David; Most any drill machine with depth control (Z axis micrometer scale) can be used for this type of rework. Even a drill machine without depth control can be used, by properly setting the down limit. I have done rework of this nature in the past. However, there are a few things that must be considered. First, are there components on both sides of the board? If there are components on the bottom side of the board - opposite side of the board that needs drilling, then a special fixture may need to be fabbed in order to support the board on the drill table. (To prevent the board from 'rocking' around, and to prevent damage to the components) Next, if there are components that are very close to the drill location, these components may need to be removed. The reason for this is to allow enough room for the pressure foot of the spindle. If the pressure foot of the spindle contacts the components during the actual drill cycle, then the depth control will not be accurate, and may even crush the components. A Uv laser can also be employed to rework these boards. Using a laser will negate the pressure foot clearance requirements, but may still need a fixture to hold and support the board. Most lasers do have limitations as to how far the z axis can be operated, so if the components are very tall, plus the height of the fixture, may violate the z axis height limitations. Using a laser to do this will be difficult, and the rework house may need to cross section a few boards in order to be sure the laser parameters are drilling to proper depth. I have attempted through holes with a laser through very thick panels, and have found that beyond .050" depth, the laser beam is now out of focus, and no matter how many repetitions are applied, the beam has 'diverged' to the point where the centroidal energy of a Gaussian beam has completely dissipated, and all the beam is doing at that depth is heating up the laminate. Dave Simonik Laser Process Tech. Sanmina SCI Corp. Owego NY Division -----Original Message----- From: David Tremmel [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Monday, January 26, 2004 6:00 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Board rework Hello everyone, There are some populated boards which have an inner trace which needs to be opened. I need information on either leasing or purchasing the machinery or a company (in North America or Mexico) that can drill thru an inner trace which needs to be opened, but not entirely through the board. Each boards needs 2 drillings. I have approx. 15,000 boards. Thank you in advance for the help. Thank you, David Tremmel Belmont Trading Company 3160 MacArthur Boulevard Northbrook, Il 60062 (847) 412-9690 - Ext. 346 (847) 858-5540 - Cell _________________________________________________________________ Let the new MSN Premium Internet Software make the most of your high-speed experience. http://join.msn.com/?pgmarket=en-us&page=byoa/prem&ST=1 --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ----------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8e To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL) To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 -----------------------------------------------------