Gorilla Glass & Aluminosilicate glass

[univurshul]

Corning is touting some incredibly durable and thin engineered glass. Recyclable. All the new the smartphone makers are employing this stuff. Pretty soon, a sheet will be reasonable-enough to use as a platen.

Thoughts?

[univurshul]

I sent out a couple inquiries about gorilla glass. The message below was a response from the Corning distributer, FYI for anyone interested in building platens out of this material. It's looking like this stuff is manufactured at thin gauges, however I do wonder about reflective properties

I'll be looking into this further through the distributor and through specialty glass shops; to see if they can cut the material. As far as pricing goes, I'm thinking it's like the Ferrari of platen optic material. One thing that did catch my eye in the email is that the pricing is for "un-strengthened". Why are they calling it gorilla glass if it's un-strengthened?...hmm. More to research.

Corning forwarded your request for Gorilla Glass to me. I am Corning's distributor for this material in the U.S.

I carry unstrengthened Gorilla Glass in the following stock sizes/thicknessesand the pricing indicated is for volumes <20 pieces:

405 x 460 x 2.0mm.....$51.11 each
405 x 460 x 1.3mm.....$39.78 each
405 x 460 x 1.1mm.....$38.67 each
405 x 460 x 0.7mm.....$31.71 each
370 x 470 x 0.55mm...$33.98 each

Above items can ship immediately

If you need something smaller, I can cut to size but the pricing will be different and the lead time will be 3 weeks.

Here's my company information:

Marathon Glass
#325
5865 Neal Avenue N.
Stillwater, MN 55082

Tel: (607) 738-7687
Fax: (815) 572-8853

Regards,

Ben Garbowski

[rob]

Good work! I looked at Corning's spec sheets for Gorilla Glass, and the only reference to strengthening was "chemical strengthening", and the implication was that the chemical strengthening is what makes Gorilla Glass scratch and breakage resistant: i.e., all Gorilla Glass is chemically strengthened.

Maybe your distributor was talking about the anti-splinter option, like they have in car windshields? There is also an "easy-to-clean" option which is a coating, but I don't think that has anything to do with strength.

--Rob

[daniel_reetz]

Holy cow, this sounds rad! I would LOVE gorilla glass in my scanner... it's perfect for the ruggedized design. Please let us know what you find on the "strengthened" front. Too bad about the three-week lead time... if I could wait, I'd buy a sheet.

[rob]

Well, I guess it depends on if you're willing to use a 16" x 18" piece of glass? It seems reasonable to me, if a bit wide...

[daniel_reetz]

Yeah, not too bad, but it won't fit in the new collapsing frame. Ah well, for next time/later...

[univurshul]

I'm in contact with these guys today, I should have the pricing outlined along with some specific questions by the end of the day. Here's today's progress with the Gorilla Glass people:


The following is a brief Q&A with the producer(s) and a distributor of Gorilla Glass that occurred on 06/28/10:

(1): Why is it called Gorilla Glass when you specify the quotes are un-strengthened? Isn't Gorilla Glass supposed to be amazingly strong at very thin gauges? 

--You'll have to ask Corning about why they named their aluminosilicate material Gorilla Glass. The un-strengthened glass is no stronger than most regular flat glass products of similar thickness.

(2): Are glass shops able to cut, rip, de-burr & dull edges on this type of glass without destroying the panes of strengthened Gorilla Glass?

--You can cut the un-strengthened glass just as you would cut/process other flat glass products. Once the glass has been strengthened however, the glass cannot be cut without shattering the part.

(3): What is the pricing for treating the glass to be "strong" or real "Gorilla Glass"?

--The pricing for strengthened Gorilla Glass depends on the size, thickness and quantity. Give me an idea of what you're looking for and I can provide pricing. Lead time for strengthened glass is about 4 weeks.

(4): What are the reflective properties compared to, say, a standard single-pane sheet of glass? Once treated, how does this affect clarity, reflectivity and tint?

--The same as traditional flat glasses. Not affected by IOX or different than other glasses.

(5) The pricing I'm requesting is for the following sizes: 11"x15" (qty. 2). I'm unsure about thickness at the moment; if it's really strong, then a very thin gauge is our goal. The application is to use the gorilla glass against book pages as a photo-scanning platen; the glass needs to be strong enough to flatten pages--this means there will be moderate torsional force across the panes as they press several hundred curved pages to a uniform flattened state. The platen is lifted and re-pressed in a repetitive process. Would a very thin-gauge-treated sheet of gorilla glass be strong enough to support this procedure? (see attached photo--and I don't need gorilla glass for the smaller adjoining parts [those pieces are acrylic sheet + silicone integration]).

-- In your application, are you more concerned about the impact resistance and scratch resistance of the strengthened Gorilla Glass or the rigidity of the material.?

(5.A) We're interested in overal strength at very thin gauges and scratch-resistance is obviously a high priority because the book makes contact with the glass pane hundreds-of-thousands of times, repetitively. (I've seen stress-tests where the glass actually bends under extreme pressure.) Impact-resistance really doesn't come into play with this application. Although the platen comes in contact with book pages, we're not throwing objects at the glass or dropping it. It's a manually operated device at present.
(5.B)

--The chemical strengthening process is a batch process. Price for 2 pieces will be relatively high. Since you are still in the design evaluation stage, I would recommend that you get two 11" x 15" pieces in each of the following thickness....0.55mm, 0.7mm and 1.1mm. Total price for the 6 pieces will be about the same as the total price for only two pieces of just one thickness. Pricing for two pieces of strengthed Gorilla Glass in a 11" x 15" x 0.55mm size is $250 each. Pricing for six total pieces of strengthened 11" x 15" Gorilla glass in the three thicknesses mentioned about is $80.00 each.

(5.C)I get a better deal if I order & buy in a batch of multiple gauges? It sounds like you believe I shouldn't need the 2mm gauge for glass panes this size? In general pricing terms, does cost go up to treat thinner or thicker gauges of gorilla glass? Can you break down the pricing for me or send a URL link that provides a more detailed cost to size, price, and treat (strengthen)? I'd like to see price charts per sq. inch of each gauge and cutting charges, etc. I'll consider ordering the different gauges as a testing phase--this is a good idea--but I just need a little time to look at the spec sheets and pricing before I pull the trigger.

(6) Is Gorilla glass a recyclable product? Are there environmentally toxic materials and/or chemicals used to make this glass reach it's "gorilla" strengthened state?

--it is considered green as it contains no arsenic or antimony. It is RoHS compliant.

(7): FInally, are there any anti-glare treatments that also retain optical clarity while minimizing tinting in the pane?

--I am unfamiliar with anti-glare treatments but I can give you two contact names/companies who should be able to help you out:
 
        John Schmlling
        EuropTec
        email: John.Schmeling@europtec.com
 
        Ryan O'Connell
        Cat i Glass
        email: ryan@catiglass.com <ryan@catiglass.com


Let me know if you need any additional info.
 
Regards,
 
Ben
Marathon Glass

[rob]

Wow, good job! So apparently Corning sells the untreated glass along with the strengthening process to distributors, who then feel free to sell the untreated glass as "Gorilla Glass", and will charge for the strengthening treatment. That's just weird, but it does sound remarkably corporate.

--Rob

[univurshul]

Yeah, sounds like they're getting the regional glass guys in on it, which is kinda cool. But he's in MN, I'm in CO, so they can't be too overly networked yet.

I'll probably pull the trigger and buy the gorilla panes in about 1 month when I employ this on my 4th build/2nd design evolution. But I'm really excited about that particular design-build because it's going to employ a number of super sweet features including bullet-proof glass! Ha!

Still waiting on that quote; I think I drove him to the bar a little early with all the questioning today. Or maybe he's redirecting the spec. requests to the Corning specialists.

Either way, 0.5--2mm scratch-resistant glass is as close to air as we can get. Put a spring hinge on that...bellissimo

[univurshul]

Ben with Marathon Glass sent me an estimate for Gorilla Glass. They batch-process the glass, and he's claiming I try at least two of the thinner gauges.

I personally think the extra-thin gauges will be supportive for a platen, but I think they'll be way too flimsy against book pages. I think I might order the 2.0mm and 1 size down. I mean, 2mm is pretty sweet for glass. I can't find video stress tests online for gorilla glass over 12". I still wonder how torsionally stiff the razor-thin panes are....

--The chemical strengthening process is a batch process. Price for 2 pieces will be relatively high. Since you are still in the design evaluation stage, I would recommend that you get two 11" x 15" pieces in each of the following thickness....0.55mm, 0.7mm and 1.1mm. Total price for the 6 pieces will be about the same as the total price for only two pieces of just one thickness. Pricing for two pieces of strengthed Gorilla Glass in a 11" x 15" x 0.55mm size is $250 each. Pricing for six total pieces of strengthened 11" x 15" Gorilla glass in the three thicknesses mentioned about is $80.00 each.