Fra ingeniørutfordring til produksjonspartnerskap
When Hybridized came to Cody in 2024, the focus was on one practical question: how do we automate this process and make it work with the production lines glass manufacturers already use?
That question has shaped the work ever since. The teams have worked closely together to test, adapt and build the technology around real production conditions.
Two years later, they have a working production platform, patented technology, and a partnership that continues to develop.
From an idea to a working production platform
Hybridized is developing HyLight, an insulating glass solution that replaces the conventional thick glass interlayer with an ultra-thin flexible material (for example, PET foil). The result is a significantly lighter-weight glazing unit that retains the insulating properties needed for modern buildings.
Cody's role was to develop the automation needed to handle ultra-thin flexible materials measured in fractions of a millimetre and integrate them into a production process designed around much more rigid materials.
That work has now moved well beyond the initial concept.
A working production platform is up and running, and the underlying production technology has been patented. Development and testing have taken place directly on a Lisec production line, using established components and infrastructure already familiar to glass manufacturers.
A large part of Cody's role has been understanding how the process needs to work in a real production environment, and developing the solution around that.
“We could have built a standalone system and demonstrated that it works,” says Christian Skoe, who has worked closely with Hybridized throughout the project. “But that wouldn't tell us enough. Testing on equipment and infrastructure already used in the industry gives us a much better understanding of how the solution will perform in a real production environment.”
Christian Skoe, Project Manager, Cody
A partnership that has moved with the project
The two teams have worked closely together from the beginning.
For Hybridized CEO Atle Geving, finding the right engineering partner was more important than finding one close to home. Although Cody is based in Skien, the value of working closely with the engineering team became increasingly clear, eventually leading Atle to relocate his family to the region.
Atle remembers the first meeting:
“Partnering with Cody was crucial. In my first meeting with them, I said, ‘What we are going to solve is important and complex. We need somebody who does not leave this challenge at work, but brings it into his bathtub.’ One of Cody's partners stood up and said, ‘That's me.’ This attitude is one of the reasons why we together have been able to find solutions few thought were possible to find.” – Atle Geving, CEO Hybridized
That way of working is still at the heart of the partnership.
Developing new production technology is rarely a straight line from specification to finished machine. As testing progresses, new questions emerge. Materials behave differently than expected. Processes need to be adjusted. New opportunities become visible.
Having a proactive engineering team at Cody makes it possible to address those issues as they arise.
“The collaboration with Cody has been important because we are solving problems together as we go,” says Geving. “We have a clear goal, but getting there requires continuous development and testing. Having the Cody team close by makes that process much more effective.”
Building for the reality of existing production
The goal has also remained consistent: HyLight should be able to fit into the reality of glass manufacturing rather than requiring manufacturers to start from scratch.
That requires looking at how the production process can work alongside existing lines, equipment and components.
Cody is now working on component and tooling design with that in mind, developing the next stage of the production solution so it can dovetail with customers' existing manufacturing infrastructure.
For a new technology to make the move from promising innovation to commercial production, it has to work not only technically but also operationally.
Two years on, the work continues
There is still further optimisation ahead on the path to industrial production.
Further process development is underway to improve optical performance and prepare the technology for industrial-scale production. In parallel, Hybridized continues to develop the performance and functionality of the next generation of HyLight.
For Cody, these projects show why close customer partnerships matter.
The teams are continuing to test and refine the technology as it moves towards commercial production.
“The most interesting projects are the ones where nobody has the full answer at the start," says Cody CEO Ken André Myhra Kihle. "Our job is to find out what it takes to get there, and each stage of the project answers a few more of those questions."
Now, the focus has shifted from demonstrating the production principle to refining and scaling the platform for industrial production. There is now a working production platform, patented technology and two teams continuing to develop the solution together.
And that is often what good engineering looks like: not simply delivering a machine, but staying close to the customer long enough to help turn a difficult problem into something that can work in the real world.
Magnus is our Chief Business Development Officer, and with his experience in both mechanical design, automation, project management, and sales, he has full control over what Cody can deliver. He also delves deep into the Machinery Directive, CE marking, and harmonized standards to ensure that what we deliver complies with laws and regulations.
