Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1481876
OCTOBER 2022 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 39 anks to the new clipping function that we have developed, as Damien mentioned, we are now able to answer such require- ments on the market. Matties: What does it take for a fabricator to incorporate this technology into their current manufacturing process? Is this something where they must make a significant change in their manufacturing to bring this prod- uct to their customers, or is it a simple process they can add on? Boureau: ey should improve their roll han- dling inside the whole factory. We then bring the clipping function as an add-on—it's basi- cally plug and play. We can load the very long Gerber file as it is from the customer to clip it into several parts and expose the pieces so that they are stitched together without any input from the customer. Matties: What is the interest? Are more fabrica- tors looking to add this to their portfolio? Boureau: e demand is for applications in the medical sector, as well as for battery applications. Guilbert: ere are fewer customers asking for original equipment without asking for stitching or clipping functions. Considering the line and space expected of 50 microns, it's not possible to realize such a product with a startup conventional printer with large glass and, let's say, solder with a stencil—which is impossible. In this case, and for such a long product with different images, the Adix RtR is mandatory. Johnson: Flex circuits are used quite a bit in antennas, RFIDs, and those types of signaling applications. You mentioned that roll-to-roll seems to be quite helpful. Guilbert: We are working with several FPC makers, developing all kinds of high-frequency anten- nas in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. All those products are delivered in the whole format. As a part of the antenna and RFID, they are working on the long flex sepa- rate as well. We see different web widths from 250 to 550 millime- ters. e direct image roll-to-roll can run with the stitching func- tion. We can expose one image that will be repeated, and all the images will be connected. However, for this type of process the conven- tional contact printer makes more sense for endless exposure. Johnson: A common theme for automotive, medical, antennas, and RFID has to do with putting your stitching and clipping capabil- ity to good use. For each of those market seg- ments, you're using the same manufacturing capability, but achieving different goals. How does the stitching and clipping part of the man- ufacturing work? Boureau: In fact, we are talking about stitching when we consider a photo exposure conven- tional unit. In this type of process, we have a mask to transfer through a photolithographic process onto a web. We can repeat this image several times. All the images along the web are repeated perfectly so that the downstream process can be done without any further align- ment. When we talk about clipping, we use the Adix reel-to-reel machine, which is also a direct imaging process. is is for doing very long images on the web, from 0.6 up to 100 meters or more. In a case like this—and as the equip- ment can't do it all at once—we have to clip the Gerber file at the beginning and put each part we have clipped on the web as a step, then use the second part of the image, then the third, Damien Boureau