floatglasprosessi

Floatglasprosessi, commonly known as the float glass process, is the dominant method for producing high-quality flat glass. Developed by Sir Alastair Pilkington in 1952, this innovative technique revolutionized the glass manufacturing industry.

The core of the float glass process involves pouring molten glass onto a bath of molten tin. The glass, being less dense than tin, floats on the surface. Surface tension and gravity cause the molten glass to spread evenly, creating a perfectly flat and smooth surface on both sides. This eliminates the need for grinding and polishing, which were labor-intensive steps in older methods.

The molten tin bath is contained within a controlled atmosphere, typically nitrogen and hydrogen, to prevent the tin from oxidizing. The temperature of the tin bath is carefully managed to allow the glass to cool and solidify gradually, ensuring structural integrity. As the glass ribbon moves across the tin bath, it hardens into a continuous sheet.

Once cooled sufficiently, the solid glass ribbon is lifted from the tin bath by a series of rollers and conveyed to a lehr, a long oven where it undergoes a controlled annealing process. Annealing relieves internal stresses within the glass, making it more durable and less prone to breakage. Finally, the glass is cut into desired sizes. The float glass process yields glass with exceptional optical clarity, uniform thickness, and flawless surfaces, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, including windows, mirrors, and automotive glass.