Abstract: In a method of and an apparatus for drilling a hole in a workpiece, a pressure foot associated with a drill is moved into contact with the workpiece, and a drill bit associated with the drill is moved from a drill-starting position into the workpiece, toward the drill-starting position and again into the workpiece while maintaining the pressure foot in constant contact with the workpiece. The drill is reciprocally fed by a plurality of times under the pressure of the pressure foot acting upon the printed circuit board. In either of the method and the apparatus, a hole with a high aspect ratio can be formed in a workpiece made from a thin, flexible material.

Abstract: A pressure foot for a machine for drilling a printed circuit board is supported to be slidable in an axial direction of a rotor shaft and is connected to a vacuum suction source. The pressure foot is adapted to depress the printed circuit board during a drilling operation. A first air pathway is formed from a first supply port formed in a side wall of the pressure foot to a plurality of first blow-out ports formed in a contact surface of the pressure foot with the printed circuit board. The first supply port is connected with a pressure air source. A second air pathway extends from a second supply port formed in the side wall to a plurality of second blow-out ports opened toward an interior of the pressure foot. The second air pathway is in communication with a supply source of a pressure air. Thus, the working time and cost are reduced.

Abstract: A method of perforating a printed circuit board having a copper foil layer on one side thereof, at least one intermediate resin layer and a layer on the other side thereof, so as to form a connection hole for providing an electrical connection between the copper foil layer and the layer on the other side of the printed circuit board. The method employs a printed circuit board perforation apparatus which has a laser processing head capable of processing the printed circuit board by means of a laser beam and a drill head capable of driling the printed circuit board. After the apparatus is suitably located with respect to the printed circuit board, the drilling head operates to conduct drilling into the resin layer through the copper foil layer by the drilling head so as to form a pilot hole.

Abstract: An apparatus for drilling a hole in a workpiece such as, for example, a printed circuit board wherein a pressure foot, associated with a drill, is moved into a position to exert a pressure on the workpiece. A drill bit associated with the drill is moved with respect to the workpiece, and an arrangement is provided for controlling the operations of the pressure foot and the drill bit in such a manner so as to move the drill bit from a drill starting position into the workpiece, then toward the drill starting position and again into the workpiece while maintaining the pressure exerted on the workpiece by the pressure foot.

Abstract: In a pressure foot used in an apparatus for drilling printed circuit boards, which includes a bearing for holding a spindle, and formed at the end portion thereof with an inner void space having a bottom hole for passing the drill bit, the end portion of the pressure foot is provided with an annular end surface possibly contacting with the printed circuit board and air injection ports for injecting compressed air into the inner space. The air injection ports are so directed that the air flow from each injection port is tangently contacts with the circumferential surface of the drill.

Abstract: In a method of drilling a printed circuit board according to the present invention, an entry feed rate at which a drill is fed into the printed circuit boards during the initial stage of drilling is made slightly smaller than a drilling feed rate at which the drill is fed while it is drilling a hole through the printed circuit boards, so as to enhance the accuracy at which holes are located. One drilling operation includes a plurality of drilling feeds of the drill, and pulled-out positions of the drill which are reached by the drill between adjacent drilling feed rate are set within a range in which the pressure of a pressure foot is effective. This can prevent the stacked printed circuit boards from shifting and increase the accuracy at which the holes are located.