Shaping glass

Bending sheet glass using lasers and gravity

(May 4, 2017) A new technique, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Mechanics of Materials IWM, makes it possible to bend sheet glass into complex or unconventional shapes with the help of laser beams. This technique opens up a whole new range of potential products for architects and designers. The researchers are taking advantage of a particular attribute glass has of becoming viscous and therefore malleable when exposed to high temperatures. Gravity and precise calculations do the rest.