Glass Tube and Rod

Glass tube and rod are hollow or solid stock shapes of fused silicate materials. They are used in laboratory, sight glass, level gage, X-ray tube, optical, lamp, pharma, vacuum tube stem assembly, and industrial process applications. Glass tube and rod is a raw or semi-finished stock material that is used to form other components or systems. Glass gobs are softened or melted and then formed (drawn) or extruded into tube or rod shapes. Rods or tubes can have round, square or specialized shapes. Multi-bore glass tube and rod is also available.

There are many different types of glass tube and rod. Choices include aluminosilicate, amber, and neutral glass tubes; chemically-resistant, highly chemical-resistant, and corrosion-resistant glass tubes; and environmentally-stable products. Some glass tube and rod suppliers offer leaded, lead-free, sealing, soft, alkaline, or artistic glass tube and rod. Others provide low-melting passivation glass tube, borosilicate glass rod, and silica or fused silica tubes and rods. Ultraviolet (UV) glass tube and Gage glass tube are also available. 

Glass tube and rod differ in terms of features. Most glass has an amorphous or non-crystalline structure, which means that no grain boundaries are present for corrosive or environmental attack. Glass ceramics are a special class of glasses or ceramics that start-out and are initially processed using common glass-forming techniques. Then they are crystallized to convert the material into a ceramic. Silica-based glass is the most common type, but specialty glasses are also available. Typically, such glass tube and rod is made of phosphates, borates, chalcogenides, fluorides and other networked formers. 

Selecting glass tube and rod requires an analysis of physical and optical properties, thermal characteristics, and electrical and mechanical parameters. Physical and optical properties for glass tube and rod include density, index of refraction, and the amount of light transmitted. Maximum use temperature, thermal conductivity, and coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) are important thermal characteristics to consider. There are four electrical parameters for glass tube and rod: dielectric strength, dielectric constant, loss tangent, and electrical resistivity. In addition, there are three mechanical parameters: modulus of rupture (MOR), compressive or crushing strength, and modulus of elasticity.

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