The University of Northumbria is looking to develop a better understanding of glass container production processes that could result in lighter but stronger bottles and jars that take less energy to produce. A team of researchers in the School of Engineering, led by Prof M Sarwar, is examining the technology. He said "While industrial processes in glass container manufacturing are well established, the underlying science of each stage of the narrow neck press/blow process has never been studied in depth." A particular interest in this project is the NNPB plunger. Any metallic contamination can introduce faults in the glass. The team has monitored processes using thermal imaging and has identified temperature changes in the glass at all stages of production. The team has also developed modelling techniques, and new coating techniques for the plunger.
