Glassware Inspection and  Quality  Control 

Glassware encompasses a variety of home objects, particularly in kitchens and dining areas. Glassware is used for drinking glasses, glass containers, fruit bowls, vases, table-tops and as containers in medical laboratories. Glass is generally moulded, blown, cut or pressed depending on the use, style and design.

There are a variety of glassware standards in operation throughout the pre-production and production stages of manufacturing from evaluating the chemical, physical and mechanical properties to ensuring the glassware standards help material companies and product manufacturers in the correct fabrication and treatment procedures.

ASTM C1606-10

This test procedure defines the way in which glassware should be prepared before performing the TCLP (Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. TCLP is a chemical analysis process used to determine whether there are hazardous elements present in a waste. The test involves a simulation of leaching through a landfill and can provide a rating that can prove if the waste is dangerous to the environment or not.

ASTM D5245-92

This standard establishes appropriate safety and health procedures and determines the applicability of regulatory limitations before use.

ISO 695:1991

This inspection test specifies the reagents, the number of samples, and the test procedures involved to perform ISO 695:1991.

ISO 12775:1997

The International Organization for Standardization developed the guidelines inside 12775:1997 for types of glassware and its composition that is produced in bulk and details the inspection test methods.

Mirrors:

Mirror manufacturing started 8000 years ago in Turkey. Today, mirrors are used for grooming, decorative and interior design purposes as well as being used for items such as, cameras, telescopes, lasers and automobiles.

ASTM C1503-08

The ASTM C1503-08 is the most referred to mirror inspection standard in North America. It covers silvered flat glass mirrors for indoor use.  The properties specified in this standard include grades, cut size, thickness, and colour. Silver coating appearance, blemish, squareness and reflectance are just some of the characteristics measured by the tests provided in this standard.

ISO 25537:2008

This International Standard Organisation standard sets the requirements for mirrors to be used inside commercial buildings.  For example, the thickness of these mirrors should be between 2mm and 6mm.

JSA JIS R 3200:1999

The Japanese JSA JIS R 3220:1999 Standard is used for mirrors manufactured and distributed across Asia.

DIN EN 1036 (2008-03)

This two-part German standard was created to set requirements, identify test methods, and to evaluate mirrors for commercial indoor use.

Tempered Glass

Manufacturing tempered glass is a complex and cost-intensive process. Glass defects and contamination means low-quality finished products cannot be delivered.  Therefore, such issues must be avoided at the beginning of the process to ensure companies avoid such significant issues.

Some companies try to use manual inspection at the entrance to the furnace, but this method can be unreliable as the lighting may not always be ideal and horizontal glass surfaces are difficult to examine. Especially when you are solely relying on the staff to examine the material visually defects can easily be missed due to any distraction in sight, lack of motivation, or due to fatigue. Therefore, implementing top quality control results in organisational advantages and top-quality glassware products.

Glass Containers

The glass container manufacturing process starts with the reception and storing of the different raw materials, it is essential the manufacturer establishes technical specification for each raw material that is used to produce glass. The aim is not just to have a detailed chemical composition description of the raw material but rather to focus on the oxides that are considered to be important in the production of quality glassware as they affect the outcome of the melting process and the final result.

Ideally these technical specifications should be included in the contract between the glass manufacturer and the raw material supplier. These controls are undertaken either in a local laboratory, in the glass plant or subcontracted to an outside accredited lab, the purpose of such audits is to ensure familiarity with the process control methods and standards used by the supplier and to confirm their ability to adequately control the raw material within the glass manufacturer’s technical specification.

Density Test

This test is a quick and easy way to indirectly detect unexpected changes in the glass composition due to mistakes in the raw materials batch and mixing process. The test involves the determination of the density of a glass specimen and comparison with previous results, thereby monitoring significant deviations.

Homogeneity Test

This indicates the presence of any inhomogeneous (inconsistency) glass; this shows up as coloured streaks under polarised light.

After all manual inspections are completed, the containers are placed in single lines and passed by various automatic inspection machines. The operator’s key role is to follow standard procedures relative to process control and to document problems and suggestions for improvement. Understanding customer needs and interacting with the customer via plant visits and cross functional teams is absolutely critical.

About HQTS

Combine this with HQTS’ quality standards and services and you have a powerful, profitable and productive commercial proposition.  Our extensive inspection, testing, audit, certification and consulting experience is ready-made to support this emerging market. With over 25 years of quality assurance experience, HQTS is ready to help your business build strong and meaningful supplier relationships. HQTS is your first choice to ensure reliability and excellence in quality every time.