Fused Silica Glass With Stepped Profiles – Fused Silica (CTE 0.55 x 10^-6 /K, 185 nm – 2.5 um); Steps from 0.2 mm, land flatness 5 um. No minimum order; DFM review included with every RFQ.
We build fused silica glass with stepped profiles to print – Steps from 0.2 mm, land flatness 5 um – primarily in Fused Silica. Typical use: seat-and-shoulder mounting for sealed windows.
The numbers
| Material | Fused Silica (JGS1 (UV), JGS2 (standard), JGS3 (IR)) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 0.55 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 1,100 C continuous |
| Transmission range | 185 nm – 2.5 um |
| Density | 2.20 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 500 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.458 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.10 – 50 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 450 x 450 mm |
| Geometry | Glass With Stepped Profiles |
| Size envelope | Steps from 0.2 mm, land flatness 5 um |
| Key tolerance | step depth +/-0.02 mm |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Design guidance
The shop-floor rules that matter here:
- Material note: its hardness and brittleness demand diamond tooling and controlled feeds.
- Hold the controlling dimension (step depth +/-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.
The full rules live in our tolerance design guide and holes and edges design guide.
What the process holds
Beyond this page, Fused Silica routinely runs through polishing, sandblasting, etching, dicing in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Production route: cnc machining, ultrasonic machining, grinding – selected per geometry and volume. Edge condition: chamfered 0.1 – 0.5 mm as standard.
Where these parts end up
fused silica glass with stepped profiles shows up across optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers); machine vision (camera windows, ring-light diffusers, calibration plates); aerospace optics (sensor windows, star-tracker flats, radiation-tolerant ports). Background reading on the underlying material science: RP Photonics: fused silica.
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 fused silica wafer applications, glass wafer bonding, special-shaped glass plates.
Frequently asked questions
How does Fused Silica behave under heat?
CTE is 0.55 x 10^-6 /K and continuous service reaches 1,100 C continuous, which is what drives its use where near-zero thermal expansion matters.
What sizes are available for glass with stepped profiles?
Steps from 0.2 mm, land flatness 5 um, held to step depth +/-0.02 mm.
Is there a minimum order for fused silica glass with stepped profiles?
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.