Home
Industries We Serve
Cement
Chemicals
Consumer Products
Energy / Power Generation
Engineering Firms
Environmental
Food
Glass
Metals
Mineral Products
Mining
Paper / Wood
Pharmaceuticals
Plastics
Powdered Metals
Services and Products
Educational Offerings
About the Company

400 Business Park Drive
Tyngsboro, MA 01879-1077
Phone: (978) 649-3300
Fax: (978) 649-3399

E-mail: mail08@jenike.com

© 2008 by Jenike & Johanson, Inc.
All rights reserved.

Glass Applications
Although glass batch sometimes flows freely, it also de-mixes readily via various particle size segregation [220K QuickTime video] mechanisms. This is a major contributor to quality control problems in glass making operations. Just changing the flow pattern in storage systems upstream of a furnace from funnel flow to a uniform, non-segregating mass flow pattern typically has a major benefit in providing well-mixed, consistent feed to a furnace. Whether you are producing optical fiber, light bulbs or wine bottles, we can show you how to increase the quality of your glass consistently.

Other types of flow problems such as arching (bridging) and ratholing can occur with some of the ingredients which make up batch. Cullet, for example, can be moist and often consists of large, irregularly shaped particles. Both of these characteristics can lead to flow irregularity.

Even if you haven't encountered these problems yet, you eventually might, considering today's tough demands of increased production rates, tight quality control, and minimization of product loss. Flow problems during manufacture may result in off-spec material and, ultimately, dissatisfied customers, which will translate into lower sales and poor company image. If you are currently experiencing solids handling difficulties, Jenike & Johanson can help you eliminate them. Or, if you are designing a new process, we can utilize our industry-leading technology to help you avoid production mishaps, from silos to finished product. Contact Jenike & Johanson to discuss how your handling system can work to improve your bottom line.


Some of the glass industry problems we have analyzed and solved:
  • Bottle cording caused by demixing of cullet from a blend in a bin
  • Furnace feeder failure due to arching of a fine ingredient blend
  • Sheet glass rejection caused by mix segregation in a feed bin
  • Inconsistent feed to a furnace caused by segregation in a fiberglass batch bin

Case Studies

Client confidentiality prevents us from discussing most of our projects. The following case studies were written with the consent of our clients.

Problem Material Solution
Segregation in new bins Glass batch BINSERT® retrofit
Inconsistent feed to furnace Glass batch Mass flow bin retrofit

Some of the glass equipment we have designed and supplied:

  • Anti-segregation BINSERT® system for glass batch furnace feed bins and day bins
  • Static distributor to minimize batch segregation during bin filling
  • Mass flow bullet insert retrofit for glass batch and frit bins
  • Mass flow screw feeders for glass batch

Some of the glass materials we have handled:

  • Glass
    • Powder
    • Remelt
  • Frit
    • w/Surfactant
  • Glass Batch
    • Individual Ingredients
    • w/Cullet
    • w/Kaolin
    • Wet

A partial listing of the glass processing companies with which we have worked:

  • 3M
  • Anchor Glass
  • Ball Union
  • CertainTeed
  • Corning
  • Diamond Shamrock
  • Domglas, Canada
  • Ferro Corporation
  • Fiberglas Canada
  • GAF
  • Gallo Wines
  • General Electric
  • GFT
  • GTE Products
  • Kimble Glass
  • Knauf Fiberglass
  • Libbey Glass
  • Manville
  • OI-NEG TV Products
  • Owens-Brockway Glass
  • Owens-Corning
  • Owens-Illinois
  • Pittsburg Corning
  • PPG Industries
  • TAM Ceramics
  • Thompson Consumer Electronics
"Jenike & Johanson visited our site and reviewed our operation. They immediately identified the root cause of our glass batch feed and quality problems. Within a few weeks they had tested our materials, prepared functional recommendations and turned those into detailed design within a few more weeks. The retrofit equipment was fabricated and installed in 11 days and met all of our expectations."

- Jeff Shock, Glass Technology Manager at Knauf Fiber Glass

"The performance of the glass batch surge bins Jenike & Johanson designed has been excellent. Glass quality problems attributed to batch segregation have been virtually eliminated."

- Jim Phillips, Batch and Furnace Supervisor at Owens-Brockway Glass