| Located in a Class 10,000 clean room with temperature and humidity controls, the new reel- to-reel print line features: Single and double sided exposure capability ........................................ Material widths from 150 to 500 mm (6" to 20") ........................................ Dual 8000 watt high intensity illumination with hybrid collimation ........................................ Completely automatic and programmable operation with PLC and computer control |
- Click to view full size -  Clean Room  Reel-to-Reel Print Line
Exposure Frame with Camera Alignment |
Continuous Reel-to-Reel Metal Etching
Lancaster Metals Science offers both conventional discrete metal sheet etching and continuous reel-to-reel processing. In application, continuous manufacturing is identical to sheet fabrication except that all the processing steps – from cleaning the metal to applying photo-resist to UV light imaging and ultimately to etching the metal and stripping the photo-resist – are performed on a coil as opposed to a sheet of metal. The final product, then, is presented to the customer not as individual pieces or as a panel of parts but as a continuous coil of fabricated parts.Our Advantage
At the heart of Lancaster Metals’ reel-to-reel etching is the ability to image continuous strip. In 2007, this capability was up-graded with a new reel-to-reel print line that is the only operational unit in the world outside Asia.Any metal that Lancaster Metals etches in conventional panels including copper, aluminum and stainless steels can be processed in this reel-to-reel format. All the advantages normally associated with metal etching including the production of burr-free parts; the ability to produce fine, intricate geometries; dimensional repeatability; the ability to etch surface features such as grooves or channels and the cutting of metal without disturbing the intrinsic characteristics of the base metal are also present in continuous processing. In addition, the tooling requirements for reel-to-reel etching are comparable to the low cost tooling associated with discrete sheet etching. During imaging, the continued dimensional accuracy of the tooling is assured by environmental controls within the reel-to-reel print line itself and verified by the systems ability to measure and monitor tooling dimensions.
Critical to reel-to-reel processing especially for lead frame applications is alignment between sequentially exposed panels. Lancaster Metals is able to achieve a high degree of precision in panel to panel continuity through the use of optical targeting. After a panel is imaged, precise linear motors advance the work to the next panel. At that point, six cameras using up to 20 predefined targets locate and position the panel for final alignment prior to imaging.
Moreover, Lancaster Metals has developed a system of fiducial markings that when imaged and etched on the work itself serve, with only visual inspection, to confirm alignment and to indicate, within an accuracy of 13 micro-meters (.0005”), any deviation from nominal dimensions. In double sided exposure applications, the panel locating and positioning cameras – capable of measuring down to 1 micro-meter (40 micro-inches) – also ensure top to bottom tooling registration.
Additional Benefits
While certain economies may accrue to metal etching parts in high volumes in this continuous format, the customer may also realize additional benefits. Having parts in continuous strip allows any subsequent fabrication steps – plating, forming, die-cutting, insert molding or assembly, for example – to be performed on a continuous reel-to-reel basis.
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Contact our engineering department to evaluate your specific requirements. |