Before we discuss whether tempered glass can be cut, let's first understand some knowledge about tempered glass.
Tempered glass is a kind of safety glass. As a safety glass, it will not break into pieces even if it is damaged and broken. Compared with other glasses, once the glass is broken, a large number of glass fragments will cause harm to people, so the design of tempered glass is to break into small fragments. These fragments are extremely small, which greatly reduces the harm to people and makes it safer. This kind of safety glass is widely used in family life.
Because tempered glass is strong and durable, and it is first treated with high temperature and then cooled during the manufacturing process, it has strong strength and can withstand greater impact and pressure, and will not break easily. In addition to being safer, tempered glass is also stronger and has greater internal stress than ordinary glass. This means that it can withstand scratches, blowing, impact and other extreme weather conditions.
Where is tempered glass used?
Because of its characteristics, tempered glass is very suitable for use in residential doors, windows or partition areas. Its scratch resistance can withstand daily use and wear and tear. When tempered glass is used for tabletops, glass doors, windows and display cabinets, the surface remains clean and flawless for much longer than ordinary glass.
Due to its design flexibility, tempered glass adds a stylish and innovative effect to residential spaces with its simple appearance. This glass is perfect for unique and creative applications.
At the same time, you can also communicate with the designer to design and customize the patterns and patterns you want to easily meet your personal preferences or unique style. With the unique tempered glass production process, it can withstand high temperatures, so this glass is also very popular in bathroom environments, even if it is exposed to hot water.
In order to be used in various occasions, there are many reasons why tempered glass must be cut. At the same time, we know that tempered glass breaks into small pieces when it breaks, and coupled with its thickness and hardness, cutting glass is a very tricky thing, but there are still some safe and simple ways to cut tempered glass, so don't cut it easily by yourself in life, or you should learn a little before you start.
Can you cut the glass at home after tempering?
Cutting ordinary glass is a common and simple thing. We can cut ordinary glass into any desired shape and size with a professional prop glass cutter. But can you cut tempered glass at home? To know the answer to this question, first of all, let's understand the difference between tempered glass and ordinary glass.
The difference between tempered glass and ordinary glass
The reason why tempered glass is called safety glass is that it is stronger and more durable than ordinary glass. This kind of glass is made by tempering process. During the manufacturing process, the glass is heated and then cooled, which produces internal stress in the glass, making it 4-5 times stronger than ordinary glass. At the same time, because of the existence of internal stress, the glass can be fixed in its original flavor, so even if the tempered glass is broken, it will only break into small fragments, greatly reducing the harm to people.
Characteristics of tempered glass
Strength: As we know, the strength of tempered glass is 4-5 times that of ordinary glass, especially in terms of impact resistance and bending resistance. It is not easy to be hit or bent. In this regard, tempered glass is much better than other ordinary glass.
Safety: When tempered glass is broken by a great impact, it will break into many small particles with blunt angles. These fragments are not sharp and can reduce the harm to the human body. This is because during the manufacturing process, uniform compressive stress is formed on the surface of the glass, and tensile stress is formed inside. The combination of the two forces makes the glass extremely strong and will not break easily.
Thermal stability: Tempered glass is cooled after high temperature, so it can withstand large temperature changes in life and will not break due to sudden temperature changes. Therefore, tempered glass is widely used in environments that need to withstand high temperatures and temperature changes, such as shower rooms, building curtain walls, etc. I think there is no better place than tempered glass for these places.
So, can you cut tempered glass at home?
The answer is - no! You can't cut tempered glass yourself at home. You can cut it by reversing the tempering process, but it has been annealed, and in this case it can't be called tempered glass.
In fact, any glass panel that you want to cut must be tempered before it is tempered. After the glass is cut into the desired shape, it is placed in a furnace for tempering. The panel is heated to 600 degrees and then quickly cooled with cold air. This rapid cooling causes the surface of the glass to shrink, which puts it into a state of compression, while putting the inside of the glass into a state of tension, in which the glass is stronger. Therefore, in order to cut tempered glass after cooling, its compression must be exceeded, which is why it is difficult to cut.
Once the glass is tempered, it cannot be cut again, otherwise forcing it to break or weaken it will not achieve the original functional effect. Various operating instructions tell us that tempered glass can be cut by tempering the glass first. This step requires heating the glass in a kiln and then letting it cool slowly over eight to nine hours. After annealing, you may still want to cut it, but in fact, doing so will make the previous tempering process redundant, which will only return the tempered glass to the state of "normal" glass, and it will also lose the ability to break into granular fragments and no longer be safety glass.
Is it worth cutting tempered glass at home?
Cutting tempered glass at home is not worth the time and effort. The effort, the destruction of tempered glass properties, and the possibility of failure during the cutting process make the whole process not worth it.
Make sure to specify the correct size and shape before any tempering or tempering to avoid an unsatisfactory end result.
The only possible way to cut and customize tempered glass is to use a special laser cutter, which cannot be done at home. Therefore, if you really need to cut and customize tempered glass without losing its strength and durability, you must seek the help of a professional.
Tempered glass and laminated glass
Tempered glass and laminated glass are often confused because they are both safety glass. Laminated glass is two or more pieces of glass sandwiched together to form a stable single piece of glass that can maintain its stability even if it breaks, which is very similar to tempered glass. Although most common laminated glass is made of standard annealed glass due to cost issues, it is better to use laminated tempered or heat-strengthened glass for strength reasons. The two differ in many ways, primarily in how easily they break.
Laminated glass is best known for being used in the windshields of most cars in the world. This global use can be attributed to what happens when laminated glass breaks in place.
We have sometimes seen in TV dramas that after a car accident, the windshield in front of the car will break in place, but it will not break into pieces. This is the advantage of laminated glass. After breaking, laminated glass will stay in place and will not break into large harmful pieces or hundreds of small pieces, unlike tempered glass. Instead, it will stay in place for a long time until it is replaced.
The reason why it does not break into other places is because of the plastic interlayer that is sandwiched between the two pieces of glass during the manufacturing process. This interlayer acts like glue to bond the two pieces of glass together so that even if the glass breaks, its pieces will still stick to the film.
This very practical safety feature greatly reduces the possibility of injury caused by falling glass. In addition to this, since this glass does not break when it is hit by an impact, laminated glass prevents the possibility of drilling holes by house invaders or thieves.
Tempered glass exists for a reason, because it has higher strength, durability and safety. If you need a custom glass panel, then you need to consult relevant experts, who can give the right advice, including suggestions on size and shape, which will avoid you being dissatisfied after receiving the goods.
In essence, we do not recommend cutting tempered glass. Because doing so makes tempered glass no longer a safety glass, it loses its unique properties, so it is best to determine the size and shape before making it, and you can communicate with the designer early and listen to their opinions.
