| Technology |
The glass industry in the 20th century
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Archaeological findings indicate that glass was first made in the Middle East, sometime around the 3000 B.C. In the beginning, glass manufacturing was slow and costly. Glass-melting furnaces were very small and hardly produced enough heat to melt glass properly. In ancient times, glass was a luxury item and few people could afford it.
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 After 1890, glass uses and manufacturing developments increased so rapidly as to be almost revolutionary. The technology and engineering of glass as a material became much better understood, and in the late 1950's Sir Alastair Pilkington introduced a new revolutionary production method ? the float glass process. In this process a ribbon of glass is created by floating the melted raw materials at high temperature over a bath of molten tin. Over 90% of flat glass is still today manufactured in this way.
Earlier techniques of flat glass production such as the crown glass method and the blown-cylinder process have become archaic. High quality flat glass can now be formed at high speeds with great economy. The influence of technology on the flat glass industry is at an all-time high. This new technology leads to increased consumption of glass with more varied applications in buildings. Surfaces covered with glass have become wider and more architects have started to utilize glass in their projects.
The results of such developments have sometimes included futuristic buildings with bad thermal performance, as basic float glass allows heat to escape through the glazing surface in winter, while in summer it permits sunlight to enter, thus causing overheating. This lead glass manufacturers to develop new technologies aimed at overcoming such limitations. The first solution was discovered in the introduction of double-glazed units, which were rapidly followed by the first low-e coating. These two systems reduce energy wasted on heating and cooling while conserving energy. Other processes were also developed to strengthen glass through using and chemical tempering, to add tints to glass for reduced heat transmission and glare. After the 1970?s other minor innovations followed, such as new materials for insulating glass profiles (warm edge spacer), a vide variety of new coatings, glass films, etc.
Today's glass can be practically custom-made to fit into any environmental conditions and offer specific appearances and performance. The latest development in the industry has been the introduction of self-cleaning glass. While progress in the glass industry continues, we can expect glass in the near future that will react to external stimuli, the so-called ?smart glasses?, offering maximum comfort and excellent energy efficiency inside buildings.
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Photos: Glaverbel
Last review: February, 2013 |
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Developments in the Glass Industry.
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