Whether for windshields, windows, mirrors, sunroofs or displays – glass components are omnipresent in vehicles. Today's automotive glass meet maximum requirements in terms of durability, weight, price, appearance and feel. Numerous processing steps refine the material glass – from cutting, edge processing, forming, coating and selective decoating to lamination and assembly.

Typical glass processing technologies today are numerous. Established methods include scoring and breaking to cut glass into pieces, grinding, polishing, drilling, sandblasting, forming, bonding or coating.

Mechanical tool-based techniques for cutting, drilling or structuring glass have their limitations in terms of accuracy, speed, environmental impact, flexibility and ultimately process cost.