Experimental study on drilling force in printed circuit board micro drilling process

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a system for accurately measuring drilling force in the printed circuit board micro drilling process and to characterize the drilling force to provide a better understanding of the micro drilling process. Design/methodology/approach The drilling force measurement system was established first. Then the drilling force in printed circuit board micro drilling process was characterized experimentally. In particular, the drilling forces in drilling halogen‐free and lead‐free assembly compatible printed circuit boards and the drilling force characteristics in ultra small hole drilling were investigated. Findings A drilling force measurement system, with the key component of a KISTLER 9256C2 dynamometer, can accurately measure the drilling forces in the printed circuit board micro drilling process. The micro drilling process can be characterized by drilling force. Meanwhile, drilling force is very sensitive to drill breakage and drilling force can be utilized to detect drill breakage in the micro drilling process. Originality/value The paper presents a system for accurately measuring the drilling force. Drilling force provides fundamental information for the optimal design of micro drill bits. Drilling force can also characterize the micro drilling process, especially the ultra small hole micro drilling process.