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28 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2019 Article by Víctor Lázaro Gallego CHEMPLATE MATERIALS Abstract A revolutionary concept in multilayer press technology has been developed that uses elec- tromagnetic energy to heat the existing stain- less-steel separator plates with a never-before dreamed-of accuracy and precision. The heat- ing and cooling systems—embedded within a robust hydraulic press inside a vacuum cham- ber design—are controlled using a temperature feedback loop that guarantees perfect fidelity between the press recipe and the press result. This unique, electromagnetic induction tech- nology helps make engineer's needs become a reality. Introduction The production of the first four-layer multilayer dates to 1960, which means the industry has manufactured multilayer PCBs for more than half of a century. Everyone in- volved with the PCB industry knows that the technical evolution of multilayer PCBs has been exponential from the first technical re- quirements to today's. Current PCB require- ments bring, collaterally, limits to the indus- trial-level manufacturing of state-of-the-art technologies. The technical demands of modern PCBs have revolutionized almost all manufactur- ing processes from the multiple and complex chemical processes to mechanics, such as drill- ing, through the photoimaging of the circuit. However, if you look at the lamination process to cure today's sophisticated resin composites, you can see that the evolution of the lamina- tion presses has been slight in comparison. While today's lamination presses are far bet- ter in many aspects than presses 59 years ago, press technology still uses the same method to produce the thermal energy (heat) and deliver the thermal energy that the resin composite needs to properly polymerize. I want to introduce a new approach that uses a different way to generate thermal energy— and a new way to deliver it to the resins—that improves the lamination process for today's materials requirements and new requirements in the future. While initially designed for mul- tilayer PCB manufacturing, this technology can also greatly benefit laminate manufactur- ers, opening up new avenues of research into Multilayer Press Technology Using Magnetism to Produce Lamination Heat