From Zelienople to the World

In 1948, Ethel Billinger paved the way for women of her time. Stepping away from her family business to start her own company. She founded Billco Manufacturing in the heart of Zelienople, Pennsylvania. Known for her wit along with caring personality, Mrs. Billinger treated each employee like family, personally greeting them each morning to handing out their pay each week. After her retirement, her grandson Bill Billinger inherited the company and continued to follow in her footsteps. To this day, the values and pride that Mrs. Billinger established remain at the core of the company.

During the early 1950s glass was not as widely used as it is today. Glass was gradually gaining traction, and despite the risks, Mrs. Billinger dove in headfirst. Billco started with a simple, easy-to-operate circle cutter. The machine used a template tool and a manual handle, allowing the operator to move the handle in a circular motion to score the glass. The fabrication quickly gained popularity and glass fabricators were producing round car mirrors, compact mirrors, glasses and other circular glass products.

Shortly after, rectangular car mirrors as well as other rectangular products became more popular. Billco quickly responded to the market demand by creating a machine designed for this purpose. The Manual Cutter, Model 55 was capable of cutting rectangular glass from 20 inches by 20 inches up to 44 inches by 94 inches. The assembly pivoted at the upper arm from a heavy post attached to the back of the cutting table. A template, made from wood or metal in the shape of the desired shape, was suspended just above the stock lite of glass on the cutting table. The cutting head was designed to follow this template as the operator moved the arm and head assembly around the template. The pneumatic head forced the cutting wheel down onto the glass, scoring in the shape of the template as the operator guided the assembly. After scoring, the glass was moved to an adjacent table for scoring separation.

At the time a few mirror companies began building glass machinery, to produce their products, and a couple other companies entered the industry as well. Billco made a significant move in 1955 by introducing their glass washing system, designed to clear glass lites of impurities. It is assumed that most companies were washing glass by hand during this time. This washer, capable of processing glass lites 14 inches to 48 inches, sparked great growth for Billco. The system quickly became popular for cleaning a variety of glass products, including gauge faces, clocks, lab slides, and appliance glass panels.

By the end of the 1950s Billco had built washers capable of processing glass up to 84 inches wide, each equipped with four pairs of brushes and two pairs of air knives. During this decade Billco also advanced their washers by incorporating de-ionizing and reverse osmosis tanks. The need for this innovation arose when a customer noticed a white residue on the glass after drying. Upon investigation, Billco discovered that the residue was dried calcium from the water used in the washer. To resolve the issue, Billco installed a filtration system that removed calcium and magnesium from the water, resulting in cleaner, higher-quality glass.

Building on the success of these innovations, Billco continued to push boundaries with the 1972 introduction of the world’s first numerical control cutting system. While numerical control technology was already being used for metal milling, the processing time was far too slow for glass cutting. Billco’s chief design engineer, Hugh Trautmann, found a way to accelerate the cutting process, achieving speeds up 10 times faster than the milling process. However, this posed another challenge: Billco needed to design a system along with a frame capable of supporting this new technology. Drawing on his experience in the aircraft industry, Hugh used ball screws— similar to those used on aircraft to raise or lower wing flaps and landing gears— to support and move a traversing bridge. The bridge supported a single pneumatic cutting head, which held a standard tungsten carbide cutting wheel.

The framework of the machine was built from massive square steel tubing to support both the cutting table and the cutting bridge, along with the ball screw assembly suspended above the cutting table. The ruggedness of the machine frame was designed to eliminate vibration at the high cutting speeds, which could affect cutting accuracy in addition to the smoothness of the score path.

The result, introduced in 1972, was a high-speed, X-Y axis contour glass cutting machine with a 48-inch by 96-inch cutting table—perfectly suited for the largest windshield at the time. As the world’s first NC cutting table, its impact is still felt today—not only for its immediate contribution but also for sparking the creation of an entire industry focused on optimization software.

Top machines in the industry today, such as the Billco Ultra Series glass cutter, first made waves in 1995. Initially built for the automotive industry, Linear Motor technology permitted cutting of glass at a much higher speed and with greater accuracy. As technology advanced, Billco developed it for architectural glass cutting tables. Since 1999, the Ultra Series Cutting Table has been known for its high speed, high-volume glass cutting of large fabrications, this linear motor machine has evolved with a lighter frame for faster, more accurate processing. Now, the Ultra Series delivers even greater efficiency and precision, setting a new standard in glass cutting technology.

New inventions for Billco did not stop in the 1990s. In 2002 they introduced the first crane loading system, featuring an interactive HMI touch screen for intuitive operation and enhanced user control. In 2013, the system was further refined with the addition of a 270-degree rotation and tilt arms, allowing for more precise grab positioning. Additionally, in 2003 Billco revolutionized the industry furthermore by introducing BatchBan, the world’s first batchless glass optimization software system. BatchBan eliminates the need for traditional batching processes by dynamically optimizing glass in real-time, significantly reducing waste and increasing production efficiency.

Another leading high-quality machine in the industry is the Billco Z-Series Washer, introduced in 2016. The glass washing machine processes large sheets of glass through a series of spray lines and scrubbing brushes. The process renders large volumes of clean, dry glass ready for downstream processing. Featuring on-screen maintenance feedback prompts, the machine now notifies operators of maintenance or service, ensuring consistent, high-quality results. Its compact size, easy-access maintenance points in addition to flexible processing capabilities earned it the DWM Readers Choice Award for Best Equipment in both 2017 and 2023.

Today Billco continues to uphold the values and standards created by Mrs. Billinger nearly 80 years ago. Just as the Billinger’s prioritized their employees and customers, Billco remains dedicated to the success of each customer. From initial inquiry to post-sale support, Billco ensures customers achieve optimal ROI and feel valued every step of the way. As one of the few companies still offering customized products to meet the unique needs of each client, Billco continues to stand out by delivering personalized solutions.