Buying guide · Glass Drilling and Milling Machines · Updated August 2026
Glass Drilling and Milling Machines: The Buying Guide
A glass drilling and milling machine puts holes, slots, cut-outs and countersinks into flat glass. It is a small station next to a cutting table or a furnace, but it decides whether a shower hinge lines up, whether a cooktop drops into its opening, and whether a facade panel bolts to its fitting.
This guide explains what the machines do, the split between horizontal and vertical formats, the figures that decide the purchase, and how to read a quote. Every number here comes from the machines listed on this page. Where a figure is not published, the text stays general.
What a glass drilling and milling machine does, and where it sits on the line
Glass is not drilled the way steel is. A hollow diamond core bit spins against the surface, grinds away a ring of glass and lifts out a slug. Water runs through the bit to flush the swarf and keep the bond cool. Milling works the same way with a diamond router or wheel, opening a slot, a notch, a corner cut-out or a countersink instead of a round hole.
The station sits after cutting and breakout, and after the edge work that squares the pane, because the machine references the edges to place the hole. It sits before tempering, and that order is fixed. A tempered pane cannot be drilled, so any hole missed here means a new pane. Downstream the glass goes to tempering, laminating, insulating glass assembly or hardware fitting.
Some machines close the gap to the next station. The ANHUI MORNSUN INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. CNC Glass Milling Machine for Door Clip cuts out, drills and mills with no secondary polishing needed. Machines with an opposed second head, such as the Lattuada North America TP Series, drill from both faces so the exit side does not chip.
- Before: cutting table, breakout, edge grinding, washing
- This station: holes, countersinks, slots, notches, corner cut-outs
- After: tempering, laminating, insulating glass line, hardware fitting
Types and configurations
The first split is horizontal against vertical. A horizontal machine lays the pane flat on a table or roller conveyor. Loading is simple and drilling depth on the bottom head can be set precisely. The Lattuada North America TP Series and the Tesir Makine SY 300 are horizontal. A vertical machine stands the pane upright at a slight lean, so it takes far less floor area and water drains away from the glass. The Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. TFV Vertical Drilling Machine, the Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine, the BLM Machinery Vertical Glass Drilling and Milling Machines and the Neptun S.r.l. QuickMill / QuickDrill Vertical Working Centers are vertical.
The second split is head count. One head drills from a single face, so the operator flips the pane or accepts a chipped exit. Two opposed heads drill from both faces and meet in the middle. The Lattuada North America TP Series offers one or two opposing heads, with the bottom head automatic and the top head manual.
The third split is tool change. The Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine uses a five-head turret so different hole sizes run without a change. The BLM Machinery Multi-Spindle Bow-Type Glass Drilling Machines carry a tool magazine per head, with spindle counts from 2+2 up to 8+8+8. The BLM Machinery Vertical Glass Drilling and Milling Machines in A71X form carry 6 x 2 or 8 x 2 BT40 tool holders on a 12000 rpm spindle.
The last split is stand-alone against in-line. A stand-alone unit is loaded by hand and suits mixed work. An in-line unit sits inside a conveyor. The Neptun S.r.l. Quickline Vertical Working Centers combine QuickMill and QuickDrill modules into one line working in sequence or in parallel, and the BLM Machinery Shower Door Glass Drilling Machines include the A31D, a three-station line with barcode scanning.
- Horizontal table or conveyor: easy loading, good for small and medium parts
- Vertical: far less floor area, better drainage, suits large architectural panes
- Single head or opposed pair: the pair removes exit chipping in one cycle
- Turret or tool magazine: several hole sizes without an operator tool change
- Multi-spindle bow type: several holes at once on repeat patterns
- Gantry: large panes drilled and milled in one setup
- Stand-alone or in-line: mixed work against steady volume
How it works, step by step
The cycle is short and much the same on every machine. What changes is how much of it the operator does by hand.
Control quality shows up in steps one and three. The Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine loads DXF files and drills without the operator entering data, and its torque control limits force so deep countersinks do not crack the glass. The Jinan Rongqi Intelligent Technology Co.,Ltd. CNC Glass Drilling Machine takes typed hole coordinates, then positions the drill pipe itself. The Neptun S.r.l. Quickline Vertical Working Centers carry DCS intelligent drilling tool control.
- 1. Program the hole pattern, by DXF import, by typed coordinates or by barcode call-up
- 2. Load the pane and reference it against fixed stops or positioning points
- 3. Clamp the glass so it cannot creep during the cycle
- 4. Feed the first bit down under controlled propulsion, roughly two thirds through the thickness
- 5. Meet the hole from the opposite face with the second head, or turn the pane on a single-head machine
- 6. Change to a countersink or a milling tool for clip slots, notches and cut-outs
- 7. Flush, unload and return the water and glass sludge to the tank for settling
The figures that decide the purchase
Nine numbers settle most of these decisions. Read them against your own order book, not against the largest pane the machine can hold.
| Figure | Range across the machines on this page | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Glass thickness | 2 to 80 mm | Lattuada North America TP Series takes 2 to 50 mm, Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine 3 to 80 mm, most BLM Machinery models 4 to 19 mm |
| Hole diameter | 3 to 250 mm | Hardware sits in the 6 to 50 mm band, cooktop work needs 100 to 165 mm or more |
| Max glass size | 1600 x 1600 mm to 6000 x 3000 mm | Sets whether facade panes can be drilled at all |
| Min glass size | 100 x 100 mm to 1600 x 300 mm | The figure buyers forget: a big conveyor machine cannot hold a small part |
| Reach from the edge | Y travel to 900 mm on the A22 / A23, useful depth 1000 to 1665 mm on the TP Series | Decides whether a hole can sit deep inside the pane |
| Spindle speed | 250 to 24000 rpm | Low speed for large cores, high speed for milling and marking |
| Installed power | 1.5 kW to 16.5 kW | TP 1000.1H at 1.5 kW, Quickline DM at 16.5 kW |
| Accuracy | 0.25 mm per metre on the A72, +/-0.15 mm drilling on the Neptun modules | Hole-to-hole error is what makes hardware bind |
| Footprint and weight | 1700 x 1300 mm and 750 kg up to 18240 x 4190 mm and 4580 kg | Floor area and slab loading, both often checked too late |
Choosing by what you produce
Match the machine to the part you make most, then check that it still handles the awkward jobs at the edges of your range.
| What you produce | Configuration that fits | Machines to look at |
|---|---|---|
| Shower enclosures | Roller conveyor drilling, one to three stations | BLM Machinery Shower Door Glass Drilling Machines |
| Appliance and cooktop glass | Bench format with large core capacity | BLM Machinery A-Series Compact Glass Drilling Machines, where the A16 drills 100 to 165 mm holes on 4 to 12 mm glass |
| Furniture and automotive glass with deep holes | Wide Y travel, twin heads | BLM Machinery A22 / A23, with Y travel to 900 mm |
| Mirrors, shelves, table tops, laminated glass | Vertical drilling for medium and large glassworks | Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. TFV Vertical Drilling Machine, Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. FPD Drilling Machine |
| Milling and marking on thin decorative glass | Dedicated milling machine, 2 to 15 mm | Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. FPMM Milling Machine |
| Glass doors, lock holes, clips and hinges | Cantilever three-axis CNC, three-sided open loading | ANHUI MORNSUN INTERNATIONAL CO., LTD. CNC Glass Milling Machine for Door Clip |
| Architectural and facade panes | Gantry or large vertical center | BLM Machinery Gantry Glass Drilling and Milling Machines to 6000 x 2500 mm, BLM Machinery Vertical Glass Drilling and Milling Machines to 6000 x 3000 mm |
What a quote should include
Ask for the price factory-direct, then ask for every line that sits on top of it. A machine that looks cheaper often carries the crate, the freight and the tooling outside the headline figure. Request pricing in writing with these items listed separately.
- Machine price factory-direct, with the exact model code and bed size stated
- Export crating, and whether the crate is seaworthy plywood or a steel frame
- Freight to your named port or door, and who clears customs
- Installation: who levels the machine and connects water, air and power
- Commissioning: first parts run and signed off against your own drawings
- Training: how many days, at your plant or theirs, in which language
- Spare parts kit: pumps, seals, filters, sensors and a starting set of diamond core bits
- Warranty: length, what is covered, and how a part reaches you when something fails
- Control system, its language, and whether DXF import is standard or an option
- Supply voltage and frequency, stated as 380V 50Hz on several models, plus air and water demand
Lead times, installation and running costs
Lead time depends on whether the machine is a catalogue size or built to your bed dimensions. Standard sizes ship faster. Machines where an axis is stated as customisable, such as the BLM Machinery Gantry Glass Drilling and Milling Machines, are made to order and take longer. Ask for a written date.
Installation is mostly civil work done before the machine lands. These are wet machines, so they need a drain, a settling tank and a floor that tolerates water. The Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. TFV Vertical Drilling Machine lists a 125 l tank and 600 Nl/min air consumption, which gives the scale. Weight runs from 750 kg on the Tesir Makine SY 300 to 4580 kg on the largest Neptun S.r.l. Quick 2 T8 variant. Vertical machines need height as well as floor.
Running cost is dominated by diamond core bits, not electricity. Installed power here runs from 1.5 kW to 16.5 kW, small next to a furnace. Bits wear faster on dirty water, too much feed or poor coolant flow. The Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine offers an automatic dressing unit that sharpens the drills and reduces cycle time.
Mistakes buyers make
Five errors account for most of the regret on this class of machine.
- Buying on maximum glass size and ignoring the minimum. A machine rated for 6000 x 2500 mm may not hold a part smaller than 1200 x 300 mm. If a third of your work is small hardware panels, a second machine appears in the budget.
- Ignoring reach from the edge. Most holes sit near an edge, so buyers never check Y travel. Then a furniture job needs a hole 700 mm inside the pane and the machine cannot reach it. The A22 / A23 exists because of this, with Y travel to 900 mm.
- Assuming any machine drills any diameter. Standard drilling here covers 6 to 50 mm. Cooktop and sink work needs 100 to 165 mm or more, and a second head cuts the maximum: 4 to 250 mm on one head, 4 to 130 mm on two, on the TP Series.
- Skipping the second head, then paying for it in rework. A single head chips the exit face, and grinding that out by hand on every hole costs more labour in a year than the second head cost once.
- Forgetting water, sludge and tooling. The machine is a wet grinder. Without a settling tank, clean coolant and a bit stock, cycle times drift up and bits die early. Plan the drain before the machine arrives.
Machines on GlassMachines.net
Grouped by format and duty. One line each on what sets them apart.
- Horizontal, mixed and small-batch work. Lattuada North America TP Series: manual, semi-automatic and automatic horizontal machines with one or two opposing heads, automatic glass locking during the cycle and drilling to 250 mm diameter on a single head. Tesir Makine SY 300: a compact 750 kg machine with a body-mounted ruler system for fast hole-centre setting, laser marking at the shaft centre and a catchment basin. Jinan Rongqi Intelligent Technology Co.,Ltd. CNC Glass Drilling Machine: a coordinate-driven machine whose worktable holds two panes so they can be processed alternately.
- Vertical, floor-space constrained plants. Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. TFV Vertical Drilling Machine: 3 to 19 mm glass, 800 Kg maximum load and 15 kW, for glassworks running mirrors, shelves, table tops and doors. Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine: a five-head turret that changes between five hole sizes without a tool change, with torque control and DXF loading for serial production under one operator. Neptun S.r.l. QuickMill / QuickDrill Vertical Working Centers: modular units that run stand-alone or in-line, QuickMill for milling and grinding, QuickDrill for drilling and countersinking.
- High volume and large format. BLM Machinery Multi-Spindle Bow-Type Glass Drilling Machines: a tool magazine on every head and spindle counts from 2+2 to 8+8+8, so a pane takes several hole diameters without an operator touching the tooling. BLM Machinery Gantry Glass Drilling and Milling Machines: drilling and milling on panes to 6000 x 2500 mm in one setup, with the X axis length stated as customisable.
Specs to compare, in one list
- Glass thickness range
- A machine that stops at 19 mm cannot touch structural or balustrade glass, so this figure alone rules models in or out.
- Maximum hole diameter
- Hardware holes and cooktop cut-outs sit in different bands, and a second head lowers the maximum diameter.
- Minimum glass size
- Large conveyor machines cannot grip small parts, which quietly forces a second machine into the plan.
- Y travel or useful depth
- Sets how far inside the pane a hole can sit, which is what furniture and appliance work demands.
- Number of heads and spindles
- Opposed heads remove exit chipping, and multi-spindle heads set the cycle time on repeat patterns.
- Tool magazine or turret size
- Every tool change is an operator interruption, so magazine size drives output more than spindle speed.
- Positioning accuracy and repeatability
- Hole-to-hole error, not hole size, is what makes hinges and clips bind on assembly.
- Installed power, air and water demand
- These decide the connections your plant must provide before the machine can be commissioned.
Questions buyers ask
Can you drill tempered glass?
No. Tempered glass is under stress and shatters when a core bit breaks the surface. Every hole, notch and cut-out must be finished before the pane enters the furnace. That is why the drilling station always sits upstream of tempering, and why a missed hole means a new pane rather than a rework.
What is the difference between a glass drilling machine and a milling machine?
A drilling machine makes round holes with a hollow diamond core bit. A milling machine uses a router or wheel to open slots, notches, cut-outs and lettering. Many machines do both. The Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. FPD Drilling Machine and the Schiatti Angelo S.r.l. FPMM Milling Machine are separate units, while the Neptun S.r.l. Quick 2 T8 integrates both in one frame.
Horizontal or vertical: which should I buy?
Choose horizontal if your parts are small to medium and your batches are mixed. Choose vertical if you handle large architectural panes or your floor space is tight, because a vertical machine takes far less area for the same pane and drains water away from the glass. Vertical machines need overhead height instead, often 2200 to 2500 mm.
How big a hole can these machines drill?
Standard hardware drilling on most models here covers 6 to 50 mm. The A16 in the BLM Machinery A-Series Compact Glass Drilling Machines drills 100 to 165 mm for stove and cooktop glass. The Lattuada North America TP Series reaches 4 to 250 mm on a single head, dropping to 4 to 130 mm with two opposing heads.
Do I need two drilling heads?
If you drill through-holes at any volume, yes. One head chips the exit face as the core breaks out. Two opposed heads drill from both faces and meet in the middle, so both sides come out clean in one cycle. The Lattuada North America TP Series offers one or two opposing heads, the bottom automatic and the top manual.
What does a glass drilling machine cost to run?
Power is minor, from 1.5 kW up to 16.5 kW on the machines listed here. The real cost is diamond core bits, and they wear faster with dirty coolant or too much feed pressure. Budget for a settling tank, clean water and a bit stock. An automatic dressing unit, offered on the Tesir Makine HS 500 Vertical Drilling Machine, extends bit life.
