The video is a detailed walkthrough of the process of making mirrors. It begins with the extraction of sand, the primary material used in making glass. This sand is mixed with sodium carbonate and limestone in a large mixer. The mixture is then passed through a magnetic filter to remove any particles.
The mixture is then heated in an oven, reaching temperatures of up to 1,500 degrees Celsius. The glass that emerges from this process is extremely hot, about 1,200 degrees Celsius. After cooling, the glass goes through a machine that applies a thin layer of liquid tin, which then spreads over the surface of the glass.
This glass is then placed in a tank with tin, which is heated to 620 degrees Celsius. The glass is then cooled slowly in an annealing chest, which removes the hot air and mixes it with the environment before it is applied to the glass.
The glass then undergoes a series of chemical treatments, including sanding with cerium oxide, washing with tin chloride and Palladium chloride, and finally, the application of silver nitrate. This process forms a layer of silver on the glass.
The glass is then heated and cooled again to remove all the water, and finally, a layer of paint is applied to protect the mirror. The entire process is controlled by cameras and robots, which ensure the glass is of the correct thickness and that the chemical treatments are applied correctly.
Finally, the mirrors are organized by a robot, which ensures they are ready for transport. Throughout the entire process, no human touches the mirror, ensuring its quality and purity.
1. The process of making mirrors begins in Tatuí, in the interior of São Paulo.
2. The basic materials used in the glass manufacturing process include sand, silicon, and sodium carbonate.
3. The mixture of these materials is processed in a giant mixer that holds four and a half tons.
4. After the mixture, broken glass is added to the conveyor belt as a recycling method.
5. The mixture then goes through a magnetic filter to remove any particles.
6. The recipe is then placed in an oven that reaches up to 1,500 degrees Celsius and is powered by natural gas.
7. The oven is a continuous one, meaning the material moves inside the oven and never stays still.
8. The oven takes three days to finish processing a material, even if something changes in the ingredient.
9. Workers in the process wear boots, pants, protective jackets, gloves, ear protection, and glasses.
10. The floor temperature in the factory is 78 degrees Celsius.
11. The oven wall reaches 303 degrees Celsius.
12. The glass is about 1,200 degrees Celsius.
13. The process of making the glass is similar to making a marble, but with an extremely straight flat glass.
14. The glass is then coated with a layer of liquid tin.
15. The glass is controlled by cameras that need to be refrigerated.
16. The glass comes out of the tin tank at 620 degrees Celsius.
17. The glass then goes through an annealing chest to cool slowly.
18. The glass then goes through a microabrasion process, sanding the mirror with cerium oxide.
19. After sanding, the glass goes through a wash and receives a first chemical, tin chloride.
20. The glass then receives a layer of Palladium chloride to prepare it to receive the silver.
21. The final step in the process is the deposition of silver nitrate on the glass, which then reflects clearly in the mirror.
22. The glass is then heated and cooled to remove all the water.
23. Finally, a layer of paint is applied to protect the mirror.
24. The mirrors are then organized by a robot.
25. The mirror package is carried by machines on top of trucks to the pick-up point.
26. The first human to touch the mirror is not the one who made it, but the customer who buys the mirror.