Technical Paper Overview
Fast and Accurate Laser Via-Drilling with Smart Scan Head Control
Scan head response time, not laser power, decides via-drilling throughput.
Modern HDI PCBs and semiconductor package substrates demand 50-100 µm via holes drilled at 200-400 µm pitch with position accuracy of ±7-15 µm — and they demand them by the hundreds of thousands per board. At those volumes, every microsecond of scan-head step time and every microsecond of laser-firing delay compounds into hours or minutes per drilling job.
This technical paper from six Novanta authors documents how the Cambridge Technology Lightning II Plus scan head + ScanMaster Controller drive via-drilling throughput on three axes: 225 µs step response (4400 pps at 300 µm pitch), two smart control algorithms (closed-loop and dynamic open-loop with auto-recalibrating look-up tables), and a laser-fire-adjust parameter that saves 8-10 seconds per 500,000-hole PCB.
Key takeaways include:
- Why via-drilling throughput compounds across step response, control algorithm, and laser timing
- How the Lightning II Plus delivers 225 µs step response — 4400 pps at 300 µm pitch
- When to choose closed-loop drilling control vs dynamic open-loop with auto-recalibrating look-up table
- What the “laser fire adjust time” parameter does — 8-10 seconds saved per 500,000-hole PCB
- A practical dual-head configuration choice: beam-splitting vs beam-switching
Download the full technical paper for the Lightning II Plus step-response measurements, the ScanMaster Controller closed-loop and open-loop algorithm details, and the laser-timing optimization framework that lets PCB and semiconductor-package drilling lines compound throughput gains across scan head, controller, and laser — before a competitor’s drilling machine outproduces yours.
