Toughening - Old Techniques - New Technologies

Discovered purely by chance by Prince Rupert of Bavaria in 1640, the techniques of toughening glass have now become a necessary part of today's glass industry. The 1930s saw the commercial availability of toughened glass produced by the vertical/tong method, while the 1950s had a major impact on the industry. The introduction of safety standards in the 1980s and the development of new glass compositions in the 1990s made way for environmental improvements and further technical developments that are continuing today. In this article, Pilkington takes a look at the evolving world of glass tempering. New and forthcoming standards are also looked at, for example EN 12150: Glass in Building - Thermally toughened soda lime silicate safety glass.