How glass bottles are made

We are all familiar with glass bottles, and many of us use them often. But how actually are they made, and what are they made of?

The Process

Although you will be familiar with the end product, do you know what went into the making of it?

Glass production was discovered in ancient areas of Persia and Egypt many years ago, and, surpisingly, the process today has not changed much since then. Sand, containing silica, soda ash and lime, is heated to very high temperatures and is then cooled and shaped into almost anything. The shaping is done by blowing or pouring into a mould. The process sounds very simple but it requires a lot of precision to create a perfect final product - the temperature plays a key role in this and should be carefully maintained at every point of the cycle.

The video shown below is a brief yet useful summary of the process of manufacturing glass bottles.

Glass manufacturing in action:

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