Many of us are aware that glass is mainly formed of raw materials, but only a few are familiar with the various procedures needed for particular glass products. These two processes are called the Press & Blow process and the Blow & Blow process. Pretty straightforward names.
Source: believersinglass.com
The P.B process is most suited for wide-mouth glass products such as jars. Jars have a large opening due to the way the plunger fits into the blank mould. Jars are best used for food products so we can fit our hand in to reach for the last cookie.
Source: believersinglass.com
The B.B. method is used for glass bottles and other containers with narrow openings. This method makes it possible to adjust the thickness of the neck bottles. It also creates a suitable opening shape for liquid items, allowing us to drink without spilling.
Apart from the differences in the process, the rest of the steps are the same. Raw materials used in the production of glass include silica sand, soda ash, limestone, and cullets. In case you didn’t know, cullets are recycled glass so recycling your glass products does have a use.
These materials will be heated down until molten after they have been combined. The glass mixture will then produce soda-lime glass. This mixture is made suitable for both food and beverages so rest assured you can store whatever you want in these containers. It will then go through the different processes depending on what is being made.
Later on, after it has gone through the different moulding processes, the jars and bottles will be transferred to a lehr (it’s a type of furnace for annealing glass). This step reheats the glass up to 566°C then slowly cools it down to 200°C. This step allows the products to cool evenly to prevent any shattering or cracking.
Inspection is the final and most essential step in the glassmaking process. All glass items would be required to meet quality standards and stick to guidelines. Any end products that have bubbles, cracks, or are deformed will be removed and reused as cullets.
Now that you know the process of glassmaking, not only do you have an extra topic in your pocket for gatherings, you now also understand better about what you’re buying and what you’re using in your everyday life. The more you know.
Written by @Crystal
Crystal is a communications student. She has always been curious about a lot of things. Questioning on how things are made, how they work and why they existed. She also enjoys finding solutions and coming up with the best possible ideas. Apart from that, she enjoys normal things as well like playing video games and watching movies. Linkedin|Instagram.
