Cutting flat glass

Cutting flat glass is one of the basic skills of the glassmaker's trade. Normally, cutting is the first step in float glass processing [1][37] . Although for a long time it was not considered a critical step, clean, precise and fast cutting has become an indispensable requirement, either because of the increase in production rates, or because of the quality demanded in applications such as automotive or electronics. It should be noted that, in many applications, bevelling or rounding of the cutting edge is often required. This is the case when the edge of the glass is exposed: furniture, automotive or other tempered glass applications, for example.

First, we look at the principles and parameters of standard wheel cutting. Other cutting methods are then briefly presented (laser cutting, waterjet cutting), along with a few remarks on cutting special glasses (borosilicate).

Finally, a few useful theoretical additions to the principle of cutting are also given.

Glass fracture, as well as the definition of parameters such as the stress intensity factor, are detailed in the article [AF 3 601] , ref. [29] .