Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/374650
September 2014 • The PCB Magazine 33 3D LDS COMPONENTS continues figure 2: assessment of 3d processes for interconnect devices, l–r: hot embossing, dual component injection molding, lds. be reconfigured, just feed a new set of control data into the laser unit. This means that one basic component can be used to create a range of parts with different functions—merely by changing the design of the circuits drawn by the laser beam. And because these control data can also be changed during production, companies can produce small- and medium-sized series in a highly cost-efficient manner. Even producing one-off products is no longer an expensive tech- nical headache. The pipeline from prototype to volume production is short and inexpensive— businesses can react quickly to the changing de- mands of the market. LPKF uses processing units with a laser wavelength of 1,064 nm and a pulse frequency figure 3: the plastic part, made by an lds doped thermoplast. figure 4a and 4b: the laser beam has structured the blank and has activated the additive.