Tempered glass and laminated glass are the two main types of glass used when building cars.
Automatic glass
is either tempered or laminated. The glass used for the rear window and the front and rear door windows are made of tempered glass, while the windshield is made of laminated glass. Laminated glass is used in vehicles for safety reasons, as it holds two pieces of glass together with a thin layer of plastic between them.When the laminated glass breaks, the main piece remains intact and the broken piece falls off, preventing people inside or outside the vehicle from being injured by flying shards of glass. In addition to car front glass or windshield, laminated glass is widely used in car sunroofs. The key advantage of laminated glass in cars is that it can withstand serious accidents and can be used for both front and rear windows, offering superior protection for drivers and passengers. For small cracks in laminated glass, there is a repair option, which is not the case with tempered glass.
A specialized resin is used to fill the crack, restoring glass strength and visual properties. The most common disadvantage of laminated glass is that it is prone to impact breakage even with little force and therefore the cost of replacing a new windshield is very high in car maintenance. Tempered glass has its own advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of tempered glass is its cost-effectiveness.
Compared to laminated glass, tempered glass is cheaper and easier to maintain. Low cost is why many commercial operators still use tempered glass windshields on their buses, trucks and trucks. In addition, tempered glass has more strength than laminated glass and is therefore less susceptible to breakage by stones or debris. The main drawback is the absence of a PVB layer, which can prevent a harmful element from entering the car's chamber.
Unlike laminated glass, tempered glass breaks on impact and therefore cannot protect occupants. Laminated automotive glass has been around since the 1920s when two sheets of glass were placed together using a thin layer of polyvinyl butyral (PVB) in between them. This process creates an incredibly strong and durable automotive glass that won't break in the event of an accident. Laminated automotive glass acts as a cushion and prevents passengers from getting fired from the car in the event of a head-on collision.
It is used on both the front and rear windshields of a vehicle to provide maximum strength and greater structural stability. Automotive glass is also used for sunroofs; they are designed to be UV-resistant to help passengers enjoy natural light without harmful UV rays. In conclusion, both laminated and tempered automotive glasses have their own advantages and disadvantages depending on consumer requirements. Laminated automotive glasses are widely used for windshield manufacturing due to its unique non-shattering properties, while tempered glasses are reserved for windows due to its cost-effectiveness.
Laminated glasses can be repaired while tempered glasses require complete replacement after an accident.