Tiled stoves that only warm up are a thing of the past. Today’s end customers expect an unobstructed view of the fire from several sides and thus a real “campfire feeling”, of course with the highest environmental standards at the same time. Angularly bent fire-viewing panels made of glass ceramics are therefore correspondingly popular. In order to reduce the technically unavoidable slight bulges at the outlets of the bending edges, the special glass manufacturer SCHOTT has developed an innovative process. Irlbacher, a global specialist in glass technology and glass processing, has now added these ideally curved viewing panels to its portfolio.

Angularly bent fire-viewing panels have been used for some time to create the visually enhanced impression of a fireplace. Until now, however, for physical reasons, these tended to develop a slight bulge at the outlets of the bending edge, as in the picture above left. The fireplace manufacturer has to take this bulge into account when fitting the glass ceramics exactly into a frame or even a frameless design.

A special bending process for glass ceramics, developed by SCHOTT, now solves this fundamental issue. The bulge at the outlet of the bending edge is considerably reduced, as can be seen in the picture above right. The flat pane of glass ceramics is almost ideally curved and can thus be integrated into frame constructions much more easily; the frames can be much slimmer. In addition, the mechanical solidity of the curved edge can be improved by up to 80%. The result is a visually more sophisticated play of flames as well as an additional enhancement of frameless designs – for a distinctive spatial impression.

The portfolio includes large bending radii between 30 and 95 mm. The soft curvature facilitates an even more natural fire experience and an all-round uninterrupted view of the flames. End customers experience a real campfire feeling in the middle of their living room. The variety of large bending radii allows fireplace manufacturers to differentiate themselves by using dense glass systems instead of two flat panes – thus creating designs that are both elegant and extravagant.