Quick answer: Drilling ITO Coated Glass covers ITO Coated Glass (CTE substrate dependent, >85% visible @ 100 ohm/sq); Drilling to +/-0.02 mm hole position. Prototypes ship in 5-10 working days.
drilling ito coated glass is a materials problem before it is a machining problem. ITO Coated Glass has transparent conductivity and a Knoop hardness of substrate value, so the drilling recipe – feeds, coolant, tooling – differs from what works on ordinary float glass. The line runs diamond core drills, ultrasonic assist and laser percussion heads and holds +/-0.02 mm hole position.
Key parameters
| Material | ITO Coated Glass (ITO on soda-lime, borosilicate or alkali-free) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | substrate dependent |
| Service temperature | 350 C (coating stable) |
| Transmission range | >85% visible @ 100 ohm/sq |
| Density | 2.23 – 2.51 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | substrate value |
| Refractive index | 1.9 – 2.1 (ITO film) |
| Stock thickness | 0.30 – 3.0 mm substrates |
| Maximum blank size | 400 x 300 mm |
| Process | Drilling |
| Working tolerance | +/-0.02 mm hole position |
| Minimum feature | 0.15 mm laser / 0.5 mm mechanical |
| Surface finish | exit-chip controlled below 0.1 mm |
| Thickness window | 0.1 – 30 mm |
| Edge condition | optional chamfered hole entry |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
DFM notes from the shop floor
The shop-floor rules that matter here:
- Material note: machining happens film-side-aware: scribing, edge deletion and contact zones are defined before cutting.
- Process boundary: hole-to-edge distance should stay above 1.5x thickness to protect strength.
- Over-specification is the quiet budget killer: a 20/10 scratch-dig face costs roughly three times an 80/50 face, so grade each surface individually.
The full rules live in our tolerance design guide and holes and edges design guide.
Manufacturing capability
The core strength of Drilling is through-holes, blind holes and countersinks at densities beyond 1,000 holes per part. The honest limit: hole-to-edge distance should stay above 1.5x thickness to protect strength. Both belong on the drawing before quoting, not after.
One material, many routes: on ITO Coated Glass we also quote cnc machining, laser cutting, coring, edge grinding, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Where these parts end up
The recurring buyers of drilling ito coated glass: microfluidic devices (chips, manifolds, via plates, bonded stacks); industrial displays (touch covers, gauge windows, printed bezels); aerospace optics (sensor windows, star-tracker flats, radiation-tolerant ports). Background reading on the underlying material science: ScienceDirect: indium tin oxide.
Dimensions still moving? Configure this part live in the 3D + 2D builder below, or open the full custom glass machining 3D + 2D builder to start from a blank canvas.
Useful companion pages: custom ITO glass, ITO coating process, machining tolerance guide.
Frequently asked questions
What equipment runs the drilling work?
Diamond core drills, ultrasonic assist and laser percussion heads.
Is there a minimum order for drilling ito coated glass?
No. Single prototypes are accepted, and pricing steps down at 10, 100 and 1,000 pieces.
How fast can prototypes ship?
Machined prototypes ship in 5 – 10 working days. Coated or bonded parts add 1 – 2 weeks depending on queue slots.
What files do you need for a quote?
A dimensioned PDF plus DXF or STEP geometry. If only a sketch exists, our drawing review service formalizes it before quoting.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in September 2026.