Glass mold
A glass mold is the tool for glass shaping: liquid glass at over 1000 °C is shaped in it. The mold must withstand this heat without scaling or warping – hot-work steels with high scaling resistance are required.
What a glass mold is
The glass mold gives the glass its shape – from bottles to headlight lenses. Liquid glass at over 1000 °C is blown, pressed, or poured into the mold and solidifies there.
The load
The mold sees extreme heat and must maintain dimensional accuracy. Scaling and distortion are the enemies: if the surface scales, the glass becomes rough; if the mold warps, the dimensions are off.
The material
Glass molds require hot-work steels with high scaling resistance – similar to hot-work tool steels or special alloys. The surface is often additionally coated to prevent sticking.