I am working on gridded ion thrusters.Presently we are using 1mm thick and 100 mm dia disk for beam extraction which has around 1000 1-2mm holes in it.
The manufacturing of the grids is a difficult task.The present grid were made by conventional drilling but it still has sharp burrs and edges in the holes.Laser drilling was also tried but it causes a bend in the material due to residual stresses after it cools.
I wish to know is there any process available for manufacturing grid with perfect holes without any distortion or misalignment.
Regards,