Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1269815
50 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020 Schatz: Last year, we had several U.S. custom- ers approach us and ask for our horizontal solution, and we are in discussion with more again this year in both the U.S. and Europe. In contrast to Asia, it's a handful of custom- ers, but we take every business opportunity to enhance our customers' manufacturing pro- cess and provide the most reliable, flexible, and long-lasting production solution. The PCB community is surprisingly small, and it's very well connected, so innovative solutions spread quickly. We find that once PCB shops have ex- perienced our processes and support levels, we become long-lasting partners. Matties: Alex Stepinski said that the most im- portant aspect of a PCB facility is the plating process and that you can build from there. Ma- ny factories already have existing plating pro- cesses, but they may want to upgrade. What should they consider when looking at their plating process? Schmidt: The whole plating process is a com- plex system. Our horizontal copper plating modules are the result of decades of intensive research and development, and we continue to develop new features to guarantee the best solutions. From our patented segmented an- odes and rectifier system to our sophisticated clamps and advanced fluid delivery system, we do not stop improving our total solution. Today, we have nearly 1,000 horizontal copper plating modules in the global market. Since the beginning in 1987, we never stopped pushing our development team to always stay ahead of the market and offer the best production sys- tems to the industry. Last but not least, let's not forget about uni- formity. When it comes to uniformity, there are three important criteria that influence your copper plating results. First, you must consid- er advanced fluid dynamics to generate stable flow rates with uniform pressure distribution across the entire panel surface. The second cri- terion is pulse rectifier control to enable spe- cific plating parameters for every product and plating application. Lastly, one must address a process solution to realize specific plating ap- plications, such as conformal plating and BMV, or through filling. In our Uniplate system, all three of these criteria are coordinated with one another, offering excellent process control and performance that lead to great plating results. Matties: You also have a fantastic installation in America at the GreenSource Fabrication fa- cility. I imagine that's quite a showcase for Atotech. What were some of the challenges in setting up that revolutionary smart factory? Schmidt: The special request from GreenSource was to create a very flexible and customized ca- pability. For instance, we had to set up a single copper plating process, which can run three dif- ferent plating applications while maintaining a choice of two electrolytic copper tanks, and everything had to be automatically controlled. When production needs to switch from one PCB application to another, the installed electrolyte is transferred to a holding tank, and all the transfer pipes, etc., are automatically cleaned with rinse water. Then, the second or other electrolytic is pumped automatically into the plating module, and the dosing parameters, temperatures, etc., are automatically uploaded and adjusted. As you can imagine, initially, this was quite a challenge, but working closely with the team at GreenSource, we have shown that it's not only possible but that it also works extremely well. Today, we can look at the partnership between Atotech and GreenSource and really appreciate the trust they placed in our capabilities, prod- ucts, and services. It has been a fruitful collab- oration, and we look forward to continuing it. Matties: And that's good for North American or European high-mix, low-volume facilities. Had you produced this previously? Schmidt: The system configuration at Green- Source is unique, and Alex had many ideas and requirements that we were able to suc- cessfully implement across several plant proj- ects. Basically, you have to say that every sys- tem project is unique. We have a wide range of options available, which results in a very cus- tomer-specific product. In the case of Green-