FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Online Inquiry

Frequently asked questions about our services at a glance

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Frequently asked questions about laser cutting & laser finishing

 

About the process

1. How does laser cutting work?
a. Laser cutting is a thermal cutting process in which light focused into a beam is directed onto the material surface, heating it to such an extent that it melts or vaporizes. Depending on the laser process, various process gases are used to enhance the cutting process.

2. Which manufacturing processes does TEPROSA offer?
a. TEPROSA offers laser flame cutting and laser fusion cutting for different materials.

3. What materials can be cut by laser?
a. The laser cutting process is suitable for metal, ceramics, plastic, textile, wood and many other materials. TEPROSA is focused on the processing of metal and ceramics. You can find the most common materials in our material overview.

4. Can I provide material?
a. Yes. Please tell us the dimensions of the metal sheets you want to provide.

5. What are the finishing options for laser parts?
a. At TEPROSA, we can provide the following finishing options:
i. Brushing (deburring)
ii. Vibratory grinding (deburring)
iii. Electropolishing (deburring)

6. Up to what size can TEPROSA manufacture laser parts?
a. Our equipment can process metal sheets with a maximum size of 1.00 m x1.50 m.

7. Up to what material thickness can TEPROSA manufacture laser parts?
a. This depends largely on the material. For most materialein, our processing range is 0.02mm – 6.00mm. For some materials, such as carbon steel, we also cut materials up to 15.00mm thick.

8.How accurate is laser cutting?
a. With our laser equipment, we can achieve minimum cutting widths of 0.03 mm and geometric tolerance accuracies of +/- 0.01 mm. The repeatability of the laser parts is +/- 2 µm.

9. What are the costs?
a. No tool costs/ no change costs
b. Low setup costs
c. Equipment costs, labor costs, material costs

10. I do not have CAD data. Can TEPROSA take care of the data creation?
a. Yes. Of course, we can create CAD data from your sketch for you.

On the order process

1. How long does it take to process my order?
a. The normal processing time for your order is about one working week. How quickly we can complete your order, of course, depends on your order volume.

2. Is express processing possible?
a. Yes. For many orders, we can offer express processing within one working day (surcharge 145.00 EUR) or within two working days (surcharge 95.00 EUR).

3. Which data format is suitable for laser processing?
a. It is best to provide us with your data in dxf, step, or pdf format. Alternatively, we can also process jpg, png, geo, stp, tcw, dwg, brd, tif, or igs.

4. How to proceed with data security?
a. We guarantee the security of your data. If desired, we will gladly enter into a corresponding secrecy agreement with you. Of course, all of our subcontractors and our employees are also bound in writing to secrecy of your data.

5. How large can a file be for the online inquiry?
a. For our online inquiry form, files up to 20Mb are possible.

6. Is there a minimum order value at TEPROSA?
a. Yes. Our minimum order value is 65.00 EUR.

7. Can I order an item again?
a. Of course. All manufacturing data is stored in our system and can be retrieved again at any time.

On the quality

1. What edge quality can I expect?
a. Our manufacturing process enables very clean and almost burr-free edges. We realize high dimensional accuracy, exact repeatability and contour accuracy of ± 0.01 mm.

2. What repeatability does laser cutting offer?
a. Repeat accuracies of +/- 2µm are possible.

3. What geometric tolerances are possible?
a. We achieve contour accuracies of ± 0.01mm depending on the material thickness in terms of dimensional accuracy.

4. What thickness tolerances are possible?
a. The thickness tolerances depend on the starting material. For stainless steel, we use standard material according to DIN EN 9445-2. Finer tolerances are possible.

5. How is the quality control done?
a. At TEPROSA, for 3D-MIDs, an intermediate inspection takes place after each manufacturing step and a final inspection of the parts takes place directly before shipment to the customer. In this way, we guarantee that you will only receive parts that meet your requirements.

6. How do we handle complaints?
a. We process internal and external complaints or error reports according to the 8D procedure. We will gladly hand over the 8D report to you after the completion of the complaint.

Frequently asked questions about MID technology

 

About the process

1. What is a 3D MID?
a. A 3D MID is a three-dimensional circuit carrier. MID stands for molded interconnected device.

2. What does Molded Interconnected Device mean?
a. Molded (German: spritzgegossen) Interconnected Devices are injection-molded three-dimensional circuit carriers, which, in contrast to the classic printed circuit board, use plastic as a base material and have a large design scope due to your three-dimensionality.

3. What does laser direct structuring mean?
a. The Laser Direct Structuring (LPKF-LDS process) is a manufacturing process for 3D-MIDs. It was developed by the company LPKF Laser & Electronics AG.

4. How does the LPKF-LDS method work?
a. In the LDS process, metallic additives in special plastics are “exposed” with the laser so that metal particles can adhere to the additives in the metallization step. In this way, a conductive structure is obtained on the plastic body.

5. Which plastics are suitable?
a. The LPKF company regularly publishes a list of approved LDS plastics. The list can be found here.

6. How temperature resistant are the plastics?
a. High-performance plastics such as PEEK, PPA or LCP have high heat resistance and are therefore suitable for lead-free reflow soldering processes.

7. How chemical resistant are the plastics?
a. Various high-performance plastics with different chemical-resistant properties exist. We will be happy to advise you.

8. How do I choose the right plastic?
a. We will be happy to advise you.

9. What is the LDS additive?
a. The LDS additive is added to the plastics approved for 3D-MID and enables the permanent bonding of the plastic body and conductive metal layer.

10. What manufacturing processes does TEPROSA offer?
a. Laser direct structuring (LDS process).
b. Laser resist process
c. Assembly of 3D-MIDs

11. How can prototypes be manufactured?
a. 3D printing
b. Prototype tooling
c. Milled prototypes
d. Provision of the basic bodies by the customer (existing tool).

12. What layer thicknesses can be achieved in the metallization process?
a. Standard: copper 7-13µm, nickel 4-8µm, gold 0.05-0.1µm.
b. Max (chemical metallization): Copper 12-15µm, Nickel 7-11µm, Gold 0.1-0.15µm.
c. Max (electroplated metallization): On request; many things are possible here

13. Are there other metallization options besides copper, nickel, gold?
a. Yes. There are various other layers possible. We will be happy to advise you.

14. Can a 3D-MID be equipped with electronic components?
a. Yes. TEPROSA offers the assembly of 3D-MIDs.

15. What are the interconnect options (AVT)?
a. Soldering
b. Wire bonding
c. Spring contacts
d. Conductive rubber

16. Is it possible to wire bond on a 3D-MID?
a. Yes. If necessary, the surface of the metallization can be specially prepared for this purpose.

17. I do not have CAD data. Can TEPROSA take care of the data creation?
a. Yes. We will be happy to take over the creation of the 3D data for you.

On the order process

8. How long does it take to process my order?
a. The normal processing time for your order is about 4-6 working weeks. How quickly we can complete your order, of course, depends on your order volume.

9. Is express processing possible?
a. For some orders, yes. Whether we can express process your order depends on various factors. Please ask your contact for more information if needed.

1. How fast can prototypes be manufactured?
a. We can provide close-to-production prototypes within 2-4 working weeks.

2. What data format is required for 3D-MIDs?
a. STEP or IGES. Ideally, send us the body as a solid model (“Solid”) and the metallization as a surface model (“surfaces”) in 2 separate files. Alternatively, we can also import other exchange formats and even native data formats.

3. How to proceed with the data security?
a. We guarantee the security of your data. If desired, we will gladly conclude a corresponding secrecy agreement with you. Of course, all of our subcontractors and our employees are also bound in writing to secrecy of your data.

4. How large can a file be for the online inquiry?
a. Files up to 20Mb can be uploaded via our online request form

5. Is there a minimum order value at TEPROSA?
a. Yes. Our minimum order value is 65,00 EUR.

6. Can I order an item again?
a. Of course. All manufacturing data is stored in our system and can be retrieved again at any time.

On the quality

1. What is the technological surplus?
a. We plan for the production of 3D-MID 10-20% more basic bodies to compensate for any rejects in the various manufacturing processes and to be able to supply you with the desired order quantity.

2. What is the experience with the reliability of 3D-MIDs?
a. …

3. What is the quality control process?
a. At TEPROSA, for 3D-MIDs, an intermediate inspection takes place after each manufacturing step and a final inspection of the parts takes place directly before shipment to the customer. Thus, we guarantee that you will receive only parts that meet your requirements.

4. Will I receive a layer thickness report?
a. Yes.

5. Can the manufactured 3D-MIDs be subjected to an environmental test?
a. Yes. We can provide various reliability tests directly in our in-house testing laboratory. Our staff has the necessary experience regarding the specifics of 3D MIDs.

6. How do we handle complaints?
a. We process internal and external complaints or error reports according to the 8D procedure. We will gladly hand over the 8D report to you after the completion of the complaint.

Frequently asked questions about our testing procedures

 

About the process

1. What test procedures does TEPROSA offer?
a. Climatic/temperature bearings
b. Vibration testing
c. Temperature shock testing.
d. X-ray examinations.
e. DMS strain measurements.
f. Graph micrograph analyses.
An overview of our capabilities can be found here.

2. What is meant by condition monitoring?
a. With the measurement systems available in our test lab, we can monitor, store and evaluate a variety of electrical parameters during each cycle of the test.

3. Do I receive a test report?
a. Yes.

4. Up to what temperatures can the temperature shock test be run?
a. Tmax: 200°C
b. Tmin: -100°C

5. How large may the test specimens be for an environmental test?
a. The test chamber volume is 130l. The test chamber dimensions are 660x450x410 (TxWxH).

6. How heavy may the test specimens be for an environmental test?
a. Maximum test item weight: 25 kg.

7. Do I need to provide test fixtures?
a. No. We can offer you the manufacture of the test superstructures with pleasure.

8. How long does the processing of my order take?
a. This depends in the case of a component test very much on the scope and type of the / the test. In the case of complete validations, we need 4 working weeks for preparation.

Teprosa – technology + Engineering

Paul-Ecke-Str. 6
39114 Magdeburg
Deutschland

Tel 0391 598184 70
anfrage@teprosa.de