Glass Manufacturing
Energy efficient glassmaking operations
Additive manufacturing processes or industrial 3D printing systems allow the design of new parts with complex geometries, or with new functionalities in sectors as varied as the aeronautics industry, energy, the manufacture of tools or prototypes. All have one thing in common: the construction of an object by adding material, thanks to the successive deposit of a thin layer of material.
What is a key challenge faced by glass manufacturing?
Get in touch with our team to discuss more about how our products and services can support you.
Designed for Your Glass Making Operations
Energy Efficiency
Using pure Oxygen instead of Air improves combustion efficiency and reduces fuel consumption, thus saving energy and reducing flue gas volume since there is no Nitrogen to heat.
Consistent Quality
Multifunctional and compact: the same cryogenic equipment can cool, freeze and harden a surface, thus ensuring optimal flexibility of your production line.
Reduce Operating Cost
Equipment that preheats large volumes of combustion Air can get quite costly. Our gas technology uses less energy to preheat small volumes of combustion Oxygen.
Reduce Emissions
Our technologies help reduce CO₂ emissions and eliminate Nitrogen in your oven, thus greatly reducing NOₓ emissions.
Inerting for Float Glass
Float glass manufacturing and processing leverages on universal flat glass production technology. The glass is solidified in a bath of molten tin protected by an inert atmosphere (Nitrogen-Hydrogen mixture) against oxidation. The continuity of gas supply must be able to meet high criteria to be able to protect the glass from impurities during formation.
Mold Lubrication
The lubrication of glass molds, for carousels or I.S. machines, is also commonly called "coating". A film of carbon produced by thermal decomposition of a hydrocarbon (i.e. soot deposition) facilitates mold release.
Air Liquide offers equipment that can achieve stable temperature profiles to break down the hydrocarbon (Acetylene, Propylene, etc.) into carbon deposit as close as possible to the surface to be lubricated.
- Automated lubrication with reproducible coating results
- Excellent surface quality of glassware
- Preserves the quality of the atmosphere at the workplace
- Reduces the risks and labour intensiveness of manual grease lubrication operations (such as maintenance and cleaning)
Temperature Control
Air Liquide partners with glass manufacturers to deliver tangible and measurable results. Oxyfuel (Oxycombustion) technology uses oxygen instead of preheated air, which has profound benefits on the installations and performance of furnaces: the energy transfer is significantly more efficient, fewer exhaust gases and longer facility shelf life.
They are achieved through engineered solutions, supported by R&D teams and experts in the field. Our comprehensive offering for oxy-combustion in glass manufacturing covers Oxygen supply, proprietary burners and other value-added services.
Oxy-Fuel
Carbon footprint reductionOxy-fuel technologies offer the potential to reduce air emissions and fuel quantities, maintain production capacity and provide flexibility. These processes are based on the replacement of Air by Oxygen.
No energy is wasted heating Nitrogen in the air, which generates unwanted NOₓ and is not used in the combustion process. Fewer CO₂ emissions are also produced due to lower fuel consumption. Our advanced oxy-fuel combustion (or oxy-fuel combustion) technologies provide optimal glass melting conditions and improve heat transfer.
Oxy-Boosting
Furnace productivityA furnace is rebuilt every 8 to 15 years. Glassmakers face significantly reduced productivity during plugging of their furnace regenerators. Boosting glass melting with Oxygen is the best way to increase or maintain productivity. There are 3 solutions:
- Enrichment of the Air with Oxygen to continue using the air burners while increasing the Oxygen concentration in the combustion Air (typically up to 24%)
- Oxy-boosting by injecting pure Oxygen through one or more lances inserted in or near the fuel injectors.
- The addition of oxy-fuel burners when a glass furnace temporarily or continuously needs increased heat transfer.
Reburning and Polishing of Surfaces
After forming, the marks left on the articles by forming molds must be removed. This is obtained by the local remelting of glass via oxy-gas burners to bring the necessary level of energy to the right place.
For very high quality items (perfume bottles, glass tableware, high-end small and medium series bottles, container glass etc.), the entire visible surface will be very superficially remelted to produce a smooth and bright polished surface. This desired effect is achieved with Oxygen-Hydrogen burners, and is also suitable for glass surface reburning and restoration.
Insulated Glazing
For energy and cost efficient sound and thermal insulation, insulated glazing with rare gases provides an environmental friendly option to reduce conductive and convective heat loss.
Our recommended gas and equipment solutions
Air Liquide guides you to ensure the safety of installations, and advises you on the implementation of anoxia detection equipment, installation maintenance services, and training on the use of gases. We are ready to support every stage of your project and our extensive offer allows you to benefit from our proprietary innovations for glass manufacturing.
Related Gases
Related Equipment
ALGLASS™ Glass Melting Burner
From Oxygen supply to process optimisation, our oxyfuel glass melting technologies are suitable for all types of glass, including fiberglass, reinforcing fiberglass, lighting glass and other technical glass.
Why Choose Us
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Industry Leader
We are a global leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health. -
Reliability
Our solutions are reliable, reproducible and in compliance with stringent and ever-evolving regulations. -
Expertise
Leverage our global network of industry experts tailored to your unique challenges. -
One-Stop Solution Provider
Access a comprehensive suite of products, supply modes, and services designed for your specific requirements. -
Extensive Infrastructure Network
Benefit from our robust production and filling infrastructure, including extensive pipeline networks. -
Focus on Quality
Expect nothing less than the highest standards in process and product quality. -
Sustainability
Embrace our solutions that support your highest performance while minimising environmental impact.
Contact Us
Let our team get back to you on your specific enquiry.