Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1437606
22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2021 tive. at's why solder masks can also be produced through direct imaging equipment. If we start from the begin- ning, direct imaging was lasers plus high-speed rotat- ing mirrors, but the technol- ogy has changed a lot over the years. Now we can have vari- ous pieces of equipment from the market: DMDs, LEDs, etc. ese LEDs and DMDs bring a more efficient and more ver- satile way to make images through direct imaging. at's another reason why the market share is growing in all the PCB processes. For example, the equipment now uses LEDs. We can multi- ply the number of DMDs inside the machine, depending on what the customer intends to do in terms of productivity. us, we can incorpo- rate in one equipment, in one factory, all three processes. is is really a plus regarding direct imaging in the market. Johnson: What are the customer pain points when they're talking about new equipment and what they're looking to add to their manu- facturing floor? Boureau: When focusing on European and U.S. markets, which are quite similar, (and exclud- ing China or Asia, in general) in terms of small- to medium-size companies, they are looking at equipment that is as versatile as possible. ey are trying to have it all in one if they can. If they can have direct imaging equipment, for example, and are able to replace their inner- layer, outerlayer, and solder mask imaging equipment, all their systems, they will focus on that. Customers will still have different equipment because you cannot image innerlayers and sol- der mask panels at the same time on just one machine. ey want versatility in their equip- ment because it secures the process. If you have one machine out of order, you can even produce on the same equipment and share the pro- cess on the same equipment. I hope I'm making that clear. Camus: It reduces the down- time. If a machine is not work- ing, you can still manage, thanks to the versatility of your equipment. Johnson: Right. For example, you have two machines, and because they're versatile and can do all the work, you can have one down for maintenance and still have manufacturing throughput. Boureau: at's correct. In real time, in real life, during the day you will dedicate one piece of equipment for innerlayers and the other one for outerlayers, for example, but by doing that, you can change all the layers on the first machine if the outerlayer machine is down, for example. Camus: It's a good backup plan; kind of an insurance policy. Johnson: If you're targeting primarily Europe and the U.S., then a higher mix, lower volume, more technical product tends to be the norm. at sort of flexibility in your equipment becomes more important to the customer. Boureau: at's why I excluded China at the beginning, because most factories in Asia are completely different compared to what we see in Europe and the U.S. e Asian compa- nies are looking for completely different per- formance characteristics from the equipment. ey're looking more for reliability or pro- ductivity. at's why we have added an ADIX reel-to-reel machine in our catalog, to produce FPC boards, which are done a lot in Asia and Damien Boureau