Ford is once again innovating – this time it’s by developing and patenting a greener way to attach windshields. The new process makes the attachments simpler, less costly, and more environmentally friendly than current practices.Ford submitted 2 patents to cover the new technology. The first deals with cleaning and activating the edge of the glass in less than 10 seconds. The second patent includes the application of a plasma-reacted nano-coating that modifies the surface of the windshield for bonding to the adhesive that holds the windshield in place.

Among the benefits of the new technology is the elimination of solvents that release harmful VOCs into the atmosphere. The new process also reduces the number of steps required before attaching the windshield thus reducing the overall time and cost that the old process takes.

Ford has licensed the process to at least one company so far that allows them to use the new technology in their processes and systems. Ford will offer support to the company and it’s customers using Ford’s experience and know-how.

No details have been released as to which vehicles Ford will use the process on, but one would think Ford will be using this on all it’s vehicles, including the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, sometime in the near future.