The application of oxygen in the production of metals and glass is a well-established practice, critical to the structural properties we seek from these important materials. Today, several factors are important: not least the purity of oxygen and waste reduction in the application process, which enhances the end product as well as reducing the cost to the manufacturer.
This has meant that players in the industrial gases industry have had to find innovative solutions for metals and glass manufacturers that find lower cost, yet higher efficiency, methods of oxygen application. For glass and metals producers this has meant better air-fuel furnaces. In addition, metals and glass producers must meet new regulations in the area of oxygen and the use of oxygen as a fuel in furnaces – particularly in developing areas of the world where production is high due to demand and rapid industrial growth, but governments are pushing to limit the environmental impact.
However, the use of oxygen in glass and metal production has another important component – the role of oxygen in the structural significance of glass and metals cannot be argued; whether this is from the application of oxygen as an agent or it’s use in more efficient combustion, the role of oxygen on structural quality is well-established.
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