RUWEL offers masslam production as a service

Citation

(2009), "RUWEL offers masslam production as a service", Circuit World, Vol. 35 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/cw.2009.21735bab.003

RUWEL offers masslam production as a service

Article Type: Industry news From: Circuit World, Volume 35, Issue 2

RUWEL GmbH is offering to supply other PCB manufacturers with high-quality masslams from Europe’s largest and ultramodern inner-layer production facility. Since the important base material producers have taken their masslam offer off the market various PCB manufacturers no longer have the chance of purchasing the semi-finished product from outside suppliers when their own manufacturing capacities reach the limit. Higher volumes of inner layers can often be obtained even more efficiently and therefore at a considerably lower price from high-volume production rather than from the in-house service.

The RUWEL masslam plant Geldern II has only been in operation since 2001. This plant produces inner layers for multilayers with 4-20 layers up to the economical large format of 609 × 605 mm. The production facility is also equipped to process high-performance materials such as high-Tg material and very thin (50 μ m) inner layers. The annual capacity is approx. 1.5 mm². The plant has an exceptionally high degree of automation.

One of the centre pieces of the plant is the clean room. In keeping with state-of-the-art, the clean room is equipped in class 10,000 and the exposure units in class 1,000 – a main precondition for producing high-quality inner layers for high-layer-count multilayers. The clean room is equipped with three lines for resist coating with roller coaters and automatic exposure systems. Three parallel lines “Developing-etching-stripping” (DES) can develop conductor structures up to 75 μ m. Unloading at the end of the DES lines is done together with an automatic change of cassette.

Of the five AOIs installed, three are available for manual operation of sample inspection. Two mass inspection systems with automatic handling ensure a high test through-put in volume production. More complex circuit types are tested to 100 per cent. After that, the inner layer cores are automatically loaded into the post-etch punch, then passivated in an oxidation process and provided with an adhesion promoter (multibond) before being pressed.

The pressing centre is equipped for multilayers of up to 20 layers of different materials. Besides, the standard FR4 material, also different high-Tg and halide-free materials from all current laminate manufacturers can be processed. A transfer trolley provides for automatic loading into the five heating and three cooling presses. Finally, a 100 per cent thickness test by laser system is carried out, as well as registration to ensure traceability. It is also possible on request to have the required hole pattern incorporated into the masslam by the drilling service.

The plant has all current certifications such as ISO/TS 16949: 2002, DIN EN ISO 14001:2004 and UL approval. It satisfies the highest quality standards of the worldwide automotive industry.

For further information, please contact: RUWEL GmbH Product Management, Mr Stefan Reucher, Am Holländer See 70, D-47608 Geldern. Tel.: +49 (0) 28 31 394 175; Fax: +49 (0) 28 31 394 250; E-mail: stefan.reucher@ruwel.de; web site: www.ruwel.com