Processing & Finishing
Like soda-lime float glass, Non alkaline earth borosilicate glass can be easily processed such as cutting, edge polishing, laminating, coating, printing, sandblasting, double glazing. This multi-functional glazing, with borosilicate glass as basis, can be applied everywhere where continue exploration is limitless.
Cutting
Cutting of flat borosilicate glass can be done easily by conventional carbide or diamond cutting wheels. Water jet and laser can also cut the glass easily.
Edge Polishing
Edges can be finished in versatile number of profile including flat edge, seam, arris, pencil, round and bevel by usual diamond tools.
Holes Drilling
Holes are drilled by ordinary diamond core drilling bits or laser.
Bending
Borosilicate glass can be thermally 3D shaped bent or curved by bending oven. Single or double curvature is also possible.
Printing
When screen printed with designed images, it gives anesthetic visual effect.
Sandblasting
Matt surface finish can be achieved physically by sandblasting with highly abrasive materials such as garnet and aluminum oxide.
Chemically Acid Etching
Though borosilicate glass is chemically resistant, it can still be etched by certain acid. Fine surface matte finish is obtained. If necessary, it can be non-finger print treated.
Surface Lapping
If surface micro-cracks are in issue, glass surface can be lap polish to reduce invisible cracks to minimum. Surface lapping can obtain very precise flatness and consistency of thickness if perfect flatness and thickness tolerance are extremely tight. Surface lapping can also reduce glass thickness to required level.
Engraving
Engraving can be done on glass surface or even internally sub-surface.
Coating
Borosilicate glass turns into a versatile glazing with functional coatings. Solar control and low-e coatings reduces U-value, cut infra red and harmful UV. Certain types of coating such as ITO are widely applied in optical and electronics industries. Decorative coatings give the glass aesthetic visual effect. Glass coating brings comfort and artistic view. Vacuum thermal evaporation and metallization coating and vacuum magnetron target sputtering could be applied on borosilicate glass 33. Other types of coating could also be possible such as curtain coating and roll coating.
Spraying
Borosilicate glass 33 can also be applied with functional coating layer by means of spraying. It could be gun nozzle spray. The spray layers could be anti-reflective, oleophobic or hydrophilia.
Heat Strengthening
Borosilicate 3.3 glass can be half tempered and toughened. It can be applied where higher mechanical strengthen is a concern. When breaks, it does not shatter into tiny fragments like full tempered glass performs.
Laminating
When single pane borosilicate glass is laminated with another piece of soda-lime glass sandwiched by PVB interlayer, it is shatter proof and noise reduction as well. Safety borosilicate glass 3.3 displays excellent bonding adhesion with PVB, SGP, PU and EVA interlayers.
Armoring
Borosilicate glass can be multi-layers laminated with sodalime glass as armor ballistic bullet resistant security glass. Armor borosilicate glass is very suitable for any applications where loadings are importation issue.
As borosilicate glass is lighter than soda lime glass, weight of armour glass built with borosilicate glass is significantly less than that of soda-lime. This is very important for armour vehicles. Lighter armor vehicles mean less fuel consumption, faster speed and better mobility. Borosilicate glass is very transparency. Multiple layers of glass do not affect visibility. Physical, mechanical, thermal and chemical properties of borosilicate glass are better than those of sodalime glass. Armor security glazing made of borosilicate glass 3.3 is particularly suitable to be used in harsh conditions and environments such as military purposes and arm forces.
Double Glazing
Further double glazing turns borosilicate glass into an extraordinary energy save glazing. It reduces also noise pollution.
