TECHAPPLICATION
Published by the EPRl Center for Materials Fabrication
Vol. I, No. 5 , 1987
The Challenge: Keeping Ahead of Customers'
Tightening Specifications
T
he electronics industry IS rapidly developing new
uses for ceramicmaterialsanddemandingshapes
that meet Increasingly stringent specifications. A
company that scrlbes and machlnes ceramlcsfor the elec
tronlcs Industry hears a clear message from its customers
either meet the new specifications or get out of the
I
business.
'''~
But Diversifled Manufacturing, Incorporate(
(DMI) of Lockport, New York, has no intention
of getting out of a growing market. In 1986
when Its current laser equipment could not
make the higher quallty cuts that customers
were demandlng, DM1 opted to invest in a
new laser system which could give:
B Faster scrlblng and deeper penetration
Higher-quality machining with cleanedges
Better pulse control
Improved equipment reliability and less
downtime
The Old Way
A customer would describe the needed designto DM1
by a blueprint, a sketch or a phone call. DM1 produced a
CNC (computer numerical control) tape for its laser cutting
system and then made the part. Lot slzes ranged from 1 or
2 prototype parts to productlon runs of thousands of parts
The ceramic alumina sheet would be held in place on a
computer-controlled XY table with a vacuum chuck. For
scribing, the laser was pulsed on and off to produce a row
of holes. A pulsed beam was also used for cutting.
DM1 was using a 150 watt slow axial flow CO, laser (SAF)
which had shortcomings including:
The equipment needed to be recalibrated frequently, and
tight speciflcatlons could not be met
rn A 2-hour daily start up.
Uneven heating from the unstable beam sometimes
caused mlcrocracks on the machined edges.
Dlamond cutting was an alternative technology to meeting customers' demand for high quallty cuts However, diamond blades wear out, and the process is slower and more
expenslve than laser cutting.
The New Way
Slnce a laser is the preferred tool for processing
ceramics, DM1 sought a replacement for its SAF CO, laser.
Options were another SAF laser or one of the new, fast axial
flow lasers (FAF) developed within the last 4 years.
of ceramic substrate because it produces
no mechanical stress. After the parts (left)
are scribed andlor cut byDMI, the customer can solder wiresto the electronic
component and trim the part by snapping
along the scribe lines.
The basic difference between SAF and FAF lasers is the
amount of power that each can output. The FAF lasers can
achleve higher output powers dueto the way that each disposes of the excess heat that is a natural byproduct of
lasing.
After consulting laser manufacturers, DM1 purchased a
600 watt FAF CO, laser mainly because of its improved
pulsed beam. In addition, a FAF laser was about 30% less
expensive than a SAF laser which would have given the
same cutting rate. Fortunately, DM1 did not need to buy any
new computer or support equipment. Thus,within 2
months of purchase, the new laser was in operation.
Results: Increased Production and
Improved Quality
Fewer rejects. Scrap rate has been reduced from 10%
to 0.5%.
Higher quality cuts. The laser beam I S stable, so heat
input to the workpiece is constant. Thus, microcracking
is less of a problem.
Round, clean holes when scribing. Material is vaporized
thoroughly, so there is no redeposition. And precise
on-off gating of the hlgh voltage discharge means sldes
of holes are perpendicular.
Even scribing. The pulse frequency of the new laser can
be changed instantaneously ("on the fly") under computer control so decreasing the pulse rate to match a
decreased table speed as it changes direction is no
longer a concern.
up to 100 thousandthsof an inch versus 50 thousandths
with the old system.
F a B t ~ 8 n d ~ B e c e u s e o f t h e m r w
laser's incpcmer and reduced maintmence requirements, DM1 can quickly produce toits customers'
specifications.
tp d m d o n God Faster processing and
ducn#reed.downtime mean a lower cost per part.
L-"
DMl's new
laser is 10%
smaller
than
the
old one acd 10% of the size of a SAF laser of equivalent
PRm.
.theWithold1 SAF
hour for warm-up and 1 hour for
only could be productiw
600 watt SAF laser takes 20
inutes for beam alignment
85% of the day. With 12 minutes
could be productive93% of
laser consumed6 kW while bdh newer
e 12 kW. Although the energy consumption
Ihe new scribing rate doubled and the cutting
than tripled. When combined with the over.reduction in scrap rate and increased productivity, the averall energy usage per part wasreduced
tremendously.
L
acpa?aooOnly
. small
a
wlume of laser
gases are required, and the small closed-loop system it
u m minimizes gas consumption.
Because of design i m p m m t s ,
msintsnance technicians are not exposed to
the dangers
of high voltage while adjusting the cavity mirrors.
Nmu ~ U W With
R higher peak powersfrom
k m , MI can naw scribe and drill a greater
vare
s&aiee as well as new composite materials.
#ktr.
WRAaC08t?
DIyIb rmw krer cost about $70,000.A complete laser
8 y s t 8 m , including an XY tabk andacontrol
canput.r, wDu)cf cost around $200,000.DM1 expects
a plybrdc psriod of about 2 years on its new laser.
ners, Gordon(left) and Jack, continually
their manufacturing operationsto meet the
$!#-A
>,,
'
J
'.
~,.*
'tlw"
W l b pIoduct quality naw meets or exceeds that of
i
oompd&ws,so there is no problem in meeting custome
If yw have a success story you'd like to tell us about,
or you'd
like more information, call or write us:
cllTum"
An EPRl RLD Applications Center
505 King Awnue Columbus Ohio 43201-2693
(614) 424-7737
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