6000+
Glass services
delivered in the last 5 years
£10m+
Funding
secured for project work
1000+
Clients
we've worked with in the last 5 years
68
Countries
we have worked in

Expertise & Leadership

Dr Nick Kirk

Dr Nick Kirk

Technical Director
Nick is a glass expert with decades of experience in all aspects of sustainability, glass production, and product design across the global glass supply chain. Read More

Areas of expertise:

Glass production Sustainability and recycling Product design
Gareth Jones

Gareth Jones

Operations & Commercial Director
Gareth is our Operations & Commercial Director and works with a range of organisations across the global glass industry. He supports them in working towards their business targets, and ensures that our services meet the industry’s current and future requirements. Read More

Areas of expertise:

Strategy development and implementation Marketing Business development

Services

Glass failure analysis

Glass failure analysis

Glass failure (or fracture) analysis is a powerful tool combining glass fractography and microscopy to diagnose and determine the root cause of a breakage or product failure. We also complete preventative quality assessments to potentially stop issues occurring in the future. We provide analysis for products spanning all sectors, including food and drink packaging, domestic glass, furniture, scientific glassware and pharmaceutical packaging.

Products this service is relevant to:

Glass production, processing, and packing line audits

Glass production, processing, and packing line audits

Our glass production and processing experts provide manufacturers, suppliers, brand owners and customers with line and process audits to optimise glass production, processing, and food and drink operations. We work with companies involved in all stages of glass supply, from raw materials through to the end product. In emergencies, we can undertake site visits at short notice to identify issues quickly, allowing production to resume and minimising financial losses.

Glass defects and contamination analysis

Our technical experts analyse glass composition and causes of defective glass to quickly resolve your production issues. We undertake composition analysis of glass inclusion defects, stone, cord, knot, bubbles and blisters, and we examine surface contamination, delamination, misting and blooms. We also assess forming defects in glass manufacturing and quality concerns in finished products.

Areas we work in:

Glass defects and contamination analysis

Glass composition analysis

We provide ISO/IEC 17025-accredited composition analysis, enabling glass manufacturers to confirm that glass has been made as intended, and potentially determine the cause of a problem. Our methods are created specifically for glass, so they’re accurate and reproducible.
Glass composition analysis

Bespoke glass design, development and manufacture

Our experts provide a series of small-scale melting trials to confirm the suitability of new raw materials in glass production. We use comparative melting trials to establish differences between compositions or refining systems. The normal trial we offer is based on melting four glasses. The melts are all made to produce 250g of glass. We study the melting and refining of each formulation for 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes, at a temperature comparable with the customer’s melting temperature.
Bespoke glass design, development and manufacture

Laser process development

We can help you develop laser processing techniques tailored specifically to glass materials. We have specialist expertise in areas including laser welding technologies, glass laser processing and cutting, additive manufacture (3D printing) and targeted property modification. Working together, we can develop new products for sectors such as micro-machining, biomedical technologies and advanced optics. We support and collaborate with partners and customers spanning academia and industry.

Areas we work in:

Laser process development

Glass durability and elemental migration analysis

Our experts can verify that your glass complies with international and industry standards. Our durability analysis and testing ensures it’s fit for purpose, it provides the appropriate level of chemical resistance, and it meets all required standards. This is vital for chemically sensitive products such as parenteral pharmaceuticals. However, it is also important to ensure the safety of packaging, preparatory surfaces and vessels for foods and drinks.

Areas we work in:

Glass durability and elemental migration analysis

Finite element analysis (FEA) modelling

We use finite element analysis (FEA) modelling to provide insights into a vast range of processes and scenarios. We combine our FEA software capability with expertise in glass materials and glass manufacture to model heat transfer and stress generating processes, ranging from furnaces to laser processing. Our finite element analysis modelling provides vital information that allows you to minimise costs and reduce the probability of failures.
Finite element analysis (FEA) modelling
What is bloom on glass containers?
News Article

What is bloom on glass containers?

How are glass bottles made?
News Article

How are glass bottles made?

Glass is one of the most eco-friendly types of packaging which is why it’s so widely used. In this article, we’ll look at what glass bottles are made from and how they’re made for packaging purposes.

Glass Technology Services expands R&D furnace capability
News Article

Glass Technology Services expands R&D furnace capability

Glass Technology Services has secured funding to commission a new pilot-scale research furnace at their laboratory facility in Sheffield.

Gareth Jones
Two award shortlists for Glass Technology Services
News Article

Two award shortlists for Glass Technology Services

Glass Technology Services is proud to announce its nomination in two categories for this year’s Lab Innovation Awards.

Gareth Jones
The critical role of quality control in pharmaceutical glass packaging
News Article

The critical role of quality control in pharmaceutical glass packaging

Glass quality control is crucial for pharmaceutical packaging. Reduce the risk of contamination, ensure the safety of medication, and comply with standard regulations. Read more here.

Claire Coles

Recent projects

Project

EnviroAsh investigates the potential for using biomass and other wastes as raw materials across the foundation industries

This project has identified opportunities to convert waste materials and other by-products from across the foundation industries into new raw materials for glass, ceramic and cement products.
EnviroAsh glass sample
Project

AI6S project examines energy and waste reduction in the foundation industries

We will be taking part in the AI6S project which will develop a novel toolkit for process optimisation across the glass, cement, paper, ceramics, metals and bulk chemicals industries.
AI6S project examines energy and waste reduction in the foundation industries
Project

A market survey of applications and manufacturing processes of foam glass

BRE and Glass Technology Services investigated the use of waste material to generate a building product or high value lightweight aggregate for insulation purposes.
Project

Bottle rightweighting - beer, cider and spirits

Bottle rightweighting - a process of packaging design and production to optimise packaging weight, whilst taking into account the requirements of all stakeholders in the supply chain, including manufacturers, brand owners, fillers, retailers, consumers and the environment.
Bottle rightweighting - beer, cider and spirits

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