Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1038326
94 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2018 All our wet process equipment has a different set-up of squeegee rollers. On all process modules we use four sets of squeegee rollers at the entrance and exit. The same applies to the water rinses, where we use four sets of squeegee roll- ers at the module entrance and exit and between each cascade step. A lot of our competitors only use two sets of squeegee rollers between cascades which results in more drag-out. With our set-up we have less drag-out between the cascades and can ensure the rinsing process is more ef- ficient. We also included several conduc- tivity sensors in the rinsing stages where we control the water quality and addition based on conductivity. Another great advantage we have with regard to ventilation and evaporation is our unique "Module in Module" design that we use in all process modules. We enclose the entire spray area to contain all spray fumes in that confined housing inside the main process module. The exhaust system is connected to the outer mod- ule and therefore reduces the loss by evapora- tion dramatically. Holden: Did you supply any point treatment for the water rinse as part of the equipment, so you didn't have to pump it out? Zeller: No, all of that is done by GreenSource. We supplied a unique pump-out system, with no additional tanks, to save space, and all the connection points are aligned with the points defined by Alex's design. In addition, we fitted all alkaline rinses with fully integrated UV light to avoid any contamination. Matties: Before we finish, is there any particu- lar piece of equipment you would like to high- light? Zeller: The project as a whole is pretty excit- ing and very advanced. However, a highlight on the wet process side is that the DES line doesn't need any change in speed on the etch- er to process different copper thicknesses and therefore the etch program can be changed on the fly without emptying the etcher. Anoth- er interesting aspect of the DES is the setup with two etcher sections connected by a panel flipper to give full flexibility to etch either sin- gle-sided or double-sided. The idea for this is not new, but the combination with no speed change makes this machine quite unique and advanced. There is a fully automated ware- house in front of the pre-clean that holds 500 trays with different materials that will be load- ed directly into the preclean based on MES data. Then there are the handling units that can handle ultra-thin cores and heavy panels in one unit. There are the flexible buffers with- out any belts for particle control and reduced maintenance that tie in the entire line set-up. There are the handling units that enable the fully automated Schmoll drill stacker/de-stack- er unit. These are just some of the highlights, there are a lot more details in the entire project that make this project so advanced and excit- ing. It is a great opportunity to be part of this future-oriented project. Matties: Thanks for taking part in our cover- age of GreenSource. It's been great to catch up with you. Zeller: Thank you. Goldman: Thank you so much, Jochen. PCB007 Figure 8: AWP's innovative panel flipper enables back-to-back bottom etching for both sides of the panel.