More than a thousand years passed before people discovered how to shape intricate and delicate objects through glass-blowing techniques. Today there are a variety of glasses. These materials have ingredients and structures that produce distinct characteristics. If the glass layers shatter, the pieces don't go flying off. Instead, they are held together by the plastic.
Laboratory glassware contains a large amount of silica and boric oxide.
These components produce a material that can withstand sudden temperature changes. Perhaps the most common type of glass is called soda-lime glass. These materials are mixed together and then heated in furnaces. As the materials melt, they combine to form a syrupy liquid. This molten glass is then withdrawn from the furnace and processed in different ways.