excelliDRILL and intelliDRILL_se II

Enabling high-precision CO₂ laser drilling for advanced PCB processing: SCANLAB’s intelliDRILL_se II and the new excelliDRILL are specialized scan systems designed for demanding microdrilling tasks such as high density interconnects (HDI). 

Modern printed circuit boards require an ever-increasing number of vertical interconnects, also known as vias. The density of these interconnects continues to increase, while their size decreases. Precision is of central importance for the functional implementation of such designs. At the same time, manufacturing methods must offer very high throughput. 

Technology Overview 

Drilling HDI PCB excelliDRILL

Laser drilling is an ideal process for the application, as it allows a very large number of fine holes to be produced with a very high degree of precision. For CO₂ drilling processes, the laser spot has to be moved to a designated position and it has to be settled precisely within tolerance, whereafter the laser is triggered. A key requirement for this is a suitable scan system that is capable of performing this “jump and shoot” process with maximum efficiency. intelliDRILL_se II and excelliDRILL are developed to meet the specific requirements of high-precision microdrilling tasks. 

intelliDRILL_se II

intelliDRILL_se II is specifically designed for tasks, where fast positioning and reliable beam control are essential – particularly for microdrilling. The compact design allows for easy integration. Its lightweight beryllium mirrors and digital encoder technology enable fast and accurate beam positioning across varying jump distances. The system supports throughput-oriented production environments. Optional SCANahead technology enables predictive motion control of galvanometer axes and stage axes.

Highlights

• Fast step response times permit highest throughput
• New motor design with improved thermal management
• Lightweight beryllium mirrors – for reduced inertia and highest dynamic performance
• Digital dynAXIS_se encoder technology-for accurate beam positioning
• Automatic jump time setting for all jump lengths and time-efficient parallel handling of positioning and laser delays
• Synchronous motion of scan system and positioning stages is supported through SCANahead technology 

(SCANahead is optionally available for intelliDRILL_se II, it is available as standard for excelliDRILL.)

excelliDRILL

excelliDRILL is SCANLAB’s latest product development for drilling printed circuit boards. The new motor design, SCANahead based control algorithms, together with proven SE encoder technology, and lightweight beryllium mirrors enable outstanding drilling rates with maximum precision. Compared to intelliDRILL_se II maximum jump rates are increased by more than 15% for jump distances of 1 mm and more than 40% for jump distances of 0.2 mm at a focal length of 100mm. Please refer to SCANLAB sales for prototypes of excelliDRILL.

intelliDRILL_se II and excelliDRILL provide identical mechanical and optical interfaces, ensuring compatibility with existing machine designs.

Typical Applications

intelliDRILL_se II and excelliDRILL are optimized for a wide range of laser microdrilling tasks in electronics manufacturing. These include:

• HDI PCB production – enabling precise via structures in high-density interconnect boards, such as Any-Layer HDI
• Via hole drilling (VHD) – for multilayer interconnects
• Percussion drilling – for high-speed, high-volume hole creation
• Microvia creation – for fine-featured circuit designs

Learn more about Micromachining Applications