Quick answer: Drilling Soda-Lime Glass covers Soda-Lime Glass (CTE 9.0 x 10^-6 /K, 360 nm – 2.0 um); Drilling to +/-0.02 mm hole position. Prototypes ship in 5-10 working days.
The combination of Soda-Lime Glass and Drilling comes up constantly in RFQs for a reason – the material offers temperable for 4-5x strength, 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 | Soda-Lime Glass (Float per ASTM C1036, low-iron option) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 9.0 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 350 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 360 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.50 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 585 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.52 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.40 – 19 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 1,000 x 800 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
Before sending the RFQ, check these against your drawing:
- Material note: higher CTE means edge chips propagate under thermal load, so edge finishing quality drives reliability.
- 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 Soda-Lime Glass we also quote coring, cnc machining, laser cutting, and multi-step drawings are the norm rather than the exception.
Typical applications
The recurring buyers of drilling soda-lime glass: led packaging (groove covers, phosphor carriers, package windows); industrial displays (touch covers, gauge windows, printed bezels). Background reading on the underlying material science: ASTM C1036 flat glass standard.
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: precision glass drilling, optical polishing capability, edge grinding overview.
Buyer questions, answered
What equipment runs the drilling work?
Diamond core drills, ultrasonic assist and laser percussion heads.
Is there a minimum order for drilling soda-lime 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.