What is Pilkington float glass process?
At the heart of the world’s glass industry is the float process – invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952 – which manufactures clear, tinted and coated glass for buildings, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles. Thickness is controlled by the speed at which solidifying glass ribbon is drawn off from the bath.
What is the manufacturing process for float glass called?
Float glass is made by pouring the molten glass from a furnace into a chamber that contains a bed of molten tin. The process is sometimes call the Pilkington Process. The atmosphere inside the chamber is carefully controlled. The glass floats on the tin and forms itself in the shape of the container.
What is manufactured using float process?
The float process – or Pilkington process – was invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952 and is used to produce clear, tinted and coated glass for buildings, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles. Molten glass, at approximately 1000°C, is poured continuously from a furnace onto a shallow bath of molten tin.
What is float bath in glass process?
In the float glass process, a continuous strip of molten glass, heated to more than 1000 degrees Centigrade is poured from a furnace on to a large shallow bath of molten metal, usually tin. The glass floats and cools on the tin and spreads out to form a flat surface.
Why tin bath is used in float glass?
Tin is suitable for the float glass process because it has a high specific gravity, is cohesive, and is immiscible with molten glass. The glass flows onto the tin surface forming a floating ribbon with perfectly smooth surfaces on both sides and of even thickness.
How is glass manufactured?
Glass is made from natural and abundant raw materials (sand, soda ash and limestone) that are melted at very high temperature to form a new material: glass. As a result, glass can be poured, blown, press and moulded into plenty of shapes.
What type of glass is the clearest?
For ultimate clarity, professionals rely on low-iron glass. This is important because it allows for better color neutrality, more natural light, and edges that are clear. Color-matching matters, and low-iron glass has better light transparency.
How is Pilkington process used to make float glass?
Today, most of the float glass produced uses his method. The Pilkington Process involves pouring molten glass into a molten tin bath where it is allowed to flow freely. Gravity helps make the surface flat due to surface tension.
How is glass made in the float process?
The process, originally able to make only 6mm thick glass, now makes it as thin as 0.4 mm and as thick as 25 mm. Molten glass, at approximately 1000°C, is poured continuously from a furnace onto a shallow bath of molten tin. It floats on the tin, spreads out and forms a level surface.
Who was the inventor of the float process?
The Float Process At the heart of the world’s glass industry is the float process – invented by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952 – which manufactures clear, tinted and coated glass for buildings, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles.
How is glass made in a Pilkington furnace?
The Pilkington company, still operating today, describes this process in six steps. Fine grains of the ingredients are measured and mixed before being heated to 1,500 degrees Celsius in a melter. The glass is melted, refined, and mixed with other batches in the furnace over a 50-hour period. Once finished, the glass flows onto a bath of molten tin.