Glass is one of the most used materials in our daily lives, which is present both in doors, windows, bottles, packaging for food and household items, as well as in plates and glasses, computer screens, and televisions, among other uses.
Are you curious to know how glass is manufactured, which types are most popular on the market and how a glazier works? Check out the answers to these questions and other curiosities about this material that is so present in our daily lives.
What is glass?
They realized that when the shells (limestones) were mixed with sand and heated, they became a different material. Over time, the production of the material has been studied, and experiments carried out to find out what its uses are.
The items used in the manufacture of glass are the same for thousands of years, what changes is the advancement of technology, allowing this material to be molded according to our needs.
Glass can be used in the most diverse projects, being present in the composition of several products, such as smartphones, being applied even in civil construction and architecture, among other segments.
How is the glass manufactured?
The raw material for glass manufacture consists of aluminum oxide, sand, sodium carbonate, limestone, bleaches, or dyes.
The items selected for the production of each type of glass are taken to a mixer to be joined. The melting process takes place in the oven, the temperature of which is regulated so that it results in the glass.
Then, the mixture that passed through the fusion process is taken to forming machines, which produce each type of glass. At the end of this process, the glass should cool down to room temperature to free from the stresses resulting from the entire process and become more resistant.
Types of glass and what are their purposes
Float glass
This type of glass can be found with or without color, transparent, flat, and uniform. The material is indicated to be applied in places that need to have perfect visibility, that is, without distortion of vision, in addition to allowing the passage of light.
Normally, this type of glass is used by automobile factories, in civil construction, in household appliances, decoration items, and furniture, among other uses.
Safety glass
The safety glass is manufactured with float glass, being reinforced to avoid accidents resulting from the material breaking.
Also, this type is considered to be the safest, as its fragments are less susceptible to injuries considered serious. The material is usually tempered or laminated.
Printed glass
Like float, printed glass is flat and translucent, and can be found in colored or colorless versions. The difference is that it receives the drawing when it is about to be removed from the oven, therefore, it receives the name "printed."
It is also suitable for use in the field of civil construction, decoration, household items, and furniture, among others.
Laminated glass
For the manufacture of laminated glass, two glass plates are used, which are interspersed with Polyvinyl Butyral, a plastic film with great resistance.
This type of glass is used in several places, such as windows, doors, showcases, facades, floors, and balconies.
In case it accidentally breaks, the fragments are attached to the resistant plastic film, preventing possible serious injuries, in addition to allowing the material to stay in place until it is replaced. It reduces the incidence of external noise and protects against ultraviolet rays.
Acoustic laminated glass
As mentioned earlier, laminated glass helps to reduce the entry of external noise. There is also the acoustic type, made of the same material, only more resistant to the entry of external noises.
Acoustic glass
In addition to laminated glass, there is the option of not hearing any noise when installing the acoustic glass. To obtain this material, insulated glass, known as double glass and acoustic laminate, is used in its composition.
Insulated or double glass
Insulated glass, also known as double glass, has a gas or air layer, responsible for reducing sound propagation and the entry of sunlight, among other uses. It is widely used in construction, appliances, and materials that need thermal insulation
Tempered glass
