This KY factory makes the glass for every iPhone. Apple just gave it $45 million.

If you own an iPhone, a factory in Harrodsburg made the glass for it.

Corning Inc., which is based in New York but has a factory in Harrodsburg that has made glass for every generation of iPhone, has been awarded $45 million from tech giant Apple in order to expand the company’s manufacturing capacity in the United States.

Corning had already received $450 million from Apple over the past four years. Apple announced on Monday its latest investment into the company. The contributions help support more than 1,000 jobs in Kentucky and at other Corning facilities, according to Apple. Those jobs include skilled technician positions at the Corning factory in Harrodsburg.

In addition to expanding U.S. manufacturing, the latest $45 million will also “drive research and development into innovative new technologies that support durability and long-lasting product life,” Apple said in a release Monday.

Corning has worked with Apple to develop state-of-the-art glass processes, which led to the creation of “Ceramic Shield.” Ceramic Shield is the screen material on the iPhone 12, which Apple says is “tougher than any smartphone glass.” The strength of the glass-ceramic material comes from nano-crystals, which are produced in Corning’s Harrodsburg facility.

The Ceramic Shield “proved to be virtually indestructible” when tech media outlet CNET conducted a drop test using the iPhone 12 Mini.

In addition to increased toughness, the new “shield” also has greater transparency than old iPhone screens, Apple said. Prior to Corning’s new developments, crystals in the iPhone screens affected the screen’s transparency, which caused the display, the camera and FaceID sensors to not work as well as they could.

“Apple and Corning have a long history of working together to accomplish the impossible,” Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “From the very first iPhone glass, to the revolutionary Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 12 lineup, our collaboration has changed the landscape of smartphone cover design and durability.”

The new money awarded to Corning is coming from Apple’s Advanced Manufacturing Fund, a $5 billion fund which doles out money to support technological advancements and other initiatives, such as accelerating COVID-19 testing kit supplies.

“We are incredibly proud of our collaboration with Apple on Ceramic Shield, made possible in part through the Advanced Manufacturing Fund and the hard work and dedication of hundreds of individuals at Corning and Apple,” Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

“The deep investment they’ve provided for new manufacturing technology in our Harrodsburg, Kentucky, facility is not only fueling life-changing innovation, it’s also helping us sustain vital communities where we live and work – a fundamental objective at both of our companies.”

In a release, Apple praised Corning for having “well-established training and education programs to create career advancement opportunities for their employees.”

Apple didn’t specify how the $45 million would be used beyond expanding manufacturing, but The Verge previously reported that Corning has been working on bendable glass, and Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Apple is considering development of a foldable iPhone.

In addition to Corning’s work with Apple, the company’s “Gorilla Glass” is also featured on a plethora of other smartphones, laptops, tablets and smartwatches. The company also holds a long-term investment relationship with Samsung, one of the world’s largest smartphone makers.