Silicate-based glasses have several physical and chemical properties that make them preferred manufacturing materials, such as high thermal and chemical stability, stiffness, and high optical transparency. They are also relatively low cost.
 
However, glasses can also be hard to work with; For example, there are difficulties in precisely controlling heat and pressure. The standard methods for making glass objects tend to be slow and expensive, especially for more complex pieces and shapes that take more time and require greater precision.
 
These challenges might compel engineers to try established additive manufacturing (AM) technologies instead for creating transparent glass pieces; however, these methods also have material challenges (for example, the high molten viscosity of glass limits bubble consolidation and release in powder bed processes).