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38 PCB007 MAGAZINE I JULY 2025 D R I V I N G I N N OVAT I O N Inner Layer Alignment Methods in PCB Production by Kur t Palmer, S chmoll America In PCB manufacturing, precision is a fundamental requirement. Among many complex processes, the accurate registration of inner layers before lamination is one of the most critical. Much like a child's game where rings must be perfectly stacked onto a sin- gle pin, PCB manufacturers align multiple conductive and insulating layers to form a cohesive, functional board. This alignment directly affects PCB precision; tighter layer alignment results in smaller "annular rings," superior performance, and higher yields. People commonly use these three methodolo- gies to align inner layers before the lamination pro- cess, each with distinct operational characteristics and implications for production: 1. Pin-lam: This traditional method involves placing physical pins within the lamination press tools (Figure 1). 2. Mass-lam: Unlike pin-lam, mass-lam does not use pins within the lamination press. Instead, precise alignment and pre-fixing of the multi- layer stack are done before the stack enters the press (Figure 2). 3. Two methods exist for implementing mass-lam: • Automated lay-up machine. • Two-step lay-up process Different manufacturers use these methods, yielding varied results depending on their spe- ▼ F i g u re 1 : P re s s to o l fo r p i n - l a m . ( S o u rc e : C. A . P I CA R D)