Features

Efficient laser cutting of coverlay and flexible circuits

The LodeStone™ system is a more accurate and flexible processing alternative for the efficient cutting and drilling of flexible materials. Its short pulse-width femtosecond laser results in low levels of carbonization and minimal heat-affected zones, delivering the exceptional accuracy and tight tolerances required by processors driving new solutions to market.

Femtosecond quality at nanosecond price and reliablity

LodeStone uses an ESI-designed femtosecond laser with proprietary fiber technology to avoid costly laser components and historical issues with short-pulse-width laser reliability. With low upfront cost and high-quality, responsive ESI service and support, LodeStone enables you to consistently output ultra-high-quality product at lower cost and with minimal headaches.

Broader range of materials with high quality and productivity

It is well known that ultra-short-pulse lasers can avoid issues associated with poor laser energy absorption due to its cold ablation mechanism. Inefficient energy absorption is a major cause of poor quality and low throughput in many materials. LodeStone’s femtosecond laser enables you to process a broader range of material with high quality and productivity.

Throw out your tooling

Can’t achieve your customer’s tight tolerances and high accuracies with your mechanical process anymore? Tired of long lead times and high prices for your mechanical tooling? LodeStone cuts overlay and flexible circuits with equivalent quality and reliability while enabling you to meet your customer’s demanding lead time and quality requirements and avoiding costly tooling.

Engineered for production-oriented flexible materials laser processing

  • ESI-patented compound beam positioning technology
  • Automated vision system for alignment and scaling compensation
  • Easy-to-use Windows 10 interface
  • Multi-language operator user interface
  • Sophisticated process development functionality
  • Comprehensive logging and diagnostics functionality

Processes

  • Flex and interconnect processing
  • FPC depaneling
  • Coverlay routing
  • Touchscreen and polarizer cutting
  • Through via drilling (THV)

Materials

  • Polyimide (PI)
  • Liquid Crystal Polymer (LCP)
  • Cyclo-Olefin Polymer (COP)
  • Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
  • Copper-clad Polyimide Laminates (CCL)
    • Adhesiveless
    • With adhesive
  • Glass-reinforced Laminates (FR4, BT, RT Duroid)
  • Coverlay (Polyimide plus Adhesive)

Specifications

  • Type
    Cross-axis with galvanometer
  • Laser
    Femtosecond green fiber laser
  • Pulse Rate
    Up to 1 MHz
  • Laser Output Power
    12 W
  • Average Work Surface Power
    >7.8 W @ 1 MHz
  • Panel Size
    533 x 635 mm
  • Accuracy
    ±20 μm over entire panel area
  • Maximum Average Velocity
    500 mm/s
  • Peak Move Speed
    2,000 points per second
  • Controller
    ESI custom DSP based controller
  • Interface
    Software, mechanical and electrical interfaces provide the capability to attach web and panel material handlers to the system.
  • Vacuum Chuck
    533 x 635 mm (±20 μm accuracy)

Resources