The historical methods to produce glass (blowing and casting glass) have evolved and continued to be used to create special types of glass. ![]() by shaping or forming the glass in different ways, or by means of mechanical treatment). The production of glass is a labour and energy intensive process, and the process can be manipulated in various ways to create different types of glass (e.g. Recycled glass can also be added, in order to save energy and raw materials. the resistance to breaking and durability, the colour, the absorption of infrared and UV radiation, the transparency, the reflection, and the amount of air bubbles). Although the appearance and forms of glass are quite diverse, most glass products contains the same raw materials, plus a small amount of additives such as magnesium, iron oxide, carbon, lead oxide and sodium sulphate to enhance certain characteristics (e.g. The mixture is heated to temperatures between 1200° C and 1500° C and cooled down while, or after, being shaped in the desired form. Glass is made by melting silicate and minerals such as quartz, sand, and crushed flint (over 70% of the mixture), together with potash or sodium oxide, to influence the melting point. One of the most popular products that came up during the post-war period and went through a remarkable development was double glazing: still a somewhat expensive feature in the early post-war period, double glazing gradually became a standard, established building material. Each of the major companies had its own range of products for all these types of glass, resulting in a multitude of different brands (although often with similar properties) on the market. blocking UV and infrared radiation providing thermal and acoustical insulation, and greater resistance to breaking). The decorative and architectural possibilities were seemingly endless, while the list of extra functions that glass could fulfil became longer and longer (e.g. The most striking feature of the glass industry in the post-war period, however, was not quantity but its versatility: an increasing range of products became available between 19, from regular window glass and mirror glass, to decorative cast glass, safety glass, coloured glass, insulating glass, etc. During the 1950s, the combined annual output of all industrial glass manufacturers in Belgium amounted to between 80 and 100 million m² of glass, which made Belgium one of the world’s important glass manufacturing and exporting countries. ![]() From this small start, the number of glass companies increased steadily, while they also became larger, more professional, and better equipped. ![]() The production of window glass in Belgium started in 1836 in a factory in the valley of the Sambre.
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