ENAL = Use of nano-coated tools in printed circuit board production
The mechanical production processes, drilling and milling, account for around ten percent of the manufacturing costs of a printed circuit board. The costs for drilling and milling tools play a not insignificant role in this. Together with KSG, a Saxon project consortium was looking for ways to increase efficiency by significantly increasing the service life of drills using an innovative nano-coating on the tool surface as part of the ENAL project publicly funded by the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB).
The two-year project, which was completed in July 2021, pursued the following main objectives
- Significant increase in tool life > 200 % while ensuring the required process and product quality
- Selection and testing of a suitable nano-coating technology
- Optimization of the process parameters of the coating technology
- Development of a machine and system concept for cost-efficient series nano-coating
As a result of extensive test series, the project consortium was able to develop a coating technology for highly complex PCB mixed assemblies which, compared to uncoated drilling tools, allows an increase in service life of up to 400% with unchanged process parameters (speed, feed rate, return stroke, packaging). The accompanying quality tests using microsection evaluation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that both high process reliability in ensuring product quality and reliable adhesion of the nano-coating to the tool surface can be guaranteed. The system concept for fully automated tool coating developed as part of the project sets the stage for transferring the project results to cost-effective series production.
The project partners agreed on further bilateral cooperation. As part of these activities, the first promising coating results are to be confirmed once again by a further volume test under production conditions.
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