Borosilicate Glass for Scientific Instruments: Borosilicate Glass (CTE 3.3 x 10^-6 /K, 360 nm – 2.0 um). Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
What borosilicate glass for scientific instruments actually buys from a glass shop: reference flats, cells, prism mounts, stage inserts. The requirement underneath is custom one-off and small-batch precision parts. Borosilicate Glass is the fit here because it offers chemical durability.
The numbers
| Material | Borosilicate Glass (3.3 expansion group per ISO 3585) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 3.3 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 450 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 360 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.23 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 480 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.473 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.50 – 30 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 600 x 400 mm |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Specification advice
The shop-floor rules that matter here:
- Material note: sheet stock carries more thickness variation than float wafer stock, so lapping is often the first step.
- 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.
Process window
Beyond this page, Borosilicate Glass routinely runs through laser cutting, cnc machining, sandblasting, lapping in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Where these parts end up
The recurring buyers of borosilicate glass for scientific instruments: medical diagnostics (flow cells, slides, microplate bottoms, cuvette windows); scientific instruments (reference flats, cells, prism mounts, stage inserts); laboratory instruments (cuvettes, sight glasses, stir-cell windows). Background reading on the underlying material science: ISO 3585 borosilicate glass 3.3.
The fastest route to a quote is geometry: use the 3D builder below, draw a dimensioned 2D drawing from it, or open the site-wide custom glass machining 3D + 2D builder for fully custom parts.
Engineers scoping this work usually also review glass sandblasting, material selection guide, BF33 microfluidic chip.
Common questions
How does Borosilicate Glass behave under heat?
CTE is 3.3 x 10^-6 /K and continuous service reaches 450 C continuous, which is what drives its use where chemical durability matters.
What do scientific instruments programs usually order?
Reference flats, cells, prism mounts, stage inserts. Typical spec: to-drawing tolerances with inspection reports.
Is there a minimum order for borosilicate glass for scientific instruments?
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.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in August 2026.