Starglas: the innovative solution provider for all things glass
Starglas：玻璃标识的创新解决方案供应商。
Continuously being innovative and breaking new ground is an integral part of the corporate philosophy at Starglas. Hence you would be hard pressed to find a form of glass processing that this company, based in Bünde, Germany, has not mastered. As a result of this expertise, around 90 percent of the products they create are completely unique.
“持续的创新，开拓新版图”是Starglas公司不可或缺的企业理念。因此这家总部位于德国邦德的公司几乎掌握了所有类型的玻璃加工形式，并且凭借这些专业的知识，他们所创造的大约90%的产品在世界市场上都是独一无二的。
“If something needs to be special and really unique, then people come to us. If they want ‘cheap and cheerful’, there are other companies for that,” says Michael Klausing, Founder and Managing Director of glass specialists, Starglas, getting straight to the point. The company is characterised by various USPs and as a result, around 90 percent of the products that leave Starglas are completely unique. “Of course, if desired, we also deliver standard products. In particular, because some customers simply want everything delivered from a single source, or because they place great value on the ‘Made in Germany’ aspect.”
“如果某个项目需要不寻常的设计并真正做到唯一性，那么只有我们一家可以选择；如果只是想要‘便宜又大众’，市面上这样的公司就太多了。”Starglas的创始人兼总经理迈克尔·克劳斯直接了当地说道。该公司以各种各样独特的销售主张为特色，因此从Starglas生产出来的产品中约有90%是完全独特的。克劳斯接着说道：“当然，如果客户有需要，我们也会提供标准化的产品。尤其某些客户之所以选择我们只是希望从可靠的单一来源获得所有产品，或者因为他们非常看重‘德国制造’这一方面的价值。”
One of Starglas’ specialities is laser subsurface engraving, which is why this expert glass company is in great demand in the advertising industry. However, the technology is also used when a mirror needs to be de-coated at the back leaving it clear, for example, because a television is going to be mounted behind it.
Starglas另一个特色就是采用了业界非常稀有的‘亚表面激光雕刻’工艺，这就是为什么这家专业的玻璃公司在广告行业中需求量很大的原因。当然，这个独特的工艺为Starglas带来的不止是广告行业订单，比如因为在玻璃的后面要安装电视，那么该技术就可以在镜子需要脱去后面涂层时使用。
“We also occasionally provide kitchen suppliers with special solutions. For example, a kitchen manufacturer wanted one of its suppliers to supply painted glass, behind which they could place gesture control sensors for an “Alexa” system. And to control the system, there needs to be small, transparent areas in the paint. So, we then took on the task of de-coating the glass by laser,” explains Mr Klausing.
“我们偶尔也会为厨房供应商提供特殊的解决方案，例如一家厨房制造商希望下级供应商为其提供彩绘玻璃，然后在玻璃后面放置用于‘Alexa’系统（亚马逊人工智能）的手势控制传感器。为了保证传感器控制系统的灵敏性，玻璃上的彩绘油漆必须有小范围的透明区域。这时就往往需要利用我们特有的亚表面激光雕刻工艺对玻璃进行镀膜的任务。”克劳斯解释说。
For Starglas, digital printing is also an important aspect for customised products. In this field, the glass specialist collaborates with Japanese company, Mimaki. The special feature of the Mimaki UJF-3042Mkll, the UV-ink based printer that they use, is that it can even print on solid glass up to 150mm thick.
对于Starglas而言，数字印刷技术也是生产定制产品的重要方面。在这一领域，Starglas选择与数字印刷领域拥有尖端技术的日本公司Mimaki合作，后者为其提供的基于UV墨水的Mimaki UJF-3042Mkll具有非常特殊的功能，甚至可以在厚达150mm的固态玻璃上进行打印。
For laminated glass products, Starglas prints the chosen graphic in high resolution on a transparent, pre-heated film using the Mimaki CJV150-75 print & cut machine. The advantage of this is that the solvent ink sinks into the film, creating a smooth surface regardless of whether something has been printed on it in a particular area or not. Next, the film is laminated onto the glass, which can then be easily processed into laminated glass.
对于夹层玻璃产品，Stargls使用Mimaki CJV150-75印刷和切割机在透明的预热膜上以高分辨率打印选定的图形。这样做的优点是，溶剂墨水会自动沉入薄膜中，从而在玻璃上形成光滑的表面，这样最后的产品就不会让人感觉是在特定的区域印刷上了某些东西。接下来，只需要将薄膜层压到玻璃上，就可以轻松得将其加工成层压玻璃了。
Starglas is certainly the partner to choose, especially when it comes to very complex projects. A good example of this is a product that was created for Hülsta, a big German furniture manufacturer. “For this project, we were approached by a designer who wanted to apply an optically and haptically complex graphic onto 10mm glass,” explains Michael Klausing. “It involved a plank structure that was deep blasted on the front. This made the glass feel like grained wood. In addition, the texture was to be further emphasised by digital printing, which was applied on the back.”
如果预算充足，那么Starglas当然是首选的合作伙伴，尤其是在涉及非常复杂的项目时。一个很好的例子就是德国大型家具制造商Hülsta所设计的产品。“在这个项目中，一位设计师与我们联系，他希望将在光学和触觉意义上都呈现复杂状态的图形应用到10mm玻璃上。”克劳斯解释说，“难度在于，这个家具产品的玻璃占比并不大，还设计一个处于玻璃外围、已经进行过深度喷砂处理的木板结构，我们的任务就是让玻璃看起来与之类似，也呈现出拥有木纹的木头状态，此外玻璃背面还采用了数字印刷，进一步强调出质地效果。”
Since Starglas does not etch the material itself, it was purchased from an Italian supplier, who applied 1.3-mm deep etchings. “We got Bohle to make us some special cutting wheels for our CNC cutting and we use these to pre-cut the coating layer. With the appropriate cutting parameters, we processed the glass again through the pre-scored coating. It is really advanced technology,” Mr Klausing points out. “And we still deliver the product in small batches to Hülsta now.”
由于Starglas公司本身没有蚀刻材料的机器，“于是我们联系Bohle公司为我们的数控切割机制作了一些特殊的切割轮，并使用它们对涂层进行预切割。使用适当的切割参数，我们再次通过预先刻画的涂层对玻璃进行处理。这的确是一种先进技术。”克劳斯说道，“直到现在，我们仍然在为Hülsta持续供应小批量的产品。”
To make sure it is always at the forefront of technology, Starglas – in which, besides Michael Klausing, glass specialists TGK, based in Schloss, also hold shares – is continuously investing. The company recently purchased a 5-axis water jet cutter, giving it a unique selling point in the glass industry. So now the company is able to cut almost any shape from glass. They can cut both external and internal contours with this machine. In addition, water jet cutting allows for extremely small radii.
为了确保自身始终处于技术最前沿，Starglas一直在进行投资，除了迈克尔·克劳斯外，另一家拥有Starglas股份，总部位于施罗茨的玻璃行业专家TGK公司也在不断为其进行投资。Starglas最近购买了5轴喷水切割机，使其在玻璃行业又新增了一个独特卖点。随着新机器的加入，该公司现在能偶在玻璃上随心所欲地切割出几乎任何形状，并且能够利用机器切割材料外部和内部轮廓。另外，水射流切割所带来的是比以前更小的切割半径。
Another unique selling point is that Starglas can blast glass plates of 2.5 x 5m. Thanks to these capabilities, custom table tops also feature among the company’s successful products. Furthermore, demand is increasing for printed kitchen splashbacks and illuminated glass.
另一个独特的卖点是，Starglas现在可以对2.5m*5m的玻璃板进行喷砂处理。得益于这项新工艺，定制化的玻璃桌面也成为公司立即获得成功的新产品之一。
此外，外界向Starglas求购的印染厨房防溅板和发光玻璃的订单正在大量增加。
“We use low-iron glass, which does not have a green tint like float glass does,” explains Michael Klausing. “When I shine light in from the side, one light beam or another passes straight through the glass and comes out on the other side. In this respect, it is also important to remember that the classic beam angle of LED is 120 degrees.
“我们使用的低铁玻璃不像普通的浮法玻璃那样带有天生的绿色效果。”迈克尔·克劳斯解释说，“当一束光线从侧面照射进我们的玻璃时，将直接从一侧穿过至另一侧射出。在制作这种玻璃时，我们重点考虑到LED经典的120°光束角。
“Through the physical effect of total reflection, the light is refracted across the entire pane of glass from one side to the other and transported onwards. Wherever the glass has a scratch, a bubble, subsurface engraving, sandblasting, digital printing or other feature, the light is reflected and a pictorial representation, grid or colour gradient can be created or the glass can be illuminated homogeneously. Homogeneously illuminated glass is the highest in demand.”
“通过全反射的物理作用，光线以从一侧到另一侧的方式在整个玻璃面上折射并向前传输。无论这块玻璃是通过划痕、气泡、亚表面雕刻、喷砂还是数字印刷或其他方式进行加工的，只要有反射光，就可以为上面的图形、网格或颜色渐变进行均匀照明。在我们所有的玻璃产品中，这种均质照明玻璃的需求量最大。”
Of course, like many businesses, Starglas has also been affected economically by the coronavirus pandemic. Sales through a variety of the company’s traditional channels have fallen sharply. However, the glass door business within the construction market has increased disproportionately, so there is good reason for Starglas to be optimistic that it will get through the crisis successfully.
当然，像许多企业一样，Starglas也受到了新冠疫情的经济影响，公司通过各种传统渠道所获得的营业额急剧下降。但是，由于疫情期间隔离防护尤为重要，因此建材市场中的玻璃门业务与萧条的经济呈现反比状态，因此，Starglas有充分的理由相信，自己作为一家优秀的玻璃产品制造商将成功度过危机。
The company is future-oriented in other respects too, currently working on becoming even more environmentally friendly. Five years ago, for example, they purchased a wood-powered heating system. This year, they added a chip-making system. “Our heating is now CO2-neutral,” says Michael Klausing. “In addition, we produce our electricity ourselves in an environmentally friendly mix.”
该公司在其他方面也面向未来发展，目前正在致力于变得更加环保。例如，五年前他们购买了木质动力加热系统，今年则新增了一个木头碎屑处理系统，“我们虽然还用着五年前的木质加热系统来供热，但通过新增的处理系统，现在已经实现二氧化碳中和。”迈克尔·克劳斯说，“此外，我们以环保的方式自己生产电力。”
Starglas also demonstrates social responsibility in other areas: of the company’s 31 employees, eight have a disability. “It is a case of recognising that there are activities in which the so-called weaknesses of these employees can become real strengths,” emphasises Michael Klausing. “And we want to constantly promote those strengths and consistently use them for the success of the entire team.”
Article originally published by möbelfertigung.
Starglas在社会责任方面也颇有付出：在公司31名员工中，有8名残障人士。迈克尔·克劳斯强调说：“我们认识到，在某些活动中，这些员工们所谓的‘弱点’可以变成真正的优点，进而转化为优势！我们希望通过不断提升、开发这些优势，从而不断地利用它们来使得整个团队取得成功！”
