Glass is made primarily by heating sand, which is mostly composed of silicon dioxide, until it melts at a very high temperature of around 1700°C. In industrial glass production, sand is mixed with recycled glass pieces, soda ash, and limestone before being heated in a furnace. Soda ash lowers the melting point of the sand mixture to save energy, while limestone prevents the glass from dissolving in water. This melted mixture forms molten glass, which upon cooling becomes an amorphous solid known as soda-lime-silica glass, the most common type of glass used widely in various applications. The molten glass is then shaped by pouring into molds or on molten tin (float glass process) to form sheets or containers. After shaping, the glass is slowly cooled in a controlled way (annealing) to ensure strength and minimize internal stresses. Specialized glass types, like tempered or bulletproof glass, undergo additional processes for enhanced properties. This process involves:
- Raw materials: silica sand, soda ash, limestone, recycled glass
- Melting at around 1700°C to form molten glass
- Shaping the molten glass into desired forms (bottles, sheets, etc.)
- Controlled cooling (annealing) and quality control
This method produces the common glass used in everyday items like windows, bottles, and other containers.
