PCB manufacturer Unimicron Germany, based in Geldern (North Rhine-Westphalia), has once again invested in a new building and modern production technology. The building - an investment of €12 million - is located next to the inner layer production facility built in 2018 and includes infrastructure and equipment for the desmear, chemical and galvanic copper plating production processes, as well as a new groundwater remediation system and modern fire protection technology.
By installing the latest process technology, Unimicron aims to meet market and customer requirements in the automotive, renewable energy, industrial and medical technology sectors. A strong focus is being placed on robotics in order to further increase the degree of automation in production.
According to Unimicron, it attaches particular importance to the flexibility and capacity of its PCB technology as well as sustainability and resource conservation. A vertical plating plant (VCP) can be used to produce a wide range of different PCB types. The non-contact transport of PCBs in 0.4 mm up to and including 3.2 mm should also enable customer requirements in the field of plating to be met in the future.
The copper plating line makes it possible to use a wide variety of materials for high layer multilayers, as well as HDI PCBs and IC substrates. The new line with a length of 48 meters is equipped with a fully automatic loading and unloading system as well as RFID recognition for internal traceability.
The horizontal through-hole plating line is characterized by a high degree of technological flexibility and is intended to contribute to noticeable savings in water and energy while at the same time extending the service life of the chemicals used.
The desmear, chemical copper and galvanic copper pre-strengthening process steps take place over a system length of 58 meters. The process is used for through-holes and mechanical blind holes in standard technology as well as for laser drilling (microvias) in HDI and SPU technology with high aspect ratio requirements.
The through-hole plating line can process a wide range of base materials such as filled and high-Tg materials, RCC films, multifunctional epoxy resin glass fabrics, thermally optimized materials and PTFE laminates.
Unimicron also meets the increased environmental requirements in times of climate change. In the past, various solvents were used in the production of printed circuit boards, some of which leaked into the soil and thus later into the groundwater due to the poorer technical possibilities at the time and are difficult to remove. A state-of-the-art groundwater remediation plant, which went into operation in January 2022, aims to minimize contamination in future and use water resources more sparingly overall.
