BGSU leading AI research to revolutionize Ohio’s glass manufacturing industry

The three-year project is part of the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub aimed at strengthening the economy through research and innovation

As part of a multi-million-dollar state-funded initiative to ensure Ohio remains a global leader in glass technology, Bowling Green State University researchers are embarking on a project to leverage artificial intelligence to enhance process controls and energy efficiency in glass melting. 

The three-year project is part of the Northwest Ohio Glass Innovation Hub, established last year to bring together industry and academia to strengthen the state’s economy through research and innovation.

Mohammed Abouheaf, Ph.D., an associate professor in the BGSU College of Engineering and Innovation with research expertise in machine learning and autonomous and intelligent systems, will lead the research.

“In working with our industrial partners, we have identified that energy efficiency is a significant focus in glass manufacturing,” Abouheaf said. “By integrating AI and machine learning into the glass-melting processes, our goal is to improve performance, which, in turn, will improve energy efficiency.”

The research is being supported by a $652,000 grant from the Northwest Ohio Innovation Consortium, the not-for-profit entity that established the Glass Innovation Hub.

The Glass Innovation Hub, funded through a $31.3 million grant from the Innovation Hubs program administered by the Ohio Department of Development, is expected to increase state tax revenue by $25 million and produce more than 200 new graduates working in science, technology, engineering or math fields to meet surging workforce demands.

Industry partners leading the initiative alongside BGSU and the University of Toledo include several global organizations headquartered regionally that are leaders in glassmaking, building materials and solar panels.

The ultimate goal of the multi-phased project is to develop and then integrate AI and machine learning-based methods into the glass manufacturing process to improve performance and energy efficiency. 

BGSU is collaborating with Actual Reality Technologies, a Toledo, Ohio-based company specializing in augmented intelligence and data modeling. Additionally, Abouheaf will be supported by post-doctoral researchers and BGSU graduate students.

“The partnership between Bowling Green State University and Actual Reality Technologies shows how Ohio can lead the world in applying AI to manufacturing,” said Tom Bush, CEO of Actual Reality Technologies, an industrial AI and data modeling consultancy based in Toledo. “By combining BGSU’s groundbreaking research with our applied AI systems, we’re transforming how glass is made – creating intelligent furnaces that learn, adapt and optimize energy use in real time.”

Among the challenges in glass-melting operations is the lack of sufficient sensor coverage to monitor temperature fluctuations and other critical variables in real-time.

Abouheaf said the extreme temperatures and corrosive environment inside glass furnaces make it unfeasible to install enough sensors for adequate measurements.

To address this data gap, Abouheaf and his team of researchers plan to develop advanced algorithms to infer the values of unmeasured variables from the available sensor data.

The project’s most ambitious objective is the simultaneous optimization of multiple, often competing, goals. Traditional control systems usually optimize for a single objective, such as maintaining a specific temperature.

Through this multifaceted project, Abouheaf and the team plan to develop a data-driven multi-objective optimization tool to balance energy efficiency, nitrous oxide emissions, control input constraints and boundary-condition robustness.

While the project’s primary focus is glass manufacturing, Abouheaf said the project has the potential for broader impacts.

“Successfully integrating AI into the manufacturing process to improve performance and energy efficiency would benefit multiple industries beyond glass manufacturing,” Abouheaf said. “This work is incredibly important as companies continue to adapt to emerging technologies and production demands.”