Biography
Han‑Alexander Pothoven is Director of Advanced Technologies at DK Automotive Glass in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. In this role, he focuses on commercializing DK’s patent portfolio and initiating IP‑driven projects for the automotive industry. Before joining DK, he served as Senior Director and General Manager at a high‑performance film manufacturer, where he set up and expanded the German production site and built the company’s global automotive business. He has broad experience managing complex technical programs with major OEMs under demanding automotive standards. With a background in product design and strong ties to the automotive industry, he works at the intersection of technology and application, supporting the transfer of DK’s patented solutions into industrial production and series programs.
Presentation
The role of automotive glazing is evolving rapidly, driven by new vehicle design concepts, electrification, and increasing customer expectations regarding comfort and user experience. This presentation provides an industry‑focused overview of how switchable glazing technologies—such as polymer‑dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), electrochromic (EC), liquid crystal (LC), suspended particle devices (SPD), and their respective variants—are progressing from niche solutions toward scalable, high‑volume automotive applications across the vehicle greenhouse. As interest grows in applying switchable glazing to panoramic roofs, sidelites, and windscreens, achieving long‑term performance under demanding automotive operating conditions becomes a key challenge for series production. The presentation therefore focuses on the practical combination of switchable films with infrared (IR) reflective coatings as an essential enabler for industrialization. A key element of this approach is DK Automotive Glass’s CMC (Cool Mirror Coating) process, which allows advanced IR‑coated glazing systems to be processed directly, without the need for additional decoating steps. By preserving IR reflectivity across the entire surface, the CMC process increases the effective IR‑reflective area by approximately 20–30%. Furthermore, applying the IR coating on surface 2 enables a significant reduction of heat absorption within the glazing unit itself, allowing temperature reductions of more than 30 °C in ceramic black printed areas. This is achieved without introducing disadvantages during glass bending or ceramic printing processes. The presentation concludes with practical insights into how integrated switchable and IR‑coated glazing systems can be transferred into automotive production, highlighting their potential to improve light management, thermal comfort, and overall user experience in future vehicle architectures.