Gorilla Glass being used for cell phones is commonplace these days.
But cars using Corning's Gorilla Glass marks a first.
In a landmark moment for the auto industry, Ford has announced that its all-new GT supercar will boast Gorilla Glass hybrid windshield technology, which touts the same tough, durable and scratch-resistant specs as featured in cell phones, but is about 30 percent lighter than traditional windshield glass used for cars.
The industry-first use of Gorilla Glass on the Ford GT saves more than 12 pounds, while positively impacting the vehicle's acceleration, fuel economy and braking performance, the automaker is reporting.
The three-layer hybrid window consists of Gorilla Glass for automotive, thermoplastic and annealed glass applications, Ford says. Since the hybrid windshield is thinner than traditional laminate glass that most vehicles use, it will improve Ford GT's already-stellar handling by lowering its center of gravity.
"Gorilla Glass hybrid is a great example of how Ford works with suppliers to innovate in every area of our business," said Hau Thai-Tang, Ford group vice president of global purchasing, as part of the company's announcement Tuesday. "Ford GT is setting new standards for innovation through performance and light-weighting, and we're excited about exploring other applications for this great new technology."
This collaboration had been in the works for quite some time now, as Ford first engaged Corning to help research and develop a unique formulation for exterior vehicle glass. The hybrid windshield technology was studied for the Ford GT and fast-tracked by a team comprised of purchasing and engineering employees from both the automaker and Corning.
Within four months, it was ruled as a good fit and something that could be done.
"This successful collaboration is one of the reasons we spend R&D resources to develop new innovations and solve tough problems," said Corning CEO Wendell Weeks, as part of Ford's announcement. "Ford recognized the significant value of these innovative light-weighting technology and committed significant resources to quickly get it qualified for production applications. We worked with Ford to develop a glass that successfully withstood thousands of hours of durability testing and is now being used in a Ford production vehicle. We are excited to introduce this game changing technology to the market."
Game-changing for sure. Ford might be the first automaker to use Gorilla Glass, but it definitely won't be the last.
