Washington Art Glass, UK

“We’re the new kids on the block with our latest offering of digital ceramic printing on glass, bringing affordability to one-off glass pieces that can be tempered into a long-lasting masterpiece. It was all by chance that we met Dip-Tech at Glasstec in Dusseldorf in 2016. After 18 months, we’ve brought our business idea to fruition,” says Charlie Hill, owner of Washington Art Glass in Tyne and Wear, UK. “The key to our success has been an investment in Glaston’s RC Series tempering furnace for top-quality, flat glass results.”

Recently established as a standalone company in 2017, Washington Art Glass is the UK specialist that offers digital ceramic printing capabilities innovated by the Israeli Dip-Tech firm that pioneered in-glass printing technology.

“I’ve been in the glass business some time with replacement windows for large contracts and have a tempering line already. But it did not have the technical capabilities to match the level of professional quality needed for ceramic glass printing.”

Charlie says that he looked around the market to find the right tempering furnace. He read reports about the furnaces. “Glaston’s furnaces always came out on top. They were the most expensive, but also the best in terms of quality – and that’s what we were looking for. We needed to be sure we had the quality to produce the kind of flatness this special glass requires.”

Since Washington Art Glass began tempering the specialized glass at the start of June 2018, they’ve already had numerous new customers inquiring about the possibilities of this technology.

Interior decorators and architects, in particular, have been fascinated with the idea of using glass cladding with colored glass that doesn’t fade. Hotels, airports and other architectural projects are ideal uses for the glass.

“A guy saw a report about us on TV and wanted to make a log-burning fireplace in glass to fit around an alcove. It’s amazing what the Glaston machine is capable of doing. The glass covers the entire wall!”