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The Museum
of Road Signs and Signals
and street lighting
The manufacture of glass microbeads
Potters company
March 2023
Thanks to contacts between the MuSé and the SPW, it was possible to organise a guided tour of the Potters Group factory in Fleurus. Mr David C guided us for over two hours through a fascinating environment: the manufacture of tiny glass beads... used, among other things, in road markings (horizontal signs).
The complex manufacturing process was perfected by Rudolphe Potters in 1914. The manufacturing process for glass microbeads has remained virtually unchanged since then.
The raw material is white glass from the recycling circuit, for example.
The glass is crushed and ground.
The crushed glass is heated in
a "cyclone furnace".
The microbeads are sieved on leaving the furnace and stored according to particle size.
The microbeads are packed in bags before shipment.
MuSé has met people who are passionate about a little-known profession and very demanding when it comes to the quality of the finished product. Thank you for having me!
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