Glass Lens – The Comprehensive FAQ Guide

Should you be on the hunt for the best and the most trusted glass lens manufacturer, you’re just on the right page! Today, we’ll not only walk you through what glass lenses are, but we will also educate you and assist you to be able to purchase from the best glass lens manufacturer!

So, before you decide on a supplier you’ll work with, you definitely have to read this guide first! When you finish, you’ll surely be an expert on what glass lenses are!

So, without further ado, here is all the information you need about glass lenses!

What is Glass Lens?

Glass lens is a type of glass that is used for the projection of the display or whatever’s in the system into the physical world.

In simpler terms, it’s a type of glass that you usually see used in electronic devices – or part of the same component of what the digitizer is.

You can think of it as the screen of a device, let’s say a smartphone or a tablet, and it’s made out of highly treated glass.

Glass Lens vs. Plastic Lens: Which One is the Best For You?

Back then, most manufacturers and suppliers only saw glass lenses as their material for the production of their goods and commodities.

Acrylic glass or plastic glass as an alternative to glass lens

They thought that this is the only resource they can make use of.

However, as time passed by, they realized that plastic lenses functioned in the same way – even better, as how these glass lenses do.

So, some of them moved from using glass lens to plastic lens, but some of them retained their loyalty to the former. If we were to differentiate the two, which one would you choose to work with?

Why Choose Glass Lens?

When it comes to display and aesthetics, glass lenses are better and more useful. It’s more beautiful and it’s definitely something you can be proud to show off. Although glass lenses are more fragile and are quite more expensive, you can never go wrong in choosing glass lens for the LCD display of your products.

Some of the pros and benefits of choosing glass lenses include:

• Crystal clear and more beautiful
• Better and more workable scratch-resistance
• Heat-resistant
• More stable than plastics (acrylic glass)

These are some of the most notable features and advantages you can get in choosing glass lenses. On the opposite side of the spectrum, why should you care to choose and use acrylic glass (plastic lens)?

Why Choose Plastic Lens or Acrylic Glass?

Since its founding in the early 1900s, many companies decided that they will treat it as the primary material for their devices and their equipment.

Thanks to the promising results it had, they wanted every inch of it; and they wanted it to be as perfect and as useful as how it was marketed and advertised to them.

The time came when there was a surplus of acrylic glasses in the market.

Over time, plastic lenses or more commonly referred to as, acrylic glass, has been fully improved to the extent that it’s used by almost all industries you know. From the regular consumer electronics industry, the manufacturing, and industrial sectors – down to the structural and the construction sector, it’s going to be useful.

Here are some of the benefits and advantages in choosing acrylic glass (plastic lens):

• Lightweight and more workable
• Naturally resistant to UV rays and sunlight
• Cheaper and affordable
• Stronger than regular glass
• Easy-to-find and order

With these in mind, it should now be easy and simple for you to decide which product you’re going to use. With all of these factors taken care of, you would just have to make a simple decision on whether or not you’ll find plastic lens or glass lens useful.

Which Glass Lens is Best For Mobile?

You will never experience a shortage in the glass lens industry, especially if you’re going to use it for consumer electronics.

Glass lens for mobile

The most common debate and argument that revolves around this topic is about which glass lens is the best for mobile device use.

There are a couple of players that are topping this particular list, we have:

• Dragontrail Glass
• Panda Glass
• Gorilla Glass

Dragontrail glass is a glass that’s innovated by AGC, Inc., (formerly Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.), and is the type of glass used by certain mobile device brands and companies. It is a sheet glass that has been engineered to be resistant to scratches and similar types of abrasion and is made out of alkali-aluminosilicate.

Panda Glass is a type of glass that also boasts of its versatile and diversified use. Akin to Dragontrail glass, you can also make sure of Panda Glass for mobile screen glass lenses. It’s a glass that’s been innovated and put into the market by Tungshu, a Chinese company.

And lastly, Gorilla Glass is probably the most popular and the most known type of mobile glass lens you can purchase in the market. Most world-renowned smartphone manufacturers and companies utilize Gorilla Glass and it’s due to the fact that it has been tested and proven to still be at one piece even after impact.

All three (3) are alkali- aluminosilicate glass, which is a specialized type of glass regardless of its size and its thickness. While they all share the same composition, Gorilla Glass is considered to be the best glass lens in the rating category – and it beats all others in a brim.

What Makes Gorilla Glass the Best Glass Lens

Due to the many drop and impact tests done to it, it was still able to retain its form and shape. Moreover, there were reports that it’ll be capable of surviving a total of 15 drops even on rough surfaces from heights above a meter.

Gorilla Glass 6, which is the newest and the most updated type of Gorilla Glass version, is said to be ultimately scratch-resistant and impact-proof, that even if you drop it at extreme heights (more than one meter), it’ll still survive.

Apart from these, the composition or the strengthening procedure of Gorilla Glass remains to be one of the most complex and the most comprehensive of all.

In making or manufacturing Gorilla Glass, companies use the ion-exchange method or the process of injection larger and more compressed potassium ions in replacement of the sodium ions found in the surface of the glass, making it stronger, tougher, and more durable.

What Do You Use Glass Lenses For?

The products that you can use glass lenses for are mainly in the consumer electronics industry.

Glass lenses have many different types and kinds of uses

They’re often along the lines of regular smartphone display screens, LCD screens and displays, tablet screens, laptops and monitor displays, and many more!

While these are the most common uses or applications for glass lenses, you’re not suppressed to using it just for this purpose.

You can also use find use of it in other industries and sectors, too, including the structural and construction industry, the security industry, the manufacturing industry, the machine and equipment industry, and many more!

What Are Glass Lenses Made Of?

The composition of glass lenses, which mainly circles around alkali aluminosilicate, contains about 10 to 25% of aluminum oxide, with the alkali level over and above 10%. Thanks to the high alkali levels, the strength of these glass lenses are even better and more compact compared to their counterparts.

This is part of the primary reasons why alkali-aluminosilicate is the main ingredient in the creation and the manufacturing of glass lens. You will never have any doubts on the composition of alkali-aluminosilicate!

How Would You Know if Your Glass Lens is Damaged?

Contrary to what most people think, damaged glass lenses are everywhere.

Damaged glass lenses usually project errors on display and images

Yes, they’re marketed and advertised to be resistant against scratches and cracks; yes you’ll find many websites and reviews that talk about their temperature resistance, but even the strongest and the hardest of diamonds can get damaged, too.

In fact, there are quite a few ways to determine if your glass lens has any damage, and the most customary of these would be the physical cracks and lines present on it.

When you see that it has hairline cracks, then you need to action it immediately because these hairline cracks can evolve and become bigger over time, especially when it gets succumbed to heat.

Besides all these physical damages, you’ll usually see dark and round colors that could radiate from one part of the glass to other areas around its perimeter, too.

At first, you may find it challenging to distinguish whether or not it’s damaged but once you get it, you will understand it much better.

Other than these, here are a couple more signs that you can actually consider good signs of damage:

• Shattered Screen
• Protective Coating (AR, AF, or AG) is wearing out
• Uneven distribution of light

Are Broken and Damaged Glass Lenses Fixable?

If you’re talking about fixing or resolving the cracks or the damages on glass, then it isn’t possible. No matter how skillful and adept you are, there’s no technology that can actually retrieve and piece all of the broken glass pieces that your damaged or broken glass lenses have.

The only way you can fix or repair it is by replacing the glass as a whole – not partially or not half of it, but whole.

For example, if the glass lens on your LCD display is broken and cracked on the far right bottom part, you can’t just fix the bottom right part of it, right? What you would have to do is to replace the entire frame or the entire panel of glass.

This is the only solution to fixing damaged glass lenses. Some remedies like applying filler material can work, but it wouldn’t really be “fixing” it, you’re just temporarily giving remedy to the cracks and the damages incurred on the glass lens.

What are the Basic Features of a Glass Lens Display Screen?

The following are the most basic and the simplest attributes of a glass lens display screen:

Contrast Ratio

Contrast ratio is a display system trait that’s known to be the proportion of the brightest shade to that of the darkest shade that the material is capable of producing and/or displaying. It’s the “ratio” of the available possible contrast in the images.

Native Resolution

Native resolution is the feature or the property of glass lenses that defines all the physical amount of horizontal and vertical pixels contained. In a better, simpler, and more convenient way of defining it, it’s the total amount of dots on the screen that is modifiable when it comes to its colors.

Adjustability

Adjustability, which is also known to be adaptability, is the property of the glass or the design to be adaptable to all the changes within its perimeter. It is vitally important because if there’s no adjustability, everything will be the same.

Brightness

The brightness feature is the property that is defined to be the visual perception attribute and how it’s radiated and distinguished by a person.

Response Rate

Response rate is the time that it takes your display screen to shift from one particular color or form to another; and it’s oftentimes quantitatively measured in its transformation from black to white and vice versa.

These are some of the features that is important in choosing the LCD display or for the glass lens you’ll have on your device or on your machines. Knowing all of these is imperative as they’ll be what you’ll experience while you’re using it.

Are Glass Lenses on Mobile Devices Fixable?

Akin to how regular glass lenses aren’t fixable, the glass lenses on your mobile device like your smartphone, tablet, or your portable gaming console isn’t fixable – unless, of course, you welcome the idea of replacing it.

To give you a concrete example, take a GameBoy Color, for example, The glass lens of this particular device is the part where it’s displaying the interface of the game or what you look at when you’re playing with the device.

Glass lens for phone

How Do You Fix Glass Lens on Your Mobile Device?

Fixing it would require you to remove the broken glass lens and replace it with a new one.

This is the only thing you can do if your mobile device’s glass lens is cracked, broken, damaged, and even slightly diminishing.

No other way has been made but to just replace the glass lens. This carries us over to the next question, which is….

Can You Replace Glass Lenses on Phones and Tablets?

Yes! As a matter of fact, replacing the glass lens on a tablet or a phone is the way how you actually can “fix” it.

Replacement of material on a broken tablet glass lens

This is the only procedure for resolving or fixing this particular concern!

Replacing the broken glass lens on your phone or your tablet is actually easy, in fact, you’d just have to follow these simple steps:

1. Prepare all the tools you need for the replacement of the glass lens, this would include a hair dryer, a new glass lens (for replacement), a clean thin card, glue.  Preparation includes turning your phone or your tablet off, too.
2. Then, you want to heat up the entire phone – starting from the front part of the phone up to the back end of the phone using the hair dryer.
3. While it’s still hot, pry it open on its edges where it meets and closes. You need to use a thin piece of metal for it, before you can use the card to lift it from its enclosures.
4. Once you have it opened, the next step is for you to remove all attachments and wirings on the device so you can properly take off and remove the broken glass lens.
5. Then, using thin piece of card, try to separate the glass lens from its accumulative state of being attached with the digitizer. Some people use a clean thread and it works just fine, too.
6. Sand off all excess debris or fragments left on whatever you wouldn’t be throwing away. However, you have to make sure that it doesn’t damage the LCD or the display panel.
7. And there you have it! You’ve properly removed the broken glass. All you have to do now is to install and attach the new replacement glass lens that you have and you’ll be good to go!

It’s easy, right? That’s who simple and easy it is on how you can replace the glass lens on your mobile device such as your smartphone or your tablet!

Would You Be Able to Replace Glass Lenses on LCD and Display Monitors?

Absolutely! The process of replacing the glass lens on LCD and display monitors does not fall far from how you perform the replacement on a mobile device like a smartphone or a tablet!

But, to help you even further, we’ve assembled the easiest and the simplest guide that you can follow so that you can just replace the glass lens on your display or LCD monitors!

WARNING: You need to be careful in doing this and if possible, wear industrial gloves to avoid being cut or wounded by the broken glass as it can actually slice up materials. Even if it’s treated carefully, it’s still glass, and glass can cut.

Step 1: Remove the Assembly

The assembly is the entirety of your monitor or your display screen. It can be the screen of your laptop, your computer monitor, or any other device that utilizes the glass lens.

You need to separate it from the rest of your equipment, place it on your workstation or your work desk.

Step 2: Prepare All Needed Materials

After you remove the assembly, the next step is to prepare all of the materials you’ll need. To be able to replace the glass lens on your monitor, your television, or your laptop, you would need:

• Hair dryer
• Thin tool (cards would do)
• Screw driver
• New glass lens replacement

Once you have all of these in place, you now have to proceed to the next part, which is…

Step 3: Unscrew and Dismantle the Front Part

Unscrew and totally dismantle the front part of your laptop’s screen or computer monitor. This is the part where you have to remove all screws that connect them together.

Step 4: Heat the Glass

What you need to do is to heat it using the hair dryer to loosen up the glue that connects and links them together.

Step 5: Pry it Open

After that, use a sharp thin prying tool to remove and detach the glued part. You can easily see this as it’ll slightly emboss when it’s all dried up.

Step 6: Remove All Attachments

All attachments like wires and cables should be removed – so be sure to remove them. Well, you wouldn’t actually be able to remove the glass without doing this, so just a reminder!

This is also the time when you should remove the broken or the damaged glass lens off of the entire piece. Make sure that all fragments and all debris are removed so that when you lay the new glass lens, it’ll be flat and even.

Step 7: Insert the New Glass Lens

Then, you’ll now do the fun part, which is to insert the new glass lens into the assembly. Make sure that this particular glass lens fits the measurements and the dimensions of your laptop screen or your monitor to avoid cutting all excess parts.

Step 8: Reattach Screws

Then, lastly, reattached the screws and apply glue on the parts where it’s connected and linked by glue.

Test the monitor or the screen out to see and assess if your glass lens replacement procedure is a success!

What is the Typical Hardness of Glass Lenses?

The usual hardness of glass lenses will actually depend on how it was manufactured. There are manufacturers that don’t really put too much emphasis on their glass lenses, but are actually putting in effort in making sure that it’s resistant and is chemically strengthened.

To answer the question, though, the most common figure of hardness of glass lenses is around 5 to 7 Mohs.

Again, the exact hardness of the glass lens will depend on the manufacturing procedure and the raw materials involved.

Can Glass Lenses Be Made Scratch Resistant?

All glass lenses can have a type of coating that can make it more scratch resistant than how they were before.

Scratch resistant glass lens for phones

In the manufacturing process of glass lenses, some suppliers and manufacturing companies actually employ chemical strengthening to make the glass lens become scratch resistant already.

But, there are customers and clients that want to reinforce and enhance their glass lenses more, so they ask for specific coatings to fully improve and develop their products even better.

Are Glass Lenses Cheaper Than Plastic Lenses?

Most people believe that glass lenses are cheaper than plastic lenses, due to the fact that plastic lenses, or acrylic glass is known to be more durable, tougher, and stronger.

But, when you actually consider the price of both glass and plastic lenses, the former is a lot more expensive and more lucrative.

This is due to the fact that glass lenses are more beautifully looking and are more elegant in terms of its composition than plastic lenses. Yes, plastic lenses are stronger and tougher, but the quality of the display is what the market thinks about.

What Processes Can You Do With Glass Lens?

There are various finishing and polishing procedures applicable to glass lenses. To name a few, they include:

Anti-Reflective (AR) Coating

This type of coating is done to improve the passage of light onto the glass substrate, providing better luminosity and decreased levels of glare. With an AR coating, reflection will truly be eliminated, allowing better vision and transparency through the glass.

Anti-Fingerprint (AF) Coating

AF or anti-fingerprint coating is usually done via plasma spraying, and it’s mostly used on applications where consumers and customers would handle the device, these include smartphones, tablets, touchscreen kiosks, automated teller machines (ATMs), and many more.

Anti-Glare (AG) Etching

Anti-glare (AG) etching is the type of finish that is considered to be the most different as it modifies the visual or the physicality of the glass.

When done, it provides a completely anti-glare solution to the glass, disallowing light to pass through by evenly distributing the light to the entire area of the surface.

These are three (3) of the most common procedures done to finish and polish glass lenses, there are a lot more!

What are 2D and 2.5D Edge Glass Lenses?

A lot of businesses and companies still find 2.5D lenses unknown up until this day, when in reality, it’s simple and easy to understand.

2D glass lenses are the types of glass units that are completely flat without any type of curvature or bending. It’s the typical glass that you know of that can either be square, rectangular, or round that is flat.

2.5D edged glass, on the other hand, just sits in the middle of 2D and 3D glass – and it’s a type of glass that has a slight curvature on the edges. Think of a completely flat glass that has an bent or a curved/angled edge.

So, how does it differ from 3D edge glass lenses?

2.5D Edge vs. 3D Edge Lenses

2.5D edge’s curve or bend is only at the edge of the glass unit, whereas 3D edged glass lenses have the entire curve. Think about a curved television – that’s what 3D edge glass lenses are.

Now, think about an “edged” smartphone, that’s 2.5D edge because the middle part of the glass lens is flat, but its edges are bent at a specific degree or angle.

Can You Purchase Stepped Glass Lenses?

Yes! You can actually find a lot of stepped glass lenses in the market today, especially now since the lighting and the fixture industry is becoming a hit – from regular underwater lightings and fixtures – to outdoor snow and dust-resistant lights, stepped glass lenses will be what you need!

There are tons of glass lens manufacturing companies and businesses that you can trust to help you in producing or in manufacturing stepped glass lenses, whether you’ll use it for a lighting fixture, an outdoor light, or even an electronic display device, they will never fail you!

Glass Lenses vs. Polycarbonate (PC) Lenses

You might be wondering, aren’t they the same thing? No, they’re not. To start off, let’s discuss their most popular and most sought-after properties.

Sample polycarbonate glass lenses

Polycarbonate or PC lenses are the glasses or substrates that do not shatter even if they’ve been subject to heavy and loaded impact and pressure. To give it to you directly, PC lenses have impact and load resistance that is almost 200 times better than glass.

You might think that because of this trait, it’s heavier than glass, but no – they are actually lightweight and easy-to-work-with.

Glass lenses, on the other hand, is the type of lens that you want to use if you’re looking to achieve perfection when it comes to display and aesthetics. They’re better to look at, they’re more sophisticated, and they’re clearer and much more scratch resistant than PC lenses.

When it comes to pricing, going with PC lenses would be better. They’re cheaper and they’re easier to source out than glass lenses. But, if you’re after quality, design, and sophistication, you will never go wrong in choosing glass lens.

Where Can You Find the Best Glass Lens Manufacturer?

Finding the perfect glass lens manufacturer can be a bit of a hassle for you, especially now that there are thousands of them in the market.

But, needless to say, Chinese glass lens manufacturing companies have dominated the glass industry for more than a decade. Even some of the world’s most popular distributors and glass companies source their products from China.

So, if you are looking for the best and the highest quality of glass lenses, never think twice about contacting a Chinese glass lens wholesaler.

Are Chinese Glass Lens Suppliers Trustworthy?

Contrary to what most people believe in, Chinese glass manufacturing companies are actually better to work with compared to other countries like the United States (U.S.), the United Kingdom (U.K.), and other companies in Europe.

Besides the fact that getting your products in China will be cheaper, it can also offer you higher profitability.

You can trust Chinese glass lens suppliers the same way you want to trust an American supplier, the race or the country where they’re from is never an issue.

Why Work With a Chinese Glass Lens Supplier?

In case you’re still in doubt whether or not it’s fine to work with a Chinese glass lens manufacturer, here are some of the reasons why you should.

Better Taxes and Rates

If you are going to outsource your production or your manufacturing, choosing a Chinese manufacturer will be the best. Why? – Because it’ll be the cheapest, and the most competitive rate you’ll ever find.

In comparison to Indian, Brazilian, and Thai manufacturers, the corporate taxes you’ll get billed in China will be way less and way cheaper.

Innovation and New Products

The Chinese people are known to be the people of innovation and invention. So, if they’re cooking up a new product for you, let’s say, an advancement on the glass lenses that you have, you’ll be the first one to get it out on the market of where you live!

To give you an example, imagine a glass lens that’s as thin as hair but is as durable as Gorilla Glass. If they’re able to make it work, then your time to the market is better, more efficient, and more effective.

Build Network and Connection

Working with a glass lens manufacturer can help you develop and extend the network you have because your supplier/manufacturer wouldn’t just be alone – they have their own line of suppliers and clients in the supply chain, too!

Build your relationship with them appropriately and you get the chance or the opportunity to meet other companies and businesses in the same network – which means better business opportunities for you!

These are just some of the reasons sought after by many businesses and companies whenever they think about choosing a Chinese manufacturer. In the case of glass lenses, you’ll never be disappointed because glass is a product used in various sectors and industries.

What are the Benefits of Purchasing Glass Lenses Wholesale?  

Purchasing glass lens wholesale can actually give you more benefits than you can think of. You wouldn’t be trying to read this guide if you’re only after a few pieces, right?

Imagine purchasing two (2) pieces of glass lenses from China. Talk about the shipping, the ordering, and the preparation of it, wouldn’t it just be a waste?

Apart from that, there are also other benefits and advantages when you purchase glass lenses from a Chinese wholesaler, these include:

Stock Availability

Stocks are limited across all industries – and that is inevitable. Therefore, some of your competitors who weren’t able to purchase the correct amount would be short.

But if you purchase glass lenses wholesale, let’s say, you purchase 1,000 pieces daily, you will never run out, and this can even be a business opportunity for you because your competitors might be clinging to your stocks!  

Chance of Customization

Having more also means you’ll be more flexible and diverse in terms of customizing the orders of your clients. For instance, if your client needs 100 glass lenses for an iPhone X, 200 glass lenses for a Samsung S10, and 100 for a Macbook, you can customize it on your own!

You can make everything readily available in just a snap of a finger versus waiting for your suppliers to get it for you, which can take a week.

Cheaper Rates

And of course, when you purchase glass lens wholesale, what else can you expect but cheapness and affordability?

It’s a no-brainer to think that the more you purchase, the less you’ll be paying. It’s a given fact. That also applies to glass lenses, too.

Instead of purchasing 1,000 pieces of glass lenses for $1.00 each, why not purchase 10,000 pieces for 0.$70 each? It’s a lot, yes, but you got it for an extremely cheaper rate.

Which Chinese Glass Lens Manufacturer Should You Work With

Hundreds of Chinese manufacturers of plastic and glass lenses look up to us here at SXET for we’ve dominated the glass lens market consistently for more than 10 years.

We have done a lot of changes and modifications in the industry, and we’ve led innovations in the glass lens sector, too.

As a matter of fact, our offers for glass lenses aren’t only limited to glass. Now, we’re also able to cover a lot of client requests that revolve around acrylic glass such as polymethyl methacrylate or PMMA, polycarbonate or PC, plexiglass, and many more!

Apart from that, we also house a team of skilled and highly qualified glass experts who are always ready and prepared to help you with what you need! If you have a question about glass lens, if you have any concerns, or if you want a custom glass lens manufactured and produced, we got you!

Trust SXET For Your Glass Lens Manufacturing Needs!

Join thousands of businesses and corporations worldwide and consider us as your go-to option for all the glass lens products you need!

In case you’re looking for a free estimate, don’t worry – we got you! We offer free quotations to all clients as a part of our pre-sales services!

Contact us today and get world-class quality glass lens units without spending a fortune! Call us or shoot us a mail and we’ll be ready and prepared to help you!