Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Glassomer (Glassomer – A Revolution in Glass Processing)
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2025-03-31
Glass is one of the oldest materials known and remains a very relevant material for industry and society in the 21st century: from optics to glass fiber technology, laboratory equipment to decorative elements and glazing. Whenever scratch-resistance and chemical resistance is required in combination with high transparency, glass is the first choice. Today many industries chose polymers to produce their components, even if glass would have the better material properties. That is because glass is very difficult to shape: either from high temperature melts, via grinding or etching with aggressive chemicals or lasers. Polymers on the other hand are easily produced in all shapes and sizes using industrially scalable processes like injection molding, casting or 3D printing. Our invented and patented Glassomer® process allows for the first time to structure glasses with these same methods. Society benefits from the sustainability of the process as it requires no aggressive chemicals or toxic gases and can save a considerable amount of energy due to the lower temperatures required compared to conventional glass-melting.
The overall objective of this project was to bring the Glassomer® Technology from the level of operational prototypes to complete and qualified systems in target markets. This ensures the production of high-quality, micro-structured glass parts for Glassomer customers and the execution of pilot projects with customers. This was achieved by building a laboratory-scale manufacturing line to optimize the process parameters and then moving production to a pilot production line at higher throughput and detailed quality control. This strategy was to be accompanied by an effective patent strategy and business development to ensure long-term success of the company.
The project was successfully concluded in 2025. Within the project, the scale-up of the Glassomer technology was achieved. This was achieved by first building a laboratory scale production line and showing the capability of the technology to produce high-quality parts. It was demonstrated that the parts produced meet the requirements for optical lenses. A pilot production line for large-scale production was then set up, accompanied by an effective quality control system certified by ISO9001. On the production line setup, a number of pilot projects were executed: test components and final product designs were manufactured on-demand for customers. This development was accompanied by the scale-up of further relevant processes and systems like the IT infrastructure, which included the implementation of novel software to support customer and in-house processes. A total of 24 patents in 4 patent families were filed for protection. The project ended successfully with a large-scale industrial order for serial production.
The overall objective of this project was to bring the Glassomer® Technology from the level of operational prototypes to complete and qualified systems in target markets. This ensures the production of high-quality, micro-structured glass parts for Glassomer customers and the execution of pilot projects with customers. This was achieved by building a laboratory-scale manufacturing line to optimize the process parameters and then moving production to a pilot production line at higher throughput and detailed quality control. This strategy was to be accompanied by an effective patent strategy and business development to ensure long-term success of the company.
The project was successfully concluded in 2025. Within the project, the scale-up of the Glassomer technology was achieved. This was achieved by first building a laboratory scale production line and showing the capability of the technology to produce high-quality parts. It was demonstrated that the parts produced meet the requirements for optical lenses. A pilot production line for large-scale production was then set up, accompanied by an effective quality control system certified by ISO9001. On the production line setup, a number of pilot projects were executed: test components and final product designs were manufactured on-demand for customers. This development was accompanied by the scale-up of further relevant processes and systems like the IT infrastructure, which included the implementation of novel software to support customer and in-house processes. A total of 24 patents in 4 patent families were filed for protection. The project ended successfully with a large-scale industrial order for serial production.
The project started in 2021. A laboratory setup was completed for the technology development using a medium-throughput injection molding machine and a clean room environment for the production, printing and casting of Glassomer materials was established (see Figure 1). Processes and technology were optimized to allow for the production at high quality which was checked by glass and surface analysis. For scale-up, Glassomer announced a collaboration with ENGEL, which fosters the development of the Glassomer Process on ENGEL injection molding machines. A large-scale production line has been setup based on this cooperation (see Figure 2). Production equipment for post-processing was acquired to allow for large-scale production of glass parts. The high electricity requirements by the scale-up resulted in the need for new electrical connections at the production facilities. The newly installed, up-to-date electronic system enabled the operation of multiple injection molding machines and high-temperature ovens at the company site. First test and feedback projects have been executed including the fabrication of high-quality optical components like microlens arrays (MLA) and refractive lenses (see Figure 3). A cleanroom environment and an effective quality control system have been established for testing samples. For the QM system, an ISO9001 certification was achieved. Pilot projects for the fabrication of lenses, packaging, nozzles, jewelry and labware components were successfully executed.
For effective dissemination, Glassomer has launched a new homepage as part of the PR strategy, which (along with its makers, tp werbeagentur) has won the International Creative Media Award (ICMA) of Excellence. Glassomer regularly joins major international trade fairs like Photonics West and has taken part in numerous discussions relating to the future of the glass industry in times of energy shortage and high costs (see Figure 4). For customer information and attention, a regular newsletter was set up for customers and several supporting conference materials were designed (see Figure 5). Glassomer was featured in several media outlets: The VDI, podcast “Druckwelle” of ingenieur.de Nachrichten aus der Chemie, podcast “Maschinen Raum” conducted an interview with co-founder Dr. Frederik Kotz-Helmer, Articles were published in Mikrofertigung and Kunststoffe.de (see Figure 6). Co-Founders Rapp and Kotz-Helmer also edited the book “Additive manufacturing of glass” with contributions of major glass scientists around the world, highlighting the impact of the Glassomer Technology for on-demand manufacturing.
In the future, Glassomer will further scale-up the production capabilities and exploit the results and knowledge gained in the project. With the wide customer base built, Glassomer will continue to produce on-demand glass parts and increase the revenue especially for high-throughput injection molding. With the results achieved in the project it is now possible to build the next production lines fast and efficiently and produce glass parts on an industrial scale in high quality. The project enabled industrial access to a novel technology and with the support systems created, a foundation for future growth of the company has been laid.
For effective dissemination, Glassomer has launched a new homepage as part of the PR strategy, which (along with its makers, tp werbeagentur) has won the International Creative Media Award (ICMA) of Excellence. Glassomer regularly joins major international trade fairs like Photonics West and has taken part in numerous discussions relating to the future of the glass industry in times of energy shortage and high costs (see Figure 4). For customer information and attention, a regular newsletter was set up for customers and several supporting conference materials were designed (see Figure 5). Glassomer was featured in several media outlets: The VDI, podcast “Druckwelle” of ingenieur.de Nachrichten aus der Chemie, podcast “Maschinen Raum” conducted an interview with co-founder Dr. Frederik Kotz-Helmer, Articles were published in Mikrofertigung and Kunststoffe.de (see Figure 6). Co-Founders Rapp and Kotz-Helmer also edited the book “Additive manufacturing of glass” with contributions of major glass scientists around the world, highlighting the impact of the Glassomer Technology for on-demand manufacturing.
In the future, Glassomer will further scale-up the production capabilities and exploit the results and knowledge gained in the project. With the wide customer base built, Glassomer will continue to produce on-demand glass parts and increase the revenue especially for high-throughput injection molding. With the results achieved in the project it is now possible to build the next production lines fast and efficiently and produce glass parts on an industrial scale in high quality. The project enabled industrial access to a novel technology and with the support systems created, a foundation for future growth of the company has been laid.
The project is aligned with the Horizon Europe strategy and the impact goals were achieved. The project was designed as closely market-oriented, while still maintaining scientific, societal and socio-economic impact. The strategy was to open up several new markets with the Glassomer® innovation - as glass is an outstanding material with many applications from high-end products to consumables. Glassomer has achieved this goal with a large number of customers from different fields. Next to the three markets that were originally proposed, Glassomer has even opened up new markets, e.g. the luxury market for the production of luxury packaging and the automotive sector with parts for the car interior. These markets have significantly widened the scope of the project and allowed for a widespread market access of the technology.
The project has created a new state-of-the-art technology for glass making on an industrial scale. The technology enables shaping of fused silica glass at low temperatures and low energy consumption. For the innovation and the technology transfer achieved, Glassomer has won several awards including the prestigious Lothar-Späth-Award 2021 for clever innovations of Baden-Württemberg (BW), the innovation award of the Laser World of Photonics, the Umwelttechnikpreis (environmental technology award) and the Innovation award of BW (see Figure 7).
The project has created a new state-of-the-art technology for glass making on an industrial scale. The technology enables shaping of fused silica glass at low temperatures and low energy consumption. For the innovation and the technology transfer achieved, Glassomer has won several awards including the prestigious Lothar-Späth-Award 2021 for clever innovations of Baden-Württemberg (BW), the innovation award of the Laser World of Photonics, the Umwelttechnikpreis (environmental technology award) and the Innovation award of BW (see Figure 7).