Float glass is a sheet of
glass made by floating molten glass on a bed of molten metal, typically
tin, although
lead and various low
melting point alloys were used in the past. This method gives the sheet uniform thickness and very flat surfaces. Modern
windows are made from float glass. Most float glass is
soda-lime glass, but relatively minor quantities of specialty
borosilicate and
flat panel display glass are also produced using the float glass process. The float glass process is also known as the
Pilkington process, named after the British glass manufacturer
Pilkington, which pioneered the technique (invented by Sir
Alastair Pilkington) in the 1950s.