Difficulty cutting thin top glass for NovaSeq S4 flow cell

[JiaGuangshuai]

Hello,

This question isn’t directly bioinformatics-related, but I hope it’s okay to ask here?

I'm following the Open-ST protocol and having trouble with the thin top glass layer of the NovaSeq S4 flow cell. It’s extremely fragile and breaks easily when attempting to cut, even when I used the 3D mold provided in your protocol. I haven't had any issues with the thicker bottom glass layer.

Any advice on cutting the top glass more effectively?
Thank you!

Guangshuai

[JiaGuangshuai]

We found that using the right glass cutter may solve this problem! For thin glass like the top layer, you need a cutter specifically for thin glass. The regular one doesn’t cut it. Just make sure you're using a fine-tip cutter designed for thinner glass to avoid breakage.

[sclausing]

Thanks Jia for this tip it was very helpful. We tried now this one from Plano "Diamantschreiber Hex-Scribe" (54483) and it worked out well without breaking of the thin glass. But I was wondering if someone tried cutting with a lasercutter?