What is Quartz Glass and How Is It Made?

Learn Everything About This Great Material

Quartz Glass is a type of glass that has high heat resistance and low expansion. It’s used in many different industries, including in the making of lab equipment. The process for creating Quartz Glass starts with melting silica sand with boric oxide to produce silicon dioxide (SiO2). This mixture is heated until it becomes liquid, then quenched so that it can be shaped into blocks or rods. Next, the rod shape is heated again to make it more dense and less porous before being cut into smaller pieces called “quartz.”

Then, the quartz is heated to a high temperature and cooled very quickly, which makes it clear. The final step in the process involves grinding the crystal into its desired shape.

Quartz Glass

This material can be further treated to produce different finishes, such as a matte finish or one with special properties. It is used in making heating elements, vacuum tubes, and laboratory equipment.

Some other uses for Quartz Glass are in the making of light fixtures, ovens, kilns, and scientific apparatus. This material is mostly made in Europe and the United States, where it is often used for high-quality applications.

Some other names for Quartz Glass are fused silica, quartz glass-ceramics, and vitrified silicon dioxide. Watchmakers use it to make watch crystals and clock glasses. It has many other applications, as well.

It was discovered in 1789 by Danish physicist and chemist, Hans Christian Oersted. He first heated powdered quartz with borax and charcoal, which produced a transparent material. Since then, the process for creating Quartz Glass has changed, but the material remains as useful today as it was when first discovered.