Homogeneity: What Does This Mean For "Pack-To-Melt"?

The glass maker wants consistent stable production conditions. This is apparently a simple concept. However, when a forehearth is designed the differing needs of the production manager, the plant manager and the furnace manager must be taken into account. In order to achieve good working conditions, the hotter centre-line glass must be cooled and the outer edges heated. Only in this way the homogeneity essential for reliable gob weights can be provided. Therefore, conditions must be reliably controlled. This paper summarises what happens when a new forehearth is designed.