Ordinary glass or tempered glass? For us, that’s a no-brainer. Toughened glass is around five times stronger, it can withstand extreme temperature fluctuations and, if it does break, it shatters into thousands of small, blunt pieces.
Before we install tempered glass in a display cabinet, it goes through three key stages at the factory. First, the manufacturer cuts the glass sheet to size and rounds off the edges. The glass is then placed in a special oven heated to 650 degrees, causing the material to soften and expand slightly. Finally, the glass undergoes a controlled process to cool down extremely quickly.
Stresses in the glass
It is particularly this final step that gives tempered glass its unique characteristics. This is because the rapid cooling creates stresses within the glass. And these stresses not only make the glass strong, they also ensure that it does not shatter into dangerous shards. Yes, toughened safety glass is more expensive, but it also offers better protection and is safer.
