Enabling Competitive Glass Container Manufacturing

white paper

Graphite use in high temperature processing to manufacture lighter glass

Containers, and the materials they are made of, can have a significant impact on the final cost of products, and on both the perception and the actual quality of their contents. Glass containers need to be lighter to maintain competitiveness in today’s markets. This can be achieved by increasing the temperature at which they are made, which decreases shipping and material costs. As production temperatures rise above 400°C (752°F), plastic is no longer a viable product for pickup inserts. Brass can lead to checking, and that risk increases as production temperature rises. Graphite inserts allow for higher temperature manufacturing, which creates lighter and stronger glass containers.

This paper discusses:

• Preventing damage while maintaining throughput
• Choosing take-out insert materials
• Graphite as a container handling insert
• Calculating insert total cost of ownership

There are vast differences among the types and grades of graphite material available for use in pickup inserts. By evaluating each material and its effects over its entire lifecycle, total cost of ownership can be significantly reduced. A specialized grade of graphite, for example, can increase yield and have a longer productive lifetime when compared to some traditional graphite grades. These two factors can reduce costs by tens of thousands of dollars over the life of the production run, enabling more competitive glass container prices.