Glass with reduced UV passage (“museum glass”)

Although many museums today rely on modern LED lighting and thus avoid UV radiation, effective UV protection of the precious exhibits remains essential: because the harmful radiation promotes material decay, causes colors and pigments in paintings, photographs or prints to fade, varnishes, resins and paper to yellow, and decomposes binders in oil and acrylic. Especially when works of art are presented outside normal exhibition rooms, a high level of protection against UV rays is mandatory in order to preserve their original appearance and quality in the long term. Glass variants without special UV filters absorb only about 45% of the radiation and are therefore not an effective solution. In this context, UV protection means the absorption of light with wavelengths up to 380 nm. In order to achieve an even higher level of protection, the lenses are optimised by additional finishing processes:

Mineral lenses achieve UV protection of up to 92% thanks to an additional silicon oxide coating from the magnetron sputter. This is where the effect of interference comes into play, whereby UV waves cancel each other out.

Double-pane safety glass blocks UV rays even more efficiently by over 99%. This is made possible by a PVB film incorporated between the glass layers, which acts as a UV filter and, in combination with the glass, also takes into account the physical security requirements of valuable art.

The absorption effect of UV filters also has a slight effect on colour rendering in the visible range of the light spectrum: high-quality UV protective lenses therefore have a barely perceptible yellow tint, which is only recognisable in direct comparison with white glass. In order to achieve an optimal balance between maximum UV protection and colour-neutral representation, our suppliers work closely with restorers and curators in the development of the filter technology. In this way, the visual effect and artistic statement of the exhibits remains largely unchanged.

Highlights