a joint venture recently formed by american glass research, inc., and ensign-bickford optics co. is devoted to developing and marketing a strength-enhancing coating system for glass containers american glass research has conducted a series of extensive strength tests and performance evaluations of the new, proprietary glass coating material (developed originally to protect optical fibers) and has found that it significantly increases the fracture strength of existing flaws in the surface of glass articles and reduces the rate of static fatigue. the coating is also said to provide lubricity and scratch resistance comparable to that achieved by current dual surface treatment systems now used in the glass container industry based on its testing, agr believes the use of the new one-step, cold end coating by the glass container industry, in lieu of the currently used hot end and cold end surface treatment systems, would permit substantial additional lightweighting of many jobs, while providing increased margins of safety and/or increased pack