A solution of aluminum substrate drilling

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present and describe a solution of aluminum substrate drilling. Design/methodology/approach The development of LED and printed circuit board with metal substrate are reviewed first. Then the challenges of drilling metal substrate, particularly the aluminum substrate, are described. To find the solution, coated micro drill bit with optimized helix angle is developed. The performance of developed micro drill bit is examined via drilling force investigation. Finally, the drilling tests are conducted to verify the solution of aluminum substrate drilling. Findings Coated drill bit is a very good choice to solve the problems of drilling burr and chip clogging in aluminum substrate drilling. The reason is that the drilling force can be obviously reduced by using a coated drill bit. The drill bit with medium helix angle is beneficial to prevent chip clogging. A satisfactory solution of aluminum substrate drilling can be achieved by applying coated drill bit with medium helix angle together with appropriate entry board. Originality/value The paper presents a satisfactory solution of aluminum substrate drilling. By employing the presented solution, the problems of drilling burr and chip clogging can be avoided in aluminum substrate drilling.