The Industry That Is Glass
It is estimated that an estimated 4 million tons of glass each year is produced right across the British glass industry. The glass is divided into general categories like, container, flat, fibre and Domestic (Crystal and Special Glass). Containers for the food and drinks industry, glass for construction and the automotive industry make up about 90% of the glass made in the UK. Lets look at the types: Container is normally for bottles and jars, and makes up around 60% of all UK glass that is made. The majority of this style of glass made in the UK is a clear glass. The UK container industry consists of 6 manufacturers who in 2010 were responsible for a total of 2.3 million tons of this type of glass. London Glaziers are experts in glass. Flat is a part of the industry that is driven by demand for building and automotive glass, and is the second largest part of the UK glass manufacturing industry. At the present time, 3 companies make a flat glass in the UK and annual domestic output in 2010 was around 1.3 million tonnes, of which the lions share the went towards glass products for buildings including laminated, self-cleaning, coated low-emissivity, silvered and other types, with the rest used for automotive applications. Production of clear float glass is the single biggest product and unlike container glass, is usually used in longer-term applications. London Glazing only use skilled technicians. The Domestic and Special Glass Sector has no large producer of domestic glass but instead, several small manufacturers that produce either lead crystal or common soda-lime glass. They work smaller pot furnaces and melt a few tons per week. The Special Glass covers things like lighting, oven hobs, optical, medical and scientific. Fibreglass has over 40,000 uses, from building insulation products for energy savings and thermal protection, to reinforcement of plastics and rubber, electronics and wall coverings. Glass fibre is a versatile material. It is a continuous thread and can be woven into fabric yarn and is fire resistant