Rapid Hole Array Drilling Using Laser and Mechanical Processes

An innovative solution is presented for production of precise through-hole arrays (holes 0.1 to 0.5 mm diameter and 0.5 to 5 mm deep) in hardened metals. Precise hole-arrays are required for a number of military applications. The feasibility of amultiple parallel electrode Electro-Discharge Machining (EDM) process has been demonstrated. The proposed effort outlines further development to refine the hole-array fabrication hardware and method. The proposed fabrication method achieves precisedrilling control and rapid hole-array production through a combination of EDM parallel processing innovations, novel part manipulation and creative inspection processes. The results of the Phase II development and research are a fabrication process andassociated hardware for rapidly producing very precise holes in precisely oriented patterns. Not only will this save a significant amount of money and time for hole array production, but also will result in processes that benefit a number of otherdual-use applications. Initial targeted machine times for hole drilling are 0.1 second for each finished hole or no more than 20 minutes for each 10,000 hole array. This innovation may also dramatically reduce capitalization for companies aiming toproduce accurate micro-holes for the military/defense industry and the micro-fabrication field.