Unimicron Germany, based in Geldern (North Rhine-Westphalia), has invested a further 12 million Euros in a new building and in the most up-to-date high-tech PCB production technologies. The new building is located next to the inner layer production, which was built in 2018 and is one of the most modern in Europe. The company says that with the investment, it is further expanding its technology leadership in the field of printed circuit board technology and sustainability. It adds that the move also shows that parent company, Unimicron Technology Corporation based in Taiwan, is strengthening Germany as a location. The investment covers not only the new building and infrastructure but also new equipment for desmearing processes, chemical and galvanic copper plating, as well as a groundwater treatment plant and state-of-the-art fire safety technology.
New technology
„With the new vertical continuous plating (VCP) system, a wide range of different types of printed circuit boards can be manufactured,“ the company said. „Thanks to the non-contact transport of PCBs with a thickness of 0.4 mm up to and including 3.2 mm, [we are] well equipped to continue to meet the ever-increasing customer requirements in the area of plating in the future. The copper plating system makes it possible to use a wide variety of materials for high-layer multilayers, but also HDI PCBs and IC substrates. The new line, with a length of 48 meters, is equipped with a fully automatic loading and unloading device as well as an RFID recognition for internal traceability. It offers maximum flexibility in terms of production capacity, copper layer thicknesses, circuit board technologies and dimensions.
„In addition to increased technological flexibility, the new horizontal through-plating line also contributes to significant savings in water and energy and at the same time increases the service life of the chemicals used. The desmear, chemical copper and galvanic Cu pre-amplification process steps run under optimal conditions over a total system length of 58 meters. The process is used for through holes and mechanical blind holes in standard technology, as well as for laser holes (microvias) in HDI and SPU technology with high aspect ratio requirements.
„A very wide range of base materials such as filled and high-Tg materials, RCC foils, multifunctional epoxy resin glass fabrics, thermally-optimized materials and PTFE laminates can be processed in the through-hole plating line. Especially with the latter, the fully automatic loading and unloading units are very advantageous in terms of avoiding mechanical damage.“
With the new construction and installation of state-of-the-art process technology, the company says is meeting the increasing requirements from the automotive, renewable energies, industrial and medical technology sectors.