PCB007 Magazine

PCB007-Jan2023

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82 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2023 The Subtractive Vision to push for improvements in subtractive pro- cesses and move toward a subtractive-driven PCB fabrication process. From Semi-additive to Subtractive Manufacturing By subtractive-driven process, I am referring to a PCB manufacturing process that does not require the use of a semi-additive pro- cess (SAP) to meet specifications. Mov- ing to a s ub tr ac- tive-driven process for manufacturing PCBs would signif- icantly impact the industry. Currently, SA P is necessar y t o o b t a i n u l t r a - high-definition fea- tures; but because SAP requires addi- tional plating steps, P C B f a b r i c a t i o n b e c o m e s m u c h m o r e e x p e n s i v e . is is because plating is a technically chal- lenging process, requiring lots of expertise and time on the part of highly skilled workers. Plat- ing is also a lengthy process that adds to man- ufacturing time. With so many factors at play in producing UHDI resolution, there's always a significant chance that some panels will not e November 2022 issue of PCB007 Mag- azine included a fair amount of discussion on the growing need for ultra-high-density inter- connects (UHDI), an area replete with manu- facturing challenges due not only to the feature sizes this technology requires (<50 micron or <2 mils), but also the lack of familiarity U.S. manufacturers have with this technology. In an inter view titled "Understand- ing the UHDI Mar- k e t ," C a l u m e t 's Todd Brassard and Meredith LaBeau stated that the U.S. is roughly 30 years behind the cur ve in manufactur ing U H D I , w h i c h i s likely the result of companies offshor- i ng U H D I m a n u - facturing for many years. With this gap in manufac tur ing expertise, we are le asking: How can we catch up? e CHIPS Act may help us shine some light on semiconductor technologies, but if we truly want to see the rapid change neces- sary to successfully compete against overseas companies that have been in this business for over 20 years, we will need an edge in the mar- ket. To get ahead of the competition, we need The Chemical Connection by Christopher Bonsell, CHEMCUT

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