Buying guide · Glass Breakout Tables and Systems · Updated August 2026
Glass Breakout Tables and Systems: The Buying Guide
A cutting table does not cut glass. It scores it. The score is a shallow line of controlled damage on the surface. The glass only becomes separate pieces when someone or something bends it along that line. That second step is breakout, and the machine that does it is a breakout table or an automatic breakout system.
This guide covers what breakout equipment does, the split between manual tables and automatic systems, and the figures that decide the purchase. It uses only the machines listed in this category on GlassMachines.net, from Grupo Turomas, VETROMAC S.r.l., ANHUI YINRUI INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. and HEGLA. Prices are not published here. Request pricing from the manufacturer.
What a breakout table does and where it sits on the line
Breakout sits directly after the cutting table. The scored jumbo sheet arrives from the cutter and leaves as finished sizes plus offcut strips and cullet. Every station after that point, washing, edging, drilling, tempering, depends on breakout getting the size right and the edge clean.
The work has three parts. First the sheet is positioned so the score line sits over the breaking bar or under the clamp. Second the glass is bent along the score until it runs. Third the pieces are separated: the good part moves on and the trim strip goes to the cullet bin.
Most sheets need two directions of breakout. The longitudinal cuts are broken first, giving strips the width of the sheet. Each strip is then broken across, giving the finished panes. Manufacturers call this X and Y breakout. HEGLA's Automatic Breakout System breaks cut glass traverses in the X and Y directions without an operator and disposes of the offcut strips into a cullet bin. The Grupo Turomas TA-6 Series does the same split with two models, TA-6X cutting on one axis and TA-6XY adding cutting on both the X and Y axes.
Breakout is where most manual handling and most breakage happens in a cutting department. That is the case for automating it, and it is why the XYZ Automatic Breakout System is described as reducing the uncertainty of manual breakout and lowering safety hazards.
Types and configurations
Buyers face three real splits in this category.
The first is a manual table against an automatic system. A manual table is a work surface with air flotation and pneumatic breaking bars. The operator slides the sheet, lines up the score and breaks it. It is flexible and slow, and its output depends on the person standing at it. An automatic system positions the glass itself, breaks in both directions and clears the trim without an operator.
The second is loading by hand against loading by arms. Arms tilt the sheet up from a stand or a transport rack and lay it on the table in one movement. The BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass is sold both ways: the BT model is the base table and the BTA model adds hydraulic loading bars coated in plastic, with arms that load and unload the sheet in a single movement.
The third is one axis against two or three. A single-axis machine handles cross breaks only, and the longitudinal breaks are done elsewhere. A two-axis machine covers both. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System goes further with three-axis breakout in X, Y and Z, on a dual-axis positioning table that supports single-piece and multi-piece breakout modes as an option.
One more choice runs across all three. An automatic system needs data. It has to know where the score lines are. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System has a control system that receives cutting-optimization data to perform the breakout, so it must be linked to the optimizer that drove the cutting table.
How it works, step by step
Step one is loading. The scored sheet comes onto the table from the cutting line or from a loading arm. Air flotation is on so the glass slides without scratching. The BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass has an air cushion blowing system on every model, with a fan on each module.
Step two is positioning. The score line has to sit exactly over the breaking element. On a manual table the operator does this by eye against a ruler. On the Grupo Turomas TA-6 Series the glass is positioned automatically by non-slip belts driven by a central motor under frequency inverter control, and the table lists arm loading with manual positioning of the loading step.
Step three is the break itself. A bar rises under the glass, or a clamp presses from above, and the score runs. Turomas combines a lower longitudinal ruler with a pointed upper clamp to keep edge quality high and a constant rhythm in the cutting line. VETROMAC uses pneumatic breakout bars. HEGLA offers an electromechanical breaking bar as an option.
Step four is trim removal. The narrow strip along the head and tail of the sheet is waste. It is brittle, sharp and awkward. HEGLA's system disposes of the offcut strips into a cullet bin on its own, and offers optional equipment for breaking head and tail edge strips.
Step five is transfer. The finished pane moves off to the next station and the cycle repeats. On the XYZ Automatic Breakout System the conveying speed runs from 0 to 40 metres per minute and the breakout cycle is stated at 10 to 13 seconds per piece.
The figures that decide the purchase
Breakout equipment is specified on fewer numbers than most glass machines, which makes each one matter more. The table shows the figures stated in this category.
| Figure | Stated in this category | Why it decides the purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Useful area | 6,650 x 3,840 mm on both TA-6X and TA-6XY | It has to take the largest sheet your cutting table produces, or the sheet is handled twice. |
| Glass thickness | 2 to 19 mm on the BT models and 3 to 19 mm on the BTA models; 3 to 10 mm on the XYZ Automatic Breakout System | Thin glass runs unpredictably and thick glass needs more force. Check both ends of your range. |
| Cycle time | 10 to 13 seconds per piece on the XYZ Automatic Breakout System; the BTA model is rated by its catalog as loading in 15 seconds | Cycle time times pieces per shift is the only honest capacity figure. |
| Conveying speed | 0 to 40 m/min on the XYZ Automatic Breakout System | It sets how fast finished pieces clear the table and free it for the next sheet. |
| Minimum trim allowance | 2.5 to 6 times the glass thickness on the XYZ Automatic Breakout System | It decides how narrow a strip the machine can break, which feeds straight back into your cutting yield. |
| Installed power | 2.2 kW on BT40-26, 3.7 kW on BTA40-26, 3.3 kW on BT60-33 and 4.8 kW on BTA60-33 | It sizes the supply, and it shows how much of the machine is powered rather than manual. |
| Weight and height | 1,400 kg on BT40-26 up to 2,300 kg on BTA60-33; work table height 890 to 960 mm across the BT and BTA models | Floor loading matters, and table height has to match the cutting table and the conveyor after it. |
| Number of axes | TA-6X on one axis, TA-6XY on X and Y; HEGLA in X and Y; the XYZ Automatic Breakout System in X, Y and Z | It decides whether one machine finishes the sheet or you still need a second station. |
Choosing by what you produce
Insulating glass units for windows and doors. This is high volume rectangular work with many sizes per sheet. Automatic breakout pays back fastest here, because the operator is otherwise breaking the same pattern hundreds of times a shift. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System is described for the breakout step after cutting architectural, insulating and appliance glass, and it improves the cutting optimization rate.
Tempered glass and shower doors. Edge quality decides whether the pane survives the furnace. A ragged break leaves damage that opens up under stress. The Grupo Turomas TA-6 Series pairs a lower ruler with an upper clamp specifically to keep edge quality high, which is what this work needs.
Mixed jobbing and small runs. If every sheet is a different pattern, a manual table stays flexible and cheap to own. The BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass fits here, with removable surface panels so a damaged section can be swapped rather than the whole table replaced.
Large architectural sheets. Big glass is heavy, and manual handling is the limit rather than the breaking. Choose arm loading, which is what the BTA models add, or an operator-free system such as HEGLA's Automatic Breakout System.
Thick glass. Standard breakout equipment is built around normal architectural thicknesses. HEGLA lists optional equipment for processing thick glass, so if heavy sections are part of your mix, raise it before you order rather than after.
Laminated glass. Laminated sheets are not broken out on a float glass table. They need a cutting line built for the interlayer. The equipment in this category is specified for float glass, so keep laminated work on the line built for it.
What a quote should include
Breakout is often quoted as a line item inside a cutting line, which is exactly how items go missing. Ask for it as its own priced package.
Then ask the manufacturer these questions. What is the largest and smallest piece it can break, and the narrowest trim strip it can clear? How does it get the cutting pattern, and which optimization software has it been connected to already? Who owns that link if it fails on site? What is the cycle time on a pattern you actually run, not a demonstration sheet? What happens when a break does not run cleanly? Is the cullet bin or conveyor included?
- Factory-direct price with the exact model named, for example TA-6X against TA-6XY, or BT against BTA.
- The loading system: arms or manual, and whether they are included or an option.
- Software interface to the cutting optimizer, and who writes and tests it.
- Cullet handling: bin, conveyor or chute, and who supplies it.
- Export crating, freight with the Incoterm stated, insurance and port charges.
- Installation: how many engineers, how many days, and who pays travel.
- Commissioning: the acceptance test and the sheet pattern used to prove the cycle time.
- Training for operators and for maintenance staff, in a language your people read.
- Spare parts: breaking bar components, suction cups, belts, seals and sensors, priced.
- Warranty: length, cover, exclusions and the fault response process.
- Options priced separately: head and tail edge strip breaking, thick glass equipment, the electromechanical breaking bar, and single-piece or multi-piece breakout modes.
Lead times, installation and running costs
A manual breakout table is a simpler build than an automatic system and normally ships sooner. An automatic system carries software, sensors and a link to your optimizer, and that link is usually what sets the real date. Ask for the ex-works date and the arrival date separately, and put both in the contract.
Site preparation is modest compared with a furnace or an edging line. The BT and BTA models run from 1,400 kg to 2,300 kg, so check the floor. Match the table height to the machines on both sides: the BT and BTA range adjusts from 890 to 960 mm so it can be lined up with the cutting line. Compressed air is needed for the pneumatic breakout bars and the air cushion. Installed power is low, from 2.2 kW to 4.8 kW, so the supply is rarely the problem.
Commissioning an automatic system takes longer than commissioning a table, because the data link has to be proven. Insist that the acceptance test runs your own optimization output on your own glass thicknesses.
Running cost is dominated by two things that are not on the invoice. The first is cullet. Every strip broken out is glass you paid for and will not sell, so a machine that clears a narrower trim allowance returns money every shift. The second is breakage and injury, which is the argument the XYZ Automatic Breakout System is sold on. Direct costs are small: power, compressed air, breaking bar wear parts, suction cups and belts.
Mistakes buyers make
All five are avoidable at the quotation stage.
- Buying a fast cutting table and leaving breakout manual. The line then runs at the speed of the slowest operator, and the extra cutting speed is never seen.
- Ignoring the thickness range. The BT models are stated at 2 to 19 mm and the BTA models at 3 to 19 mm, and the XYZ Automatic Breakout System at 3 to 10 mm. Thin and thick work at the edges of your mix will decide the machine, not the middle.
- Forgetting the software link. An automatic system needs the cutting pattern. If nobody owns the interface to your optimizer, the machine arrives and runs in manual mode.
- Overlooking trim allowance. A machine that cannot break a narrow strip forces the optimizer to leave wider waste, and that yield loss repeats on every sheet for the life of the machine.
- Not matching heights and areas. A table that cannot take the largest sheet the cutter produces, or that sits at the wrong height, means the glass gets handled twice.
Machines on GlassMachines.net
Four machines are listed in this category, from four manufacturers, in two groups: breakout tables an operator works at, and automatic systems that run without one.
- VETROMAC S.r.l. BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass: the table option, with removable surface panels, pneumatic breakout bars and an air cushion on every model, sold as the base BT or as the BTA with hydraulic loading arms that load and unload in a single movement.
- Grupo Turomas TA-6 Series: an automatic cross-cutting and breakout machine with a 6,650 x 3,840 mm useful area, combining a lower longitudinal ruler with a pointed upper clamp for edge quality, in a one-axis TA-6X and a two-axis TA-6XY.
- ANHUI YINRUI INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. XYZ Automatic Breakout System: three-axis breakout on a dual-axis positioning table, driven by cutting-optimization data, at a stated 10 to 13 seconds per piece on 3 to 10 mm glass.
- HEGLA Automatic Breakout System: operator-free breaking in both the X and Y directions with automatic disposal of offcut strips into a cullet bin, and options for head and tail edge strips, thick glass and an electromechanical breaking bar.
Specs to compare, in one list
- Useful area
- It must take the largest sheet the cutting table produces, or every big sheet gets handled twice.
- Glass thickness range
- Thin glass runs unpredictably and thick glass needs more force, so both ends of your mix decide the machine.
- Cycle time per piece
- Multiplied by pieces per shift it is the only honest capacity figure for a breakout station.
- Minimum trim allowance
- It sets how narrow a waste strip the machine can clear, which feeds straight back into cutting yield.
- Number of breaking axes
- It decides whether one machine finishes the sheet or you still need a second station.
- Loading system
- Arm loading removes the heaviest manual handling in the cutting department.
- Link to the cutting optimizer
- An automatic system that cannot read the cutting pattern falls back to manual work.
- Work table height and weight
- Height has to match the cutting table and the conveyor after it, and weight has to suit the floor.
Questions buyers ask
What is the difference between cutting and breakout?
Cutting scores the glass. A wheel runs across the surface and leaves a controlled line of damage. Breakout is the second step, where the sheet is bent along that score until it separates. A cutting table without breakout produces a scored sheet, not finished panes.
Do I need an automatic breakout system or is a table enough?
It depends on volume and pattern repetition. High volume rectangular work, such as insulating glass units, repeats the same pattern many times a shift, and an automatic system removes that labour. Mixed jobbing with a different pattern on every sheet keeps a table competitive, and a table such as the BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass stays flexible.
How fast is an automatic breakout system?
The XYZ Automatic Breakout System states a breakout cycle of 10 to 13 seconds per piece, with conveying speed from 0 to 40 metres per minute. The catalog for the BTA model of the BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass rates loading at 15 seconds. Ask for a cycle time on a pattern you actually run.
What glass thickness can a breakout table handle?
In this category the BT models of the BT-BTA Breakout Table for Float Glass are stated at 2 to 19 mm and the BTA models at 3 to 19 mm. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System is stated at 3 to 10 mm. HEGLA lists optional equipment for processing thick glass.
Does breakout affect glass yield?
Yes, through the trim allowance. The optimizer has to leave a strip wide enough for the machine to break and clear. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System states a minimum trim allowance of 2.5 to 6 times the glass thickness and is described as improving the cutting optimization rate. A narrower allowance means less cullet on every sheet.
Can one machine break out in both directions?
Yes, on the right model. HEGLA's Automatic Breakout System breaks glass traverses in both the X and Y directions. In the Grupo Turomas TA-6 Series the TA-6XY adds cutting on both the X and Y axes while TA-6X works on one. The XYZ Automatic Breakout System covers X, Y and Z. Check this before you order, because a single-axis machine leaves the second break somewhere else.
