Question

Manufacturing Technology

1. Glass
(a) melting point
(b) process in producing glass

Answer 1

The melting point for ordinary glass is around 550 degrees centigrade (Celsius) or1020 Fahrenheit.

The manufacturing process of glass consists of four major operations:

(1) Melting

(2) Shaping

(3) Annealing

(4) Finishing.

(a) In melting the ingredients called batch materials are mixed in the appropriate proportion and heated to fusion in a furnace.

(b) Shaping, the plastic glass formed in the furnace is next shaped or formed into the desired articles. It is accomplished by blowing from mouth or by means of a machine.

(c) Annealing is a process of cooling slowly the newly shaped articles. If they are cooled quickly they become brittle on account of the high internal strain. Some high quality glasses require long annealing.

(d) Finishing: The articles obtained from the lehr are subjected to a number of operations such as cleaning, polishing, grinding, rounding edges, etc., for bringing them to a useable form.