Examining yourself in a store window, washing yourself and looking in the mirror in the morning, observing the outlandish mixing of coffee and milk through the transparent walls of a cup is a common activity. And no one thinks about which way glass makes to become an integral attribute of the life of a modern person. It all starts with mixing unusual ingredients.
Glass manufacturing technology begins with the preparation and mixing of components. The quality of glass products depends on the degree of preparation of the ingredients.
Raw materials
The most common silicate glass. The name comes from the name of the chemical element of silicon oxide - SiO 2 . Quartz sand is a representative of this substance in nature.
Sodium sulfate, limestone, soda - this is what glass is made of. The composition is added a little cullet.
Sorting glass base
Before making glass, sand is sieved and sorted. The worst-quality raw materials are used for the production of window glass, the best - for the manufacture of dishes, jewelry, optical lenses and art products. The difference in grain size and chemical composition affects: the finer the sand, the wider the scope of its application. If large grains of sand prevail, then such sand is the main raw material for window glass.
Initial sort
Sorted sand is transported to workshops for further processing. Quartz raw materials are placed in drums, the walls of which consist of the thinnest film. When the drums rotate, the sand is washed with clean water without detergents. The film passes water. Content is thrown onto a conveyor that shakes the contents, sifting out large pebbles.
Metal sorting
The next step is a fine filtration to clean the sand from metal inclusions. Hitting the latter will change the chemical composition of the glass. To do this, use spiral vertical gutters. Under the influence of centrifugal force, heavy metal particles are pressed against the inner part of the trench, lighter sand is washed along the outer edge and goes further.
Drying
Wet raw materials are dried. Quartz sand is fed to a round rotating conveyor. From below it is blown with hot air. Dried raw materials are fed to the place of further processing.
Melting
The remaining elements are added to the sand. Everything is poured into the smelter. At a temperature of 1600 degrees, everything is melted and mixed with a special spatula, which is constantly cooled by cool water.
Cooling and leveling the glass surface
The resulting mixture is poured into bathtubs filled with molten tin. The density of the latter is less than the density of hot glass, so it spreads evenly throughout the bath. It is cooled to a temperature of 600 degrees, because the temperature of tin is lower than the temperature of liquid glass. A large roller draws soft glass and pushes further.
Cutting
The resulting "endless" glass sheet is cut with a diamond. The cutting device moves along the path at an angle. The sheet is fed by continuously moving rollers. Diamond “picks up” movements, adjusts and cuts even sheets. Next, one of the rollers rises and the glass is disconnected along the cut line.
Glass moving
The resulting sheets are moved using robots that have vacuum nozzles. They grab the glass and transfer it to the location indicated by the person using the remote control.
We talked about the main stages and technology for the production of transparent glass. It is more often used than color.
Colored glass
To create original stained-glass windows, fragile glass sheets of different colors are needed. Before making colored glass, you need to select the desired color. A chemical element is added to the crushed raw materials, which will color the transparent glass. An orange color is obtained by adding cadmium sulfite and zinc white. To create a red tint - selenium. The color and intensity of staining depend on the amount of added substance.
Manufacturing equipment
The glass manufacturing process is, of course, lengthy, but most operations are currently automated. The equipment is diverse and expensive.
The main equipment of glassworks:
- vehicles for transporting sand from quarries to conveyors;
- conveyor belts for moving raw materials to sorting places;
- sand washing drums;
- sorting devices;
- filtering plants;
- installations for mixing components;
- glass melting furnaces;
- leveling bathtubs or devices for pulling glass sheets;
- conveyors equipped with rollers for moving glass around the workshop;
- automated diamond cutter;
- pneumatic grippers.
Glass at home
Craftsmen can make glass even at home. First you need to calculate the proportions of the components. Having studied what glass is made of, the composition of the future glass mixture includes: sand, soda, lime, broken glass.
The procedure for making glass at home:
- Preparation of the main components. It is necessary to heat 180 grams of baking soda over a fire until the moisture evaporates. Warm up 400 grams of sifted washed sand over a fire, dry. Grind 80 grams of lime. Pour into one dish. Add 10 grams of boric acid and two tablespoons of edible salt.
- To make glass yourself, you need to prepare a container. To preserve the integrity of metal utensils in high heat, it is advisable to coat with a mixture of liquid glass and clay in several layers. To do this, mix a few tablespoons of clay for modeling with water until liquid. Then add one or two tablespoons of water glass. Use a brush to coat the dishes.
- Anneal the coated vessel on gas. Its surface is covered with convex "pimples".
- Prepare a glass battle: sift the broken dishes. Pour three tablespoons of small glass particles into the cooking utensils. Add the rest of the raw materials.
- Put the resulting mixture into the fire. You can blow out with the help of a bugle. After three to four hours, the mixture will melt to a liquid glass consistency.
Quality standards
There are a lot of types of glass. To determine the quality of each species, state standards have been created that describe the properties and quality characteristics.
There are GOSTs for quartz, sheet, medical, laminated, molded, inorganic, optical and other types of glass. They describe production technologies, brands, methods for determining quality, classification.
Glass brands
Large manufacturing companies produce sheet types of glass of a wide range. This is due to the popular glazing of large office and retail buildings in major cities. Therefore, manufacturers often use No. 111-90 GOST “Sheet glass. Technical conditions. "
By purpose, glass is divided into such brands:
- M1 - mirror improved. The thickness of the products is not more than 6 mm and not less than 2 mm. Designed for car windshields, high-quality mirrors.
- M2 - mirror. Used for the production of mirrors, glasses in public transport.
- M3 - polished technical. They produce decorative elements of furniture, mirrors.
- M4 - polished window. Serves for high-quality glazing of structures of translucent, safe glass of vehicles.
- M5 - unpolished window improved. Used for glass agricultural vehicles.
- M6 - unpolished window. Serves to create translucent structures.
- M7 - polished display case. Thickness is from 6.5 mm to 12 mm. Used in window dressing, stained glass.
- M8 - unpolished display case. Shop windows and lanterns are made from it.
Glass Product Classification
Around a person is full of objects made of glass or with its inclusions. You can summarize them according to the purpose of use.
The main groups of glass products:
- Household products. Which in turn are divided into household, artistic and decorative, kitchen utensils. Household products are used for preserving and storing food. Artistic and decorative - have high aesthetic properties and serve to decorate the interior. Kitchen utensils are made of borosilicate or glass glass with refractory properties. Therefore, the assortment is represented by fryers, pans, ducklings.
- Building - glass used in construction. Production includes glass for windows, shop windows, stained-glass windows, double-glazed windows, glass blocks, other construction products.
- Technical - glass with a narrow specialization. Includes medical optical, laboratory glassware, transport, used in electrics, parts for cars.
Glass application
Glass products are used in many areas of human activity. In some, its hardness is important; in others, transparency; quality is valued the same everywhere.
Directions for use of glass:
- Optics. Priority is given to the transparency of future optical elements. It is used in scientific, military, aerospace activities and for the production of consumer optics.
- Clear glass. Actively used in construction for the construction of light structures.
- Stained glass is the basis for stained glass and other mosaics.
- Art glass. This type is used to create original jewelry, interior elements.
- Glass enamel. It is a durable material with high abrasion resistance. It is actively used to cover ceramic tiles, bathtubs, earthenware sanitary ware, galvanic bathtubs.
- Fiberglass, fiberglass. Glass wool, fiberglass and other materials are produced from them.
- Optical fiber. It serves for the manufacture of special threads for communications, the Internet, television networks.
- Photochromic glass. To protect from light, this type of glass is used. Used in the manufacture of sunglasses, for dimming windows in public transport.
- Dielectric glass - is actively used for the production of insulators in the electrical industry.
Glass manufacturing locations
In many countries of the former USSR, glass production has been preserved. This is due to the availability of raw materials and the relative simplicity of production.
Glass production in Russia is represented by the following companies:
BSZ LLC - Boyarsky glass factory, the largest producer. It produces tempered, tinted glass and triplex. The products are used in the automotive industry: for windshields, side windows in cars. Located in the city of Bor, Nizhny Novgorod region.
Salavatsteklo OJSC produces flat glass for the production of commercial equipment, furniture and the transport industry. The company produces glass bottles. The production is located in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the city of Salavat.
OJSC "Saratovstroisteklo" produces glass sheets in a modern fleet way. The company manufactures glass brands M1, M4 and M7. The products of the Saratov Glass Factory were used in the construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the Rossiya Hotel and several others.
Pilkington Glass LLC is a British manufacturer of glass products in the Moscow Region. It produces a specialized line of sun glass, which is widely used for glazing buildings. The products have high noise insulation properties, so it is used in the glazing of buildings near roads and railway lines.
Guardian Glass Ryazan LLC is a Russian company, in the production of which the latest technologies and equipment are used. The company manufactures fiberglass thermal insulation, sun protection and multifunctional, energy-saving glass. A line for the production of mirrors with a painted surface is operating.
Vostek OJSC is a manufacturing complex that produces glass sheets for use in the manufacture of windows and glazing of greenhouses. The joint-stock company produces baguette, frosted, tempered glass. It is engaged in the restoration of Catholic churches and other valuable buildings, a line for automatic cutting of glass works. Products are supplied to England, Holland, Germany. Production is located in the city of St. Petersburg.
ZAO Symbol - a Moscow-based company that manufactures flat glass for the automotive industry, and offers a wide selection of impact-resistant laminated glass.
It is possible to make glass both at large industrial production, and at home. The main active ingredient is fine quartz sand. The most important type of equipment is a melting furnace, the processes in which are fully automated. A person almost effortlessly receives material of a wide range of applications - from the production of double-glazed windows to the production of fiber optic fibers.