- Need for higher throughput (sometimes referred to as speed)
- Need for higher wet print accuracy
- Larger PCBs/panelized PCBAs (warpage, handling, work area)
- Shrinking PCB/PCBA topographies
- Even finer features, fine-pitch components, etc.
- Broadband printing, defined as a process that delivers the solder paste volume required for a PCB with both miniature and larger device patterns in parallel.
- Increasing printer accuracyRaising printer throughput capabilityImproving overall printing process efficiencyGrowing PCB panels handling sizeAdvancing existing featuresDeveloping machines with more advanced features.
- Increasing printer accuracy
- Raising printer throughput capability
- Improving overall printing process efficiency
- Growing PCB panels handling size
- Advancing existing features
- Developing machines with more advanced features.
- Printing machine sales people toss the term accuracy around a lot, but what does it really mean? Are we referring to machine accuracy, as in quality of construction and tolerances, or performance? And if the latter, then what, specifically, do we mean?
- Software improvements and enhancements can bolster accuracy
- Tighter tolerances in printer machining and manufacture. Remember, when it comes to variations in tolerances, add them together for cumulative total accuracy or inaccuracy
- Reduction in vibration through minimization of unnecessary motion of moving parts (gantries, etc.)
- Less overall motion also means less machine wear, longer life operating within specs
- Wet print accuracy – the only kind that really counts.
- Machine accuracy = ±12 um
- Stencil accuracy = ±12 um
- Total = ±25 um.
