Western Carolina University

Laser micromachining is used for drilling accurate small holes (5-200 microns diameter), cutting precisely (kerf widths down 5 microns), and 2.5D milling of microfeatures. The heart of our customized Oxford DP100-5S micromachining system is a dual-wavelength, diode-pumped solid state laser. This laser is similar to a YAG laser and operates at 532nm or 266nm.

Typical performance characteristics include:

• Hole diameter: 0.001-0.250 mm
• Kerf width: > 0.003 mm
• Material Thickness: 0.01-1 mm
• Tolerance: 1-5% (process dependent)              

Five-axis part positioning system:

• 2mm travel in x-y plane; 0.1 micron resolution, linear motors
• 100 mm travel in z axis, 0.5 micron resolution
• Windows-based MMI
• On-line CCD field of view 1mm for part alignment
• Off-line CCD field of view 250 mm for process monitoring