I was invited to demonstrate our Glass Bot System at the Tesla factory in Fremont, CA on the Tesla X. Wow, what a monster piece of glass.

Technically an easy removal when using our system, it would be very difficult without using a wire or string system, as there are two urethane beads on the bottom separated by some distance as well as a sound foam dam at the bottom of the dash that must be protected from damage. It will require a lot of wire or string to be wound on the winding tool so loading of the material on the spool when in operation should be monitored / considered.

I used our synthetic cutting element on this removal instead of wire as to not cause any paint damage. The X I worked on had one of the custom paint colors on it.

It took three people to lift it out of the opening with one person being inside the vehicle. The difficulty was the lifting frame they were using and just the size of the glass. Two datums (locating pins) on the top corners, I went over them but they can be cut through at the bottom, as the datum pin is hollow.

The size and curvature of the glass requires that the winding tool be on the same plane as the cutting element exiting the adhesive as otherwise you would have the wire or string bowed out across the dash / interior. Keeping the tool on the same curved part of the glass keeps the cutting element close to the glass.

As is our technique, I started at the driver's side bottom corner, cutting across the bottom first then up the passenger's A pillar to the Bot location there. I then moved the Bot to the driver's side top to complete the removal.

It is my understanding that a lift will be used at the facilities qualified to replace the glass as the weight and size is just too large to handle physically. The flex alone will break the glass if not handled correctly.

I didn't work on the canopy glass, it is a cassette system that requires some time to remove / replace. Back and side glass is typical bonded installation.

It looks like the "C" class will have large glass panels as well to remove.

The future looks bright with all the larger glass parts. Pics of the removal are available on our site.