Borofloat 33 Glass With Slots and Grooves: Borofloat 33 (CTE 3.25 x 10^-6 /K, 350 nm – 2.0 um); Slots from 0.4 mm wide, grooves from 0.2 mm deep. Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
borofloat 33 glass with slots and grooves are ordered for alignment keys, wire channels and V-grooves. The geometry envelope is Slots from 0.4 mm wide, grooves from 0.2 mm deep, held to width +/-0.02 mm, in Borofloat 33.
Specification envelope
| Material | Borofloat 33 (SCHOTT float production, wafer grade) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 3.25 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 450 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 350 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.23 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 480 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.471 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.70 – 25.4 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 500 x 500 mm |
| Geometry | Glass With Slots and Grooves |
| Size envelope | Slots from 0.4 mm wide, grooves from 0.2 mm deep |
| Key tolerance | width +/-0.02 mm |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Process window
Beyond this page, Borofloat 33 routinely runs through dicing, etching, sandblasting, grinding in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Production route: cnc machining, ultrasonic machining, etching – selected per geometry and volume. Edge condition: chamfered 0.1 – 0.5 mm as standard.
Specification advice
Three items decide most of the cost and lead time on this work:
- Material note: float tin side must be tracked when parts see coating or bonding steps.
- Hold the controlling dimension (width +/-0.02 mm) and let secondary dimensions carry standard tolerance – it is the single biggest cost lever.
- 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.
For the complete framework, see the tolerance design guide and the holes and edges design guide.
Application context
borofloat 33 glass with slots and grooves shows up across mems devices (cap wafers, TGV substrates, motion-sensor lids); optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers); microfluidic devices (chips, manifolds, via plates, bonded stacks). Background reading on the underlying material science: SCHOTT BOROFLOAT product page.
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.
For adjacent specifications, see glass wafer bonding, FTO conductive glass, surface quality guide.
Common questions
Is there a minimum order for borofloat 33 glass with slots and grooves?
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.
Do parts ship with inspection data?
Dimensional reports, surface certificates and material certs per melt are available; specify the level on the RFQ.
What tolerances are achievable on Borofloat 33 parts?
Ground features hold +/-0.01 mm and lapped thickness reaches +/-0.003 mm. Float tin side must be tracked when parts see coating or bonding steps.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in September 2026.