Small Hole Drilling
”If you are looking for a quick and cost-effective way to get small and micro holes drilled in almost any substrate, Potomac Photonics has years of experience.”
Potomac Photonics is passionate about microholes. We have some of the most advanced hole drilling capabilities and are continually developing new processes to drill holes as small as 1 micron. Our Engineers will work closely with you to fully understand the requirements for your microholes (eg. materials, part thickness, desired feature geometries, taper, etc.) and recommend a process that will satisfy both your prototyping and production needs.
Examples of Materials that Potomac has microdrilled include:
Microhole Drilling in Polymers (Plastics)
- Polyimide (Kapton)
- Polycarbonate
- PEEK
- LDPE
- HDPE
- Silicone
- ABS
- Nylon
- BoPET (Mylar)
- and more.
Microhole Drilling in Metals
- Stainless Steel
- Copper
- Nitinol
- Brass
- Tantalum
- Titanium
- Aluminum
- and more.
In addition to microhole drilling polymers and metals, Potomac can drill
Ceramic, Silicon Wafers, Glass and more.
Experience
Our Microhole Drilling experience includes (but not limited to):
Catheter Microhole Drilling – Extremely tight tolerances on hole diameter and position are critical for optical fiber connectors and alignment devices. Utilizing the latest laser technology and high precision Aerotech stages that are calibrated to a NIST traceable standard, we are able to meet or exceed the requirements of some of the most challenging fiber optic applications. In addition, we continue to improve our capabilities to drill thicker materials that are often required for placement of fiber optics with diameters of 125 microns and greater.
Optical Fiber Connectors – Extremely tight tolerances on hole diameter and position are critical for optical fiber connectors and alignment devices. Utilizing the latest laser technology and high precision Aerotech stages that are calibrated to a NIST traceable standard, we are able to meet or exceed the requirements of some of the most challenging fiber optic applications. In addition, we continue to improve our capabilities to drill thicker materials that are often required for placement of fiber optics with diameters of 125 microns and greater.
Probe cards – Extremely tight tolerances on hole diameter and position are critical for optical fiber connectors and alignment devices. Utilizing the latest laser technology and high precision Aerotech stages that are calibrated to a NIST traceable standard, we are able to meet or exceed the requirements of some of the most challenging fiber optic applications. In addition, we continue to improve our capabilities to drill thicker materials that are often required for placement of fiber optics with diameters of 125 microns and greater.
Leak test holes – Extremely tight tolerances on hole diameter and position are critical for optical fiber connectors and alignment devices. Utilizing the latest laser technology and high precision Aerotech stages that are calibrated to a NIST traceable standard, we are able to meet or exceed the requirements of some of the most challenging fiber optic applications. In addition, we continue to improve our capabilities to drill thicker materials that are often required for placement of fiber optics with diameters of 125 microns and greater.
- Calibrated Flow Holes
- Filters
- Fuel Cells
- Inhalers
- Nebulizers
- Ink Jet Nozzles
- Fuel Injection
- Pinholes for Photographic Applications
- Optical Apertures, and many more.
Critical items to consider when planning a hole drilling project, include the diameter of the hole, the thickness of the material, the shape of the hole, edge quality of hole, desired taper of hole, and center-to-center pitch of the holes.
Potomac is continually developing and adding new hole drilling processes to our facility. Our broad-range of technologies includes the capability to drill angled and shaped holes on multi-axis drilling systems. In addition, we can drill material thicknesses from very thin films to several mm’s on high speed set-ups that drill 1,000’s of holes quickly and repeatably.
Depending on the material and specifications, Potomac will choose the appropriate tool to drill the holes. For example, if the substrate is a transparent polymer, UV laser sources are often the best choice. However, if the material is a metal or ceramic, IR lasers are used. Potomac also has micro-cnc systems for applications that require larger features and no taper.
