Provided is a method and apparatus for building a structure of glass using additive manufacturing technology. The apparatus incorporates a method of depositing molten glass material in discrete droplets rather than as a continuous fused filament. The additive manufacturing of glass material relies on the surface tension, the high viscosity of the molten glass, and droplet formation to control deposition by melting the glass filament directly without the use of a needle or crucible.

Provided is a glass production method that can suppress devitrification of glass and increase the productivity of the glass. A glass production method according to the present invention includes the steps of: pouring a melt 11 obtained by melting a raw material of a glass 18 into a mold 13; and cooling the melt 11 to obtain the glass 18, wherein the mold 13 has a bottom surface 14a and a side surface 15a and, in the step of cooling the melt 11, the mold 13 is cooled from a direction of the bottom surface 14a.

An ion conducting glass-ceramics represented by the general formula (I): Na.sub.2S-M.sub.xS.sub.yN.sub.aS.sub.b, wherein M and N are different and selected from P, Si, Ge, B, Al and Ga; x, y, a and b are integers indicating the stoichiometric ratio depending on the species of M and N; and the content of Na.sub.2S is more than 60 mol % and less than 80 mol %.

An ion conducting glass-ceramics represented by the general formula (I): Na.sub.2S-M.sub.xS.sub.yN.sub.aS.sub.b, wherein M and N are different and selected from P, Si, Ge, B, Al and Ga; x, y, a and b are integers indicating the stoichiometric ratio depending on the species of M and N; and the content of Na.sub.2S is more than 60 mol % and less than 80 mol %.

In illustrative implementations of this invention, a crucible kiln heats glass such that the glass becomes or remains molten. A nozzle extrudes the molten glass while one or more actuators actuate movements of the nozzle, a build platform or both. A computer controls these movements such that the extruded molten glass is selectively deposited to form a 3D glass object. The selective deposition of molten glass occurs inside an annealing kiln. The annealing kiln anneals the glass after it is extruded. In some cases, the actuators actuate the crucible kiln and nozzle to move in horizontal x, y directions and actuate the build platform to move in a z-direction. In some cases, fluid flows through a cavity or tubes adjacent to the nozzle tip, in order to cool the nozzle tip and thereby reduce the amount of glass that sticks to the nozzle tip.

In illustrative implementations of this invention, a crucible kiln heats glass such that the glass becomes or remains molten. A nozzle extrudes the molten glass while one or more actuators actuate movements of the nozzle, a build platform or both. A computer controls these movements such that the extruded molten glass is selectively deposited to form a 3D glass object. The selective deposition of molten glass occurs inside an annealing kiln. The annealing kiln anneals the glass after it is extruded. In some cases, the actuators actuate the crucible kiln and nozzle to move in horizontal x, y directions and actuate the build platform to move in a z-direction. In some cases, fluid flows through a cavity or tubes adjacent to the nozzle tip, in order to cool the nozzle tip and thereby reduce the amount of glass that sticks to the nozzle tip.

Provided is a sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolyte material where a particle size d.sub.50 at which a cumulative frequency in a volume-based cumulative frequency distribution curve measured using a laser diffraction scattering particle size distribution analyzer is 50% is 0.1 m or more and 100 m or less, in which an attachment area measured using the following (method) is 10% or less.

Methods of making a product of glass or other amorphous material by processing a liquid in an environment with a gravity acceleration less than the normal gravity acceleration on Earth. Methods of forming glass at different gravity levels control the distribution of second phases, such as bubbles, voids or additional glassy phases of similar or different composition.

Methods of making a product of glass or other amorphous material by processing a liquid in an environment with a gravity acceleration less than the normal gravity acceleration on Earth. Methods of forming glass at different gravity levels control the distribution of second phases, such as bubbles, voids or additional glassy phases of similar or different composition.

Disclosed is a low-expansion borosilicate transparent glaze, a preparation method thereof, and use thereof in preparation of a glaze product by secondary fusion-cast molding. The low-expansion borosilicate transparent glaze has raw material composition by mass percentage including: 72%-80% of SiO.sub.2, 4%-12% of B.sub.2O.sub.3, 4%-12% of Na.sub.2O, 0.1%-4% of CaO, 0.1%-6% of Al.sub.2O.sub.3, 0-0.05% of Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, 0-2% of MgO, 0-2% of K.sub.2O, 0-2% of ZnO, 0-2% of BaO, 0-2% of ZrO.sub.2, 0-0.5% of Li.sub.2O, and 0-0.5% of TiO.sub.2, wherein a sum of mass percentages of SiO.sub.2, B.sub.2O.sub.3 and Al.sub.2O.sub.3 is 85%-95%. The preparation method includes steps of: (1) after mixing dried raw materials, melting at 1400-1540 C. to obtain a high-temperature glass melt; (2) cooling the high-temperature glass melt to 1150-1230 C. to mold; and (3) annealing a molded glass at 530-600 C. to obtain the low-expansion borosilicate transparent glaze.