Chemically Tempered Glass

When broken, it forms long, sharp pieces similar to float glass. For this reason it is not considered a safety glass; if a safety glass is required, it must be laminated. Nevertheless, chemically strengthened glass is six to eight times stronger than float glass.

The glass is strengthened by a chemical surface finishing process. The glass is immersed in a bath containing a potassium salt at 300°C - 450°C. This process results from the exchange of sodium ions on the glass surface with potassium ions in the bath.

Because these potassium ions are larger than sodium ions, they compress the glass surface. Depending on the type of glass used in production, the surface of chemically tempered glass can reach up to 1000 MPa. Chemically tempered glass is similar to thermally tempered glass, but it has none of the optical distortion or air marks that can occur in thermal tempering. Chemically tempered glass can flex considerably.

Also, unlike thermally tempered glass, chemically tempered glass can be cut and processed, but after cutting it loses its added strength in the area about 20 mm from the edge. Likewise, when there is a deep scratch on the surface of chemically tempered glass, that area loses strength in a similar way.

Advantages of chemical tempering

• Thin glass can be tempered (0.3mm - 19mm thickness)
• It does not distort the geometric shape of curved glass
• Very good optical quality
• Chemical tempering is up to 4 times stronger than thermal tempering
• It does not create surface distortion
• Drilling, cutting, polishing, sandblasting and edge processing can be done after tempering

BYC Group's capability

• Glass from 0.5mm up to 19mm thickness can be tempered
• Glass from 10mm*10mm up to 1200mm*2000mm in size can be tempered
• Curved glass can be tempered

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