Oxy-Fuel - Beyond Melting

Glass manufacturing is often discussed in terms of individual process steps: mixing, melting, forming and finishing. Their interrelation is seldom acknowledged, not because they do not exist, but rather due to the difficulty in showing interdependence. Melting has experienced a major improvement in stability with the acceptance of oxy-fuel firing. In addition, the physical and chemical changes imparted to glass by a four fold increase in water vapour concentration above the glass melted with oxy-fuel are producing measurable changes in the downstream steps of forming and finishing.