In the mid-17th century, the concept of tempered glass was first introduced by a curious experiment conducted by King Robert of Rhine. He dipped a drop of molten glass into cold water, creating a unique type of extremely hard glass. This glass resembled a water droplet with a long, curved tail and was known as "Prince Robert's Little." However, when the tail broke, the entire piece would shatter dramatically, turning into fine powder. This process closely resembled metal quenching, but without altering the glass's chemical composition, it was referred to as physical tempering. Hence, the term "tempered glass" was born.
The first patent for glass tempering was granted to a French inventor in 1874. The method involved heating the glass close to its softening point and then rapidly cooling it in a low-temperature liquid bath to increase surface stress. This early technique laid the foundation for modern glass tempering. In 1875, Frederick Siemens from Germany received a patent, followed by George E. Rogens of Massachusetts in 1876, who applied the method to wine glasses and lamp posts. That same year, Hugh O’Heill from New Jersey also obtained a patent, marking a growing interest in this technology.
By the 1930s, companies like St. Ge’s in France, Trimblex in the U.S., and Pilkington in the UK began producing large-area flat tempered glass for automotive windshields. Japan also started industrial production of tempered glass around the same time, signaling the beginning of mass production on a global scale.
A major breakthrough came in the 1970s when the British company Triplex successfully tempered glass as thin as 0.75 to 1.5 mm using a liquid medium. This development ended the long-standing limitation that thin glass could not be physically tempered, revolutionizing the industry.
China introduced tempered glass technology in 1955, with the Shanghai Yaohua Glass Factory starting trial production. In 1958, the Qinhuangdao Tempered Glass Factory successfully produced its first batch. By 1965, the factory was manufacturing tempered glass for military use. In the 1970s, the Luoyang Glass Factory imported Belgian tempering equipment, while the Shenyang Glass Factory began producing chemically tempered glass.
By the 1970s, tempered glass technology had spread worldwide, finding applications in automobiles, construction, aviation, and electronics. Its strength and safety made it a preferred choice in many industries, especially in building and vehicle manufacturing. Today, tempered glass is an essential material in modern life, used in everything from smartphone screens to high-rise buildings.
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