Invention and Engineering

Float glass

Float glass is a sheet of glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal of a low melting point, typically tin, although lead was used for the process in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and a very flat surface. The float glass process is also known as the Pilkington process, named after the British glass manufacturer Pilkington, which pioneered the technique in the 1950s at their production site in St Helens, Merseyside. Modern windows are usually made from float glass, though Corning Incorporated uses the overflow downdraw method. Most float glass is soda–lime glass, although relatively minor quantities of specialty borosilicate and flat panel display glass are also produced using the float glass process.

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See also

• ▸Corradino D'Ascanio
• ▸Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site
• ▸EMC TA

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