-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueThe Growing Industry
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we talk with leading economic experts, advocacy specialists in Washington, D.C., and PCB company leadership to get a well-rounded picture of what’s happening in the industry today. Don’t miss it.
The Sustainability Issue
Sustainability is one of the most widely used terms in business today, especially for electronics and manufacturing but what does it mean to you? We explore the environmental, business, and economic impacts.
The Fabricator’s Guide to IPC APEX EXPO
This issue previews many of the important events taking place at this year's show and highlights some changes and opportunities. So, buckle up. We are counting down to IPC APEX EXPO 2024.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Events
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Are There Advantages to Changing Your Registration System?
March 22, 2015 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Faraci: Yes. What happens is we don't have a slot or a pin or any of that stuff; we have a small welding coupon and it can be as little as six millimeters, a quarter of an inch wide, and that's it. They can place it closer to the edge. On average, some customers are seeing about 12-15 millimeter borders. They've cut that border down a lot. It gives them a lot more panel utilization.
Matties: How many installations do you have here in the US?
Faraci: Right now of the latest versions of machines in total, worldwide, we've got about 70 of these units installed. We've been getting a few more over the last few years in the United States, which is kind of nice, and in Europe. It's diversified a little bit, not just selling only in one area.
Now, of course we've started to introduce a registration system for flex. This is our first machine here at IPC APEX EXPO, which is the Automated Rigid Flex system and with this machine, we can tack bond on the internal part of the panel. Many customers who run flex actually pin on the inside of the panel. Instead of pinning, we've eliminated that process and we'll internally bond the layers. That's our latest new product.
Matties: Then, also in the lamination process, I understand that your plates are untooled?
Faraci: There are no holes; there's nothing...exactly. Much cleaner. With the pin process, for example, you're locked into certain panel sizes and for some shops that's okay. But there are a lot of headaches where you have pins and bushings. You have to clean the lam pins and you have to clean the bushings. It's a lot of work. The separator plates are dirtier because again, you get these resin spots and so on. So, you eliminate a lot of that cleaning and checking. Also, the other thing that I say with our system, depending on what type of press you have of course, you don't really need a heavy lamination plate.
The reason for a lamination plate is to have enough engagement into the pin to hold the pins for the top and bottom. So that's why people use a lam plate. But, if you have decent platens on your press and decent separator plates, you don't really need a lam plate. A lot of customers have gotten away from them, like DSG. What that does is, if you have a decent press, you're going to get really good heat transfer from the platens and you get a much better product that way.
Matties: With all the benefits that are visible, why have you only sold 70?
Faraci: This is the part that always frustrates us. Why only 70? It’s a bit frustrating that the customer base has been very slow to adapt to it, until they get a system in and then they say “Why didn’t we do this earlier?”
Matties: What are the roadblocks?
Faraci: The biggest roadblock I think has been that many customers that do have existing tooling don't want to change over, because they have a lot of money, time, and development into that process, so they see this not as an equipment change, it's a process change. So, it's been a much harder sell for us, to change that process. I think as registration requirements are getting tighter and tighter, it's inevitable, it's going to happen; they will need to optically align the layers.
I lived most of my earlier career selling tooling machines and going into places and looking at the registration, and that's when I decided to start making the equipment and start working on an optical lay-up system because I saw the limitations of the mechanical pinning process, and it wasn't a machine problem, it's a process problem.
The biggest roadblock for me has really been the process change. In Asia it's been much easier because they're already doing some kind of an eyeletting process which is similar and they don't want to go to a pin lamination system because it's costly.
In the US and somewhat in Europe, but mostly the US, the roadblock is that they have a lot of time and money invested in tooling and they don't want to change the process. Also, I believe that the process engineers are very busy and they view a process change as risky. It’s a safer bet to go the old proven method than the perception of sticking their neck out for a new technology. I think that's the biggest one. It's really not the equipment cost. It's really the process change.
Matties: Do you find this mentality of process change in America to be an issue?
Faraci: Mostly in the USA, I have to tell you. In Asia I find that the process change hasn't been the issue. They've embraced it much more quickly. In USA it's been kind of hurting us with a lot of the customers, but in Europe as well, although in Europe they’re more open to it. In the US I've had really the most difficult time. It frustrates us, because we make the equipment here and it's designed, developed and patented here.
Matties: Have you measured cycle time reduction? Do you know what that would be compared to traditional?
Faraci: Yes, actually we're a little bit faster because we're eliminating the double handling. Because when you use a pin lam process, you're handling the layer at punching, and then you're handling the layer again at lay-up. Here the lay-up and alignment is all in one unit.
Matties: How much time have you estimated that they save?
Faraci: It's about 20% faster with our process, because what happens is when you get to our system you're going through the machine, it's doing the alignment, so as soon as it has completed the first panel, it is ready to go into book lay-up and into the press. Whereas in a pinning process you have to punch all the layers first and then start. With optical lay-up you get it in the press faster.
Matties: That 20% adds up fast.
Faraci: Yes, exactly. Now, every shop is going to be a little bit different depending on how many layers they do and so on. That's been about the average that's usually reported by my customers, not by us.
Matties: Tony, thank you so much.
Faraci: All right, well thank you very much and I appreciate it.
Page 2 of 2Suggested Items
The Chemical Connection: Reducing Etch System Water Usage, Part 2
05/02/2024 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionIn my last column, I reviewed some relatively simple ways to reduce water usage in existing etch systems: cutting down cooling coil water flow, adding chillers to replace plant water for cooling, lowering flow rate nozzles for rinses, etc. This month, I’ll continue with more ways to control water usage in your etcher. Most of these are not easily retrofittable to existing equipment but should be given serious consideration when new equipment is contemplated. With the right combination of add-ons, it is possible to bring the amount of water used in an etch system to almost zero.
Designer’s Notebook: What Designers Need to Know About Manufacturing, Part 2
04/24/2024 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe printed circuit board (PCB) is the primary base element for providing the interconnect platform for mounting and electrically joining electronic components. When assessing PCB design complexity, first consider the component area and board area ratio. If the surface area for the component interface is restricted, it may justify adopting multilayer or multilayer sequential buildup (SBU) PCB fabrication to enable a more efficient sub-surface circuit interconnect.
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
ENNOVI Introduces a New Flexible Circuit Production Process for Low Voltage Connectivity in EV Battery Cell Contacting Systems
04/03/2024 | PRNewswireENNOVI, a mobility electrification solutions partner, introduces a more advanced and sustainable way of producing flexible circuits for low voltage signals in electric vehicle (EV) battery cell contacting systems.
Heavy Copper PCBs: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Fabrication, Part 1
04/01/2024 | Yash Sutariya, Saturn Electronics ServicesThey call me Sparky. This is due to my talent for getting shocked by a variety of voltages and because I cannot seem to keep my hands out of power control cabinets. While I do not have the time to throw the knife switch to the off position, that doesn’t stop me from sticking screwdrivers into the fuse boxes. In all honesty, I’m lucky to be alive. Fortunately, I also have a talent for building high-voltage heavy copper circuit boards. Since this is where I spend most of my time, I can guide you through some potential design for manufacturability (DFM) hazards you may encounter with heavy copper design.