<<back to PR list
BORON to BOROSILICATE
- from Mine to Lab
Vineland, NJ, August 2019: Here at Ace Glass Incorporated, we are making scientific glassware every day. From pressure vessels, to distillation heads, to chromatography columns, to kilo-scale reactors, we make them all. Our glassware is mostly made of borosilicate, a very strong form of glass common to well-made scientific glassware because it has very low coefficients of thermal expansion, making them more resistant to thermal shock, and it has an extremely high chemical resistance in corrosive environments. So how did we get to this point where the borosilicate glass becomes finished scientific glassware apparatuses of different types?
Borosilicate glass is primarily made of silica and boron trioxide. Boron trioxide can be made by multiple methods involving Borax. One method involves treating borax with sulfuric acid in a fusion furnace to create a glassy solid with a B2O3 formula. Along with the melting boric trioxide, silica sand, soda ash, and alumina are combined to create borosilicate glass. So now that you know how borosilicate glass is formed, let’s take a look at how it is molded to form the intricate shapes that make some of our best scientific glass.
Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that uses a blowpipe, punty, torch, lathe, lehr and other instruments to shape, manipulate, and cool the glass. When under intense heat, the glass moves similar to how a warm honey moves. Moving the glass allows the glassblower to create the intricate shapes of our scientific glassware. Sometimes, it can take quite some time to get it just right. However, after so many years of working with the same equipment, we have learned to stick very closely to sharp deadlines.
From boron to borosilicate glass and glassblowing to scientific glassware, now you know how your Ace Glass glassware made its way into your lab. To learn this and more, view/download our Boron infographic below.
References: 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borosilicate_glass 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glassblowing
About Ace Glass Incorporated
Founded 1936 in Vineland, NJ, Ace Glass Incorporated is a leader and innovator of scientific glassware, lab equipment and glass apparatus. The firm's innovations and inventions include the first American made spherical joints and sintered-glass fritted disks. Ace also designed and patented the first internally threaded glassware — Ace Threds® — plus Ace Trubore® Precision Bore Tubing, and their unique Instatherm® oil baths. Ace Glass continues its strong tradition today, meeting the laboratory glassware needs of satisfied customers worldwide.
Website: www.aceglass.com
