Dan’s Biz Bookshelf: ‘Dream First, Details Later
Happy’s Tech Talk #40: Factors in PTH Reliability—Hole Voids
Facing the Future: Time for Real Talk, Early and Often, Between Design and Fabrication
Nano System installs Tongtai 2-station drill machine at Colonial Circuits
February 15, 2016 | Nano SystemEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Nano System Incorporated has announced the installation of a Tongtai Model SD-216B CNC drilling machine at Colonial Circuits in Fredericksburg, VA. This machine is equipped with 160,000 rpm Westwind air bearing spindles and the NSI optical inner layer registration system. Automatic tool change with 300 tools per station; tool diameter, length, and dynamic runout check; and a blind via depth control system accurate to ± 20 microns will provide Colonial Circuits with industry leading capability to fabricate HDI multilayer PCB’s with very accurately placed blind and buried vias and line widths and spacing down to 50 microns.
About Colonial Circuits
Colonial Circuits is currently in its 35th year as a full service manufacturer of high quality circuit boards. The company's 60 dedicated employees serve military, space, and commercial markets from its 40,000 square foot facility in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Colonial's capabilities include rigid, flexible, and rigid/flex, prototype through low volume offering a wide range of technologies including HDI, Blind/Buried vias, laser drilling, micro filled vias, controlled depth drill/rout, sequential laminations, hybrid-constructions/mixed laminates and heavy copper circuitry. Lead times as short as 24 hours make Colonial a prime choice for the industry's low volume, high reliability needs. For more information click here.
About Tongtai
Tongtai Machine & Tool Company of Taiwan is a leading manufacturer in Asia of precision CNC machine tools for the PCB and other industries. Since 1969 Tongtai has delivered over 100,000 machine tools to industry - over 4500 in the PCB industry with six drill and seven routing models available and airbearing drill spindles up to 300 krpm and ball bearing routing spindles up to 80 krpm.
About Nano System Inc.
Nano System Inc., the North American distributor for Tongtai machines, provides technical support, service, and spare parts for Tongtai machines from facilities in Milpitas, CA and Manchester, NH. In addition Nano System Inc. designs and manufactures standard and customized laser drilling and routing machines at the Manchester facility.
For more information on Nano System’s products and services or to schedule an evaluation of a mechanical or laser machine, contact Sam Sekine at sam.sekine@nanosys-usa.com.
More information is available here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPresident Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.
Happy’s Tech Talk #40: Factors in PTH Reliability—Hole Voids
07/09/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkWhen we consider via reliability, the major contributing factors are typically processing deviations. These can be subtle and not always visible. One particularly insightful column was by Mike Carano, “Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper,” where he outlined some of the possible causes of hole defects for both plated through-hole (PTH) and blind vias.
Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?
07/07/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the movie “Friday Night Lights,” the head football coach (played by Billy Bob Thornton) addresses his high school football team on a hot day in August in West Texas. He asks his players one question: “Can you be perfect?” That is an interesting question, in football and the printed circuit board fabrication world, where being perfect is somewhat elusive. When it comes to mechanical drilling and via formation, can you drill the perfect hole time after time?