Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. Insulated glass units (IGU's) are protected, e.g. during handling and shipping, by a protective bumper. The bumper can be custom made using IGU dimension data received from the IGU fabrication tool. The bumper may be made of environmentally friendly materials. Laser isolation configurations and related methods of patterning and/or configuring an electrochromic device on a substrate are described. Edge deletion is used to ensure a good seal between spacer and glass in an IGU and thus better protection of an electrochromic device sealed in the IGU. Configurations for protecting the electrochromic device edge in the primary seal and maximizing viewable area in an electrochromic pane of an IGU are also described.

Provided are a vehicle windshield equipped with a transparent film at a visual field area, where a negative effect on a driving visibility due to a boundary line between a forming area and a non-forming area of the transparent film is improved, and a vehicle component having the vehicle windshield. The vehicle windshield includes: a window plate; and a transparent film provided at a surface on a vehicle-interior side of the window plate, wherein the vehicle windshield includes a first area where the transparent film is not provided and a second area where the transparent film is provided, at a central area when viewed from a front side, and a boundary between the first area and the second area has no perspective distortion and is constituted by a boundary line having line width visually recognized by scattering of irradiated light of 10 μm to 200 μm.

Glass laminates, comprising more than one glass composition, are becoming increasingly common as the industry moves towards lighter and stronger glazing. Bending dissimilar glass compositions can present problems. A mismatch in the glass viscosity curves, especially in the viscoelastic region of the compositions can result in one layer becoming softer than one of the other layers during the thermal bending process. As a result, economical processes, such as gravity or press bending in which multiple glass layers are simultaneously bent, may not be practical to use forcing the use of more expensive single glass layer bending processes. By thermal treatment processes the fictive temperature of at least one of the glass compositions prior to bending can be shifted to better match the other compositions allowing the glass layers to be simultaneously bent.

A glazing comprises a glass substrate having an enamel layer adhered to at least a first surface portion, the enamel comprising 20 to 80 wt % frit and 10 to 50 wt % inorganic pigment. The thickness of the enamel layer is 2 m to 50 m, and the inorganic pigment has an infra-red reflectance such that the infra-red reflectance of the first portion of the glass substrate surface is 37% or higher over a region in the wavelength range 800 nm to 2250 nm. The glazing may be laminated, and may be a vehicle windscreen. A process for producing the glazing involves applying ink to a glass substrate, curing the ink thereby producing an enamel adhered to the glass substrate, and shaping the glass substrate by heating to a temperature above 570 C. The preferred inorganic pigments are of the Fe and/or Cr type in spinel, haematite or corundum crystal form.

Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. An electrochromic device is fabricated to substantially cover a glass sheet, for example float glass, and a cutting pattern is defined based on one or more low-defectivity areas in the device from which one or more electrochromic panes are cut. Laser scribes and/or bus bars may be added prior to cutting the panes or after. Edge deletion can also be performed prior to or after cutting the electrochromic panes from the glass sheet. Insulated glass units (IGUs) are fabricated from the electrochromic panes and optionally one or more of the panes of the IGU are strengthened.

Methods for preparing multi-layer optical laminates include placing an optical film that is free form an adhesive layer between first and second glass substrates that are free of an adhesive layer, placing this laminate under vacuum, and then heating the laminate under pressure to a temperature above the softening temperature of the optical film. The glass substrates are free of an adhesive layer but may include a silane surface treatment. The resulting multi-layer laminate is optically clear and does not show scattering of reflected light by the optical film.

The present disclosure relates to an improved automotive glass, such as a windshield, for use in head-up display systems and methods of making the automotive glass. The windshield may include a durable anti-reflective coating on an outer surface that is durable to sustain physical and chemical elements typical for a windshield. The coating may further be placed on an interior surface of the windshield to provide protection over an IRR coating on the interior surface, such that the IRR coating may provide a reflection of a head-up display image. The method of heat treating glass for preparation of a windshield may include phase separating a glass coating which may then be etched to provide a nano-structured porous coating.

A method for manufacturing neutral color antireflective glass substrates by ion implantation, the method including ionizing a N.sub.2 source gas so as to form a mixture of single charge and multicharge ions of N, forming a beam of single charge and multicharge ions of N by accelerating with an acceleration voltage A between 20 kV and 25 kV and setting the ion dosage at a value between 610.sup.16 ions/cm.sup.2 and 5.0010.sup.15A/kV+2.0010.sup.17 ions/cm.sup.2. A neutral color antireflective glass substrates including an area treated by ion implantation with a mixture of simple charge and multicharge ions according to the method.

Methods of manufacturing electrochromic windows are described. An electrochromic device is fabricated to substantially cover a glass sheet, for example float glass, and a cutting pattern is defined based on one or more low-defectivity areas in the device from which one or more electrochromic panes are cut. Laser scribes and/or bus bars may be added prior to cutting the panes or after. Edge deletion can also be performed prior to or after cutting the electrochromic panes from the glass sheet. Insulated glass units (IGUs) are fabricated from the electrochromic panes and optionally one or more of the panes of the IGU are strengthened.

Provided are a vehicle windshield equipped with a transparent film at a visual field area, where a negative effect on a driving visibility due to a boundary line between a forming area and a non-forming area of the transparent film is improved, and a vehicle component having the vehicle windshield. The vehicle windshield includes: a window plate; and a transparent film provided at a surface on a vehicle-interior side of the window plate, wherein the vehicle windshield includes a first area where the transparent film is not provided and a second area where the transparent film is provided, at a central area when viewed from a front side, and a boundary between the first area and the second area has no perspective distortion and is constituted by a boundary line having line width visually recognized by scattering of irradiated light of 10 m to 200 m.