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Dr. Nazetaro’s Lesson ”Basics of Optical Glass”

How to manufacture Optic Glass - Research and Development -

  • Matt
    Doctor, tell me how to make optic glass today.
  • Naze Taro
    Ok, let’s get started.
    There are more than 100 optical glass types. Each optical glass contains different kind and amount of ingredients. There are more than 70 kinds of raw materials used for making optical glass.
  • Matt
    That’s a lot!
  • Naze Taro
    Generally, we use 5 to 15 kinds of raw materials to make one type of glass. Optical glass is a complex blend of ingredients. The blending of ingredients, I mean, what and how much ingredients should be used, is the key for development. Reserchers put a lot of effort into it.
  • Matt
    Hmm, when I cook, I don’t think much of proportion of ingredients.
  • Naze Taro
    Hahaha, cooking and making optical glass are totally different. Optical glass is required to have special and specific optical characteristics. The amount of raw materials we use can be dozens to some hundreds kg. If you multiply the kinds of raw materials by their quantities, the number of combination would be astronomical. Finding a specific blending of raw materials to suit the requested characteristics needs a high level of skill, experience and a spark.
  • Matt
    The number of combination could be astoronomical! That sounds awesome.
  • Naze Taro
    Yes, SUMITA is proud of its R&D, since the researchers have high level of skills and creativity. Many products, world-renowned for their striking excellence, have appeared from SUMITA’s R&D Department. For example, a glass that melts at low temperature, a glass that stores light energy and continues to light in darkness, a glass that magnets adhere to, and so on. They have invented and developed various glasses for the first time in the world, receiving a lot of awards.
  • Matt
    Sounds great. How do you use the magnetic glass?
  • Naze Taro
    Well, some glasses are developed but not found a use for immediately.
  • Matt
    Is that alright with SUMITA?
  • Naze Taro
    No problem. The glasses not yet found uses for will be needed in the future. In the past, some products found their use some years later after developed.
  • Matt
    Relieved to hear that.
  • Naze Taro
    We will continue it in the next lesson.
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