Commentary - 15 June 2020
What’s different about Balmoral glass fused to steel (GFS) tanks?
By Stuart Ransom, Manufacturing Projects Manager and Joe Aiken, Coatings Technology Manager
By Stuart Ransom and Joe Aiken
With ever increasing demands on asset life assurances how do our customers know that we are supplying them with products that will continue to meet their expectations?
All we hear is ‘quality this’ and ‘quality that’ from companies who have changed nothing for 30 years. The bottom line is that technology moves on and, for the benefit of our clients and the future of the industry, we stay ahead of the pack through our strategy of investment in people, facilities and products.
Having recently invested some £10 million on a new, state of the art, vitreous enamelling glass fused to steel (GFS) production line, we reviewed the competitive options in the market before deciding what would set us apart from what was already available.
The feedback was unequivocally uninspiring and, in many ways, highlighted the same old ponies pulling the same old tricks.
Now for the scientific explanation of what differentiates Balmoral’s GFS tanks in the marketplace... In traditional GFS production methods, finely ground glass particles are suspended in water using inorganic clays and salts. These form a coagulation network that holds the glass particles in suspension when sprayed onto steel sheets using conventional application systems. The inorganic clays and salts linger in the coating along with the finely ground glass particles.
During the firing process the water remaining within the clay particles is released as a vapour thereby increasing the risk of subsurface voids in the final coating. The salts, having a lower melting temperature than the clays, will decompose and release gases as they heat up during the firing process.
Consequently, by minimising the amount of gases released during fusion, a coating of vastly improved integrity will be produced. We are renowned for pushing technological boundaries at Balmoral so you won’t be surprised to learn that our GFS process utilises the latest vitreous enamel dry powder application system.
This technique deposits finely ground glass particles onto the steel using electrostatic forces that eliminates the need for inorganic clays and salts. Ultimately, and most importantly, this means the Balmoral GFS product delivers superior intrinsic quality and performance capabilities than any of our competitors.
Our message to you is sincere and straightforward: buy better, buy smarter, buy Balmoral and, if you would like to learn more about the benefits of our bulk liquid storage solutions, drop us a line at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“Once a new technology rolls over you, if you’re not part of the steamroller, you’re part of the road.”
Stewart Brand
