Simax glass is a high quality borosilicate glass whose main forming ingredients are silica and boron. What makes borosilicate unique is its high heat resistance with a low thermal expansion of 33 COE. This type of glass was created in the 19th century by a German glassmaker’s son named, Otto Schott. Otto Schott studied chemistry, mineralogy and physics in the early 1870s and is considered the founder of modern glass science and glass technology.
Simax excels in high heat, and because of its chemical stability, is commonly used in laboratory equipment, industrial equipment, and cookware. Regarding art and production, borosilicate is a favorite among Lampworkers who take advantage of these elements to create smooth, transparent, and strong pieces.
Simax glass has an impressive resistance to water, water vapor, and acids but cannot live up to its full capabilities if not worked with properly. Simax can handle temperature variations much greater than that of softer glass, but with any glass, stresses within the product will decrease the items resistance to breaking. Glass relies on annealing (the process of eliminating internal thermal stress) to become its strongest self. Stresses result from one area of the glass getting hotter than a neighboring area, which will later develop into cracks. This makes the annealing process critical to the lasting durability of Simax. Most people use a Paragon glass kiln to anneal their glass at 1050 F for about one hour prior to a slow cooling cycle. Most softer glasses anneal at 960 F. You do not want to cool the product too quickly or this will also cause cracking. The rate at which each steps occurs will vary depending on the thickness of the glass among other factors.
Simax glass tubing and rods come in numerous designs and sizes for whatever projects you are designing. Simax glass is compatible with colored borosilicate glasses from companies like Boro Batch, Northstar glass, Momkas glass, Parramore glass, and more. Since Simax glass is borosilicate glass, it is also compatible with other clear borosilicate glasses like Pyrex glass from Corning, Schott glass, and even borosilicate glass made in china.
Shop our huge collection of unbeatable Simax glass, tubing and rods. Or feel free to contact us for more information about Simax glass or one of our many other products. ABR Imagery, Inc. is Your #1 glass supply source!
