SCHMID Introduces New Etching Options

Last year, one of the world’s leading PCB manufacturers engaged SCHMID to retrofit a SCHMID PremiumLine with SCHMID’s New Etching Options (NEOs). The innovative etching upgrades can be added to any SCHMID DES line as optional expansion, providing customers with state-of-the-art production processes and thus with a significant competitive advantage.

The customer decided to implement all available upgrades in their PremiumLine to optimize its etching process and increase capacity through reduced processing times.

The upgrades include a process-phase-optimized nozzle configuration for a better etching performance as well as extended Fluid Dynamic Equipment which significantly reduces defects during etching and increases yield – especially with ultra-fine structures of less than 50 µm. The customer is evaluating SCHMID’s revolutionary vacuum etching, which is perfectly suitable for the etching of particularly fine structures and enables a more uniform etching rate as well as a lower chemical consumption. An extension of the pressure range of up to 3.8 bar spray pressure and an optimized transport system complete the range of the New Etching Option upgrades.

After installation of the upgrades on the existing PremiumLine all specifications were fulfilled without further process tuning. Due to the smooth handling and the convincing test results of the NEO upgrade, SCHMID recently received two follow-up orders from the customer for upgrades of further PremiumLine systems. “This proves that upgrades represent a valuable investment in state-of-the-art production technology. They provide a return on investment after only a few months, resulting from an increased production yield,” explains Heiko Lang, Director Sales Management, BU Electronics SCHMID Group.