IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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76 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2026 Disadvantages: CNC Drilling/Routing Time Perhaps the single greatest disadvantage of the VeCS approach is the amount of time it requires on a mechanical CNC routing/drilling machine, which is relatively slow (when compared to laser drilling), and has always been a traditional manu- facturing bottleneck. For this reason, we have optimised VeCS for faster processing with the introduction of Recessed VeCS (R-VeCS), an evolution of VeCS where two vertical traces are part of plating the primary slot. For this, we can use slightly larger bit diameters, which help feed parameters. It is important to note that for the diameters we are processing, we recommend spindle RPMs of 100k or higher to get optimum chip loads. After filling and plating, select areas of plating are removed at specific positions to create two vertical traces. With R-VeCS, we create extra slots at the same time the primary slot is created. After plating and face rout, we cut away part of the two smaller slots. This is called a "shielded VeCS." The two differential contacts face the shielding. These 2.5D–3D structures are becoming more complex, with side and front shielding containing an electromagnetic field within the shielding. Figure 2: Cross-section of two VeCS stacks. The slot is filled with a high performance, low loss resin and overplated. At the base of each stack is the zero stub length technology used to stop the signal at the correct layer with no over- shoot, enabling the area just below to be open for routing. Figure 1: Every color is a different VeCS depth, going from left to right, starting with e.g., Layer 3, Layer 5, etc. The two black holes in the oval-shaped slot are the venting holes. This is no more than a via hole starting at the bottom of the slot and going to the back side of the board/sub-assembly.