Diamond Glass Drilling

Glass machining by diamond drilling uses hollow diamond impregnated drills core drilling the glass drilling holes, cylinders and discs. Otherwise known as trepanning, this process can achieve a good quality finish maintaining a tolerance of 0.05mm of holes over 2mm diameter, this is ideal for making glass rings and counter sinking glass holes.

Glass machining by ultrasonic drilling is suited to drilling holes less than 2mm diameter. Using a hardened steel point and an abrasive, the pulsation of the point grinds through the glass with little stress producing a precise clean-cut hole.

Glass machining by precision glass milling of optical glasses and technical glasses by CNC glass milling, recessing and cut outs to specific depths and contours. This process mills the glass surface by using CNC machine technology with diamond impregnated tools and cutters.

The edges of glass windows after cutting, edging, grinding, lapping, scribing or machining usually require processing to the edge.

The bevelling, chamfering or arising process, involves grinding the edges to a uniform size. Machining the edge using diamond wheels and various grades of abrasives. By bevelling the edge, including countersinking the diameter of the hole, will increase the glasses strength, and is particularly important when pressure is applied to the window.

Some applications require large chamfers and bevels to corners and diameters for clearance into metal houses or for location. With some optical materials it is standard practice to chamfer the edge for protecting the optical window through polishing.

The edges can be ground to almost any angle and size in a variety of surface finishes from a 12 micron finish to a general break edge finish, in any optical material or sheet glasses. It is advisable to remove the sharp edges when the opticalwindow is going to be physically handled for protection.