Drilling Alkali-Free Glass: Alkali-Free Glass (CTE 3.2 x 10^-6 /K, 350 nm – 2.0 um); Drilling to +/-0.02 mm hole position. Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
The combination of Alkali-Free Glass and Drilling comes up constantly in RFQs for a reason – the material offers display-grade surface quality, and Drilling is the right way to get accurate geometry into it. Expect +/-0.02 mm hole position and exit-chip controlled below 0.1 mm.
The numbers
| Material | Alkali-Free Glass (AF32 / EAGLE-class display glass) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 3.2 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 600 C (Tg 717 C) |
| Transmission range | 350 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.43 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 590 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.51 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.10 – 1.1 mm |
| 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 |
Specification advice
Three items decide most of the cost and lead time on this work:
- Material note: thin sheets below 0.3 mm demand carrier-supported handling through every step.
- 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.
For the complete framework, see the tolerance design guide and the holes and edges design guide.
Capabilities and limits
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 Alkali-Free Glass we also quote laser cutting, cnc machining, lapping, edge grinding, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Typical applications
drilling alkali-free glass shows up across oled packaging (cover lids, frit-seal frames, fill-port plates); industrial displays (touch covers, gauge windows, printed bezels); mems devices (cap wafers, TGV substrates, motion-sensor lids). Background reading on the underlying material science: SCHOTT AF 32 eco.
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.
Related reading on this site: alkali-free glass wafers, precision glass drilling, material selection guide.
Common questions
What equipment runs the drilling work?
Diamond core drills, ultrasonic assist and laser percussion heads.
Is there a minimum order for drilling alkali-free 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.
Do parts ship with inspection data?
Dimensional reports, surface certificates and material certs per melt are available; specify the level on the RFQ.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in September 2026.