In recent years, greater attention has been focused on the distributor and forehearth of the furnace, as glass quality has become a more critical issue. Modern forming processes and glassware quality expectations are now intolerant to glass defects and recent developments in forehearth design have also increased demands on the refractories. Traditional materials and manufacturing techniques still have their place in modern furnace operation such as the advent of oxy-fuel technology and a wider range of coloured glass being produced have driven the development of more specialist products, differentiated from conventional products via casting technique, bond method and chemistry. In this paper the author revews DSF's refractory material options for distributor and forehearth applications.
