A new cheap surface treatment has been developed as an online process for hot glass surfaces that is suitable for all mass glass production processes. The glass's mechanical strength, hydrolytic resistance and other properties are greatly improved and the possibility of developing a strategic tool to improve the economics of the glass industry appears to exist. Industrial tests carried out in production and on a semi-industrial scale have proven that the use of AlCl3 and mould equipment made from Al could give similar results in an online process as in the laboratory with a lot of additional advantages. These low cost techniques will soon be introduced into glass production processes and are applicable to any kind of glass: container, float, tubing, fiber, enamel and to any kind of glass composition: soda-lime, lead crystal, and borosilicate.
