Soda lime glass is characterized by the greenish tinge from which it gets its name. It is a cost-effective, clear float glass that’s simple to fabricate and makes up approximately 90% of produced glass. Manufacturers can produce soda lime glass by floating the material over molten tin where it softens and forms into glass sheets. Soda lime glass is a versatile material that possesses a variety of unique properties and benefits that lend themselves to many applications.
What Is Soda Lime Glass?
Fabricators can produce basic soda lime glass from a mixture of compounds like lime (calcium dioxide), silica (silicon dioxide), soda (sodium oxide), and other elements that can imbue the glass with different properties. Soda glass has a history stretching back hundreds of years, with multiple variations and production techniques that have created a wide range of different types. Soda lime glass can also serve multiple applications, ranging from consumer goods and packaging to manufacturing. Soda lime glass can even be fabricated for specific scientific applications.
Not only is soda lime glass extremely versatile, but it’s also a sustainable material. Manufacturers can recycle soda lime glass by softening, remelting, and reforming it multiple times without the risk of diminishing its physical properties.
Unique Applications for Soda Lime
Product manufacturers across virtually every industry use soda lime glass to create consumer, commercial, and industrial goods. Some of the most common applications include:
- Electrical and Electronics: Soda lime acts as a high-voltage insulator ideal for electronic devices.
- Food and Beverage: Soda lime glass can be used to create food and beverage packaging.
- Natural Gas, Oil, and Petrochemical Processing: When tempered, soda lime glass can withstand high temperatures and volatile compounds, making it an ideal choice for manufacturing fluid control process components and parts.
Types of Soda Lime Glass
By introducing different mineral and chemical compounds into the lime, soda, and silica mix — and by using different finishing processes — fabricators can produce different types of soda lime glass properties. Some glasses offer additional strength characteristics or greater resistance to chemicals and volatile compounds. Still, others may be clear or hold different colors. Four of the most popular soda lime glass formulations are:
Guardian Clear Float Glass
This soda lime glass is visibly clear and transparent. It’s also free from distortions, making it an excellent choice for consumer goods, window panes, and any applications where the finished product will be visible or end-users must be able to see through the glass. Guardian Clear Float Glass is available in multiple different size and thickness options to accommodate the specifications of custom projects.
Vitro Clear Float Glass (formerly a PPG product)
Vitro Clear Float Glass is also clear, visually appealing, and doesn’t have visible flaws in the glass that mar its appearance or functionality. It’s a versatile product that can be used in a wide range of consumer, commercial, and industrial products, and manufacturers can reliably produce consistent orders of Vitro Clear Float Glass.
Vitro Solargray® Glass (formerly a PPG product)
Vitro Solargray Glass is a specialized type of glass with a distinct cool, medium-gray coloring. This glass can mitigate solar heat gain, as well as glare from sunlight, making it a popular choice for environmentally-friendly constructions. Commercial buildings frequently have Solargray Glass installations to reduce strain on the HVAC systems and reflect heat away from the interior of the building.
LimeX by Swift Glass
Swift Glass’s unique LimeX soda lime glass is an extra-thick glass product that can be fabricated in sheets as thick as 1.25 inches without compromising on strength or integrity. Our production team can also enhance the glass’s durability and strength by tempering it.
Turn to Swift Glass for Custom Soda Lime Glass
At Swift Glass, we specialize in creating high-quality glass for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). We serve the global market with curated glassworking solutions and processes, and our services include:
- CNC machining
- Drilling
- Chemical strengthening
- Thermal tempering
- Polishing
Our company has been a leading provider of glass services for nearly 100 years. We’re committed to quality, and our company is ISO 9001:2015 certified and ITAR registered. Contact us today to learn more about our capabilities or to start your soda lime glass order.
