Case Studies

Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial co-developed a custom FPGA controller on Contec’s BX-110n to achieve fast, precise laser processing while keeping its control technology in a black box.

Overview

Founded in 1935, Mitsuboshi Diamond Industrial Co., Ltd. (MDI) has long supported the global flat panel display industry, processing glass and other hard, brittle materials for FPDs, solar cells and LEDs, and building the equipment and tools to do it.

Challenge

Customers increasingly wanted laser special-shape processing. MDI needed a controller that was fast without sacrificing accuracy, and it wanted to keep its control technology from leaving the company. According to Ken-ichi Nishinaka of the Development Group, Laser Business Project, its existing system had reached its limits.

Solution

MDI chose Contec for its quick, flexible response. “A major deciding factor was their ability to customize the FPGA,” Nishinaka said. MDI built its laser control into the FPGA of the BX-110n, creating a black box for its technology. The controller and laser equipment were developed in parallel over about four years.

The BX-110n is nearly one-twentieth the size of a 19-inch rack-mount computer, provides real-time synchronous control in hardware, and uses a low-power Intel platform. Its small size made possible the compact LPM series laser equipment (1660 × 1540 × 1500 mm), which can process materials beyond glass by choosing a laser engine of the right wavelength.

Results

MDI protected its technology in a black box, gained high-speed curved processing for a wider range of needs, and shrank its equipment. Nishinaka said the joint development met the original goal and that Contec raised quality to the highest level. MDI’s next goal is an even faster CPU.

Contec products used

• BX-110n embedded computer with multi-signal I/O

Originally published by Contec Co., Ltd. at contec.com.