Deutsch
IFL is nominated for the German Sustainability Award 2026
BÜRKLE has been nominated for the 2026 German Sustainability Award in the Product category for its Inline Flat Lamination (IFL) technology.
BÜRKLE has been nominated for the 2026 German Sustainability Award in the Product category for its Inline Flat Lamination (IFL) technology.
The challenge
Whether it’s being used as smart glass or as insulating glass for buildings, laminated glass consists of two or more sheets of glass with a layer of film laminated between them. Lamination is usually carried out in a gas-tight pressure vessel known as an autoclave or using vacuum bags and ovens. Both techniques take a relatively long time in production, require a great deal of manual work and consume a lot of energy. This is where the IFL process comes in.
The technology
The IFL process is made up of three stages. In the first step, a vacuum flat press removes the trapped air between the sheets of glass, after which the composite is immediately laminated by hot pressing on both sides. In the case of more complex or thicker glass structures, this is followed by a second lamination phase in a hot press. But the really clever part comes in the third step, when a flat press with active cooling ensures that the material is not subjected to any stress and the laminate is cooled down quickly. The uniform heating and cooling on both sides results in an exceptionally homogeneous and stable product. This all but eliminates the problems commonly associated with conventional glass lamination, such as edge pinching (deformation at the edges due to excessive pressure) or stress fractures. The continuous inline workflow can be easily integrated into virtually any production environment.
The benefits
More speed: A complete lamination cycle takes just 10 to 20 minutes instead of several hours. This means higher throughput, shorter delivery times and far more efficient processes.
Lower costs: The IFL process does away with manual work steps, such as preparing racks, sealing the edges of the glass and handling vacuum bags. This all helps to reduce personnel costs and therefore operating costs.
More flexibility: The IFL technique can be used to process a wide variety of glass types, from traditional laminated safety glass through to smart glass, ultra-thin glass or combinations of different glass thicknesses. This makes the IFL suitable for a large number of applications, ranging from architecture to BIPV.
More sustainability: Dispensing with energy-intensive autoclaves significantly reduces the carbon footprint involved. Constant temperature control and direct thermal contact further decrease energy consumption as there is no longer any need for continuous heating and cooling phases. Typical consumables, such as vacuum bags and edge protection tape, are no longer required either. The process also takes up far less space in production. This not only saves costs, it also improves the production facility’s overall energy footprint.
The award
The German Sustainability Award Foundation presents the German Sustainability Award every year in recognition of outstanding achievements in the business, municipal and research sectors. To this end, the Foundation works together with Germany’s federal government, the Federal Council for Sustainable Development, central municipal associations, trade associations, research institutes and civil society organizations. The nomination of BÜRKLE underlines the company’s success, with its IFL process, in developing a system that combines sustainability, cost effectiveness and quality. Investing in this technology today therefore means not just embracing efficiency and quality, but also making an active contribution to a more sustainable glass industry.
