Facility Tour
Burkle Roller Coat System for Liquid Resist Coat
Amitron begins its inner-core production with a chemical pre-clean which removes any residual matter and oxidation. Panels feed from the clean room environment where a 0.4 mil thick layer of liquid resist is applied by a Burkle roller coat system. Panels are cured for exposure by the same unit. This system enhances the core process, allowing for finer resolution and higher line and space densities.
Develop-Etch-Strip Line for Inner Cores
After exposure, multilayer inner cores feed from Amitron’s cleanrooms into an integrated system that develops, etches, and strips the inner layers. This IS system is stainless steel and titanium. Computers control the parameters of the process, yielding consistent quality. Exiting the line is a finished core.
Automated Optical Inspection
Camtech Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) equipment is used to inspect all inner layers before proceeding to the next step in production. This process identifies opens, shorts, and reduced traces. It is better to locate these problems early in the process, prior to lamination.
Lamination
Multiple cavity presses from Burkle are then utilized to laminate the multilayer panels. This equipment features hot oil heated beds with vacuum for outgassing. Load systems move the panels from the hot presses to the cold press/cool down stages of the process. The entire lamination process is computer controlled.
Multilayer Registration
Multilayer hole-to-pad registration is controlled utilizing Pluritec x-ray equipment. Targets on the internal layers are located using x-rays, and fresh tooling holes are then drilled for optimum alignment of primary thru hole drilling.
Drilling Department
Drilling is very critical to the printed circuit board process. Amitron uses Pluritec Mega six spindle machines for medium to high volume production. Lasers do a comparative analysis to the NC drill data, verifying drill bit diameter while checking tool length and runout (wobble). With drill speeds up to 120,000 RPM, Megas are not only precise and efficient, but drill some of the cleanest holes in the industry.For small lots, we utilize Pluritec Geminis. Geminis drill the same panel stack with two spindles simultaneously. They feature auto-load and unload for lights off operation. These are excellent for prototypes due to their quick setup and unsurpassed speeds.
Hole Preparation
One continuous process deburrs, desmears and deposits conductive material in the holes of the drilled panels. This type of automation is found throughout Amitron’s facility eliminating handling, reducing labor, and increasing overall process efficiency.
Auto Sheet Lamination
The panels continue directly into the Clean Room passing through the auto-laminator receiving dry film Photo-resist for the outer layer imaging process. Again this type of automation reduces time and increases the quality and overall efficiency of the process.
Artwork Inspection
Photo artwork is inspected utilizing magnification as well as automated optical inspection before progressing to exposure.
Clean Rooms
Imaging is performed in clean rooms utilizing Colight 1630 8Kw exposure units that are outfitted with C.A. Picard registration systems featuring vacuum hold-down, which creates excellent artwork registration. Rooms are temperature and humidity controlled. This photo process places an image of the circuit onto the drilled panel.
Developing
Exposed panels exit our clean rooms feeding directly into IS developers that develop the photo resist. Panels are then moved to copper/tin plating.
Automated Plating System
Copper/tin plating is eductor-based, allowing high aspect-ratio plating with superior copper distribution characteristics and surface to hole ratios. High output rates coupled with low labor content is an added plus. Based on the photo image film of the desired circuit, copper, then tin, is plated on the circuit image.
Etching
After plating, the process panels travel to the etching process. PLC and in-process sensors provide excellent real-time control of the process. All copper is removed except the circuitry that is protected by the tin plating applied during the previous process. The tin is then stripped and the copper is cleaned and the newly prepared circuit is ready for solder mask.
LPI Solder Mask
Liquid Photo-Imageable (LPI) solder-mask is applied and processed utilizing automated Argus horizontal spray or DP1500 vertical systems. Amitron can process many types and colors of masks. A vertical unit applies LPI ink with computer-controlled squeegies and then "tack" cures the ink, preparing it for imaging. The horizontal system simultaineously sprays the liquid mask on both sides of the panel, for uniform coverage, then tack cures the panel in one continuous process. Once the panel is exposed and developed, it moves through final cure and on to final surface coating.
Vertical Scoring
State-of-the-art Accuscore scoring equipment is used for fast, accurate V-grooving. X and Y tolerances are held to ±0.002". CNC routing is also utilized to remove individual parts or arrays from the process panel.
Testing
Amitron’s state of the art test facility utilizes TTI dual sided, double density test equipment to quickly and accurately detect opens or shorts if they exist. In addition to net list testing with this equipment, Amitron also provides Probot flying probe and single side, bed of nails test capability as well.
