soodalimelasista

Soodalimelasista is the Finnish term for soda-lime glass, the most common type of glass used in everyday products. In English, it is typically referred to as soda-lime glass. It is the standard material for windows, bottles, jars, and many glass containers, due to its balance of clarity, formability, and cost.

Composition and manufacturing are centered around silica, soda ash, and lime. A typical batch contains silica (silica sand) as the primary component, with soda ash as a flux to lower the melting temperature and lime as a stabilizer. Smaller amounts of alumina and other oxides are added to adjust melting behavior, durability, and color. The precise formulation varies by application and manufacturer, but the basic combination remains consistent across most commercial soda-lime glass.

Properties of soda-lime glass include good optical clarity, adequate strength for many uses, and relatively low cost. It has reasonable chemical durability in many environments but is less resistant to chemical attack and thermal shock than specialized glass types such as borosilicate. Its workability during forming makes it suitable for blowing, pressing, and molding into a wide range of shapes. Soda-lime glass is also highly recyclable.

Production typically involves batch melting in furnaces at high temperatures, followed by forming through blowing, pressing, or the float glass process for flat panes. Recycling of cullet (crushed scrap glass) is common and reduces energy consumption and emissions.

See also: Soda-lime glass, Glass recycling, Float glass, Glass manufacturing.