Technical glass is a type of glass in a variety of high-precision applications. Typically, it is made from special types of glass that are heat-treated or chemically treated to improve their properties. This type of precision glass is often in medical, scientific, and industrial applications where elevated levels of precision and durability are required.
Types of Technical Glass
There are many different types of technical glass, each with its own unique properties. Some of the most common types are:
- Fused quartz: Fused quartz is a type of glass that is made by melting pure quartz and then cooling it slowly. Fused quartz is known for its high strength, transparency, and resistance to heat and chemicals. It is often used in laboratory equipment, medical devices, and optical instruments.
- Borosilicate glass: Borosilicate glass is a type of glass that is made by adding boron oxide to silica. Borosilicate glass is known for its high strength, thermal shock resistance, and chemical resistance. It is often used in laboratory equipment, cookware, and ovenware.
- Alumina ceramics: Alumina ceramics are a type of ceramic that is made from aluminum oxide. Alumina ceramics are known for their high strength, toughness, and thermal conductivity. They are often used in high-temperature applications, such as jet engines and furnaces.
- Zirconia ceramics: Zirconia ceramics are a type of ceramic that is made from zirconium oxide. Zirconia ceramics are known for their high strength, toughness, and biocompatibility. They are often used in medical implants and dental restorations.
Applications of Technical Glass
Technical glass is in a wide variety of applications, including:
- Medical: Technical glass is in tubing, syringes, and pharmaceutical storage. You will also find it hard at work in imaging, diagnostics, biotechnology, implants, and 3D technologies including implant printing.
- Scientific: You will find technical glass in a variety of scientific instruments, such as spectrometers, telescopes, and microscopes.
- Industrial: Technical glass is also in many industrial applications, especially in manufacturing. It is also very reliable for inspections working alongside robotics to inspect the inside of pipes and similar uses.
- Military: Military applications, such as night vision goggles, drones, missile guidance systems, and laser weapons make excellent use of technical glass, especially relying on its heat-resistant qualities and accuracy.
- Automotive: Sophisticated computer-driven technology in today’s automotive applications drives the need for precision electronic glass components.
- Computer: Microchips, circuit boards, and stabilizing systems for shipments are among the primary drivers for the use of precision glass components in computer applications.
- Communications: Technical glass is used in a variety of communications applications, such as fiber optic cables, lenses, satellites, and chipsets.
- Optical: Technical glass is used in a variety of optical applications, such as lenses, prisms, and mirrors.
- Pharmaceutical: Technical glass in pharmaceutical production helps with monitoring and surveillance of closed production systems, helping to detect and extinguish fires on the line and repair robotics when needed.
Glass Components in Medical
When it comes to the medical industry, all technical glass and glass components must be reliable and adhere to the strictest standards. At Precision Electronic Glass, our materials are expertly crafted, and they stand up to vigorous standards and precision calibration. We supply components for a variety of medical devices including X-rays and other types of imaging, various analytical and diagnostic systems, fluorescence technology, laser systems, and biotechnology.
With more than a half-century of industry-leading experience, Precision Electronic Glass offers high-quality glass products to medical professionals. It is exciting to help save lives and advance this key area of medical science one component at a time. Additionally, our rigorous adherence to quality standards makes us well-suited to serving the medical industry.
The Scientific Industry and Glass Components
Small glass elements are critical in a variety of scientific instruments, such as:
- Spectrometers: Spectrometers are used to measure the wavelengths of light. Technical glass is used for spectrometers because it is transparent, non-reactive, and has a high refractive index.
- Telescopes: Telescopes are used to view objects in space. Microscopes are used to view objects that are too small to be seen with the naked eye. Technical glass is used for both because it is transparent, non-reactive, and has a high refractive index.
- Labware: Technical glass is made to the highest quality standards to withstand extreme temperature changes. And labware from precision glass is made to contain harsh chemicals without interacting with them.
Industrial Glass Components and Their Importance
You will find glass elements in many industrial applications, such as:
- Furnaces: Furnaces are used to heat materials to elevated temperatures. Technical glass is used for furnaces because it is strong, durable, and can withstand hot temperatures.
- Ovens: Ovens are used to cook food and heat materials. Technical glass is used for ovens because it is strong, durable, and can withstand high temperatures.
- Chemical reactors: Chemical reactors are used to carry out chemical reactions. Technical glass is used for chemical reactors because it is non-reactive, easy to clean, and can withstand high temperatures.
Glass Components Make Military Stealth Possible
Glass is used in a variety of military applications, such as:
- Night vision goggles: Night vision goggles are used to see in the dark. Technical glass is used for night vision goggles because it is transparent, non-reactive, and can transmit infrared light.
- Missile guidance systems: Missile guidance systems are used to guide missiles to their targets. These systems also use technical glass for the same properties.
- Laser weapons: Laser weapons are used to destroy targets. As with the previous examples, technical glass has similar advantages when used in laser weapons.
Technical Glass Helps Keep Your Car Smart
Technical glass is used in a variety of automotive applications, such as:
- Interactive Dash Displays: Today’s dash displays are made to let you interact with your car and more. They can keep you connected with the office and your home, too. Considering the level of heat that builds up in your car during an average day, these displays rely on the highest quality of technical glass to last a lifetime.
- Headlights and taillights: Headlights today are incredible with their light-sensing controls and new types and ranges of projection. Taillights are critical for safety and are also more advanced than ever. Technical glass is used not only for the lights but also for the electronics that help integrate the technology into your vehicle’s operating system.
- Windshields with communications embedded and defogging: Windshields harbor a host of technical innovations including your communications antenna used to protect the driver and passengers from the wind and rain. Technical glass is used for windshields because it is strong, durable, and can withstand high impact.
Where Would Our Devices Be Without Technical Glass?
Technical glass is in a variety of computers and smart devices and makes their applications possible. The $720+ billion electronics industry would not exist without glass. Ceramic-based components are indispensable in products such as smartphones, computers, televisions, automotive electronics, and medical devices.
Although ceramics have traditionally been considered insulating materials, after World War II, research in material science has led to the development of new ceramic formulations that exhibit semiconducting, superconducting, piezoelectric, and magnetic properties.
Some other uses include:
- Displays: Displays show images and text on a computer screen. Technical glass is transparent, non-reactive, and can be made into thin sheets, making it perfect for displays.
- Lenses: Lenses, for example, focus light for a computer projector, telescope, microscope, drone, body cam, security cam, GoPro, and also gather the light from an image in your smartphone and digital camera. Again, this material is used for lenses because it is transparent, non-reactive, and has a high refractive index.
- Optical fibers: Optical fibers transmit data in a computer network. Similarly, optical fibers from this material are transparent, non-reactive, and have a high refractive index.
Glass Components Make Communications Happen
Technical glass is in a variety of communications applications, such as:
- Fiber optic cables: Fiber optic cables transmit data over long distances. As mentioned earlier, the qualities of transparency, non-reactivity, and high refractive index make this type of glass perfect for fiber optic cables.
- Lenses: Lenses focus light in your phone or camera. They also do the same in your doorbell cam to capture visitors and in satellites to send images back to Earth. Lenses benefit from the transparent, non-reactive, and high refractive index of this material.
- Prisms: Splitting light into its component colors, prisms are important in telescopes, periscopes, and microscopes as well as in certain experiments that require breaking light down.
The Importance of Technical Glass
Technical glass makes new technology possible in everything from medical devices to military weapons. It is important because it offers a number of advantages over other materials, such as high strength, transparency, and resistance to heat and chemicals.
Technical Glass is an Essential Component
In addition, technical glass is a versatile material with a wide range of applications. It is in a variety of industries, including medical, scientific, industrial, military, automotive, computer, communications, optical, and pharmaceutical. For all of the reasons cited, it is an essential component in many modern technologies, and its demand grows as technology continues to advance.
Learn More About Custom Glass Components at PEG
The mission at Precision Electronic Glass is to provide customized glass and quartz products and related products and services to OEMs and distributors around the world in countries where our customers operate. Our objective is to fabricate the finest precision glass and quartz components and assemblies to customers’ specifications. Working together with customers, PEG manufactures prototypes; handles small to large production runs; performs value-added assembly and provides cleanroom processing when specifications dictate the need for it.
Utilizing standard or computer-controlled glass lathe fabrication; glass-to-glass and glass-to-metal graded seals; cutting and end finishing; and precision grinding/polishing, PEG produces a variety of components and value-added assemblies, including medical, dental, or industrial glass X-ray tubes, and CO2 or HeNe lasers. We produce all glass and quartz fabrications in facilities certified to ISO 9001:2015 standards of quality. Our commitment to quality and integrity in everything we do is a promise we stand on in our mission statement, corporate values, and quality policy.