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26 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2026 Marcy LaRont: Ralph, when we met in April, all4-PCB had recently an- nounced growth in the U.S. market with Lauffer's lamination products. Tell me more about that. Ralph Jacobo: Our partnership with Lauffer in the U.S. goes back several years. Over that time, we have seen growing demand for lami- nation press technology. Much of that demand is driven by facility expansions, the need for increased production capacity, and the re- placement of older press systems that cannot main- tain the quality and consistency required for today's advanced PCB designs and higher-tech products. Lamination is a key process, especially when multiple lamination cycles are involved. What defects arise when the lamination process is not well controlled? PCB technology is demanding tighter lines and spaces, higher layer counts, and more sequential lamination cycles. In addition, manufacturers are increasingly using specialized high-speed, low-loss materials, which introduce even more complexity into the process. Because of this, lamination has become one of the most critical, yet often overlooked, steps in PCB manufacturing. Problems during lamination can result in yield loss, delamination, voids or trapped air pockets, and insufficient adhesion between layers, all of which can significantly impact the reli- ability and performance of the final PCB. Achieving a successful and repeatable lamination process requires a combination of factors, including the mechanical design and capabilities of the lami- nation press, as well as precise control of the lami- nation cycle and process parameters. When all of these elements work together, manufacturers can achieve the consistency and reliability needed for today's advanced PCB designs. Lauffer provides many types of presses, including very modern, fully automated lamination press sys- tems. What is their most recent press technology? Lauffer's RMV series of lamination presses has been a staple in PCB lamination for many years and has undergone continuous development since its initial intro- duction. The RMV is a highly flex- ible platform that accommodates varying levels of automation and is suitable for different product and quality requirements. It is used specifically in highly demanding production processes such as HDI. With the growth of ELIC for HDI boards, the multiple lamination cycles—sometimes four or more—create an extra challenge for all the nor- mal lamination defects that can arise, especially registration. What might be some lamination or stackup strategies for optimizing registration with ELIC boards? In the U.S., registration control has become one of the bigger challenges for PCB manufacturers, especially as designs move toward higher layer counts and more advanced HDI structures. To im- prove registration performance, the industry has adopted technologies such as X-ray drill-optimiza- tion systems, a broader shift toward pinless lami- nation over traditional pin lamination methods, and the use of lamination aids such as release films and press pads. At the same time, lamination engineers are continually challenged to predict how laminates and prepreg materials will move during the lamina- tion process. Understanding material movement is critical because many of today's advanced and low loss materials tend to exhibit more expansion, shrinkage, and skewing compared to traditional FR-4 materials. This is where process knowledge and data collection become extremely important. The combi- nation of understanding the product structure, monitoring material behavior, and collecting process data during lamination is essential to devel- oping a stable, repeatable, and successful manu- facturing process. Different material behaviors and CTE mismatch or excessive Z-axis expansion are other challeng- es PCB fabricators face with advanced and HDI Ralph Jacobo