Float glass production technology, developed by Pilkington company in 1959, is the world standard for high quality flat glass production.

Flat glass production by float technology :

Glass batch, which is a mixture of sand, soda ash, limestone and some additional raw materials of specific specialties and quantities, is melted at approximately 1600°C in the furnace. Molten glass is poured from the furnace on to the surface of a bath of molten tin at 1100°C. As glass spreads and floats on the tin, the two surfaces of glass become flat and parallel, and the thickness and width of glass ribbon is formed. As the glass ribbon moves further along the bath, it is progressively cooled and internal stress of the glass is eliminated at the annealing lehr. Consequently, glass is cut into required sizes and stacked, ready for dispatch.

Float glass is the basic material for architectural and automotive glasses. Float glass can be cut to the sizes required or secondary processes can be applied to improve its basic properties. When laminated, toughened, coated or made into mirror, float glass can provide heat and noise insulation, solar control, safety and security and it is well suited for decoration as well.