PCB Drilling & Deburring

After completing the lamination process, the PCB enters the drilling process.
The CNC drilling machines are computer-controlled. A technician generates a program with the XY coordinates and size of the holes using the drill information provided with the Gerber / ODB files. The drilling machines use air-driven spindles which can rotate at a rate up to 150,000 revolutions per minute. High-speed drilling ensures clean hole walls and is necessary to obtain good plating on the hole walls.
During the drilling process, one hole is drilled at a time, which makes this stage a slow one. Usually, a stack of PCB panels is drilled together (this depends on the hole size to be drilled).
After the drilling stage is complete, the deburring process follows. This activity removes any additional copper that’s leftover at the edges. The deburring can be performed via several methods, including a brushing technique or a plasma cleaning operation. All holes need to be completely clear of debris to ensure smooth plating.