What starts out as two pieces of plain quartz tube can quickly be changed to something much more intricate, but only in the hands of a skilled craftsperson. Here at Multi-Lab we are proud to have a dedicated Team of such people who are capable of producing a vast number of various products for customers the world over.

We will be featuring a regular update to the blog, highlighting and showcasing the skills that enable us to create from this amazing material.

A relatively simple job for these craftsmen but it demonstrates a little of what can be done with this versatile material.  Firstly, we cut two pieces of  quartz tubing down to a short length.

The tubes are then mounted into the Glass blowing Lathe. This is one of our smaller Bench models. Multi-lab operate an extensive range of Glass Blowing lathes, from the smallest as we see here to much larger machines capable of handling Ø400-500mm shapes.

To shape the quartz it must be heated to temperatures above 1700°C. The material will glow  an intense white once it’s ready to be formed.

We then get to work, shaping and creating the desired geometry. In this instance, the tube end is domed, a small opening is left at the end of the dome in preparation for joining onto a smaller diameter tube. The finished product will have a scientific application. Fused quartz is a common product in almost all scientific laboratories. A wide variety of pieces are made here at Multi-lab. We have many years experience producing condensers, traps, flowmeters, crucibles, funnels etc. A more comprehensive list is on the main web page http://www.multi-lab.co.uk/manufactured-quartz-items.htm.

Under the intense heat, the two tubes are joined and welded together.

The material rapidly cools down as soon as the heat is removed.

Almost finished!

The ends will be trimmed down to length but that’s it until the next job.