The Glass Bottle Manufacturing Process

• Type I - Borosilicate Glass

• Type II - Treated Soda Lime Glass

• Type III - Soda Lime Glass

The materials used to make glass include approximately 70% sand along with a specific mixture of soda ash, limestone and other natural substances – depending on what properties are desired in the batch.

When manufacturing soda lime glass, crushed, recycled glass, or cullet, is an additional key ingredient. The amount of cullet used in the batch of glass varies. Cullet melts at a lower temperature which reduces energy consumption and requires fewer raw materials.

Borosilicate glass should not be recycled because it is heat-resistant glass. Because of its heat resistant properties, borosilicate glass will not melt at the same temperature as Soda Lime glass and will alter the viscosity of the fluid in the furnace during the re-melt stage.

All of the raw materials for making glass, including cullet, are stored in a batch house. They are then gravity fed into the weighing and mixing area and finally elevated into batch hoppers that supply the glass furnaces.

Methods for Producing Glass Containers:

Blown Glass is also known as molded glass. In creating blown glass, gobs of heated glass from the furnace are directed to a molding machine and into the cavities where air is forced in to produce the neck and general container shape. Once they are shaped, they are then known as a Parison. There are two distinct forming processes to create the final container:

is also known as molded glass. In creating blown glass, gobs of heated glass from the furnace are directed to a molding machine and into the cavities where air is forced in to produce the neck and general container shape. Once they are shaped, they are then known as a Parison. There are two distinct forming processes to create the final container:

• Blow & Blow Process

  - used for narrow containers where the parison is formed by compressed air

• Press & Blow Process

  - used for large diameter finish containers in which the parison is shaped by pressing the glass against the blank mold with the metal plunger

Tubing Glass is formed by a continuous draw process using either the Danner or Vello processes to achieve the correct diameter and thickness. The glass is drawn over a line of support rollers by a drawing machine.

• Danner Process

  - glass flows from a furnace forehearth in the form of a ribbon

• Vello Process

  - glass flows from a furnace forehearth into a bowl which is then shaped

Blown Glass Forming Processes

Blow and Blow Process - compressed air is used to form the gob into a parison, which establishes the neck finish and gives the gob a uniform shape. The parison is then flipped to the other side of the machine, and air is used to blow it into its desired shape.

is formed by a continuous draw process using either the Danner or Vello processes to achieve the correct diameter and thickness. The glass is drawn over a line of support rollers by a drawing machine.- compressed air is used to form the gob into a parison, which establishes the neck finish and gives the gob a uniform shape. The parison is then flipped to the other side of the machine, and air is used to blow it into its desired shape.