What is Gorilla glass?

You have probably heard about “gorilla glass” and some of you do have this type of glass integrated on your mobile phone, but have you ever wondered from what kind of material is this glass made and what is its purpose? If you have any doubts, we will provide you with answers. To put it simple, this is a special kind of glass which is designed to be very thin and light, and which will be resistant to any kind of damages. This technology is very commonly used in the world of electronics and it is used on portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, even on television screens.

Who has invented Gorilla Glass?

“Gorilla glass” is a brand of a famous American company- Corning.The story of this product started way back in 1960 when Corning's specialists performed various chemical experiments in order to make a stronger glass and they finally succeeded by creating the "Chemcor". This type of glass was used in car industry (especially when racing cars are concerned since it significantly reduced the weight of cars), airline and pharmacy industry.

Corning gave another try in 2005 when it started the experiments on reducing the thickness of the glass, but at the same time making it even stronger and powerful. The experiments were prosperous so they were continuously carried out. The glass that is used today is already the fourth generation of glass.

How is this glass made?

This is not an easy question, but let us say that it includes a special chemical mixture, an incredibly high temperature, robots and a special warm and salty bath. To begin with, Corning took silicon dioxide (SiO2) and combined it with other chemicals which melted into a glass mass named aluminosilicate glass. The mass contains aluminium, silicon, oxygen and sodium, but this is just the beginning of the experiment.

The next step is pouring the melted material into a special trough which has a shape of the letter “V”. The pouring stops when the glass mass starts to lick from its trough. The material which actually licked from the trough is the material that will be used. Automated robotic hands will pick these thin slices that measure hardly half a millimetre and carry them for further processing. We finally get to the end of the experiment, but this last step will make the “Gorilla” glass so special; a warm chemical bath in which an ion exchange will happen between sodium ions from the glass and potassium ions integrated in the salty bath. For this exchange to be possible the temperature of water needs to be over 400 degrees Celsius and the final result is a special glass that is much stronger and resistant, extremely thin and can be combined with touch sensors.

Gorilla Glass and Apple

In 2005 Steve Jobs thoughtthat the Gorilla glass can be even better so it required from Corning to make a glass which will be resistant to scratches and which will be on the new Apple phone (which later got the name iPhone). From there on the iPhone and “Gorilla glass” both became a famous brand and a technology. Today “Gorilla glass” is accepted by all the brands of the mobile phones.

The cooperation between these two companies is alive even today. Perhaps you recall that the iPhone6 has Ion-resistant glass which Corning has devolved. There were some speculations that Apple is looking for a firmer display- sapphire.Corning will also be in charge of making this possible. These rumours seem to be true since Apples’new watch is featuring this material. Sapphire is a more expensive material which will for sure increase the price of these devices that are known for featuring the strongest panels on electronic devices.

Where is Gorilla Glass used?

We will never find out all the companies that are cooperating with Corning because some of them sign a contract which requires keeping things silent. However many brands tend to use the services of Coning: Samsung, Sony, LG, Lenovo, Nokia. A detailed list you can find by visitingthe Corning site.

Final Question: Is the Gorilla glass breakable?

The answer is: Yes. Although it is resistant to scratches and minors injuries, this does not make it invincible. If you throw it from a big height the glass will break so we ask you not to do any experiments with these devices in order to test their resistance because it is not worth it.