The current structural crisis of our market is biting margins due to the combined pressure of energy costs, inflation and macrotrends in global drinking habits. Investments are frozen and production is being resized worldwide. However, although reducing production is a matter of short-term survival, the mid-to-long term life of the glass industry can only be sustained by structured optimization of how we make glass products.

Optimization at the Hot End can occur, e.g. (i) by improving glass conditioning in the forehearth while reducing energy consumption, reducing dependency on energy cost volatility; (ii) by reducing downtimes during job changes, improving flexibility in a market demanding make-to-order approach; (iii) by continuously controlling and adjusting the process, reducing defects in the final container; (iv) by improving predictability and inspectability of process and machinery, allowing issues to be prevented ahead of time.

Physics-AI Digital Twins enable this in a structured, safe and reliable way. We present evidence of this breakthrough from conditioning to blowing, proving double-digit impact.

Glass manufacturing is evolving rapidly, driven by digitalization, decarbonization, and increasing efficiency demands.

At IRIS Inspection Machines, we leverage:

• Real-time monitoring with intelligent assistance

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)

Modern inspection systems act as connected sensors, delivering real-time production data—from defect detection to quality metrics.

Our AI-powered assistant analyzes this data continuously, uncovering hidden patterns, optimizing machine settings, and enabling early defect detection.

By identifying defect origins and tracking process variations, we help prevent performance losses before they occur.

Data-driven insights for smarter, more sustainable glass production.

For granting quality to their customers, the container glass industry relies on inspection tools, at first mainly in the cold end, since 2000 also in the hot end. These tools are essential but ultimately only reactive safeguards identifying defective containers after they are formed. Drawing on 25 years of experience with hot end image processing and glass manufacturing, this paper argues that the industry is poised for a far more transformative shift. While inspection remains a critical application, our work demonstrates that the true potential lies upstream: in understanding the root causes of defects, enabling real‑time process control, and reducing operator dependency in the hot end.

Through decades of field deployment and continuous research, we have developed systems that not only detect anomalies but also interpret them in the context of forming dynamics, machine behavior, and environmental variation. These insights reveal a persistent imbalance: glass makers overwhelmingly invest in end‑of‑line rejection, while the actionable intelligence required for defect prevention remains underutilized. As a result, significant opportunities for efficiency gains, productivity improvements, and lightweighting remain unrealized.

Our findings show that AI‑driven forming process control can substantially reduce defect generation, stabilize production, and support less operator‑dependent workflows. Yet the adoption of such capabilities is constrained not by technological readiness but by organizational and cultural inertia. Incremental upgrades to inspection systems alone will not reshape the industry; what is needed is a shift toward integrated, data‑driven manufacturing strategies.

This paper therefore calls for deeper collaboration between technology providers and glass manufacturers. By forming true partnerships—where insights, data, and long‑term objectives are shared—we can accelerate the transition from reactive quality selection to proactive quality control and intelligent production. The potential impact is profound: fewer defects, lighter containers, more consistent quality, less operator dependency and a more resilient, future‑ready glass industry.

Shanghai Precision has learnt a lot from the batch plants they have designed and supplied for glass industry worldwide in past few years and the managing director would like to share the learnings from design, fabrication and construction of batch plant and hope to deliver a better plant in future practices.

The thermal balance of a glass furnace is a key tool for understanding and optimizing energy use in high-temperature processes. Operating above 10 MW, furnaces require accurate evaluation of all energy inputs (fuel, electric boosting, air) and outputs (glass heating, flue losses, reactions, and leakages).

This work combines design models with on-site measurements to bridge the gap between theoretical and real performance. The approach enables the identification of inefficiencies and supports targeted improvements. Periodic thermal balance analysis can significantly reduce energy consumption, emissions, and operating costs while improving furnace lifetime and stability.

The glass industry faces increasing pressure to decarbonize its forming processes. This work presents two strategic solutions for distributors and forehearths: Oxy-Gas combustion and electric heating. While Oxy-Gas technology significantly reduces fuel consumption and emissions (up to 60%), the electric solution enables carbon-neutral production by eliminating direct emissions. Supported by CFD analysis and economic data, both systems ensure high thermal stability, superior glass quality, and substantial operational savings. Together, these technologies provide a concrete roadmap toward sustainable, climate-neutral glass production by overcoming the efficiency limits of traditional air-gas systems.

Achieving net zero emissions by 2050 requires major efficiency improvements across energy intensive industries, and waste heat recovery (WHR) is becoming a crucial decarbonization pathway. Europe currently leads WHR adoption thanks to strict efficiency policies and carbon pricing measures, while North and Latin America also present strong potential through EPA programs and national regulations. One of the most effective ways to utilize waste heat is on site electricity generation using and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) turbine. An Italian hollow glass plant demonstrates this by installing a 1 MW ORC turbine powered by our gas-to-oil heat exchanger and high temperature ceramic candle filter, improving overall furnace efficiency, reducing emissions, and delivering substantial annual energy cost savings.

Glass forming operations are increasingly exposed to tighter operating conditions, where stability becomes critical to maintaining performance and quality.

In these environments, friction at the interface between hot glass and forming equipment is often treated as a secondary variable, despite its direct impact on process consistency, defect rates and equipment wear.

This presentation explores how friction can be approached as a controlled parameter within forming operations, drawing from field experience to illustrate its role in maintaining stable production conditions under operational pressure.

This session will present the industrial development of high-recycled refractory materials within the Mexican glass industry. Refractarios Especiales León, founded by a chemical engineer from ESIQIE-IPN to support the Mexican glass industry, has long explored practical ways to incorporate recycled refractory materials into industrial production. In 2020, global uncertainty during the COVID-19 pandemic and limited raw-material inventories accelerated efforts to recycle production returns directly into new refractory pieces. Unlike common industry practice, where recycled refractories are typically downgraded into secondary materials, this project explores the reuse of refractory returns in high-performance products. The discussion will address the milling strategy, the environmental implications, and the ongoing industrial trials that are paving the way toward broader technical validation.

In a discussion moderated by Dr. Heberto Balmori-Ramírez, Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN), ESIQIE – Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

In Mexico's competitive container glass market, where yield, defect reduction, and fast payback are critical, TME Engineering’s Blankontrol delivers outstanding results. By providing real-time, non-contact temperature measurement of blanks and plungers with ±2°C accuracy, Blankontrol ensures homogeneous glass distribution at the blank side.

Without lightweighting, the typical ROI is reached in 6 months, thanks to reduced thermal defects, faster start-ups, and improved process stability. When enabling safe lightweighting, the same system accelerates ROI to just 2 months through significant savings in glass, energy, and transportation costs, while maintaining or improving bottle strength and line efficiency.

Drawing from industrial deployments, this presentation shares concrete process data and quantifies Blankontrol’s combined impact on yield and profitability for Latin American plants.

Glass manufacturers have traditionally aimed at energy optimization due to the melting process intense energy requirement nature. In recent years, CO₂ reduction has gained importance and adds complexity to the manufacturer´s objectives.

In this paper two state-of-the-art lining concepts offered by RHI Magnesita will be described as alternatives that contribute directly towards glass melting sustainability.

The INNOREG regenerator concept is a proven tool that offers a customized design aligned to the specific furnace requirements. Recent high-efficiency checker shape developments provide new possibilities to optimize the regenerator layout.

The second concept, emissivity-enhanced silica crowns, has on its core the honeycomb shape, which outperforms the traditional flat hot face due to the increased heat exchange area and emissivity coefficient.