Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1467744
48 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 Patel: Yes. e system that we used before was a good system. But the nice thing about the InduBond is you can control both the heat- ing and the cooling. Because everything is so dialed in, the time we used to take to wait for the cooling has dramatically decreased. ere's a lot of throughput increase as well, not only on that side, but also the layout process, because previously we had use a continuous copper foil lamination system. Other people may not have the same problem; they would have problems with pinning. Our headache may not have been pinning, but other board shops may find this a lot easier because it's a pinless system. You don't have to move around bulky press plates. Just build your book, put in your stain- less steel, and just keep stacking; it's simple to do. I can do it and I never ran a press before this one. Overall, throughput has increased, just because of the capability. e smaller your press stack is, the faster you can heat up because there's less load. You can even do the small quick-turns pretty fast. Johnson: Have you had a chance to put together some numbers on how the operating costs have changed? For example, you said that the energy savings are dramatic. What are the numbers? Patel: I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I believe I calculated one press before to be $40 or $50 a lamination press cycle. Now it's around $5. If you add up all the presses, it's quite a significant savings. Not only that, but we're using less copper. And because the lay- out is easier, we're saving on time. Johnson: I know it's a relatively new machine to you, but regarding calibration and preventa- tive maintenance, does that look like that's bet- ter than the old press or the same? Patel: e press plates are easy to maintain. e only thing we have to do is add oil and clean filters. ere aren't many moving parts. e maintenance is easy. Johnson: Is there anything out of the whole equation that you would say is not as good, maybe is worse? Patel: Not really. I haven't seen anything nega- tive about it. Johnson: Tell me about the install process. What was that like? Patel: e team at InduBond comes to help with the install, but the actual process for our side was pretty easy. We had to make sure the piping was there for the chiller and ensure that all the electrical was in the right spot, like any standard equipment install. I don't remember anything out of the ordinary because it's pretty self-encased except for the water. Johnson: Was bringing in water something you did not need for the previous press? Patel: at's right. at was the problem with Close up view of the Indubond press in action.