Sunstone Printed Circuit Board Forum

Quick Turn Products, NC Drill, & Blowouts

Question: “I received an email stating my Quick Turn order was holding due to ‘blowouts’ in my NC Drill file. What does this mean and how can I resolve it?”

Answer: ‘Blowout’ is a condition caused by holes being placed to close together. By trying to drill the holes too close together, it causes the drill bits to break during the drilling process.

In order to keep costs at a minimum for our Quick Turn Products, there is a minimum distance between holes. We require .012” from object edge to edge. Holes with < 0.006” between holes (after standard drill sizes are added – per our preset tool sizes) may be deleted if tool size is < 0.070”.

For Slots (or holes placed very close together to form a slotted hole): Since slots are not offered through our Quick Turn products, you may wish to quote through our Full Feature Product line if the slots are required. However… for Quick Turn orders, upon your request, we can replace the slots that are present with as many holes as possible with adequate space between to prevent manufacturing issues. In the event the slot is too short to even have endpoints, we will place a single hole in the center, with the diameter equivalent to the smaller of the slot dimensions.

For more information, please review the Drill Information page on our website. PCB Manufacturing Drill File Information

If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions – please reply here!

Thank you!

Terri Miller

***

Hello,

We have some updates for our Sunstone Quick Turn Services, so some of the requirements listed here have changed. We DO now offer slots and cutouts for our Quick Turn orders! Here is some information on the requirements for Slots:

• For Slots or Cutouts - Fab Drawing, NC Drill File, or Gerber file is necessary to define slot/cutout size/ & location.
• Offered on our Sunstone Quick Turn orders only; this service not offered for PCBexpress or Value Proto orders. You may cancel your PCBexpress order and resubmit an order through Sunstone’s Quick Turn services if slots or cutouts are required.
• Maximum 4 slots or cutouts for this service.

We do still have requirements for ‘blowouts’ and the spacing between holes. This is what our website says and what our current specifications are:

• Please make sure there is space between holes, we require .010" from object edge to edge. Holes with <= 0.006" between holes (after standard drill sizes are added) will be placed on hold until resolved. Sunstone reserves the right to modify the "perforation holes" (holes drilled to separate multipart designs) for best manufacturing efficiency and quality of end product.

Please let us know if you have questions about this or any other services.