Laser part number blanking hinders reverse-engineering

To make it tougher for rivals to copy designs, some companies erase component-top part numbers.

“The problem is that this is usually done after the PCB assembly otherwise it is difficult to ensure that the board is made correctly, but the usual technique of manually grinding the markings off is time consuming and can damage the component and stress solder joints,” said Swiss laser firm Escatec.

The firm’s solution is to use one of its existing laser machines, normally installed to mark solder resist on a PCB line, to over-write component part identifiers with a ‘sea of numbers’ pattern.

“There is no damage or stress and the laser is very fast and accurate to within ±0.1mm. Most importantly, it is fully automatic so that we cut out a huge amount of time that was previously spent grinding the markings off,” said Escatec engineering manager Martin Muendlein.

steve bush

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via Yuichun