RAW MATERIALS

The main raw materials that are used in the manufacture process of our glass containers are silica sand, soda ash, limestone, feldspar and other minor components. We add recycled glass (cullet). Is important to mention that glass is one of the few materials that can be recycled indefinitely. Raw materials are mixed and later on feed into the melting furnace.

MELTING

Raw materials are melted in a furnace at a temperature above the 2700 ºF. Once melted, the glass goes through the furnace throat arriving at the distributor and finally to the feeders. We use Oxy Fuel -Technology, which is a hi-tech process where an almost perfect combustion is obtained and practically there is no polluting emissions into the atmosphere.
The feeders are used to prepare the temperature of the glass. In the sections called forehearths the glass feed the machine in form of a gob.

GLASS CONTAINERS

The IS machine (Independent Sections) is the one that form our bottles from the gobs. Inside the machine a series of similar molds in line are fed by with originating gobs of the forehearth. These machines work in two different stages:

First the parison and the finish are formed by pressing with a plunger or blowing air inside the glass.

Later, in the finishing mould the air is blown again to obtain the final shape to the bottle.

In "Vidrio Formas" we use two different processes:

Blow - blow process

Press - blow process

ANNEALING

Once the glass containers are formed, they pass to an annealing lehr. Its function is to cool down the glass in a homogenous and controlled way to release the tensions and compression stresses in the walls of the containers and to avoid possible forces that could break it; some bottles take a different external treatments to give bottle's surface specific characteristics.

QUALITY

Bottles and jars are inspected by several manual and automatic controls of quality with the purpose of verifying that they fulfill the different specification: form, dimension, resistance, configuration, aspect, etc. This way we guarantee that we fulfill or exceed the quality our clients demand.

PACKAGING

At the end of the production line, and after checking the quality of the glass containers, they are packaging according to the specifications and requirements of the client.