Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520956
26 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2024 are working with different surface finishes, and you must control the flow of the ink. ere- fore, you need more intelligent hardware and a well-thought-out printing strategy. Mi l e n a Fr i t z : We'r e ta l k i ng ab o u t i n k j e t because the economy is pushing for sustain- able solutions, and that's a big aspect. Cost sav- ings is another significant factor because you can eliminate process steps. You don't need five machines; you just need one. is also speaks to workforce needs. Digitalization and automation speak to more consistent, high- quality results. e inkjet system works by jetting ink drop- lets of different sizes. For example, the Micro- Cra machine we rep has print heads for 13 picolitres down to less than 2 picolitres. There are dif ferent machine specif ica- tions. We use a raster imager, printing differ- ent layers and curing the ink with a UV light at every print stage. e printing strategy is critically important to account for all the factors mentioned: surface tension, capillary effects, etc. e most visible example of the physics involved is the simple example of a plastic straw touching the surface of the ink. First, you can see, based on the surface tension, the ink in droplet form, then the ink moving up the straw without applying any vacuum or other force. e ink follows the physics with capillary tainability of inket printing, particularly with cost savings and workforce efficiency as driv- ing factors. Marcy LaRont: Hans, how does a pro- cess technology like modern inkjet printing become adopted into a new industry? Hans Fritz: I oen say that "new" technolo- gies already exist in the market, just in differ- ent markets. at is why you must visit exhibi- tions outside of your immediate industry. Ink- jet is an existing additive process that has been used in the graphic printing industry for a long time. The pr int ing pro ce s s used with paper printing is ver y similar to inkjet technology for electron- ics at the simplest level, but a PCB is three-dimen- sional and does not absorb ink like paper. You need fillers, material pigments, even titanium oxide in the ink. Since it's 3D, there are capillary, gravity, and sur- face tension effects. You Hans Fritz Figure 1: Based on the surface tension, the ink in droplet form moves up the straw without applying vacuum or other force.