Job shop cuts ceramics
San Jose, CA—Successful laser cutting of ceramics requires a precise combination of proper equipment and applications expertise, which Directed Light Inc. has.
With three systems powered by Coherent (Santa Clara, CA) Diamond CO2 lasers, high-resolution (1 µm) linear motor-driven tables and proprietary beam delivery, the company has been cutting tight tolerances in IC and hybrid assembly parts for more than five years.
Examples include cutting and hole drilling 0.01-in. thick flexible circuit stiffeners for a hybrid circuit manufacturer; via drilling 9000 5-mil holes in 0.030-in. thick ceramic wafers; and cutting unique shapes in 0.025- to 0.040-in. thick ceramic used in end-of-arm tooling for robot applications.
All these jobs boast clean cuts with excellent edge quality. Parts were processed using SPC, x-bar/r charts and process histograms, which are supplied to the customers.
Directed Light, a subsidiary of Unitek Miyachi, has a website that shows its job shop capabilities, www.directedlight.com.