It’s Only Common Sense: Selling PCBs Isn’t That Hard, Is It?
Happy’s Tech Talk #32: Three Simple Ways to Manage and Control Wet Processes
The New Chapter: The Impact of Parasitics on PCB DesignAdvancements in Drill Bit Technology
August 29, 2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
In this interview with Alex Girardot of Perfect Point Precision Carbide Tools, we explore the pioneering advancements in drill bit technology supporting high-tech fabrication. Alex leverages his 15 years of expertise in the PCB industry to discuss the critical role of coating technology in enhancing drill bit performance. This technological leap increases accuracy, especially in high aspect ratio builds, and nearly eliminates drill bit breakage. Perfect Point's innovative approach includes a hybrid flute design and active collaboration with customers to optimize their drilling processes through automation and tailored guidance. The discussion also highlights the challenges of working with exotic materials and compares diamond-coated to carbon-coated drill bits, emphasizing the adaptability required in North American fabrication environments.
Marcy LaRont: Alex, let's start by learning about how you got into the industry and what your company does.
Alex Girardot: I spent 12 years working at a printed circuit board shop in southern California, primarily as a dry process engineer. That shop specializes in multilayer rigid-flex PCBs but also has a varied product mix, which constantly presents a diverse set of challenges when it comes to drilling/routing. From there, I moved to Perfect Point where I serve as a field application engineer. My primary responsibility is to work with our customers’ shops and optimize their drill/rout processes for multiple PCB build types, with the goal of enabling them to tackle high technology builds using our tools.
LaRont: Drilling and drill bit technology have undergone tremendous development. What do you provide, and why is coating technology important?
Girardot: Within the past 10 years, there has been a near-universal switch throughout the industry to a “single flute hybrid” design. The drill starts as a two-flute and transitions to a single-flute. This design has provided improved rigidity, accuracy, and strength when compared to a traditional two-flute drill bit. These tools have been adopted as the standard by most of our customers.
Recently, we have seen more shops adopt our patented coated tool technology, Carbonite. This has been primarily driven by the increasing complexity of board types, higher aspect ratios, and designs with tighter pitches where pinpoint accuracy is required.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the August 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor's Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/30/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThere’s a lot going on in our industry right now. As you’ll see in today’s must-reads, there’s even innovation taking place in drill bit development. We also have articles on cutting costs during the design process, as well as a handy guide to each country’s tech sweet spots, and what it takes to thrive in this segment. Don’t miss our ode to the CAM department, which is where the rubber meets the road for every PCB.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
08/02/2024 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007After getting stuck in an airport during the Crowdstrike outage, our colleague Nolan Johnson has a review of the first-ever THECA trade show in Bangkok, Thailand. We have a column by Matt Stevenson on drilling optimization, and an interview with Schmoll America President Kurt Palmer about what it takes to thrive in this industry. We have an article by SMTA’s Tara Dunn that focuses on the organization’s educational offerings, and news about All Flex joining the PCBAA.
Connect the Dots: Navigating the Intricacies of PCB Drilling
08/01/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsWelcome to another leg on my quest to share best practices associated with designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. In a recent episode of the On the Line with... podcast, we discussed the critical role of drilling in the board manufacturing process. That is the subject of this article. Drilling can be one of the most complex and tricky steps in the manufacturing process. Designers need to be aware of how to craft their designs to avoid problems during drilling that can drive up costs and increase the risk of board performance issues.
Schmoll America: Thriving in the Global PCB Market
07/31/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineAs we examine what it means to thrive in our industry, I reached out to Kurt Palmer, president of Schmoll America. The business expansion was created from Schmoll Maschinen to focus on and better serve the expanding North American PCB market. Professionally, Kurt has been in this business for decades. He explains what thriving looks like for Schmoll America as the company moves forward into this new venture and what he is most looking forward to in the years ahead.
Mustaches and Automation in Flexible PCB Fabrication
06/24/2024 | Chris Clark, Flexible Circuit TechnologiesIn any manufactured product, whether a house or a flexible circuit, there is always a raw material component in the overall cost. In the flexible circuit, flexible heater, and rigid-flex industry, sheet materials can account for 20–60% of the overall price. Admittedly, this is a very broad range, but factors, such as how common the materials are in the region where they are made, can cause this to swing one way or the other. Your actions as an engineer or sourcing agent have an impact on overall cost, which I’ll illustrate through the example of building a house.