Since it was introduced to the public in 1915 Pyrex has become an integral part of our baking things. We have become so comfy with the idea of baking in glassware that sometimes we don't even realize that Pyrex is a very special type of glass. Allow me to explain what's special about this popular brand of bakeware and how it is made.
Why is Pyrex Special?
Glass is basically made by cooking crystalline materials, usually sand, until they melt together into a new molecular structure that cools into what we know as glass. Regular glass, i.e basic glass untreated with other chemicals, is brittle and shatters when exposed to just a little heat. In 1915 researchers trying to make heat resistant glass found that by adding boric acid to their basic glass mixture they could make the glass sustain a bit more heat before breaking. After more trial and error they came up with a perfect glass formula which was patented under the name Pyrex.
How Pyrex is Made
Today this signature type of heat resistant glass know as commonly as Pyrex is still made by mixing this exact ratio of silicon dioxide with boric acid. These two basic ingredients are ground to an amazingly fine powder and melted together in huge tanks along with a few other additives. As you might suspect, the temperature must be extreme to melt the silicon rich sand into liquid. Temperatures are usually cranked up as high as 2,912 degrees F for as long as an entire day. The molten glass is then gradually piped from the boiler to the shaping machines.
Shaping the Pyrex
The shaping of the massive quantity of molten glass is done by machines depending on the desired product. For example as the reddish goo pours out of the boiler some of it is channeled into a baking dish mold. A plunger quickly descends to squish the liquid glass all around the mold, turning it instantaneously into a perfect dish. This whole process of shaping the glass is done with stunning speed, because as soon as the liquid begins to cool it becomes stiff and unworkable.
So there you have it. Thanks to the dedication of those researchers nearly a century ago, we have heat resistant glass. Though we take it for granted, without this unique type of glass so many things, from the baking dishes to light bulbs to lab beakers, would be impossible. Can you imagine a world, or even a home, without heat resistant glass?
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