Video: The story behind 'Gorilla' glass

On a lighter note this week, here is an interesting article on "Gorilla glass." Probably none of us will handle this type of glass, but I love learning about the creativity and thought and work that went into this product almost 50 years ago, only so it could rest on the shelf until a use for it was found. And that waiting paid off, big time. According to the article, available here, Gorilla glass--invented in 1962--picked up its first customer in 2008 and has quickly become a $170 million a year business for Corning Inc. The company continues to devote a huge amount to R&D, and they must have many more glass products in the pipeline that we will see come to the marketplace in the future. I wonder if they have any innovations with architectural applications?

Mammen is president of M3 Glass Technologies, Irving, Texas.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.