Using New Technology to Profitably Grow a Glass Business

Many glass artists have to limit their production because they cannot produce in scale using traditional manual cutting. When businesses depend on manual labor, growth depends on adding staff. Even if skilled glass workers are available, it also means little or no economies of scale. The industry needs to automate its laborious work to break free from labor limitations and enable profitable growth. Read about how artists across other industries can improve their efficiency with automation, such as a WAZER waterjet.

That was the challenge facing Dan and Cathy Brubaker, who run Custom Creations LLC in Tennessee. Like many glass artists, Cathy was frustrated by the difficulty of hand-cutting complex shapes and the amount of tedious hand finishing that followed. Dan said that complex shapes such as stars and multicolor inlays couldn’t be cut by hand.

They added a WAZER waterjet to create possibilities that didn’t exist before. The new CNC waterjet technology allows them to cut fused glass panels with intricate designs to replace the clear glass that is typically … (To access the full article, please visit Glass Art Magazine’s website)