DrillOptimizer tackles the complex challenge of optimising step and settle motion for thousands to millions of hole locations.

Pittsburgh, May 2025 – Aerotech Inc., a global leader in precision motion control and automation, today announced the release of its groundbreaking DrillOptimizer, an advanced AeroScriptPlus feature for galvo scanner systems. Designed for equipment manufacturers using laser drilling with high-dynamic point-to-point motion, DrillOptimizer tackles the complex challenge of optimising step and settle motion for thousands to millions of hole locations, minimising overall drilling cycle time and maximising galvo scanner hardware performance.

"Optimising high-dynamic point-to-point motion for laser drilling applications with varying hole distances has long been a demanding task," says Aerotech Product Manager Bryan Germann. "We created DrillOptimizer so our customers can save development time and increase throughput without sacrificing on precision."

DrillOptimizer works two key ways:

Motion Sequence Optimization: DrillOptimizer intelligently determines the most efficient path through a pattern of holes, whether within a single scanner field of view (FOV) or when combined with a servo stage system using Infinite Field of View (IFOV).  This path optimisation directly minimises the overall cycle time by ensuring the shortest travel distance for the scanner.

Step and Settle Optimization: DrillOptimizer enables optimal controller parameters to be used for any specific step distance without the scanner leaving the user-defined settle window. By identifying the ideal parameters for each move based on the user-specified settle window and laser-on time, settling move delays are eliminated – allowing the laser to fire with zero delay if the scanner remains within the settle window.

Key benefits include:

·Minimised cycle time through optimised motion paths

·Maximised galvo scanner hardware performance for every move

·Elimination of move delay for laser firing

·Guaranteed precision even for large-scale processing

·Rapid process development with an intuitive Windows user interface

·Seamless integration into custom machine HMIs via a .NET DLL

·Production-scale performance with minimal setup

·Compatibility with Aerotech's AGV galvo laser scan head products (AGV-HPO and AGV-XPO)