Glass manufacturing has been going on for thousands of years. Glass manufacturing dates back to 3500 BC in Mesopotamia. The earliest known glass products were beads, probably made by accident when working with metal. During the Late Bronze Age, several civilizations discovered how to make containers and glass bottles by wrapping threads of molten glass around a core of sand or clay. Later, molds were used to make plates and cutlery.
Blown glass was discovered around the 1st century BC. This made glass containers cheaper than pottery. Blown glass, a process of blowing molten glass into wooden or metal molds, was invented in the 1st century AD. This technique was faster and the results were more consistent. It paved the way for mass production. It wasn't until the late 1800s that the production process became more efficient. In 1887, an English company invented a semi-automatic process that could produce 200 bottles per hour. The process has been improved to the point where modern machines can be used.
Today, glass bottles, jars, and cups are typically produced on a larger scale than in a single glass-blowing studio. If we still relied on hand-blown glass for all of our glass containers, we would see some major differences in the process of making bottles and jars. The first is time. Hand-blowing glass takes a lot of time, even for a simple container. In contrast, hundreds of cans per minute can be produced using modern technology. This leads to the second advantage: price. Thanks to automation and streamlined processes, the price of manufacturing containers is much lower than hand-blown glass. Third, the bottles manufactured are much more uniform than those blown by hand. Automated glass manufacturing produces almost identical batches of jars.
Blown glass is great for unique and beautiful works of art. But for many less expensive and uniformly shaped containers, automated manufacturing is the preferred method for making glass bottles and jars. Check out the wide range of manufactured glass bottles, jars, and other containers available at Glass Containers to see if any of these fit your needs.
Over the years, the technology used to manufacture them has advanced so much that they can now be produced in large batches by machine rather than individually blown. This ensures that production can meet requirements and quality standards can be met.
Modern glass package manufacturers use molds to form bottles quickly and efficiently. To maintain quality, each mold requires regular inspection and maintenance. Special tools, such as neck ring contour gauges and mold reamers, are needed to accomplish this task. The next time you pick up a glass bottle, be sure to consider the effort that went into making it, especially if it is a unique shape.
Current trends include lightweight, unique shapes, and sustainable practices such as increased use of recycled glass. Lightweight bottles reduce distribution costs and environmental footprints. Special bottle shapes and colors make the bottle part of the brand statement.
Glass packaging now packages everything from wine, spirits, beer, juices, and sodas to sauces, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, household chemicals, and luxury goods - ubiquitous in homes and businesses around the world.
