A tiny bit of conjecture for you all this morning having just had a patient in with some particularly wrecked spectacles. Why not use Gorilla glass!? Follow me after the break as I go bananas about this new type of glass...(couldn't resist that, sorry)
There is a company called Corning who make a very special type of glass. Gorilla glass. Not only is the name quality but the product is too. It's used on a wide range of tech products currently, ranging from tablets to smartphones and television sets. The strength of the glass is phenominal:
If this product could be applied to spectacle lenses, which use a thicker slab of glass already imagine the strength and scratch resistance!
For those interested its manufactured through a process of both heat strengthening to get the aluminosilicate glass. This is then chemically treated using Ion exchange to swap the sodium ions with potassium...at 400 degrees centigrade (750ish F for those working in old money)! This then removes the relatively small sodium ions and replaces them with the bigger potassium ions. This produces a compression effect giving it the strength.
Its a slight modification on the regular chemical strengthening process, but look at its resultant strength! It's also entirely recyclable.
No gorillas were harmed in the making of this glass (I think!)
Just a thought...
P.S. obviously I'm not suggesting this for paediatric patients...its still glass.
1 comment:
Just as I was cleaning my phone's screen and then my glasses, I wondered the same thing, and a Google search led me here. Are we the only ones to even think of this as of yet? Seems fairly obvious! Maybe it's only practical or possible to make flat Gorilla glass?
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