A tempering furnace for tempering a glass object may include a housing, a heating device for heating the glass object, and a cooling device for cooling the glass object. Additionally, the tempering furnace may further include a turning device provided for turning the glass object inside the housing. The turning device is configured to counteract an effect of gravitational forces on the glass object when the glass object is heated to its softening phase.

A strengthened glass article has opposing first and second compressively stressed surface portions bound to a tensilely stressed core portion, with the first surface portion having a higher level of compressive surface stress than the second surface portion for improved resistance to surface damage, the compressively stressed surface portions being provided by lamination, ion-exchange, thermal tempering, or combinations thereof to control the stress profiles and limit the fracture energies of the articles.

A method for processing glass tube ends is provided. The method includes providing a glass tube blank that has at least two tube end portions; actively cooling at least one tube end portion by a cooling station; and processing the at least one of the tube end portion.

A drinking implement includes: a first opening; a lumen; a second opening fluidly coupled to the first opening and the lumen; and a wall including a glass and extending from the first opening to the second opening and surrounding the lumen. The wall has an inner surface facing toward the lumen and an outer surface facing away from the lumen. The wall has a first compressive stress layer extending from the inner surface to a first depth within the wall, a second compressive stress layer extending from the outer surface to a second depth within the wall, and a tensile stress layer disposed within the wall at a depth between the first compressive stress layer and the second compressive stress layer. The second depth is from 0.05% to 25% of a thickness of the wall.

A drinking implement includes: a first opening; a lumen; a second opening fluidly coupled to the first opening and the lumen; and a wall including a glass and extending from the first opening to the second opening and surrounding the lumen. The wall has an inner surface facing toward the lumen and an outer surface facing away from the lumen. The wall has a first compressive stress layer extending from the inner surface to a first depth within the wall, a second compressive stress layer extending from the outer surface to a second depth within the wall, and a tensile stress layer disposed within the wall at a depth between the first compressive stress layer and the second compressive stress layer. The second depth is from 0.05% to 25% of a thickness of the wall.

A method for air quenching a glass hollow body elongated along a main axis, including a wall having an external surface, and an internal surface formed by a bore extending in height along the main axis, is provided. The method includes simultaneously blasting air jets towards the surfaces of the glass hollow body using air blast nozzles directed towards the surfaces. External nozzles distribute air jets over the external surface of the glass hollow body and a nozzle above the bore of the glass hollow body and aligned along the main axis distributes an internal air jet over the internal surface of the glass hollow body. In a transverse plane to the main axis the internal air jet is in the form of a crown having a recess at the center.

An installation for quenching a glass hollow body includes a plurality of external nozzles and an axial nozzle. The plurality of external nozzles are positioned around a main axis. Each of the plurality of external nozzles includes an axial slot configured to direct an air jet towards the main axis. The axial nozzle is aligned along the main axis and includes a shape configured to form an internal air jet forming a ring with an opening at a center thereof in a plane transverse to the main axis. The axial nozzle forming the internal air jet positioned substantially external to and above the bore.

The present invention relates to a process for the manufacture of a glass container that comprises the steps of: a) providing a first glass element; b) providing a second element made of a material selected from: glass, ceramic, metal and metallic alloy; said first element and said second element, joined together, defining a containment cavity of said glass container; c) depositing a sealing composition comprising at least one glass frit dispersed in at least one dispersing liquid on at least one surface of at least one of said first element and said second element; d) positioning said first element and said second element in contact with each other so that said sealing composition is arranged between said first element and said second element; e) heating said sealing composition so as to melt said glass frit and form a sealing layer between said first element and said second element. The present invention further relates to a glass container, such as, for example, a bottle, a cup or a jar, and related uses.

A strengthened glass container or vessel such as, but not limited to, vials for holding pharmaceutical products or vaccines in a hermetic and/or sterile state. The strengthened glass container undergoes a strengthening process that produces compression at the surface and tension within the container wall. The strengthening process is designed such that the tension within the wall is great enough to ensure catastrophic failure of the container, thus rendering the product unusable, should sterility be compromised by a through-wall crack. The tension is greater than a threshold central tension, above which catastrophic failure of the container is guaranteed, thus eliminating any potential for violation of pharmaceutical integrity.

A strengthened glass container or vessel such as, but not limited to, vials for holding pharmaceutical products or vaccines in a hermetic and/or sterile state. The strengthened glass container undergoes a strengthening process that produces compression at the surface and tension within the container wall. The strengthening process is designed such that the tension within the wall is great enough to ensure catastrophic failure of the container, thus rendering the product unusable, should sterility be compromised by a through-wall crack. The tension is greater than a threshold central tension, above which catastrophic failure of the container is guaranteed, thus eliminating any potential for violation of pharmaceutical integrity.