Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. (AGC) has released UV Verre Premium, which is reportedly the world’s first tempered glass for automotive front door windows. According to the company, the glass can filter out approximately 99% of UV rays.

UV protection has been drawing increasing attention for health and skincare reasons. AGC conducted a face-to-face survey of drivers in Japan, with a particular focus on female drivers, and learned that respondents are most concerned about UV rays from automotive glass/windows. In addition, another study showed that drivers are most concerned about sunburn on the arms, followed by the face and hands, which tend to be exposed to strong sunlight over a prolonged period of time.

AGC concluded that, based on the survey results, there is a consumer demand for front door glass with a superior UV-blocking property. Thus, the company began development of a new UV-blocking front door glass, with the aim of offering greater interior comfort. To further increase the UV-blocking property of tempered glass for front door windows, a high-performance UV-absorbing layer had to be developed to form a glass surface on top of the conventional glass. In addition, the UV-absorbing layer had to be scratch resistant in order to endure the opening/closing of front door windows.

For additional details, visit www.agc.co.jp.