CAD Technology Integrated Into Stained Glass Process

Stained glass is an art form with a long history, and although the finished product might look the same throughout the centuries, the technology for making it has evolved substantially. It used to be that everything had to be done by hand when designing stained glass projects. Can you imagine cutting all those tiny pieces of glass, assembling them, and hoping the panel came out the exact size to fit into an existing window without a computer pattern? Of course, that is how it was done for centuries, but there were times when the finished window was off by a millimeter or just didn’t fit into the window frame.

Modern stained glass design process has changed all that!

With modern advances in technology, today Scottish Stained Glass is able to incorporate CAD Designs to give our customers a closer interpretation of how a finished product will look. CAD stands for computer-aided design, and using this program allows us to ensure that the glass can be cut to an exact pattern, down to that millimeter of an inch. It ensures that our stained glass panels will always be a perfect fit into your home or office’s pre-existing windows and doors.

According to Wikipedia, “CAD software is used to increase the productivity of the designer, improve the quality of design, improve communications through documentation, and to create a database for manufacturing. CAD output is often in the form of electronic files for print, machining, or other manufacturing operations.”

So what does all that mean for your new stained glass windows?

Once you have started the modern stained glass design process with one of our designers, chosen a pattern, colors, and kinds of glass, that’s where the computer gets into the act. It works up not just a precise blueprint for your panel, but can show a rendering of the finished product for your approval. Then, things take a bit of a different turn. Our specially trained builders work from the computer blueprint, but they still cut, assemble, and solder the window, piece-by-piece, by hand, the old fashioned way.

So a Scottish Stained Glass window or door panel is the perfect combination of modern stained glass design process combined with the age old tradition of stained glass hand-crafting. Together, we believe this creates the most beautiful, most sturdy, and most durable stained glass that money can buy.

Why not go for a stroll through our stained glass photo galleries and see just what we are talking about?

Although every piece of Scottish Stained Glass is custom designed and hand built, there are other places where modern stained glass design process comes into play as well. We use modern materials such as special dark leads, and modern installation processes like bonding the panel to the inside of your existing pane of glass, to keep the new stained glass piece safe from the elements.

Why not call us for a free, in-home consultation and let the process begin!