The marine and boating industry sees changes every year due to the evolving needs of various applications. Many types of marine vessels, including submarines, cruise ships, and yachts, require durable, reliable glass materials to ensure optimal safety and performance.
At Swift Glass, our experts have almost a century of collective experience in custom glass fabrication for many industries, including the marine and boating industry. To provide our customers with industry-compliant, quality solutions, we maintain certifications such as ITAR, ISO 9001:2015, ANSI, MIL-Spec, and ASME.
For a custom marine glass solution for your application, request a quote.
Standards and Certifications
The unique challenges in the marine/boating industry require solutions that provide sufficient protection and reliability. All products should meet industry standards and certification requirements to ensure they address safety concerns and hold up in harsh and volatile environments.
What Is MIL-Spec?
Some of the most important standards for marine glass to meet include MIL-Spec standards, also known as U.S. Defense Standards. These standards put requirements in place for military assets, including different types of ships. Specifically, the MIL-Spec standard MIL-G-2697A dictates the specifications for observation windows used in the marine/boating industry. The thermal glass tempering process helps fabricate high-quality glass that meets this standard.
The professionals at Swift Glass have the resources and expertise needed to deliver glass products that meet the necessary MIL-Spec standards for the marine and boating industry. Additionally, we are ISO 9001:2015-certified to maintain optimal quality across all of our products.
Marine/Boating Applications for Custom Glass Solutions
Marine vessels of all types require glass parts, primarily for providing protection and visibility. Marine glass meets the unique demands of interior and exterior marine applications. Some of the specific applications for custom marine glass include:
- Windows
- Portholes
- Dead-lites
- Windbreaks
- Windscreens
- Balustrades
Materials Used in the Marine/Boating Industry
To meet each of our customer’s needs, we offer a selection of glass materials. Our custom glass solutions include the following:
- Sight Glass. Marine equipment often uses sight glass made with different chemical properties and materials to optimize safety and operation. Materials used for sight glass may include fused silica, soda lime, float glass, and more. High-quality sight glass allows for high visibility along with strength, durability, and safety.
- Borosilicate. This glass contains high amounts of boron trioxide and silica that lend ample thermal stability and durability. Applications relying on this material include high-end lighting and lenses, among other items. Many sight glasses and viewing windows also use borosilicate materials.
- Clear Float Glass (Soda Lime). Marine/boating applications frequently use clear float glass or soda lime because of its clarity and durability. Soda lime is a specific type of clear float glass that has a green tint. This material is chemically inert, highly durable, recyclable, and capable of high light transmission rates.
- Gorilla Glass. Marine applications may use Gorilla Glass for enhanced performance and damage resistance. This material also features superior surface quality and improved touch sensitivity.
- Thermal Tempered Glass. The thermal tempering process entails heating glass to extremely high temperatures before cooling it. The result is a significantly stronger glass material ideal for several boating and marine applications. Thermal tempered glass offers increased safety, durability, and temperature resistance.
Quality Marine/Boating Glass Fabrication from Swift Glass
Boating and marine applications need reliable glass materials to deliver high performance in harsh conditions. At Swift Glass, we can deliver custom glass solutions using state-of-the-art equipment, including cutting, CNC machining, drilling, and edge grinding machines. Together, our systems enable us to fabricate top-quality custom glass materials that adhere to strict marine and boating industry standards.
To learn more about our capabilities and offerings, take a look at our resource library. You can also contact us or request a quote to speak with one of our experts.
