Introduction to Tempered Glass
In our daily lives, we see glass all around us. Tempered glass is very important for safety, strength, and better performance.
When it comes tempering processing,there are two basic ways to strenghen glass,thermally tempered and chemically tempered
It’s important to understand the differences between chemically tempered glass and thermally tempered glass, especially when considering glass for touch panels, LCD displays, or building designs.
This article will explore two types of glass. It will compare how they are made, their benefits, and where they can be used. This information will help professionals and potential customers make better choices.
What Is Chemically Tempered Glass
Chemically tempered glass also called chemically strengthened glass or chemically toughened glass.
Just like it literally show,comes from result of chemical reaction,Glass goes through ion exchange happens in a In an alkali salt solution at about 400°C.
The ion exchange makes the glass stronger by replacing smaller sodium ions of glass with larger potassium ions of solution on its surface. and the difference in volume between the ions is used to form embedded extrusion stress on the surface of the glass.
1：Properties and Advantages
One of the outstanding features of chemically tempered glass is its impressive strength.
After chemically tempered,glass surface stress value and depth increased to 450Mpa and 9um.
If it is aluminosilicate glass such as gorilla glass,it can reach to 720Mpa and 45um.
this makes glass outstanding in scratch resistance,meanwhile,keep the glass still in perfect flatness,as in some area,flatness is very important parameter for later assembly
2：Applications
Chemically tempered glass features with impressive strength and flatness, it applied in various high-end fields, particularly in the electronics industry. Such as
- Consumer electronics:portable device such as tablet,phone,where need superior strength and scratch resistance for protection purpose because of the frequently using
- Optical bonding for touch panel,where it need great flatness after glass tempering
- Commercial device,such as printer or scanner,need to perfect flat tempered glass to aviod any distortion when scanning
What Is Thermally Tempered Glass
thermally tempered glass,also called physically tempered glass, undergoes a different strengthening process.
The manufacturing process heats the normal flat glass to around 680 degrees Celsius around 6mins(depends on glass thickness)Then cools it down very quickly within 3mins(depend on glass thickness),
After tempering, uniform compressive stress is formed on the surface of the glass, while tensile stress is formed inside. This results in a strong and durable glass
1：Properties and Advantages
Thermally tempered glass is well-known for its ability to impressive impact resistance(expecically over 6mm thick glass)and thermal shock resistant property.
This makes it a good choice for places where temperatures can change a lot.It also exhibits easier processing range and cost-efficiency;it has wider application range
2：Applications
Thermally tempered glass is often used in many applications for safty purpose. You can find it in places such as
- Building: glass curtain wall,railling,
- Home furniture:glass shelf,glass tabletop
- Household appliance:oven,frige
- Kitchenware:glass splashback,chopping board
- Commercial or industrial using:LED display,digital kiosk,bus shelter,glass display
- Electronic products:touchscreen
Comparing Chemically Tempered Glass and Thermally Tempered Glass
Chemically tempered glass and thermally tempered glass are similar in use, Their application areas sometimes overlap,but they have different features that make them unique.
1：Strength and Durability
Chemically tempered glass is usually stronger and better at resisting impacts and scratch than thermally tempered glass especically for glass thickess under 4mm.
This is because an ion exchange process increases its surface strength. This difference is very important for things like consumer electronics where strength matters a lot.
2：Flatness
Chemically tempered glass flatness is much better than thermally tempered glass.
As glass softening from heating and high pressure from cooling during glass thermally tempered will cause warpage or tiny ripple on glass surface(warpage even stonger on some thinner glass or glass with narrow width)but long length while chemically tempered process will not
3：Cost and Efficiency
When comparing production costs, chemically tempered glass can be more expensive than thermally tempered glass due to the specialized processing involved.
The investment may be worthwhile for high-end uses where scratch resistance and flatness matter more than the initial costs.
4：Processing limitation
Chemically tempering mostly proceed on glass thickness from 0.4mm-4mm,sometimes will be 6mm,thermally tempering applied on glass thickness from 2mm-19mm
5：Ideal Use Cases
Choosing the right type of glass depends on the intended application.
Chemically tempered glass is great for high-end electronic products.
Thermally tempered glass, is perfect for applications where good flatness will less expect
| Processing capability | Thermally tempered | Chemically tempered |
| Size | <3660*2440MM | 1800*2100MM |
| Thickness | 3MM-19MM | 0.3MM-6MM |
| Hardness | >7H | >7H |
| Stress | 90Mpa-140Mpa | 450Mpa-650Mpa |
| Heat resistance | 150°C | 250°C |
Choose The Right Glass For Your Needs
When making decisions about glass for your projects, several factors come into play.
When you look at what you need, like strength,flatness, heat resistance, and budget, it will help you decide whether to choose chemically tempered glass or thermally tempered glass.
It is important to talk to industry experts who can give advice specific to your projects.
Collaboration with expert designers and manufacturers ensures that you select the best glass types, thereby optimizing the performance and visual appeal of your final products.
Conclusion
In summary, chemically tempered glass and thermally tempered glass both offer unique benefits in glass design and manufacturing.
Understanding their properties and applications allows us to make informed choices that suit various needs.
If you are looking for high-quality custom tempered glass solutions,feel free to contact hopesens glass anytime,Let us help you elevate your projects with our expertly crafted tempered glass!