No.1 Application Background
With the rapid development of HDI PCBs, IC substrates, and advanced packaging substrates, the electronics manufacturing industry is facing increasingly stringent requirements for micro-hole drilling accuracy, consistency, and reliability.
Micro drills are critical consumable tools in the PCB drilling process, primarily used for ultra-small hole diameters ranging from 0.05 to 0.3 mm at extremely high spindle speeds. Typical workpiece materials include high-Tg laminates, high-filled copper-clad laminates, and composite substrates, all of which exhibit high abrasiveness and poor machinability.
Under continuous high-speed drilling conditions, micro drills must withstand extreme cutting temperatures, high frictional loads, and severe mechanical stress, while maintaining stable hole diameter and smooth hole-wall quality. This places exceptionally high demands on the surface properties and coating performance of the cutting tools.
No.2 Customer Pain Points
In mass production, manufacturers commonly encounter the following challenges:
Rapid tool wear and short service life
Uncoated or insufficiently protected micro drills experience rapid edge wear, blunting, or even chipping under high rotational speeds.
High friction coefficient and excessive heat generation
This leads to poor chip evacuation, increased cutting temperatures, and deterioration of hole-wall roughness.
Poor batch-to-batch consistency
Significant variation in tool life results in frequent tool changes, directly disrupting production rhythm and process stability.
These issues ultimately lead to:Reduced drilling yield; Increased tooling costs; Higher machine downtime.
All of which become critical bottlenecks in large-scale PCB manufacturing.
No.3 Solution | FMA0605 Hard Coating System
To address the dominant failure mechanisms of micro drills operating under high-speed and high-wear conditions, Zhenhua Vacuum implemented the FMA0605 hard coating deposition system.
Using a stable and precisely controlled cathodic arc deposition process, high-performance ultra-hard coating systems are deposited on the surface of micro drills.
The solution focuses on three key aspects:
Optimized coating architecture; High film density; Excellent thickness uniformity
Together, these significantly enhance the wear resistance, friction reduction, and corrosion resistance of micro-drilling tools.
No.4 Equipment Advantages
Filtered arc technology for macroparticle reduction
Enables high-quality Ta-C (tetrahedral amorphous carbon) coatings with both high deposition efficiency and superior performance.
Outstanding coating properties; Ultra-high hardness; Low coefficient of friction; Excellent corrosion resistance; Average coating hardness up to 63 GPa
Coating capability
The system supports deposition of various high-temperature-resistant and ultra-hard coatings, including:AlTiN;AlCrN; TiCrAlN;TiAlSiN;CrN, These coatings are widely applied to cutting tools, molds, punches, automotive components, pistons, and other high-wear industrial parts.
No.5 Solution Value
With the FMA0605 hard coating solution, customers achieved measurable improvements in production:
Significantly extended micro-drill tool life, enabling more holes per tool
Improved drilling quality, with enhanced hole-wall consistency and higher yield
Reduced tool change frequency, resulting in more stable and predictable production cycles
Lower overall tooling costs, reinforcing the advantages of large-scale manufacturing
–This article was published by vacuum coating equipment manufacturer Zhenhua Vacuum
Post time: Jan-12-2026