Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1527952
12 PCB007 MAGAZINE I OCTOBER 2024 tures of a bare PC board, creating a conductive pathway across the laminate areas. e coating is then etched from the exposed copper areas, leaving the conductive material on the lami- nate surfaces. Electroless copper has been the primary metallization process for fabricators for a long time, even though early versions of the direct metallization process were developed in the 1980s. DM was originally deployed for use with double-sided, low-layer count applica- tions. rough years of innovation, the pro- cess has been optimized for higher layer count, mSAP, and HDI designs. Direct metallization is used in a wide range of applications, various end-use markets, and with common dielectric materials. It is used in rigid, rigid-flex, and flexible designs, though it is most widely deployed in plating flexible cir- cuits. It is widely utilized in consumer elec- tronics, such as hand-held devices, and in auto- motive, mil/aero, computing, industrial, and wireless applications, to name a few. Japanese PCB manufacturer Meiko will install Blackhole in its new facility for rigid PCBs. What kind of rigid PCB technology are they running that has made this line advanta- geous? Meiko, a leader in the automotive and broader electronics industry, is a valued customer and we have a long-standing partnership to sup- port and advance the PCB industry. is new line will utilize Blackhole technology on rigid boards with a focus on the automotive indus- try. MacDermid Alpha's direct metallization process has a long history of successful PCB manufacturing, and we are looking forward to expanding its use in the Japanese market and beyond. Real Time with... THECA 2024: A Critical Comparison of Metallization Methods Learn more: Watch the interview below with Carmichael Gugliotti at THECA 2024, where he describes his research—presented at THECA—looking at reliability, process efficiency, and environmental sustainability.