Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro (SSV) provides a wide range of analytical and technical support services, such as:

• development of applied research projects
• laboratory analyses and tests for the determination of all the chemical, physical, mechanical, optical, thermo-physical properties relevant for the glass industry on raw materials, cullet, glass products and also refractories
• glass defects identification and interpretation, and technical assistance for the resolution of the production issues at their origin
• on-site measurements and samplings on emissions and workplace environment
• on site technical assistance for the optimization of the operation of the melting furnace (energy balance, combustion optimization, helium tracing flow mapping, endoscopic inspection, thermal mapping) and of the waste gases treatment system (sulfates and chlorine balance, calibration of CEMs, evaluation of filter and scrubber abatement efficiency)
• small scale melting tests in electrically heated furnaces,
• product compliance certification in the fields of pharmacopeia, food-contact, cosmetics, structural elements, glazing units;
• process quality control, eg. shock logger optimization of filling lines, HST verification of tunnel furnaces for flat glass thermal strengthening or toughening, etc
• container glass design optimization by FEM numerical simulations.
• a complete range of analytical services for the characterization of refractory materials, both for glass and non-glass (e.g. steel, ceramics, cement, petro-chemical, chemistry) applications, including on site quality audits to refractory producers, pre-assembly inspection, post-mortem evaluation.
• technical training at the introductory and expert level, and scientific dissemination
• consultancy on verification of compliance to REACH, ETS, RoHS and other legislations

Business Domains

• Glass Products
• Batch and Melting
• Flat Glass
• Hollow Glass
• Tableware
• Glass Tube
• Glass Fibres
• Glass Frits
• Artistic Glass
• Special Glass
• Raw Materials and Glass Cullet
• Environment and Emissions
• Energy and Furnaces
• Refractory Materials
• Ceramic Materials and Glass Ceramics

The thermal properties of glass articles as well as the behaviour of the melt at high temperature are of great importance for CFD modelling and for the correct management of the glass production process (boosting management, gob temperature, annealing curve).

Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro is an internationally recognized center of excellence for the measurement of thermophysical properties of glass, and is one of the few in the world to be equipped with the scientific instrumentation and expertise necessary for an integrated and complete characterization of the following properties: viscosity, density and electrical resistivity at high temperature (up to 1650 ° C), thermal expansion curves, determination of the softening and annealing points.

• High temperature viscosity
• High temperature surface tension
• Softening point
• Annealing and strain point
• Glass transition temperature
• Electrical conductivity
• High temperature density
• Thermal conductivity
• Mechanical relaxation of glass
• Devitrification curve
• Average linear coefficient of expansion (LTE)