Ceramic cutting & drilling

Technical ceramics are widely used in the microelectronics industry, and are traditionally difficult to machine. These materials are hard and brittle, and components are generally small. Laser processing allows lines, slots, holes and complex profiles to be machined with no tool contact and reduced mechanical stress.

The laser process requires very careful control of the parameters; the Luxinar SR 15i is designed with ceramic processing in mind, allowing control of the pulse width from 2µs to 1ms. The pulse regime of the laser is critical; long pulses and slow process speeds usually produce superior results.

Alumina (Al₂O₃) is the most common material, but we can also process other ceramics, including zirconia, aluminium nitride and boron nitride.