The presentations from Day 1 of the Glassman Latin America conference are now available.
Glassman Latin America took place on the 20th and 21st of May at the at the Expo Santa Fe Mexico.
Over 900 visitors attended the combined exhibition and conference focused on the glass manufacturing process and ways in which the industry can improve its production efficiencies.
The international-focused trade show highlighted over 100 exhibitors.
Meanwhile, the conference had 13 presentations from glass technology experts, who highlighted the latest glass manufacturing technologies.
They discussed the latest trends and developments in the sector, with topics such as artificial intelligence, decarbonisation, extending furnace lifetimes, sustainability, automation, predictive defect detection, and blank temperature control.
Please see the below for the presentations from Day 1.
WEDNESDAY 20 MAY
Glassform.ai – Automating Hot-End through Physics-AI Digital Twins: can we increase yield while reducing costs?
Federico Monegaglia, R&D Manager at Glassform.ai.
Abstract: The current structural crisis of our market is biting margins due to the combined pressure of energy costs, inflation and macrotrends in global drinking habits. Investments are frozen and production is being resized worldwide. However, although reducing production is a matter of short-term survival, the mid-to-long term life of the glass industry can only be sustained by structured optimisation of how we make glass products.
Iris Inspection Machines – Advanced digitalisation in inspection for predictive defect detection.
Armando Enrico Brusamolino, Area Sales Manager for Iris Inspection Machines.
Abstract: Glass manufacturing is evolving rapidly, driven by digitalisation, decarbonisation, and increasing efficiency demands.
At IRIS Inspection Machines, we leverage:
Real-time monitoring with intelligent assistance
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
Modern inspection systems act as connected sensors, delivering real-time production data—from defect detection to quality metrics.
Our AI-powered assistant analyses this data continuously, uncovering hidden patterns, optimizing machine settings, and enabling early defect detection.
By identifying defect origins and tracking process variations, we help prevent performance losses before they occur.
Data-driven insights for smarter, more sustainable glass production.
Xpar Vision – Intelligent glass production using AI.
Paul Schreuders, non-executive board member at XPAR Vision.
Abstract: For granting quality to their customers, the container glass industry relies on inspection tools, at first mainly in the cold end, since 2000 also in the hot end. These tools are essential but ultimately only reactive safeguards identifying defective containers after they are formed.
Drawing on 25 years of experience with hot end image processing and glass manufacturing, this paper argues that the industry is poised for a far more transformative shift. While inspection remains a critical application, our work demonstrates that the true potential lies upstream: in understanding the root causes of defects, enabling real‑time process control, and reducing operator dependency in the hot end.
Through decades of field deployment and continuous research, we have developed systems that not only detect anomalies but also interpret them in the context of forming dynamics, machine behavior, and environmental variation. These insights reveal a persistent imbalance: glass makers overwhelmingly invest in end‑of‑line rejection, while the actionable intelligence required for defect prevention remains underutilised. As a result, significant opportunities for efficiency gains, productivity improvements, and lightweighting remain unrealised.
Our findings show that AI‑driven forming process control can substantially reduce defect generation, stabilise production, and support less operator‑dependent workflows. Yet the adoption of such capabilities is constrained not by technological readiness but by organisational and cultural inertia. Incremental upgrades to inspection systems alone will not reshape the industry; what is needed is a shift toward integrated, data‑driven manufacturing strategies.
This paper therefore calls for deeper collaboration between technology providers and glass manufacturers. By forming true partnerships—where insights, data, and long‑term objectives are shared—we can accelerate the transition from reactive quality selection to proactive quality control and intelligent production. The potential impact is profound: fewer defects, lighter containers, more consistent quality, less operator dependency and a more resilient, future‑ready glass industry.
Shanghai Precision – Batch House: The best learnings from practices.
Harry Sha, Managing Director at Shanghai Precision.
Abstract: Shanghai Precision has learnt a lot from the batch plants they have designed and supplied for glass industry worldwide in past few years and the managing director would like to share the learnings from design, fabrication and construction of batch plant and hope to deliver a better plant in future practices.
Stara Glass – How to save money and extend furnace lifetime: advantages of a periodic anamnesis of glass furnaces.
Giorgio Minestrini, Chief Project Officer at Stara Glass.
Abstract: The thermal balance of a glass furnace is a key tool for understanding and optimising energy use in high-temperature processes. Operating above 10 MW, furnaces require accurate evaluation of all energy inputs (fuel, electric boosting, air) and outputs (glass heating, flue losses, reactions, and leakages).
This work combines design models with on-site measurements to bridge the gap between theoretical and real performance. The approach enables the identification of inefficiencies and supports targeted improvements. Periodic thermal balance analysis can significantly reduce energy consumption, emissions, and operating costs while improving furnace lifetime and stability.
Glass Service Italy – Decarbonising glass forming: synergistic advances in Oxy-Gas combustion and electric forehearth technologies.
Emanuele Donati, Sales Manager at Glass Service Italy.
Abstract: The glass industry faces increasing pressure to decarbonise its forming processes. This work presents two strategic solutions for distributors and forehearths: Oxy-Gas combustion and electric heating. While Oxy-Gas technology significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions (up to 60%), the electric solution enables carbon-neutral production by eliminating direct emissions. Supported by CFD analysis and economic data, both systems ensure high thermal stability, superior glass quality, and substantial operational savings. Together, these technologies provide a concrete roadmap toward sustainable, climate-neutral glass production by overcoming the efficiency limits of traditional air-gas systems.
K2-CO2 – Decarbonising the glass industry by using waste flue gases: the case of self produced electricity in a hollow glass manufacturing plant in Italy.
Giorgio Di Lascio, Sales Manager at K2 -CO2.
Abstract: Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 requires major efficiency improvements across energy intensive industries, and waste heat recovery (WHR) is becoming a crucial decarbonization pathway. Europe currently leads WHR adoption thanks to strict efficiency policies and carbon pricing measures, while North and Latin America also present strong potential through EPA programs and national regulations. One of the most effective ways to utilise waste heat is on site electricity generation using an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine. An Italian hollow glass plant demonstrates this by installing a 1 MW ORC turbine powered by our gas-to-oil heat exchanger and high temperature ceramic candle filter, improving overall furnace efficiency, reducing emissions, and delivering substantial annual energy cost savings.
Interlub Group – Maintaining process stability in glass forming: managing friction under operational pressure.
Manuel Patraca, Technical Consultant for Interglass (above), and Aldo Chanón, Strategy Coordinator (below), for Interlub Group.
Abstract: Glass forming operations are increasingly exposed to tighter operating conditions, where stability becomes critical to maintaining performance and quality.
In these environments, friction at the interface between hot glass and forming equipment is often treated as a secondary variable, despite its direct impact on process consistency, defect rates and equipment wear.
This presentation explores how friction can be approached as a controlled parameter within forming operations, drawing from field experience to illustrate its role in maintaining stable production conditions under operational pressure.