Prep Talk

Honors Chemistry Class Visits Gerresheimer Glass

Posted April 19th, 2015

Mrs. McHugh’s Honors Chemistry class participated in a fascinating day of experiential learning at Gerresheimer Glass in Vineland. The day began with a presentation by plant manager John McDermott, father of sophomore Noah McDermott, where he discussed business operations of the company. The class then embarked on a lesson in glass chemistry. Students learned about the different types of glass – their chemical composition and resultant physical properties.

The highlight of the trip was a tour of the manufacturing facility – where students witnessed, firsthand, the hot and cold phases of the industrial production. After the raw material is delivered from the batch house, students gazed into the furnace (over 3,000 0F) equipped with polarized lenses and thermal gloves to view the molten glass moving through the furnace chamber. From here, using gravity, the glass moved into the forming phase of production. Students were positioned in mission central, the area linking the hot and the cold phase, and received a detailed explanation of the computer monitoring systems.

Lastly, students toured the inspection and packaging operations. The inspection phase involved a detailed look at the quality control operations – with guides explaining the use and operation of sophisticated laboratory equipment. Along the way, students were presented with the sustainability aspect of this process – seeing overflow drop two stories to cool and become cullet or recycled glass fragments that return to the batch house. The students were amazed by the size and automation of the entire process.

A big thank you to Gerresheimer Glass for the tour!