In the Spring of 2022, to further expand the mold shop’s capabilities, Gillinder Glass will be acquiring an additional CNC milling machine. The CNC milling machine precisely cuts moulds from various design software to meet customer’s expectations in design and specification.
Gillinder Glass was established in 1865, and they opened a glass pressing factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This was only forty years after John P. Bakewell invented the first commercial glass-pressing machine. Blackwell’s invention “quickly led to the mass production of glassware and greatly reduced its cost, leading to glassware being available for everyday use.*
Gillinder Glass still hand presses every piece of glass they manufacture. Advances in technology and greater customer demand has allowed Gillinder to start utilizing automated equipment for glass pressing and maximizing efficiencies. Glass pieces are generally made by pouring the molten glass into a mould and having a “plunger” pressed into the iron base. Almost all Gillinder’s moulds are made from ductile iron, but some may require an A-2 tool steel or stainless steel may be used.
Gillinder also has the ability to do prototyping and programming.