Glass Manufacture

ver. 1

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Overview

Hand glass manufacture

Sheet glass manufacture
Mechanical sheet glass manufacture
Pilkington float glass process
Bottle manufacture
Codd bottles
Ramune bottles
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Hand Glass Manufacture

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Hand Glass Manufacture

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

French Glass
Factory

Glass Plate
Press
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Rolled glass
Single roll
Molten glass is poured onto a metal table and
a single metal roll is used to flatten it into a
sheet.

Double roll
Molten glass is passed between a pair of
rotating metal rolls to form the sheet.

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Cylinder Drawn Glass

The first mechanical method of drawing
glass, 40 ft high cylinders of glass were
drawn vertically from a circular tank. The
glass was annealed and then cut into 7
10 ft cylinders, which were then cut
lengthways, reheated and flattened. This
process was used in the UK up to the end
of the 1920's.
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Flat Drawn Glass

Molten glass is pulled vertically through a
slit in a large one-piece refractory block
that is floating on the glass surface.
The annealing lehr is mounted vertically
over the draw chamber.
The glass was drawn until it cooled
sufficiently to allow it to be cut.
The Belgians invented the original process
but it did not reach the UK until 1919.
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Flat Drawn Glass

Drawn glass is generally more pristine
than rolled glass because its surface has
remained untouched during forming.

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

Single and twin ground polished

plate.
Glass is cast and then ground and
polished on a conveyor belt, to a fine
quality without distortion.

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

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Float glass process

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

11

Float Glass Process

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

12

Sir Alastair Pilkington

In 1952, Alastair Pilkington conceived the
idea of forming a ribbon of glass by floating
the melted raw materials at high
temperature over a bath of molten tin.
It took seven years and more than 7
million (80 million in today's money) to
develop the process.
Pilkington set out to replace the twin
grinding and polishing process for making
plate glass.
The float glass process superseded not
only that process, but also the sheet glass
process for making ordinary windows. It
was to become the universal process for
the manufacture of high quality flat glass.
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

13

Constituents of Soda-lime Float Glass

Raw Material

Sand

72.6

Soda Ash

13.0

Limestone

8.4

Dolomite

4.0

Alumina

1.0

Others

1.0

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

14

Bottles - Blow-Blow Process

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

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Ramune Bottles

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

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Codd Bottles

Hiram Codd
1838-1877

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

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Codd Bottles
In 1870, Hiram Codd designed and patented a system for
keeping fizzy drinks in bottles with a glass marble
stopper.
When the bottle is filled, pressure in the bottle keeps the
marble against a rubber washer at the top making a seal.
To open the bottle, the marble is pressed down into the
neck chamber.
Tried changing marble shape to oval to dissuade children
from breaking the bottles to get the marbles.

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

18

Ramune Bottle
In its early days, Ramune was sold in a bottle with a cork
cap wound tight with wire to keep the cork from popping
out.
In 1888, when Codd's patent rights expired, Tamakichi
Tokunaga, of Osaka, began developing a Ramune bottle
using a marble cap throughout Japan.
As to how the first soda arrived in Japan is another
question. Some think that it was Admiral Perry in 1853
while others believe it was on a British merchant ship in
1860. Whichever way I'm glad it is still around to enjoy.
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

19

Coca-Cola Bottle Molds

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

20

Summary

Hand glass manufacture

Sheet glass manufacture
Mechanical sheet glass manufacture
Pilkington float glass process
Bottle manufacture
Codd bottles
Ramune bottles
ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and
Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

21

ME 4210: Manufacturing Processes and

Engineering - Prof. J.S. Colton GIT 2011

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