Mirrors, a bi-product of glass, started to be made in the 13th century in Murano. In the 16th century, Venetian glass masters placed a thin layer of tin on the back of sheet glass, then coated it with mercury to make the first sheet glass mirror. The use of crystallized silver in mirror production instead of mercury started in 1855 when the chemical mirror casting style developed by Justus von Liebig was adopted. German George Miederer developed the mirror production technique and optimized it regarding quality and amount to take the first step towards today’s mirror production.
In sheet glass production, the most advanced technology used in our day is the Float production technology. Float production is based on the principle of melting sand and other raw materials at 1500°C-1600°C, then floating them in a pool of tin to cool under control. The strip of glass is brought to the desired thickness and width in the tin pool. During the cooling stage the glass strip is cut at certain sizes.
Flat glass produced using Float technology is transformed into a mirror through a fully automated production process,
- Washing
- Polishing
- Silver coating
- Two coats of painting
- Drying.
In Flotal E,
- Silver coating provides reflection,
- No copper coating,
- Two coats of paint protect the back coatings of the mirror from external factors.
- Paint layers are used to protect the silver layer. The top protective wet paint is 100% lead-free, and the wet primer paint contains less than 0.5% lead salt by weight.
- During the eco-friendly production process, fewer solid/gas wastes are generated.
In Flotal Ultra Clear,
- Low-iron flat glass is used in the fully automated production on the mirror line.
In Flotal Future,
- Since it is produced using water-based primer paint, a more environmentally friendly production and product emerge.