SORG Group’s Forehearth Department Marks 50 Years of Conditioning the World’s Glass

Lohr am Main, Germany — Fifty years ago, SORG established a separate specialist department dedicated to glass conditioning. This month, that department turns 50, and its forehearth and working end technologies continue to perform the same critical role: preparing glass from the furnace for the forming process.

SORG established its specialist department in 1976 as the requirements of glass conditioning intensified. Since then, the company has continued to develop technologies designed to deliver thermally and chemically homogeneous glass from the furnace to the forming section.

The forehearth plays a critical role between melting and forming. By stabilising temperature, controlling viscosity and helping to maintain consistent glass properties, SORG's conditioning technologies prepare the glass for precise forming and efficient production.

Over more than 50 years of operation, SORG has supplied more than:

–  580+ working ends

–  1,620+ forehearths

–  590+ 340-series forehearths (340; 340S®; 340S+® – in production since 2006)

–  340+ Conti Drain Systems®

–  180+ side wall boosting systems, in forehearths and working ends

–  45+ colouring forehearths

–  230+ stirrer units

–  70+ OMT systems, covering more than 350 zones

Alongside these systems, SORG provides preventive maintenance services and optimisation of the entire glass-conditioning setup.

From Gas to Electric

For most of those 50 years, gas was the energy source. Then energy costs, the impact on the climate and customer expectations shifted, and the industry began to ask a different question: how much of this can be powered by electricity? SORG answered; first through boosting, colouring and stirring systems, and then through the forehearth itself.  

The Viking® Forehearth: 50 Years of Expertise Brought Into the Electric Era

The VIKING® forehearth represents SORG's latest step towards sustainable glass production.

Long-term testing on an industrial scale has confirmed that theViking® forehearth conditions glass on 100% electric heat, at any tonnage. Its heating elements sit inside a purpose-built superstructure, protecting the glass from contamination and the plant from unplanned downtime.

Alongside VSM®, VSM+® and CLEAN Melter®, the VIKING® forehearth can enable up to 100% electric glass melting and conditioning, significantly reducing associated CO₂ emissions.

Looking Ahead

50 years after establishing its specialist department, the fundamentals of glass conditioning remain critical: controlling temperature and viscosity and delivering consistent glass properties for the forming process.

At the same time, the technologies used to achieve this continue to evolve. From advanced heating and cooling systems to fully electric conditioning, SORG continues to develop solutions that help glass manufacturers combine production performance with their sustainability goals.

SORG Group wishes to thank every customer, partner and engineer who has worked alongside the Glass Conditioning Department over the last 50 years, and looks forward to the next half-century of glass conditioning.

Contact:

Phone: +49 (0) 9352 507 0

Fax: +49 (0) 9352 507 196

Email: nsorg@sorg.de

About SORG Group:

The SORG Group is a global leader in glass melting technologies, offering engineering, equipment and turnkey solutions through its companies Nikolaus SORG, EME, and SKS.