Learning some times is interesting and inspiring especially when having technical knowledge and skills. But still, you can get some questions in your mind like; which work can I do best? who can employ me and which industry can I work in?
Well after such thoughts, have you ever asked yourself or imagined that you can work in a glass forming factory. Yes a glass forming industry where bottles glass and drinking glasses are made. Let me take you through the such factory to give you a vivid image on how the final product is arrived at.
1. Sand Washing Plant.
Silica being most needed compound which is obtained from sand (sea sand) being the best since it contains high percentage of silica compound. This is maximized by this process of sand washing. Here are some common type of sand wash.
- Fixed Screening & Washing Plant
- Mobile Screening Washing Plant
- Screw Washer
- Wheel (Bucket) Washer
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De-watering Screens & Hydro-cyclones
In this process plenty of water is used to make sure the right grade with high percentage of silica is obtained. The common equipment found in this process are gearboxes, water pumps conveyors and motors.
2.Glass Furnace
This is where the mixture of sand, Cullet, lime and soda ash which are heated to make a float glass. Basically heavy industrial oil is used due to its Carbon content which is sufficient to remove all present oxygen molecules. This mixture enters through a batch charger "dog house" and proceed into the combustion chamber of furnace which is well supplied with air via blowers and and burner ports before proceeding to hot spot and lather melting zone.
3.Fore-hearth section
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| Forehearth |
In this section, the melted glass which is now in molten state flows to glass forming machines. For this reason temperatures are monitored by Thermocouple and maintained by Gas Burners. Here monitoring and inspection is the key
4.Glass forming section.
There are many types of machines and processes which are used to form glass. here are a few examples;
- press process for house ware
- press and blow process for jars and similar wide mouth containers
- blow and blow process for narrow neck containers and bottles
Independent section machines. "IS MACHINE"
This machines have sections which performs the glass forming operations independently. They can be operated by either pneumatic or using servo motors. The gob is received at the rare side and either pressed or blown at the "blank side" and transferred to the front by the vert-mechanism for the the final process which is blowing and filling to to have a negative copy of the molds. In this section we can find the following;
- Pneumatic devices and mechanisms
- Blowers for vertical cooling
- Compressed air for driving mechanisms, operation of pneumatic devices and cleaning
- Solenoid valves for timely performing operations and events
- Cams and cam-followers for uniform but precise motion.
- Servo motors for controlled speed and motion.
- Epicyclic gear box for high ratio speed reduction.