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Contents
1 Cutting of Glass
2 Evaluation of Glass Cut
3 Cutting with Wheels
4 Cutting with CO2 Laser
5 Cutting by Ablation
6 Filament Cutting
7 Conclusion

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1 Cutting of Glass – History

In the Middle Ages glass was cut with a heated and sharply pointed rod of iron.

The red hot point was drawn along the

moistened surface of the glass causing
it to snap apart.

Fractures created in this way were not

very accurate. Rough pieces had to be
chipped or "grozed" down to more exact
shapes with a hooked tool called “grozing
iron”.

Source: Wikipedia Grozing Iron

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1 Cutting of Glass – History

In 1869 the wheel cutter was developed
by Samuel Monce of Bristol, Connecticut,
which remains the current standard
tool for manual glass cutting.

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1 Cutting of Glass – Tools

Manual Glass Cutter

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1 Cutting of Glass – Tools

Normal Cutting Wheels
Structured Cutting Wheels
Holders and Axles

Insert Holder Cutting Wheels Axle

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1 Cutting of Glass
If you take a piece of glass and try to break it without first scribing it,
it will seem quite strong and will resist breaking. It will bend a little,
because the force you are applying is evenly applied all over the glass.

Hitting the glass by mechanical force causes tensions of > 500MPa

but it will not break if there are no cracks or damages at the edge.

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1 Cutting of Glass
But, at some point, if you continue to apply force, it will break.

You will have no control over where it breaks, exactly when it breaks,
what the shape of the break will be, or how many pieces it will break into.
You will probably cut yourself as well !

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1 Cutting of Glass
However, if you scribe the glass first, it will be weaker than before,
because you generate micro cracks and other damages along the
scribed line.

A scribe line, if left alone long enough, will begin to “repair” itself and
close again. In order to avoid the healing, a cutting liquid may be helpful.

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1 Cutting of Glass
The glass is now stressed at that point, and it will take little external
pressure to cause it to separate along the scribe line.

As a result, it will break along the scribe line with considerably less
force than it was needed to break an unscored piece of glass e.g.
when breaking by hand.

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut

How to evaluate a glass cut ?

Beside investment and running costs there are three important points
to consider when evaluating a glass cut:

Point 1 – Edge strength:

> For most of the final applications
a proper edge strength is a must
> The glass should not break easily

Point 2 – Chippings:
> Often chipping is not allowed
or should be minimized
> Cleaning is expensive

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut

How to evaluate a glass cut ?

Point 3 – Post processing:

> After cutting the glass following processing methods like grinding
or polishing are required
> Cutting has to be adjusted to the whole process line

Source: Bystronic Source: Shoda Tech Corp.

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut

Edge strength of glass

Statistical evaluation (> 35 samples at least)

A sample is stressed until it breaks

The force / tension needed to break is measured
Often a Weibull function is used to display

There are several methods in industry to measure the glass strength.

Most common tests are:

4 Point Bending evaluates the strength of the glass edge

Ring to Ring evaluates overall strength of a glass piece
Ball Drop evaluates overall strength of a glass piece

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut – Methods

4 Point Bending Test (4PB)

A Sample is placed on two supporting

pins a set distance apart. Two loading
pins placed at an equal distance around
the center are lowered from above at a
constant rate until sample failure.

Advantage:
constant flexural stress between the
two supporting pins

Calculation of flexural stress:

3𝑙𝐴𝑙𝐵2(𝑋𝐻−𝑋𝐿)
E=
4𝐷𝐿𝑏𝑎3 Source: Wikipedia

Source: Wikipedia IMI-NFG Glass Processing Course – Lecture 25: Cutting of Glass
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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut – Methods

Comparison
4PB test

Wheel
cut glass

Laser
cut glass

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut – Methods

Ring to Ring Test

Glass substrate or panel is placed on

a ring. A smaller loading ring is placed
at an equal distance around the center
is lowered from above at a constant
rate until sample failure.

Tests primary surfaces but not edges;

highest stress at loading ring

Continuous stress increase

Advantage:
simple test setup

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2 Evaluation of Glass Cut – Methods

Ball Drop Test

This method evaluates the height

where the glass breaks by dropping
a stainless steel ball on the sample.

Shock by impact

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3 Cutting with Wheels – The Process

The Scribing Process

A cutting wheel, made of tungsten carbide or polycrystalline diamond

and with a V-shaped profile, is pressed firmly against the surface of
the glass and a line is briskly scribed to form a "score" or "cut".

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3 Cutting with Wheels – The Process

The Breaking Process

The glass is now weakened along the scribe line and the glass sheet
is ready to be “broken” in two.

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Scribe & Break

A Two-Stage Process

Step 1: Scribing

Disadvantages
> Broken out glass fragments
and chippings
> Micro cracks
> Fragments left in cut path
> Edge chips
> The cut is not perpendicular
to glass surface

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Scribe & Break

A Two-Stage Process

Step 2: Breaking

Disadvantages
> Fragmentation on the under
side of glass
> Break is not occurring along
cut path
> necessity of second step is
costly and time-consuming

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Products

Depending on glass thickness (t), according wheel angles (V) should be used.
Example:

Diamond pin / wheel t = 50µm to 200µm V = 105°or 110°

Diamond wheel t ≥ 200µm V = 110°
Diamond wheel t ≥ 400µm V = 110°or 115°
Carbide wheel t ≥ 600µm V = 115°or 120°

Cutting tool by Mitsuboshi Cutting tool by Bohle Diamond pin by Lach

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Machines

Automatic float glass cutting machine

State-of-the-Art technology with magnetic linear drives

Dynamic
Precise
Minimal wear

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Machines

Laminated glass cutting machine

Cutting of laminated glass and float glass for maximum workload and flexibility

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Machines

Glass processing line

High performance in glass cutting and handling

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Penett®

Breakthrough in FPD market

Due to the demands in consumer electronics, glass was getting thinner

and handling got a bigger importance

To overcome disadvantages of normal wheel cutting, the development of

structured wheels started in the 1990th

Targets:
> simplify or even eliminate
no breaking process
> increase edge strength

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Penett®

A new technology

The deep penetration cutting wheel was invented in 1998 by MDI;

breakless separation of FPD (Flat Panel Displays) became possible

Consecutive hitting caused by the unique wheel structure (notches)

creates very deep median cracks up to 90% of the glass thickness

Conventional cutting wheel Penett® cutting wheel by MDI

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Penett®

Comparison: conventional wheel cut vs. Penett® wheel cut

Essential advantages of
deep penetration cutting
wheels such as Penett®:

No lateral cracks

Median cracks depth

up to 90% enables
easy breaking process

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Penett®

Penett® wheel Conventional wheel
110 notches – 10µm depth 360 notches – 3µm depth Grinding A140

×50 ×50 ×50

Scribe line
(glass surface) ×200
×200 ×200

×50 ×50 ×50

After separation
（glass surface)
×200 ×200 ×200

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Penett®

Weibull distribution
Edge strength comparison: conventional wheel cut vs. Penett® wheel cut
99.9 2
99
1
90

0
50

-1
20
-2
10

lnln(1/(1-F))
F/%

-3 Glass Breaking

2 -4 Penett 110-10

Penett 360-3
1
◆ ： Penett 110 - 10 -5 Normal Wheel…
◆ ： Penett 360 -3
Normal Wheel…
◇ ： Normal Wheel A 140

◇ ： Normal Wheel D 541 -6 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

0.2

0.1 A B C D E F G H
-7
10 100 -2
1000
stress / Nmm

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Machines

Automatic glass scriber

MS Series with single cutting head MM Series with multiple cutting heads

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3 Cutting with Wheels – Machines

Inline glass separation systems

Separation of super-large liquid-crystal panels

Simultaneous separation of both upper and lower side of panels

VSS Series MPL Series

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Advancements in laser technology opened new doors

Structured wheels improve breakability of glass, but no improvement

regarding edge strength and chipping

To overcome disadvantages of Penett wheels, CO2 laser technology

entered glass production in year 2000

Targets:
> increase cutting edge strength
(especially cell phones, later on
touch panels for smartphones)
> reduce or even eliminate chippings

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Principle of thermal stress cutting – a contactless process

Focused laser beam heats up a specific line on the glass,

followed by a cold jet of air / liquid mixture from cooling nozzle

This thermally induced tension causes precise fissuring of glass

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Principle of thermal stress cutting – a contactless process

Advantages:

no further processing like grinding or polishing needed

no micro cracks / chipping
no material loss
for cleanroom applications

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Comparison: conventional wheel cut vs. laser cut

Glass D263, thickness t=0.4mm

Cutting Laser
wheel spot

0.4mm 0.4mm

Conventional wheel cut edge Laser cut edge

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Laser full cut or laser scribe

Laser full cut: completely cuts the glass using only laser process

Laser scribing: requires a further breaking process for separation

Laser full cut d < 1mm Laser scribe d ≥ 0.3 mm

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Weibull distribution
Edge strength comparison: wheel cut (conventional and Penett®) vs. CO2 cut

conventional wheel
Penett® wheel
CO2 laser

Source: Grenzebach GmbH

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser

Cutting of ultra thin glass (thickness 30 – 300µm)

Highest edge strength due to cutting by CO2 laser without micro cracks

Ultra thin glass with highest edge strength (Source: SCHOTT AG)

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4 Cutting with CO2 Laser – Machines

TGC Series (Thin Glass Cutter)

High edge strength up to 1000MPA

Glass bendable up to r = 2mm
Laser cut enables easy handling
Special beam guiding also for
free shape cutting

TGC1350

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5 Cutting by Ablation
Next step: laser shape cutting

CO2 Laser cutting improves glass

edge strength and reduces chippings,
limitation in free shape cutting

Around 10 years ago the question

popped up how to cut out shapes
inside the glass without destroying it

Target:
> cutting of flexible shapes
> cutting out shapes inside the glass
using laser technology
Source: SCHOTT AG

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5 Cutting by Ablation
Micro processing by green laser (532nm) or UV laser

Drilling, grooving, marking, patterning and coating

Company logo in glass Encoder Disks

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Drilling

Drilling with green laser technology

X-Y-rotation
glass thickness

Z-movement

hole diameter plasma Drilling process

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Chamfering

Chamfering with green laser technology

Green laser processing enables edge chamfering on the opposite side

of the optic device
glass thickness

65°

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Applications

Green laser 532nm – DPSS SHG

1mm

Combination of drilling and marking Flexible layouts with high shape accuracy

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Applications

Green laser 532nm – DPSS SHG

400µm
600µm

1mm

Glass thickness 10mm Ø 0.4mm holes in 10mm sodalime glass

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Applications

Green laser 532nm – DPSS SHG

Sagging 2mm depth in 3mm sodalime glass 1mm drilling (straight, conical and counterbore)

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5 Cutting by Ablation – Machines

Laser driller LD Series

Laser driller LD600 Drilling process

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6 Filament Cutting
Latest development

Since a couple of years a new technology entered the market:

Filament Cutting

The technology was pioneered

by Prof. Dr. Peter Herman and
Dr. Abbas Hosseini, University
of Toronto

Target:
> free shape cutting for products
with strengthened glass

Gorilla glass by Corning Inc.

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6 Filament Cutting
Effect of pulse width on processing with nanosecond lasers

Longer pulses:
much of the pulse energy
contributes only to heating

Heat can spread into

surrounding material and
cause damage known as
heat-affected zone (HAZ)

Shorter pulses:
higher proportion of pulse energy
is delivered above the threshold power level,
maximizing processing while minimizing HAZ Source: Coherent, Inc.

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6 Filament Cutting
Comparison: laser micro machining vs. filament cutting

Laser micro processing Filament cutting Source: Coherent, Inc.

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6 Filament Cutting
Technology:

ps-laser pulses are focused within transparent material

High local intensity gives rise to self focusing
Different from ablative process – no debris
Hot free-electrons damage / melt material
Filament creates a defect channel up to 3mm long
Moving the beam and / or the material creates a curtain of fractures

ps-laser beam

ionization
self-focusing Source: Coherent, Inc.

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6 Filament Cutting
Advantages:

After breaking glass has ground-like surface

Good bend strength
Filaments extend through glass
Minimal micro cracks
single pass
No surface mark or debris
Curved cuts possible

filament curtain

Source: Coherent, Inc.

Gorilla glass t=700µm, at 500mm/sec

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