The first techniques used in glass were extremely primitive. In time, other techniques were emerging. Around 200 a. C, one of the most widely used techniques made use of a blowing stick or cane. This practice was one of the responsible ones for the breakthrough and improvement of glass industries.

The passage of time has allowed the glaziers to discover new possibilities in glass manufacturing. After the “innovation” of hollow (blown) glass, the flat glass emerged, being used mainly for stained glass windows of churches and cathedrals.

In the 12th century, during the time of the Crusades, in Venice, Italy, Murano (an island near Venice) became the major glass manufacturer with various types of composition. Murano achieved worldwide fame due to the crystals and mirrors that it manufactured.

In the Renaissance (17th century), there was a drop in the glass production. Italian artisans migrated to Germany and began to manufacture a greenish glass. In the late 18th century, France also improved the techniques it used. King Louis XIV and his minister Colbert met some of the best masters in the art of glass and set up a company, Saint Gobain – currently, it is one of the most important private companies in the world.

The early 20th century brought great discoveries. Belgian Émile Fourcault invented a mechanical process responsible for stretching the mass of the glass. The method used tongs, which suspended the mass so that it remained vertically 20m high in order to be cut. Also from the 20th century onwards, the glass industry was developed with the introduction of continuous furnaces and semiautomatic or fully automatic equipment.

The 1930s and 1940s were a highlight in the last century, when the major manufacturers used the Libbey-Owens method, indicated for the production of stretched glasses due to the ease of handling and precision in cutting.

The history of glass strode towards the manufacture of flat glass, with scientific development and techniques for new processes.