PCB007 Magazine

PCB007-Feb2021

Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1339822

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 65 of 125

66 PCB007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2021 sary data for the decision. A tool to "Keep calm and keep on printing" has four requirements: 1. MEMS printheads for its great precision, its high density of nozzles and its reproducibility and reliability. 2. A recirculation system to zero on the starting time, decrease maintenance and reduce clogging. 3. A small drop size able to pattern tiny features. 4. Make use of high-tech solutions from the graphics industry to spread the contribu- tion of each nozzle to a larger area to homogenize the print result. In conclusion, these requirements gave the PiXDRO JETx-M system a Fujifilm Dimatix SAMBA® G3L as printhead (Figure 2), which has the whole package. In simple terms, it's like thousands of reliable teaspoons for millions of espresso cups, instead of a few ladles. Starkey: I understand what you mean, and it's clear that PiXDRO has established a resilient and reliable core technology. PCB fabrication also has its challenges. What, in your view, makes inkjet such a logical technique for sol- der mask coating? Gautero: ere are three important things about inkjet printing: digital, digital and digital. e CAM station is creating a description of the whole board manufacturing. is is a dig- ital information understandable directly from an inkjet printer. It is still possible to go one step further and fully integrate PCB CAM workflow with a specific soware. is hap- pens on our platform: the JETx-M. is seam- lessly integrates into the customer current workflow. Aside from simplicity and obtain- ing the famous "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG), it enables all new possibilities by inkjet in a user-friendly way. e incoming description becomes a printing strategy: a set of digital instructions for the printer to create multiple layers of print. e alignment operation, either ex-situ or in-situ, provides a set of coordinates for each single board that are used "on-the-fly" to de- form the digital file to match reality. is goes beyond "finding the board" by compensating offsets or finding the subpanels, by applying some X-Y fixed scaling. e target is to maxi- mize panel yield, so "finding the pads" by ap- plying linear scaling or "finding the last mi- crometer of accuracy" by multi-point linear scaling for local deformations. All options are available in this digital procedure. Finally, and this is where the inkjet printing will start to outshine the traditional technolo- gy, digital solder mask overlays can be digitally defined: local definition of thicknesses, critical regions where solder mask cannot be present, matte and shiny areas within the same pattern and serialization. Even legend functionalities can be integrated as required. is enables ma- terial savings, local functionalities, better and easier further assembly of the board, and sev- eral other advantages that smart OEMs can find out when these overlays come to their at- tention (Figure 3). Starkey: I can appreciate the benefits of a dig- ital printing strategy, and understand some of the options that it offers, but what else can you tell me? Is it sufficient to have high quali- ty printheads driven by some clever computer soware? Gautero: No, there is more than meets the eye. Another point of attention is the tool interac- Figure 2: The heart of the JETx-M printer, the Fujifilm Dimatix Samba® G3L printhead.

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of PCB007 Magazine - PCB007-Feb2021