Annealed glass is ordinary glass, see "Float glass" (also called “flat” glass) that has not been heat-strengthened or tempered. Annealing float glass is the process of controlled cooling to prevent residual stress in the glass and is an inherent operation of the float glass manufacturing process. During the float glass manufacturing process, the hot glass is gently cooled in the annealing lehr, which releases any internal stresses from the glass to enable the cutting and further processing of the glass post manufacture. Annealed glass can be cut, machined, drilled, edged and polished. Annealed glass when broken gives large fragments with sharp edges and so is not usually classifiable as a "safety" glass.
Float glass is a key feature of architectural design. It is essential to how we design and build today.
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