Precision Glass Slicing & Dicing
Precision slicing and dicing cuts thin glass sheets and wafers into small, accurate parts such as cover slips, filter chips, sensor windows and strips. We dice glass 0.5–4 mm thick to a 0.03 mm tolerance on a precision X-Y saw, scribe thinner glass down to 0.15 mm, and ship the parts in clean cell containers ready for assembly.
Capabilities
Precision sawing
0.03 mm tolerance · Glass 0.5–4.0 mm
Scribe dicing
0.13 mm tolerance · Glass from 0.15 mm
Materials
Gorilla®, Borofloat®, AS87, D263 · Coated filters, mirrors, AR/AG
Wafer work
Standard wafer sizes · Coated before dicing
Finishing
Chemical strengthening · Printing and coating
Packaging
Cell containers to 400 mm · No paper contact
Gallery
Get a dicing quote
Send the part size and tolerance, glass and thickness, any coating, whether the parts need strengthening, and the quantity, and we will choose the dicing route.
Choose the Method by Thickness and Tolerance
The glass thickness and the tolerance on the part decide how it is cut.
Under 0.5 mm
Scribe dicing handles glass down to 0.15 mm at a 0.13 mm tolerance, for ultra-thin cover slips and D263 parts.
0.5–4 mm, tightest tolerance
The precision X-Y saw holds 0.03 mm, for filter chips, sensor windows and optical strips.
Over 5 mm, or looser tolerance
Thicker glass and parts that do not need a saw-cut tolerance are cut faster by scribing or waterjet on our glass cutting line.
Curves, holes and notches
Small parts with non-straight outlines are laser cut or CNC machined instead of diced.
From Sheet to Packed Parts
- 01
Lay out the sheet
Parts are arranged with allowance for the blade width, so every chip comes out at full size.
- 02
Dice
The sheet or wafer is sawn or scribed into chips and strips along straight lines.
- 03
Clean and inspect
Cutting slurry and particles are washed off and the edges are checked for chipping.
- 04
Strengthen, print or coat
Parts go on to chemical strengthening, screen printing or optical coating as the drawing requires.
- 05
Pack
Clean parts are packed in cell containers or trays so no two surfaces touch.
Packaging for Small Glass Parts
| Packaging | Used for | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic wafer containers | Parts up to 1.75 mm thick and 400 mm across | Each part sits in its own cell with no paper contact |
| pH-neutral interleaf paper | Larger and thicker parts | Separates surfaces without staining the glass |
| Foam or plastic trays | Small parts in volume | Holds parts apart during transit |
| Silica gel and heat shrink | Coated parts and long shipments | Keeps out humidity |
Dicing Questions
Coat before or after dicing?
For filters and coated windows, coating the full sheet and dicing it afterward costs least per part. The cut edges are left uncoated and a thin band near them can chip, so state the clear aperture you need inside the edge. Parts that must be chemically strengthened are diced first, then strengthened, then coated, so their cut edges are strengthened too.
What edge quality should I expect?
Diced edges are sharp, with fine chipping along the cut. If edge chips matter for assembly or strength, give the allowed chip size on the drawing, or specify a light edge seam after dicing.
Which materials can be diced?
Gorilla® Glass, Borofloat®, AS87, D263, ultra-thin glass, AR and anti-glare glass, mirrors, bandpass filters and specialty glass.