I'm curious about the extent of automated glassmaking

[CharlieDontSurf]

I was just wondering what extent the process of glassmaking has successfully been automated, because I honestly have no idea, and its interesting, pertinent information.

[somberbear]

um... you got the money some one has the machine...

if you paid enough i could probably program a cnc to make spoons.... and kiln em....

[prairieson]

As good a place to start as any is the story of Michael Owens, one of the founders, in 1903, of the Owens Bottle Machine Company in Toledo Ohio. In 1904 he obtained a patent for an automatic bottle making machine capable of making 4 bottles per second.

In 1912 he and Edward Libbey bought the patents for a continuous glass sheet machine, and in 1916 they opened the Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass Company, which manufactured window glass.

Try a google on Michael Owens glass, there's a lot more info out there on the guy, and you'll get a good historical perspectve on glass manufacturing.

I recently took a tour of one of the remaining automated blowing plants in Toledo... very archaic from a manufacturing standpoint, but the place still gets the job done. And it was just mesmerizing to watch the place in operation, little 'billets' of molten glass shooting all over the place and being mold blown mechanically.

[colonel4bin]

I work in a scientific glass shop and we have some automated glassblowing machines. One blows big bulbs that they make High Pressure lamps and light bulbs out of. We also have one that can do perfect U bends on a straight peice of tube! It's pretty scary to see, but a machine could easily make spoons if someone has the funds to invest in setting up the machine, most of the mess is programing the machine right.

Garrett

[Greymatter Glass]

well... I know Herbert Arnold in germany makes a large variety of automated glass machines... coils, flasks, ground glass fittings.... I'm sure they could make a panker pooper.

A reasonable figure I think, to make such a machine, would be in the $500,000 to $750,000 range for the first one, then somewhat cheaper for any additional machines.

If you figure a machine could make 400 pankers a day, at $2 each that's only several years to pay off the machine....

of course you have to be able to MOVE that many pieces.


....screw i t just buy a lathe.