Terrier missile being test fired from the deck of the USS Harry E. Yarnell DLG-17. These anti-aircraft missiles were equipped with Corning Pyroceram radomes (nosecones) during the late 1950s. Photo courtesy of Carlos Royal.

Originally developed in the early 1950’s by Corning for use by the military, Pyroceram glass-ceramic is extremely durable, corrosion resistant and has a very low coefficient of expansion. It is also transparent to radar, which made it ideal for use as nosecones on anti-aircraft missiles.

These space age characteristics allowed Pyroceram glass-ceramic to be very successfully adapted for commercial use as Corningware® products for cooking in 1959. Its transparency to radar (microwaves) also allowed Corningware products to be used in microwave ovens, greatly extending their versatility in the kitchen.

Pyroceram glass-ceramic next found a place in biology and chemistry laboratories when it was used in 1964 to make tops for hot plates and stirrers. Unlike metal tops, glass ceramic is easy to clean, highly resistant to scratches, corrosion and chemical attack. Pyroceram tops heat up hotter than metal typically providing temperatures 200°C above metal top products. Pyroceram tops are also white allowing easy viewing of color contrasts in such applications as titrations. As a result, it has been the material of choice for Corning hot plates for over forty years.

Corningware Pyroceram heat resistant cookware was an instant hit with people who liked their looks as well as their performance.

Corning’s new digital hot plates and stirrers still offer the same unique Pyroceram tops that have set the standard for quality for over 40 years.