Toughen Glass is used in Glass Splashbacks. Why and How is Toughened Glass Made?

We only use Toughened glass in all of our Glass Splashbacks and we get it toughened here in Melbourne before we paint it. So I know there are different types of Glass but I didn’t know how Toughened glass was made. So I did some research and found a book called; Manufacturing Engineering and Technology Serope Kalpakjian.

Toughened glass is made from normal, float glass.Toughened glass starts life as float glass.Before undergoing the toughening process the glass parts must be cut to size. Any additional machining must be completed before the glass is toughened as it would shatter if it was cut in its toughened state. In the toughening process, the surfaces of the glass are heated in a furnace. Recommended temperatures vary but the glass reaches temperatures of over 600°C. The hot glass is then cooled rapidly by a blast of air over a period of between 3 and 10 seconds. As a result, the surfaces shrink, and (at first) tensile stresses develop on the surfaces. As the bulk of the glass begins to cool, it contracts. The already solidified surfaces of the glass are then forced to contract, and consequently, they develop residual compressive surface stresses, while the interior zone develops compensating tensile stresses. The broken pieces are not as sharp and hazardous as those from ordinary glass.

So there you go! I suppose I really need to look into how glass is made now… :p

http://www.pointcookglass.com.au

Glass Splashbacks Melbourne