PCB manufacturing
Traditional methods of PCB are changing in line with manufacturers demands for greater efficiency, finer line circuitry and a greener
approach to production. Companies such as Rainbow Technology Systems are developing new processes to meet these demands and produce the next generation of PCB imaging equipment
Maximum yields
All manufacturers are striving for maximum yields and minimum waste. The Rainbow System has been designed using optics which has a collimation of only six degree half angle. As there is only a nine- second gap between the coating and imaging stages and the panel in a vertical orientation this offers less opportunity for debris to attach itself to the wet resist.
Particles which trapped in the cured resist will be transported on with the panel or if present in the wet resist will either slide off the protective layer on the phototool or again move forward with the panel and be removed in the developer and so repeat errors are unusual.
Given this and the fact that the whole process is almost entirely automated it should lead to higher yields. As the panels come out ready for etching there is no need to transport or store them in yellow
light (to prevent premature curing from UV light in the atmosphere). One of our aims in developing the system is to give a new lease of life to standard photo tools without the costly maintenance connected with LDI. Very little heat is generated by the process so the issue of heat distortion of the photo tool is avoided.
Standard silver halide photo tools are used and a special three-micron coating is applied using Rainbow’s Panda Coater to protect the tool from moisture and chemical attack from the resist. Photo tools take under two minutes to changeover using a self-locating cart system
Touchscreen production Although we designed the Rainbow Process primarily for PCB production there has been interest in applying the technology in other areas most notably touchscreen displays. The process can be used to print very fine conductive tracks, invisible to the human eye, on to a clear substrate. Grid patterns of five microns by 300-pitch offer more conductivity than ITO or conductive polymers and offering much closer track and gap configurations (down to 10 micron spacing) designers will have more scope to
incorporate additional features and functionality into the touch screen.
Conclusion Traditional methods of PCB are changing in line with manufacturers demands for greater efficiency, finer line circuitry and a greener approach to production. Companies such as Rainbow Technology Systems are developing new processes to meet these demands and produce the next generation of PCB imaging equipment.
© 2012 Angel Business Communications. Permission required.
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www.siliconsemiconductor.net Issue IV 2012
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