Drilling “Invisible” Holes
UV laser micromachining makes it possible to drill holes that are not visible to the human eye—until they are meant to be seen, that is.
How do you drill a hole smaller than the diameter of a human hair? Baltimore, Maryland-based Potomac Laser turns to UV laser micromachining for such applications. This process directs a laser beam onto the surface of a material and the energy of the laser is converted to heat which vaporizes or melts the material. With this technology, the shop can rapidly drill very small holes spaced 50 microns or less apart in metals less than 0.003-inch thick.
In one recent application, Potomac Laser machined conical micro-holes in control panels that would enable “invisible” backlighting. Because the limit of resolution for the adult eye is about 0.1 mm at 1 meter from the eye, the hole diameters on the user-facing side had to be smaller than 50 microns so that the hole patterns would be invisible to the viewer when the backlighting is turned off. When the light source is on, however, the display can show clear, sharp patterns using these micro-holes. The result is an unobtrusive control panel that displays needed information when relevant, but does not distract the viewer when it is not in use.
Related Content
-
Inside an Amish-Owned Family Machine Shop
Modern Machine Shop took an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of an Amish-owned machine shop, where advanced machining technologies work alongside old-world traditions.
-
How to Reduce Cycle Times by 70% and More on Your Existing CNCs and Dramatically Improve Tool Life Too
By employing advanced high efficiency milling techniques for the entire machining routine, SolidCAM’s iMachining technology can drastically reduce cycle times while vastly improving tool life compared to traditional milling.
-
A New Milling 101: Milling Forces and Formulas
The forces involved in the milling process can be quantified, thus allowing mathematical tools to predict and control these forces. Formulas for calculating these forces accurately make it possible to optimize the quality of milling operations.