A family-owned company that refines flat glass into functionalized HMIs, technical glass and system solutions from a single source
Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas GmbH
Schönsee (Plant I & II)New on Amplifa
Family-owned company with lived values
Irlbacher Blickpunkt Glas GmbH is a family-managed corporate group founded in 1935 and headquartered in Schönsee in the Upper Palatinate. The company produces high-tech flat glass solutions for the world market – ranging from technical glass and ceramic-printed, thermally toughened panes (toughened safety glass) to user interfaces with electronics directly on glass (IMPAtouch, IMPAled). Production covers the entire value chain: cutting, waterjet cutting, CNC glass machining with machines developed in-house, screen and digital printing in the cleanroom, toughening and bending, optical bonding, SMD assembly, CNC metal fabrication as well as manual to fully automated assembly. More than 250 types of glass – including borosilicate glass, aluminosilicate thin glass and glass ceramics such as SCHOTT NEXTREMA and ROBAX – are held in stock. Customers come from medical and laboratory technology, mechanical engineering, household appliances, building and sanitary technology, stove, lighting and optical industries as well as rail, marine and aviation. More than 470 employees work at the two plants in Schönsee on around 30,000 m² of production space.
- Site
- Schönsee
- Processes
- Glass cutting (score & break, diamond cut), Waterjet cutting of glass, CNC glass machining (drilling, grinding, polishing, rounding, forming), Glass edge finishing (matte ground or polished), Screen printing on glass (ceramic inks, cleanroom), Ceramic digital printing on glass (6-channel CMYKGW), Glass toughening / tempered safety glass production (thermal prestressing, baking at approx. 630 °C), Bending of toughened glass
- Materials
- Soda-lime glass (float glass/clear glass), Borosilicate glass, Aluminosilicate glass (thin glass from 0.55 mm), Glass ceramic B270, Glass ceramic D263, Glass ceramic NEXTREMA (SCHOTT), Glass ceramic ROBAX (SCHOTT), Quartz glass
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 50001
- Founded
- 1935
- Employees
- 470+
- Industries
- Medical and laboratory technology, Devices & systems, Mechanical engineering, Glass ceramics, Technical industry, Household appliances
- 01
Development (electronics, software, CAD design)
- 02
Glass cutting (score & break, waterjet cutting)
- 03
CNC glass machining (drilling, grinding, polishing)
- 04
Screen and digital printing with ceramic inks
- 05
Toughening to tempered safety glass / bending
- 06
Electronics on glass (SMD assembly, reflow soldering)
- 07
Optical bonding (LOCA)
- 08
Assembly up to ready-to-install system solutions
Sites
Schönsee (Plant I)
DEHeadquarters with administration and production
- Materials
- Flat glass, borosilicate glass, glass ceramics, tempered safety glass, aluminium, brass, steel, plastic
- CNC glass machining centers (in-house development)
- Glass toughening systems
- Screen printing line in the cleanroom
- 5-axis milling centers
- Drying ovens (in-house development)
- Energy center with CHP units
Schönsee (Plant II)
DEExpansion of production capacity since 1989, Assembly II with bonding center
- Lot size
- Prototype to large series
- Materials
- Flat glass, tempered safety glass, glass ceramics, plastic
- Round-indexing cell / bonding center (optical bonding)
- Screen printing in the cleanroom (East Hall)
- Assembly of subassemblies
Components & applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass cutting (score & break, diamond cut)Machining | – | 6,000 mm × 3,210 mm | – | – | Flat glass, Soda-lime glass, Borosilicate glass, Aluminosilicate glass, Glass ceramics, B270, D263, Colored glass, Patterned glass |
| Waterjet cutting of glassMachining | – | – | – | – | Flat glass, Borosilicate glass, Glass ceramics |
| CNC glass machining (drilling, grinding, polishing, rounding, forming)Machining | micrometer-precise | – | – | Single part | Flat glass, Borosilicate glass, Glass ceramics, Quartz glass |
| Glass edge finishing (matte ground or polished)Surface | – | – | – | – | Soda-lime glass (tempered safety glass), Flat glass |
| Screen printing on glass (ceramic inks, cleanroom)Surface | up to 80 µm printing accuracy | – | – | – | Flat glass, Soda-lime glass, Borosilicate glass, Glass ceramics |
| Ceramic digital printing on glass (6-channel CMYKGW)Surface | – | 2,500 mm × 1,600 mm | – | Single-piece production | Flat glass, Soda-lime glass, Glass ceramics |
| Glass toughening / tempered safety glass production (thermal prestressing, baking at approx. 630 °C)Heat treatment | – | – | – | – | Soda-lime glass, Flat glass |
| Bending of toughened glassForming | – | – | – | – | Soda-lime glass (tempered safety glass), Flat glass |
| Electronics on glass (IMPAtouch: printed conductive traces made of conductive silver, ceramicSurface | – | – | – | – | Toughened safety glass (ESG), Flat glass |
| SMD assembly and reflow soldering on glass PCBsAssembly | – | – | – | – | Toughened safety glass (ESG), Flat glass |
| Optical bonding (LOCA process, fully automated, cleanroom)Joining | – | – | – | – | Glass, Flat glass |
| Air-gap bondingJoining | – | – | – | – | Glass, Flat glass |
| Bonding of front glass to plastic framesJoining | – | – | – | – | Flat glass, Plastic |
| CNC milling (5-axis)Machining | – | – | – | Prototype – Series parts | Aluminium, Brass, Steel, Plastic |
| CNC turningMachining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Brass, Steel, Plastic |
| Design and mechanical & plant engineering (CAD, in-house machine development)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Steel, Brass, Plastic |
| Assembly of subassemblies (manual to fully automated, cleanroom)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Glass, Plastic, Aluminium |
| HMI development (electronics development, software, prototyping, usability testing)Engineering | – | – | – | – | Glass |
| Coatings (anti-reflective, ESD-dissipating layers, heat-reflective coatings,Surface | – | – | – | – | Flat glass, Glass ceramics, Soda-lime glass |
6 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5-axis milling center | – | – | – | – | Schönsee |
| CNC glass machining center (in-house development) | Irlbacher (developed in-house) | – | – | – | Schönsee |
| Screen printing line in the cleanroom | Irlbacher (own systems) | – | – | – | Schönsee (East Hall) |
| Round-indexing cell / bonding center for optical bonding | – | – | – | – | Schönsee (Assembly II) |
| Glass toughening system | – | – | – | 1994 | Schönsee |
| Drying ovens (in-house developed) | Irlbacher | – | – | – | Schönsee |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality & certification
Production takes place under cleanroom conditions for screen printing and optical bonding; the company is certified according to ISO 9001 (quality) and ISO 50001 (energy management).
| Evidence | Schönsee |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 50001 |
Company history
- 1935
Company founded in Dietersdorf by Johann Irlbacher
- 1952
New start of the company
- 1970
First mass product: glass for fuse screw caps
- 1989
Expansion with Plant II in Schönsee; Günther Irlbacher (4th generation) joins the company
- 1994
New building for new toughening systems due to demand from the lighting industry
- 1998
Stephan Irlbacher joins the company
- 2004
New administration building and founding of GSI Glastechnologie GmbH
- 2008
Becoming a system supplier with IMPAtouch – electronics on glass
- 2012
Modernization of assembly, new construction of the East Hall with screen printing in the cleanroom
- 2018
Conversion of a tennis hall into Assembly II with round-indexing bonding center; membership in the Klimaschutz-Unternehmen e.V. association
- 2019
Construction of the energy center including gas pipeline, CHP units and thermal oil drying line
- 2021
Launch of the transformation concept 'Paths to a climate-neutral company'
- 2022
Installation of a photovoltaic system with 2,005.8 kWp
- 2024
Launch of AI-supported monitoring of all energy flows