Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1491409
28 SMT007 MAGAZINE I FEBRUARY 2023 t h e w ay i t w a s , w h i l e building a new facility to meet the higher technology demands. We purchased and renovated a 44,000 square foot facility, then ordered the equipment. It takes a long time to source equipment—you get the quotes, have it installed, and then get it run- ning up to speed. at process has taken us over three years. Steve Smith: I joined the company a few months ago. My background is HDI: stacked microvias, staggered microvias, along with high-speed digital materials, low-loss materi- als. I was hired to put the technology part of it together, getting the proper people and pro- cesses in place, so we can handle microelec- tronics down to 25-micron line and space and down to 3-mil pads. Johnson: Great, thank you for that. Now, I want to talk today about your recent equipment pur- chases. Smith: We have purchased a laser drill, and we have brand-new 200,000 RPM drill machines in place to do high aspect ratio holes. We also have a brand-new plating line with state-of- the-art chemistries to be able to do copper fill and through-hole plating in the same process along with being able to manufacture stacked vias starting with a 2-mil core substrate and stacking up to seven or eight lamination cycles. Johnson: Why a greenfield facility, especially in an industry where it seems like it's shrinking more than growing? Patel: We feel there is enough demand for pro- totypes and quick-turns in the United States at the higher level technology that we want achieve. We feel confident that we can fill that facility very quickly. Johnson: What are some of the market drivers making that business available? Smith: A lot of it is microelectronics. As tech- nology increases, you will see much more blind and buried via work, as well as sub-2-mil line and space. Currently there are not many North American manufacturers capable of producing that type of product. With our shop catering to this niche, it would be a very good business model, especially for the high-end customer. Right now, there is a lack of capacity for this technology in the industry, yet the demand is constantly growing. Ryan: We are ISO9001:2015, AS 9100, and IATF 16949 certified, and ITAR registered. Prashant Patel Steve Smith Steve Ryan