Pick up a jar of jam or a bottle of beer and you are holding something formed in a matter of seconds, by a machine whose ancestors worked much like a child’s music box.
For centuries every bottle was blown by hand, and its quality rested entirely on the skill of the glassblower. Consistency was hard to come by. In the early 1900s the Owens bottle machine turned glassmaking from a craft into an industry, but the real breakthrough was the Individual Section, or IS, machine; Still the backbone of glass container production today.
We are experts in glass packaging, supporting our customers with over 100 years of joint company experience, with a genuine focus on providing industry best standards of product and service.
Stuart Alexander heads up our technical and quality department, providing a wealth of glass production experience and expertise gained over many years. Stuart is always on hand to offer support and advice and to answer any questions you may have.
An IS machine is a row of identical units, or “sections”, standing side by side. Each one receives a “gob” – a measured drop of molten glass glowing at over 1,000°C – and shapes it in two steps: first into a rough preform, then, after flipping it over into a second mould, blowing it with air into its final shape.
Because each section works independently, one can be stopped for attention while the rest carry on. A “double gob” machine, like the one pictured, forms two containers per section at a time.
Early machines were entirely mechanical. Every movement; mould closing, inverting, blowing; was triggered by a rotating drum fitted with pins or cams, just as the cylinder in a music box plucks its notes. The sequence was physically “programmed” into the drum.
Instead of playing a tune, the drum orchestrated every movement of the forming process.
These machines were robust and reliable, but rigid. Any change meant physically altering the drum, so switching from one bottle design to another took time. A few still run today; A reminder of how elegantly simple early automation was.
The turning point came with electronic timing. Programmable controls replaced fixed drums, so settings could be changed at a screen rather than with a spanner. Changeovers became quicker and consistency improved.
Modern machines go further. Servo motors, sensors and real-time data give precise control over timing, glass delivery and cooling, adjusting as conditions change.
The operator’s role has shifted too; From mechanical set-up to understanding the process and acting on data.
For buyers, that means more consistent containers, less waste and faster switching between designs.
Every orchestra needs a conductor, and so does your glass supply chain.
Let Glassworks International be yours; Bringing together quality, reliability and technical expertise, so that buying your glass bottles and jars runs as smoothly as a perfectly played piece of music.
Get in touch today to find out how Glassworks International can support your business with high-quality glass packaging and trusted manufacturing partnerships.
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Glassworks International has been supplying our many UK customers with the highest quality glass packaging, providing outstanding value and dedicated service, nationwide for 25 years.
Stuart Alexander heads up our technical and quality department, providing a wealth of glass production experience and expertise gained over many years. Stuart is always on hand to offer support and advice and to answer any questions you may have.
Glassworks International takes pride in keeping up to date with the latest technologies and trends within glass manufacturing and production.
