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44 PCB007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2025 O ne of the most significant advancements in PCB manufacturing in recent years has been the shift from traditional solder mask processes to digital inkjet technology. This transition offers clear benefits in performance, usability, and production efficiency. This article presents a case study of a PCB manu- facturer that successfully implemented inkjet tech- nology for solder mask application, realizing signif- icant gains in quality, cost savings, and yield by overcoming the limitations of traditional methods. The Challenge: Limitations of the Traditional Solder Mask Process Before adopting inkjet technology, the PCB manu- facturing customer relied on the traditional liquid photoimageable (LPI) solder mask application process. This multi-step workflow—coating, drying, exposure, development, and final curing—was time-consuming and required significant manual handling. Material waste was common, with excess solder mask ink lost during screen or curtain coat- ing, from overspray, and when cleaning. Solder mask would often flow into through-holes and vias, resulting in production challenges. Mask misalignments could occur during the manual or partially automated alignment process in the expo- sure step. Such misalignments would lead to regis- tration errors and were often made worse by limited compensation for material variations. Addition- ally, our customer experienced defects caused by air bubbles, under-curing, and contamination from films or the surrounding environment, resulting in frequent rework and increased costs. A RT I C L E BY PAO L A D I N E L L I , K L A Implementing Inkjet Solder Mask: A Customer Success Story