Analytical Simulation and Experimental Investigation of Various Characteristics of Hole Quality During Micro Drilling of PCB

Abstract

Achievement of good surface quality remains a concern during micro drilling of printed circuit board (PCB). Although a great deal of work is reported on micro drilling of PCB, information on effect of drilling parameters like feed on different characteristics of hole quality is relatively scarce. Although stresses during micro drilling of PCBs are critical issues, their correlation with hole quality is yet to be reported. The current work utilizes finite element analysis based simulation of deformation and stresses to explain the various parameters of hole quality such as diameter, delamination factor and burr thickness. Effect of feed on these parameters has also been established. Results indicated that stresses play a vital role in influencing hole qualities of PCB. Increase in feed rate resulted in reduction in hole diameter, whereas delamination factor and mean burr thickness increased with feed. The study is, therefore, expected to be of help in proper selection of feed in order to achieve acceptable hole quality after micro drilling of PCB.