Custom-Drilled Microholes/Apertures
Ladd has microdrilled burr-free microholes as small as 10µm since the 1960's. Although we originally produced these microholes for electron microscope columns, they are now used in a wide variety of applications such as:
- X-Ray Collimators
- Light Limiting Orifices
- Ion Beam Columns
- Mask-making Tools
- Electron Microscope Apertures
Materials -Typical metals used are platinum, molybdenum, stainless steel, tungsten, aluminum, copper and gold. Apertures 25µm and above can also be drilled in glass, quartz, silica, ceramics, porcelain, marble, jade, ruby, YAG, Silicon, sapphire and granite.
We can now produce holes as small as 125µm in ceramic and glass materials. This is in addition to the wide range of holes in our standard materials such as platinum, tungsten, molybdenum, stainless steel, tantalum, etc.
Some Useful Definitions:
- Microhole - Generally considered to be from 10 to 350 µm in diameter.
- Burr-Free - Holes are free of burrs when viewed optically at 450X. Burr-free is critical for E-Beam, X-Ray and gas flow applications.
- Aspect Ratio - The aspect ratio is the ratio of depth to diameter. The ideal hole has an aspect ratio of 1:1. We create a counterbore in thicker materials to lower the aspect ratio and provide the most burr-free hole.
We can accommodate nearly any design. Call, fax or e-mail us and we will be happy to quote you.