Equipment for removing protective coatings from substrates

A method for removing material from a substrate, comprising:

• forming a seal of a first element of a template against a first side of substrate, the first element comprising at least one exposure aperture for exposing at least a portion of the first side of the substrate;
• forming a second seal of a second element of the template a second side of the substrate, the second element comprising a second exposure aperture for exposing at least a portion of the second side of the substrate, wherein the first side is opposite the second side;
• securing the first element to the second element with the substrate in between the first element and the second element;
• positioning the template relative to a platen or a support plate of a material removal system;
• and
• removing a parylene coating from the substrate through the at least one aperture and the second exposure aperture of the template using the material removal system.