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What is it ?.....Scientific Glassblowing is the process of creating glass apparatus and glass systems used in research and production. Where is it found ?......Scientific glassware will be found in many
government, educational and industrial laboratories. Chemical, medical,
pharmaceutical and engineering laboratories use scientific glassware extensively,
and almost all areas of scientific research will use glass at some
time.
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Who does it ?......Scientific Glassblowers. Scientific glassblowers in research are highly skilled artisans who form the glass into the shapes and dimensions called for. The glassblower usually has a strong background and understanding of the sciences. It takes many years of experience in a multiscience environment to develop the professional scientific glassblower. |
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 How
is it done ?.............Using a torch or burner, scientific glassblowers
heat, form and seal glass tubing, rod and pre-formed
components into glass apparatus. Occasionally you will still hear of
this style of glassblowing referred to as lampworking. See
Scientific
Glassblowing Basics for more information.
The photo to the right shows a glass multi-port
flange top being preheated prior to repair.
Torches and Burners come in a variety of shapes,
sizes and capabilities to fill the many applications required by the glassblower
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 These
images are representative of the wide range of products that a research
glassblower may be asked to build. Much of the work is unique in design
and concept, though the occasional "test tube" is still requested.
This particular glass piece is a portion of an apparatus that was used
by aeronautical engineers for flame study analysis
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Not just a pretty picture ! A scientific glassblower has a responsibility to the scientist using his/her glassblowing services to provide a piece of glassware that is structurally sound and built within accepted safe parameters for it's intended use. The glass apparatus must be fully annealed to relieve all stress or strain introduced into the glass during the glassblowing process. The colorful bands of light (indicative of strain/stress) are visible with the aid of a polariscope. This is the last thing a scientist would want to see in a piece of glassware used in the laboratory.
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There are many thousands of glass compositions commercially and custom made, each with their own specific chemical, thermal, optical and physical properties. The types of glasses found most often in the chemistry laboratory will be in the borosilicate family. The scientific glassblower may be called upon to do more than "blow" glass. It is not uncommon to work with ceramics, metals and occasionally sapphire as well. The basket to the right is made from very fine sapphire filament. The engineer conducting new materials studies required a container to hold test samples suspended in a vertical furnace with temperatures in excess of 1400°C. Glass apparatus used in research is not always formed by thermally heating
and shaping the glass material. Physically changing glass form may be accomplished
by mechanically shaping the glass, creating a finished product or a component
of a finished apparatus.
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The process of cold working glass may be accomplished by using equipment
designed for or modified for use in cutting
or abrading glass materials. An ultra-sonic milling machine was used to
produce the glass pieces shown here.
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The image to the right illustrates coldworking and thermal forming of glass to fabricate a glass part. The glass flange(s) are cut out of flat stock before thermally fusing onto a glass tube. These particular flanges were cut away to examine the seal integrity of a new fabrication process being developed. |
For additional information on scientific glassblowing contact the organizations below.
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