.
The objective is to make the armored model indistinguishable, both for aesthetics and for optical quality, even through the remarkable reduction in thickness.
Viraver has many compositions classified according to international standards EN 1063 (civilian) and STANAG 4569 (military).
Le certificazioni
| STANDARD | CLASSE KEPT | COMPOSITION CODE | SPESSORE | PESO MQ. | N° CERTIFICATO |
| EN 1063 | BR3 NS | VSB 207 01 | 20 | 44 | N° 172/BAL-AG/vp del 30/05/2012 |
| EN 1063 | BR4 NS | SNS 22 01 | 22 | 47 | N° 213-2016/BAL-AG/vp del 06/09/2016 |
| EN 1063 | LEVEL 2 | SNS 22 01 | 22 | 47 | N° 115-2017/BAL-AG/vp del 26/04/2017 |
| EN 1063 | BR4 NS | VSB 253 01 | 25 | 57 | N° 177/BAL-AG/vp del 26/07/2012 |
| EN 1063 | BR5 NS | SNS 33 02 | 33 | 73 | N° 279-2016/BAL-AG/vp del 16/11/2016 |
| EN 1063 | LEVEL 5 | SNS 33 02 | 33 | 73 | N° 116-2017/BAL-AG/vp del 26/04/2017 |
| EN 1063 | BR5 NS | VSB 370 01 | 37 | 84 | N° 203/BAL-AG/vp del 26/07/2012 |
| EN 1063 | BR6 NS | SNS 38 03 | 38 | 82 | N° 016-2017/BAL-AG/vp del 30/01/2017 |
| EN 1063 | LEVEL 5 | SNS 38 03 | 38 | 82 | N° 117-2017/BAL-AG/vp del 26/04/2017 |
| EN 1063 | BR5 NS | SNS 3901 | 39 | 82 | N° 177-2016/BAL-AG/vp del 07/07/2016 |
| EN 1063 | BR6 NS | SNS 4101 | 41 | 91 | N° 268-2016/BAL-AG/vp del 16/11/2016 |
| EN 1063 | LEVEL 5 | SNS 4101 | 41 | 91 | N° 118-2017/BAL-AG/vp del 26/04/2017 |
| EN 1063 | BR5 NS | VSA 438 01 | 43 | 105 | N° 168-BAL-AG/vp del 10/09/2010 |
| STANAG 4569 | LIV. 2 | SNS 6401 | 64 | 144 | N° 198-2016/BAL-AG/vp del 28/07/2016 |
| NU 0180.01 | LEVEL 4 | SNS 58 02 | 58 | 134 | N° 0029-2018/PS-V/BAL-VP/mc del 27/09/2018 |
| NU 0180.01 | LEVEL 3 | SNS 42 01 | 42 | 89 | waiting the original certrificate |
ViraShield BR technology
Certified by naval regis tries through impact test, linear load test and FEM. Suitable for installations with or without handrail. The increasing demand for a minimalist look and the current cutting-edge technology, led designers to aim at lighter, stronger and safer railings. The elegance and the strength of glass make it possible to create neat-looking bulwarks while complying with the strictest safety requirements.The edges get highly polished so that handrails and mullions are no longer necessary neither for structural nor aesthetic reasons.
Viraver Technology introduce a new technology for hull windows with portholes with integrated wireless sensor, flush installed to look completely frameless and compliant with the class requirements of all major naval registers. This technology is available for hull windows with different shapes: flat, curved cylindrical and curved spherical. 