Address:
Glafo, Box 5157,
SE-350 05 Växjö
SWEDEN

Visitor's address:
Vejdes plats 3

Tel: +46 10 516 63 50
E-mail: info@glafo.se

You find a map at the
"about Glafo" page.

NEW POT MATERIALS WITH IMPROVED CORROSION RESISTANCE (P6618)

The aim is to develop a pot in a material, which has at least 50 % longer length of life compared to clay pots of today. It shall be possible to use the pot without the usual arching for seven days and the thermo-mechanical properties and corrosion resistance shall be improved. Furthermore we are looking for a material and a technique to not have to glaze the pot manually and to minimise the number of glass defects originating from the pot.

The European industry for hand-made glass produces about one million tonnes of glass in pot furnaces. Compared to tank furnaces pot furnaces are smaller and simpler to handle. Furthermore it is easier to vary the amount of glass to take out, the working temperature and the type of fuel.

However, a weak link is the pot material, which is based on aluminium silicate clay. A clay pot has to mature for a long time and to avoid cracking it needs about seven days of controlled arching before it can be installed in the furnace. It also needs to be glazed on the inside manually at high temperature before it can be used. The length of life of a clay pot is short, most often it is replaced already after 30-80 melts. It is usual that glass products have to be rejected because of defects coming from the pot.

Today there are new refractive materials, which should be possible to use as pot material. Furthermore coating techniques, which are used at manufacturing of sanitary wares, could be used for glazing of a pot for glass melting. By these improvements it ought to be possible to produce pot-melted glass with higher first-class result and in a more competitive way.

Newly produced pot ready for delivery.

CURRENT PROJECTS