Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1176876
36 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2019 Lamination Profile Programming Like any other modern technology, this tech- nology is managed by a standard computer with dedicated software where the process en- gineer or operators can set all press parameters. The lamination press profile is normally com- posed of the combination of three different pro- files (magnitudes) in a unique timeline: tem- perature, pressure, and vacuum (Figure 12). Regarding the control of this technology, the big difference is that the real temperature of the material in the lamination process is moni- tored in real time by the control system and used as a feedback for the closed-loop control system. In much simpler words, the process engineer or operator creates a temperature profile following what the laminate or prepreg manufacturer recommends on the datasheet of the material. Once this profile is transferred to the InduBond system, the computer, control, temperature sensors, and power driver work together to make the real temperature of the material track the programmed temperature profile very precisely (Figure 13). The software does the same for all other mag- nitudes, such as vacuum, hydraulic pressure, lamination pressure, and all other process pa- rameters. All of the data during the lamination process is logged in a database and associated with a dedicated work order. The data can be retrieved at any time to generate process pa- rameters reports for traceability purposes. An actual lamination cycle of about three hours can be seen in the reference link; a compressed version (approximately one minute) is avail- able for those interested [3] . Cooling Down the Press Stack After 20+ years' involvement in multilayer registration and lamination, I've heard multi- ple discussions about mechanical distortions of the panels after lamination—effects such as twist, camber, or simply uneven distortion be- tween the panels laminated in the same open- ing with apparently identical process param- eters. All of the engineers with whom I have discussed this topic mainly relate these phe- Figure 12: InduBond X-Press software screenshot. Figure 13: Zoom-in detail of the material temperature tracking the programmed temperature profile.