RFID Integrated in a Window

iWin – that’s the product name of an insulating glass for which a new type of RFID chip was developed by the building materials manufacturer Saint-Gobain. The sensors are invisibly fitted into the edge seal of the insulating glass – and can thus be read despite the aluminium frame. Normally, metal shields the electromagnetic radiation of the RFID reader. The RFID chip itself does not need its own energy supply and is therefore maintenance-free.

Saint-Gobain has already applied for several patents on this technology and developed a data platform via which all glass and frame information, which is also linked to STRABAG’s IRIS platform, can be retrieved. In contrast to the QR codes used so far, which are usually removed during the final cleaning, the RFID chips remain permanently in the window element.

In the future, for example, it will document maintenance intervals or, in the event of damage, reorder identical windows. Up until now, this information has had to be extracted from building plans. iWin will also be able to meet future sustainability requirements, such as documentation requirements for the raw materials used in a building. It is only a matter of time before the building owners and FM service providers recognise this potential.

iWin is the digital twin with which the production data remains permanently linked to the product.

• Tracking of the insulating glass from the glass processor to the façade builder over to the construction site
• Identification of the façade elements (glass + frame) during the entire life cycle (absolute reference database)
• Data integrity of all production data of the façade elements (glass + frame) during the entire life cycle (keyword: predictive maintenance)