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Abstract

Isopipes (13) for making glass sheets using a fusion process are provided. The isopipes are made from alumina materials which have low levels of the elements of group IVB of the periodic chart, i.e., Ti, Zr, and Hf, as well as low levels of Sn. In this way, the alumina isopipes can be used with glasses that contain tin (e.g., as a fining agent or as the result of the use of tin electrodes for electrical heating of molten glass) without generating unacceptable levels of tin-containing defects in the glass sheets, specifically, at the sheets' fusion lines. The alumina isopipes disclosed herein are especially beneficial when used with tin-containing glasses that exhibit low tin solubility, e.g., glasses that have (RO+R₂O)/Al₂O₃ ratios between 0.9 and 1.1, where, in mole percent on an oxide basis, (RO+R₂O) is the sum of the concentrations of the glass' alkaline earth and alkali metal oxides and Al₂O₃ is the glass' alumina concentration.

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First Claim