Weathering phenomena occurring during storage of tableware glasses with different chemical compositions were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Electron Diffraction X-ray analysis (EDX). The tumblers of different chemical compositions of tableware glass, crystalline type, were prepared in a small tank furnace. They were packed in paper boxes and placed in the warehouse. Samples were removed after 4 months, two years, and 4 years. The inner surface of the samples was analyzed with SEM and EDX. In addition, concentration profiles of the glass wall were measured using EDX. The comparison of the SiO₂ change is discussed in connection with the glass weathering resistance of different glass compositions. The presence of large amounts of corrosion products, microcracks in the surface layer, and a significant difference in SiO₂ content between the surface and the bulk glass indicates low weathering resistance in glass with less than 1% Al₂O₃ and without ZnO, ZrO₂, or TiO₂.

The technology of AM has been developing for more than 30 years, and its utilization in our era covers even house construction at the final, high-quality level. In summary, in recent years, 3D printing devices have become cheaper, more reliable, and easier to use, leading to their rapid application development in various application fields. Nowadays, additive manufacturing (AM) technology is verified in many production processes as a rapid prototyping tool, except for the production of glass 3D structures, in which processing remains a challenge.

The project aims to develop a new sustainable method for repurposing pharmaceutical glass into borosilicate glass and creating innovative transparent and porous 3D glass structures. In the first stage, the glass precursor obtained from pharmaceutical glass waste through a milling process, with particle sizes below 80 μm, was used in an oxygen-methane (O₂/CH₄) torch (flame synthesis process) to produce solid glass microspheres (SGMs). The spherical shape of the microspheres allowed the creation of a high solid content suspension, with the SGMs making up to 70 wt% of the suspension in a photocurable resin. The second step was the fabrication of various 3D structures by a stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer (Original Prusa SL-1, Prusa Research a.s., Prague, Czech Republic) operating in the visible light range (405 nm). After burning out the organic binder and sintering treatment at a temperature range of 750-1200°C with different heating and holding regimes, various scaffolds (porous and/or transparent) were achieved.