Flex PCB R2R manufacturing solutions enable future

Orbotech's innovative roll-to-roll solutions for direct imaging (DI) and UV laser drilling overcome many of the yield, throughput and quality challenges inherent in flex material manufacturing. Leveraging newly developed and field-proven technologies, the solutions facilitate high quality, cost-effective mass production of ultra-thin flexible printed circuits that are critical in advanced electronics.

The two new series of solutions are the drum-based Orbotech Infinitum for R2R direct imaging, and the Orbotech Apeiron for flex R2R and sheet-by-sheet panel UV laser drilling.

The Orbotech Infinitum series:

• Uses Orbotech's new breakthrough DDI Technology (Drum Direct Imaging) for optimal material handling and high-speed imaging to deliver extremely high yield and throughput.
• Delivers fine line structure and uniformity enabled by continuous exposure and high depth-of-focus (DoF) with Orbotech's Large Scan Optics (LSO) Technology.
• Is compatible with a wide range of resists and processes enabled by simultaneous multiwave exposure thanks to Orbotech's MultiWave Technology.
• Offers maximum efficiency and cleanliness as a one-box, minimal footprint solution with a highly intuitive, user-friendly GUI to ensure smooth operation.

The Orbotech Apeiron series:

• Delivers high drilling quality and accuracy.
• Uses Orbotech's Multi-Path Technology with two laser beams and four large scan area drilling heads that can drill in four locations simultaneously and optimise laser power usage.
• Provides internal roll-to-roll using Orbotech's new Roll-Inside Technology, which also results in a small footprint.
• Provides built-in beam validation tools for size, roundness and energy distribution with Orbotech's newly developed Continuous Beam Uniformity (CBU) Technology.
• Offers both roll-to-roll and sheet-by-sheet handling of thin flex cores with capacity to drill two panel sheets side by side for maximum drilling capacity.

"Based on the insights gained from nearly 40 years of working with leading manufacturers around the world, Orbotech has created breakthrough technologies and solutions that turn designers' dreams into reality," said Yair Alcobi, President of the PCB division at Orbotech. "Orbotech Infinitum and Orbotech Apeiron build on our existing solutions for flex PCB manufacturing to solve the most pressing challenges faced by advanced flex PCB manufacturers today."

New and future advanced electronics with their light weight, smaller form factor and higher functionality increasingly employ delicate flex materials. Both of Orbotech's new solutions optimise the handling of the most delicate flex materials during direct imaging or UV laser drilling. and provide more flexibility to increase production with options for roll widths of 260mm and up to 520mm.

Additionally, PCB manufacturers gain significant efficiencies with the smaller footprint of both solutions: smaller clean rooms are required, production capacity per square meter is increased, and power consumption is reduced. These advances create the opportunity for greener flex PCB manufacturing.