Glass Drilling and Hole Processing Services
We drill and machine holes and cut-outs in flat glass and specialty substrates — through-holes, countersunk holes, stepped holes, mounting holes, and instrument cut-outs .
Precision Glass & Optical Machining Solutions
We provide precision glass drilling and hole processing — through-holes, countersunk holes, stepped holes, mounting holes, and instrument cut-outs — on CNC machining centres that hold hole and cut-out position to ±0.2 mm. A hole is a deliberate stress concentrator in a brittle material, so hole diameter, edge distance, and hole-to-hole spacing are engineered to standard rules to ensure the panel survives tempering and service.
Hole Types and Cut-Outs
Standard diamond drilling produces clean holes down to about 2 mm; for smaller diameters or very thin glass, laser and ultrasonic drilling are used. On thick and special-glass stock such as borosilicate, deep-hole and multi-hole patterns are produced in the same machining setup, keeping every hole on one coordinate reference so position accuracy is preserved across the panel.
Drilling Methods
Diamond core drilling is the standard method for holes from approximately 2 mm upward, run wet to control heat at the cut face and prevent thermal cracking. Twin-face drilling — entering from both surfaces and meeting in the middle — eliminates the back-face spalling that single-direction drilling produces in glass.
For smaller diameters or thin and fragile substrates, laser drilling and ultrasonic drilling are used. Laser drilling removes material by ablation without contact force; ultrasonic drilling uses high-frequency vibration with abrasive slurry, suited to hard and brittle specialty glass where diamond contact risks fracture.
On thick special-glass stock — borosilicate (COE 3.3 and 4.0), glass-ceramic, and quartz / fused silica — deep-hole and multi-hole patterns are machined in a single CNC setup. All holes reference one datum, position tolerance is maintained across the full panel, and there is no re-fixturing error between holes.
Glass Drilling Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Hole types | Through, countersunk, stepped / counterbored, mounting, instrument |
| Minimum hole diameter | ~2 mm diamond; smaller via laser or ultrasonic |
| Cut-out types | U-notch, hinge cut-out, internal slot, corner notch |
| Position tolerance | ±0.02 mm |
| Drilling method | Twin-face diamond core; laser / ultrasonic for fine or thin work |
| Special substrates | Borosilicate (COE 3.3 / 4.0), glass-ceramic, quartz / fused silica |
| Multi-hole panels | Single-setup datum referencing, no re-fixturing |
| Sequence | All drilling before tempering |
Need Help?
Provide a hole table or drawing with diameters, positions from datum, countersink/step dimensions, and final thickness for a quotation.