Laser Cutting Optical Glass: Optical Glass (CTE 7.1 x 10^-6 /K, 350 nm – 2.0 um); Laser Cutting to +/-0.02 mm contour. Single-piece prototypes to production volumes, quoted from your drawing.
Ask any process engineer what makes optical glass difficult and the answer is specific: index-certified blanks must be oriented and serialized through the shop to keep melt traceability. Our laser cutting line is tooled around exactly that – picosecond and CO2 laser stations with vision registration – holding +/-0.02 mm contour on parts from 0.03 – 6 mm thick.
Specification envelope
| Material | Optical Glass (N-BK7, H-K9L and filter glass sets) |
|---|---|
| Thermal expansion (CTE) | 7.1 x 10^-6 /K |
| Service temperature | 400 C (Tg 557 C) |
| Transmission range | 350 nm – 2.0 um |
| Density | 2.51 g/cm3 |
| Knoop hardness | 610 kg/mm2 |
| Refractive index | 1.5168 @ 587 nm |
| Stock thickness | 0.30 – 50 mm |
| Maximum blank size | 300 mm diameter |
| 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 |
Process window
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, Optical Glass routinely runs through etching, ultrasonic machining, lapping, cnc machining in our shop – most real parts combine two or three of these steps.
Getting the drawing right
Before sending the RFQ, check these against your drawing:
- Material note: index-certified blanks must be oriented and serialized through the shop to keep melt traceability.
- 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.
Who orders this
The recurring buyers of laser cutting optical glass: laser systems (windows, beam splitters, debris shields); machine vision (camera windows, ring-light diffusers, calibration plates); optical sensors (sensor windows, filter caps, lens covers). Background reading on the underlying material science: RP Photonics: optical glass.
The fastest route to a quote is geometry: use the 3D configurator below, or the site-wide custom glass machining 3D builder for fully custom parts.
Engineers scoping this work usually also review optical polishing capability, JGS1 quartz glass, microfluidic glass applications.
Buyer questions, answered
What tolerances are achievable on Optical Glass parts?
Ground features hold +/-0.01 mm and lapped thickness reaches +/-0.003 mm. Index-certified blanks must be oriented and serialized through the shop to keep melt traceability.
What thickness range do you stock for Optical Glass?
Standard stock spans 0.30 – 50 mm, with blanks up to 300 mm diameter. Other formats are sourced per order.
How does Optical Glass behave under heat?
CTE is 7.1 x 10^-6 /K and continuous service reaches 400 C (Tg 557 C), which is what drives its use where certified refractive index and dispersion matters.
What accuracy does laser cutting hold?
+/-0.02 mm contour with minimum features of 0.10 mm hole diameter. Aspect ratio in a single pass tops out near 10:1; thicker sections shift to coring or ultrasonic work.
Specifications on this page were last reviewed by our engineering team in July 2026.