The working end & forehearth concept developed by Glass Technologies, is based on the assumption that conditioning of the glass begins just at the furnace exit. The forming process requires the feeding of glass in a viscosity range that is usually much different from the one found at the furnace exit. In container plants, the working end & forehearths must cool the glass as the temperature at the exit is much higher than what is required to give the necessary glass viscosity for the forming process. Glass is a material that cannot be quickly & easily cooled, & the cooling process applied must be designed taking into account many variables. Glass Technologies approach is first to calculate the working end & forehearth features on the basis of layout, together with different scenarios that are determined by the pull & gob temperature in various situations. Specific software has been developed to simulate operation conditions to identify the most suitable solution.
