Since the advent of the float glass process in the early 1950s, the performance of the tin bath has been crucial; indeed, fundamental to product quality. Profitable exploitation of the float glass process commenced in the early 1960s, however, ever increasing campaign objectives and production output over the following decades imposed high demands on the tin bath blocks. The problems encountered were all unique; they required extensive investigation, novel thinking and a truly collaborative approach between the glassmaker and refractory manufacturer. This paper reviews the problems in a historic and current context and outlines the compositions available today; a result of continuous development since the 1960s. It also highlights where lessons have not necessarily been learnt; where rules have not been followed and ultimately determines that the "toil, endeavour and fears" of all the past material and process engineers should not be taken for granted.
