Laser Cutting Borofloat 33 – Borofloat 33 (CTE 3.25 x 10^-6 /K, 350 nm – 2.0 um); Laser Cutting to +/-0.02 mm contour. No minimum order; DFM review included with every RFQ.
laser cutting borofloat 33 is a materials problem before it is a machining problem. Borofloat 33 has float-glass flatness off the line and a Knoop hardness of 480 kg/mm2, so the laser cutting recipe – feeds, coolant, tooling – differs from what works on ordinary float glass. The line runs picosecond and CO2 laser stations with vision registration and holds +/-0.02 mm contour.
Key parameters
| 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 |
| Process | Laser Cutting |
| Working tolerance | +/-0.02 mm contour |
| Minimum feature | 0.10 mm hole diameter |
| Surface finish | sealed edge, chip-free |
| Thickness window | 0.03 – 6 mm |
| Edge condition | filamentation edge, optional post-polish |
| RFQ inputs | PDF/DXF/STEP drawing, quantity brackets, surface and edge spec |
Getting the drawing right
The shop-floor rules that matter here:
- Material note: float tin side must be tracked when parts see coating or bonding steps.
- Process boundary: aspect ratio in a single pass tops out near 10:1; thicker sections shift to coring or ultrasonic work.
- 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.
What the process holds
Laser Cutting earns its place through chip-free free-form contours and dense hole arrays in thin and ultra-thin glass. Its boundary condition – aspect ratio in a single pass tops out near 10:1; thicker sections shift to coring or ultrasonic work – is the first thing our DFM review checks.
Beyond this page, Borofloat 33 routinely runs through polishing, double-side polishing, etching, ultrasonic machining in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Typical applications
laser cutting borofloat 33 shows up across microfluidic devices (chips, manifolds, via plates, bonded stacks); led packaging (groove covers, phosphor carriers, package windows); machine vision (camera windows, ring-light diffusers, calibration plates). Background reading on the underlying material science: SCHOTT BOROFLOAT product page.
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: Borofloat 33 selection guide, glass in laser systems, material selection guide.
Common questions
What equipment runs the laser cutting work?
Picosecond and CO2 laser stations with vision registration.
Is there a minimum order for laser cutting borofloat 33?
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 August 2026.