Low-Emissivity coatings are used to meet certain performance requirements. Geographical location, sun exposure, temperature, weather etc. are all variables used to determine the necessary coating. Performance factors include:
• Solar heat gain
• Visible light transmittance
• Light to solar gain
• U-value
…all of which are evaluated to meet specific building requirements.
SOFT VS HARD LOW-E COATINGS:
Low-E coatings are made of layers of a combination of metals.
Soft coatings cannot be exposed to outside elements or touched without proper equipment, due to oxidization of the metal coatings.
Hard coatings are processed differently and through this process the coating is baked into the glass. This allows for hard coat low-E coatings the ability to be exposed to outside elements.