Pilkington Activ™ Self-cleaning Glass

Pilkington Activ™ is glass with a special coating that breaks down organic dirt deposits and causes rain water to ‘sheet’ down the glass washing the loosened dirt away. The coating has no effect on strength, but marginally reduces by about 5% the amount of light and energy passing through the glass. From certain angles it has a slightly greater reflective quality than normal glass, with a faint blue tint, giving it a clear, brighter appearance. It can be installed vertically or at an angle of at least 10 degrees, but ideally 30 degrees or more to the horizontal, and can be used for most exterior window applications, e.g. conservatories, façades, glass roofs, and is especially useful for inaccessible windows where organic dirt normally collects, such as skylights.

The integral coating is permanent, lasting as long as the glass itself. It will not flake off or discolour but can be affected if the surface is mechanically damaged, e.g. by pointed objects or abrasive cleaners. It is environmentally friendly, using harmless chemical substances and because only small amounts of cleaning agents are needed, Pilkington Activ™ is kinder to the environment than normal glass.

Pilkington Activ™ coating is not effective under overhangs or situations where daylight and/or rain cannot reach it. In hard water areas some whitening may occur on the coated surface, which requires solvent-free detergent cleaning. The presence of the Pilkington Activ™ coating can be identified using a unique hand-held detector on the coated surface.

Uses to enhance performance:

• Pilkington Activ™ glass can be used in insulating units with the following Pilkington products as the inner pane: K Glass™, Optitherm™ S4.

• Pilkington Activ™ glass can be laminated using tinted PVB interlayers (subject to thermal stress calculations). It can also be toughened.

• In noise control solutions Pilkington Optiphon™ can be made with Pilkington Activ™.

• For fire protection - consult Pilkington's technical support staff.

Standards:

• Durability of the coating: Conforms to BS EN 1096-2.

• There is not currently an EN standard to cover self-cleaning performance.