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Borosilicate Glass vs Pyrex

August 21, 2021

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The glassmaking industry is filled with tons of designs of glass bottle makers. Among the manufactured products are those that are widely used in the kitchen today. As the industry continues to advance, the need for oven glassware has been growing over the years.

Time and again, people are now more comfortable with using glass in their ovens without the fear of the glass shattering due to heat and consequently destroying their meals. As such, glass types such as borosilicate and pyrex are quite essential.

Now, you might be wondering what is the difference between these two. Well, we are going to look into each, their uses and benefits. To help you get a better grip on each. Keep reading!

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What is Borosilicate Glass?

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Borosilicate glass is a glass type that includes boron trioxide, which has a low coefficient of thermal expansion. This implies that, unlike normal glass, it will not break when exposed to high-temperature fluctuations. For high-end eateries, labs, and vineyards, its robustness has rendered it the glass of preference.

The majority of people are unaware that not all glass is made equal. Take, for instance, Roetel high-grade borosilicate bottles.

Borosilicate glass contains around 15percentage boron trioxide, which is the unique element that alters the nature of glass and renders it impervious to thermal shock. The correlation of thermic expansion, or rather, the rate with which the glass enlarges when exposed to heat, is used to determine how resistant the glass is too severe temperature fluctuations.

As a result, borosilicate glass may move straight from the fridge to the oven rack without shattering. This implies that you may pour boiling hot water into borosilicate glass to percolate tea or coffee sans worrying about the glass fracturing or splitting.

Because borosilicate glass is chemically robust, it is even used to retain toxic waste. The boron in the glass makes it less emulsifiable, which prevents undesirable elements from seeping into it or vice versa. In terms of overall functionality, borosilicate glass outperforms ordinary glass by a wide margin.

How is it Made?

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This unique glass is made by melting the following ingredients: silica sand, boric oxide, potassium oxide, zinc oxide, and trace quantities of calcium oxide and aluminium oxide. Other variations, such as when borosilicate glass is used as cookware, can increase the silica content to up to 81 percent, depending on the intended application.

Due to the material’s high transition temperature of up to 1040°F, the melting procedure necessitates a much higher temperature than typical glass manufacturing.

Based on the objective, borosilicate glass can be treated in a variety of ways once the foundation has been created. This glass may be molded or drawn into tubes and then treated into bespoke shapes and sizes.

Application of Borosilicate Glass

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● Lab Glassware

Because of its chemical and thermic resilience, borosilicate glass is widely used as a foundation material for scientific glassware. The majority of contemporary lab beakers, flasks, and other glass containers are composed of borosilicate glass.

● Glass Tubing for Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceutical receptacles such as needles, cartridges, vials, and ampoules are made of borosilicate glass. When in interaction with most liquid pharmaceutical preparations, the substance is generally nontoxic.

● Cookware and Kitchen Experiments

This glass substance has made its way into cookware, notably for frying and baking, due to its excellent heat resilience. For baking dishes and glass cooking pots, many cookware companies utilize borosilicate glass.

This glass is also utilized for measuring cups and other similar receptacles due to its minimal thermic expansion. Since the material does not distort when subjected to high temps, the graduations labelled on the glass containers remain accurate.

● Optical Apparatus

Borosilicate glass is a suitable material for making slides and lenses for microscopes, telescopes, and other optical equipment because of its stability. The application of doping chemicals can alter glass properties like absorbance spectra.

● Lighting Systems

Lighting devices require heat-resistant glass containers and membranes, which is where borosilicate glass comes in handy. HID lamps, contemporary high-powered torches, and studio spotlights all employ this type of glass.

● External Lenses for Aircraft

Because of its clear optical characteristics, transmissibility and capability to resist the temp differential observed during high altitude flight, borosilicate glass lenses are used in aircraft external lights.

The optical transmission properties of one kind of borosilicate glass are shown in Figure 1. It’s worth noting how consistent the functionality is over the whole wavelength range of 300 to 1200 nm.

What is Pyrex?

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The Corning Glass Works business invented Pyrex glass, which is borosilicate glass. It’s manufactured by repeatedly heating raw resources like silica sand and boric oxide to paramount temperatures. The molten glass is subsequently transformed into various sorts of glassware. Pyrex, which was first developed in the early twentieth century, has become a popular material for a wide range of applications requiring heat and chemical protection.

It’s vital to comprehend the nature of glass in order to appreciate Pyrex. Glass is a condition of substance that resembles both crystalline solids and liquids in appearance. Glass seems to be solid on a macroscopic level. When taken from a container, it is stiff and stays in one piece. Glasses, on the other hand, are more like liquids at the molecular level. Molecules are organized in an ordered way in crystalline materials. They are organized at random in liquids. This haphazard arrangement is also a feature of glass.

How is Pyrex Made?

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Pyrex glass is made in large batches in a designated compounding section of the manufacturing plant. Glassmakers follow procedure instructions and pour the needed raw ingredients into huge tanks in the right amounts. The raw materials are crushed and granulated to a consistent particle size before being used. Batch towers are used to store them.

The ingredients are combined and heated to temperatures of over 2,912 degrees Fahrenheit. The components melt at this high temperature, allowing them to fully combine and form molten glass. However, to eliminate extra bubbles that might contribute to a weaker structure, the mixture usually has to be heated for extended periods of time—up to 24 hours.

The molten glass in the batch tanks is designed to flow gently to the tank’s operating end. The constant feed shaping machines are linked to this end of the tank. The glass seems to be a thick, red-orange liquid as it travels away from the tank. Since this material becomes hard and unusable as it cools, the shaping machines work it fast. Glass processing machines are used to blast, crush, draw, and roll the material into various forms and designs.

The product is chilled and polished once it has been created. It may then be embellished with various printing or marks, as well as plastic parts if required. The glass is then inspected for flaws, packaged in protective boxes, and sent to consumers.

Application of Pyrex

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Chemical equipment, industrial gears, including pipes and thermostats, and ovenware are all made with it. As a result, when subjected to fast temperature fluctuations, it is less likely to shatter.

Pyrex vs Borosilicate: What’s the Difference?

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There is no difference between pyrex and Borosilicate. Majorly, pyrex is a subset of Borosilicate. Their methods of production and usage are essentially the same. Their thermic properties are similar, thus, no major difference.

Conclusion

Pyrex and Borosilicate are essential in our everyday lives. Production has been of the essence especially in the food and beverage industry. That is why, at Roetel, we are driven to ensure that we meet these industry standards by offering quality free samples of our top brands. Contact us for more amazing glass products and customer service. Best of luck!

Borosilicate Glass vs Pyrex