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PCB007-Aug2025

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maintenance crew deserves credit, too. They're fully trained to handle all annual preventative maintenance. Last month, they completed a full preventive- maintenance cycle on one plater in just two days, normally a week-long job, and had the line back up and running imme- diately. Owning the equipment "cradle to grave" is paying off. I see you rotate the panels during plating to keep the copper dis- tribution even. Hendrickson: Right, we rotate • GSE is committed to providing the customer with the best equipment to serve their purpose, even if this means selecting an alternative supplier to GSE for wet process tools. The impressive SEL facility and GSE's contribution to it are not stand-alone achieve- ments in the U.S. Our core skills have been honed and developed through three significant start-to-finish projects, with a fourth fab design to build project about to begin. This project will be specialized for IC substrate manufacturing and will, therefore, be a trailblazing project for the U.S. GSE's core skills: • Fab design and layout using the most competent suppliers in the industry • Wet process tools with both RESOLUTION™ H and RESOLUTION™ V tools for horizontal and vertical processing, respectively • Design and supply of ARK, ZLD, and MLD water recycling systems. (Our ARK sytems are proven in production. We are often approached to correct competitor systems and make them functional.) GreenSource recognizes and is grateful for SEL's drive and focus, which have aided our company in evolving and maturing. AUGUST 2025 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 29 the panel so the last two stations balance the deposit. We've mea- sured the difference: If you skip the rotation, the copper thick- ness varies across the panel. This step levels it out. Working With Our Suppliers When it comes to the fabrication process, is there anything specific in manufacturing that stands out? What are you particularly keeping an eye on? Hendrickson: Great question. We've already implemented quite a bit, such as the inkjet sol- der mask, the lamination press, and newer AOI systems for auto- mated final inspection—which has, in particular, saved us a sig- nificant amount of labor time. We're also exploring innovations in advanced microscopes with AI that analyze cross-sections, wastewater treatment, and even copper recycling; that's next on our project list. When I attend trade shows like APEX EXPO and talk with our suppliers, I always ask them what new technologies or trends they're seeing. Right now, there's

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