Cardinal's History

A Snapshot in Time

1962 Founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota by M.L. Gordon.
1977 Introduced triple-pane insulating glass for energy savings.
1978 Began use of silicone dual-seal insulating glass for improved durability.
1983 Introduced LoĒ™ coatings to produce triple-pane performance in dual-pane construction.
1983 Built dedicated factory to supply LoĒ coatings for residential windows.
1987 Introduced argon gas filling of insulating glass units: combined with LoĒ this provides “quad-pane” performance in a dual pane IG unit.
1991 Introduced LoĒ2 ® coatings for year-round energy performance.
1992 Built first float glass plant to stabilize a glass supply chain for IG and CG plants.
1993 Launched XL Edge® glass, a durable, warm edge IG spacer system.
2002 Introduction of easier-to-clean LoĒ2 Plus® glass – built for the busy lifestyle.
2002 Preserve® film application launched. Protects windows through the entire construction process.
2006 Neat® glass introduced, the next generation of easier-to-clean glazing.
2006 LoĒ3-366® glass. The next generation of low-E: triple silver for low U-factor, low solar heat gain, and high light transmission.
2010 LoĒ-i81® glass. A durable low-E coating that can be used in exposed applications without the haze attributable to most “hard-coat” products.
2011 LoĒ-180 glass. High solar gain low-E, re-engineered. The highest light transmission and lowest U-factor of any passive solar glazing.
2012 LoĒ-i89® glass. Energy-saving 4th surface coated glass. It offers more light transmittance and less reflectance than the i81 product.
2014 Endur™ IG. Exceptional longevity and warm edge performance. Delivers the industry’s lowest failure rate with the only comprehensive 20-year factory warranty.
2020 Neat+ glass. The next generation of coating technology. 25% more photoactive than regular Neat, Neat+ provides a more naturally cleaner view than ever before.
2020 LoĒ-180ESC glass. An update of our successful LoĒ-180 glass, designed to help customers meet new performance requirements for Canada ENERGY STAR 2020.
2020 LoĒ-Di89 glass. Designed to beat the Canada ENERGY STAR 2020 code and give the extra nudge over LoĒ-180ESC.

Technology leader

Cardinal has always positioned itself as a technology leader. Here are some of the many new developments that Cardinal has presented to the industry:
  • Dual seal insulating glass
  • Sealed corners on IG spacer frames
  • Volume introduction of heat-strengthened 2.3mm glass for resistance to thermal stress breakage
  • Steel packing pallets for all glass products, eliminating waste of wooden shipping boxes
  • Cullet repurchase program for float glass recycling
  • Rotating targets for sputtering on new coating materials
  • Post-temperable LoĒ, LoĒ², and LoĒ³ coatings
  • On-line color measurement and quality assurance (QA) for coated glass
  • On-line laser inspection/QA control of float glass
  • On-line measurement of IG unit air space thickness

The secret to our success

Our success in the residential glass industry is due to three core ambitions: Providing superior-quality products, staying highly competitive in the marketplace and executing high-end customer service every day.
Thanks to the entrepreneurial spirit of our employees, we consistently meet these objectives and continue to maintain our leadership position in the glazing industry.