CELEBRATING OUR 5TH YEAR OF PUMANEWS™ |
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As I See It!
The More We Share,
the More We Have
MARCH 2023
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Collaboration can provide numerous benefits, particularly in the electronics industry where technology and innovation are constantly evolving. By working together, companies can leverage each other's strengths, share knowledge and resources, and create more robust and innovative solutions that benefit the entire marketplace.
In this month's issue, you will hear many examples from our contributors of the benefits of sharing resources and knowledge. Maybe even with a competitor.
Collaboration also offers opportunities for coaching and mentoring, where companies can learn from each other's experiences and expertise. By embracing a mindset of "we're all in this together," we can drive progress and growth in the industry while also advancing our own business objectives.
It leads to greater innovation, improved products, and enhanced value for everyone.
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PCBAA, the Printed Circuit Board Association of America, members include: AGY, Amphenol, Bowman, Calumet, Chemcut, Denkai America, DuPont, Harbor Electronics, Insulectro, Isola, MacDermid Alpha, Nano-Dimension, Pacothane Technologies, Rogers Corporation, Sanmina, Summit Interconnect, TTM Technologies, and Uyemura USA.
The Printed Circuit Board Association of America is a consortium of companies, representatives, and enthusiasts who are advocating for U.S. manufacture of printed circuit boards.
Insulectro is proud to support PCBAA's effort as a founding member.
We encourage you to not stand on the sidelines but get involved to support PCBAA's three main objectives:
- Support the Domestic Production of PCBs
- Enhance Domestic Supply Chain Security
- Advocate for Initiatives that Create Fair Market Conditions
This organization is your voice in Washington.
Visit PCBAA.org today to learn more about membership. See below for more information and a link to inquire about membership.
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PCBAA LEADERSHIP SPEAKS OUT |
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PumaNews™ provides a platform for thought leaders in our industry to voice their opinions. We look forward to presenting many diverse commentaries. |
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John Voultos, VP of Business Dev & Marketing:
We face a choice.
Elevate Ourselves, Avoid Mediocrity
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As professionals, we are faced with a choice - do we gravitate toward mediocrity or elevate ourselves to grow? The choice we make can have a significant impact on our careers, both in the short and long term.
It's easy to fall into the trap of complacency, doing just enough to get by and maintain the status quo. However, this mindset can ultimately lead to stagnation and limit our potential for growth and success.
Instead, we should strive to constantly challenge ourselves and push beyond our limits to achieve our goals.
One way to elevate ourselves is to seek opportunities for professional development, whether through training programs, attending conferences, or taking on new projects that challenge us. By embracing new challenges and taking risks, we can gain valuable skills and experiences to help us stand out in our careers.
Another way to elevate ourselves is to seek mentors or coaches who can guide and support us as we navigate our careers. By learning from the experiences of others, we can gain valuable insights and avoid common pitfalls that can hold us back.
Ultimately, choosing to elevate ourselves and avoid mediocrity is up to us. It requires a willingness to step out of our comfort zones, take risks, and embrace new opportunities. But by doing so, we can unlock our full potential and achieve our goals in ways we never thought possible.
So let's challenge ourselves to think differently, take calculated risks, and continually push ourselves to improve. By doing so, we can elevate ourselves to grow and achieve success beyond our wildest dreams.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Sheldahl Flexible Technologies is a flexible material and circuit technology company headquartered in Northfield, MN. We thank John for providing our first guest commentary.
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PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA |
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Travis Kelly, PCBAA Spokesperson
American Made Advocacy: A Collective Stake in American Microelectronics
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Travis' column originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of PCB007 Magazine. Travis is CEO of PCBAA and President & CEO of Isola Group.
Early last month, hundreds of thousands gathered in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show, where amazing new tech was rolled out—everything from razor-thin TVs to smart robots that clean your home.
As an executive in the materials science space, I was struck not just by the pace of innovation, but also by the incredibly complex supply chains that were necessary to bring those products from the drawing board to reality.
I grew up when robots were pretty much confined to the pages of science fiction. My kids and the generations that follow will see self-driving cars, autonomous floor scrubbers, and a host of other technologies powered by artificial intelligence.
Next generation semiconductors, high density interconnect, advanced packaging materials, and new printed circuit boards will all be necessary to bring these technologies to market.
Microelectronics truly make our modern life possible. But there is so much more at stake than being able to buy the latest TV or smartphone. In addition to the consumer products we use every day, we need trusted and reliable sources of microelectronics for the national power grid and sectors like banking, medical, telecommunications, and national defense, to name a few. Our national and economic security depend on these devices.
Right now, we don’t have a sufficient pipeline of trusted American-made printed circuit boards and their component materials; we only make 4% of the world’s supply. Unless strong legislative and policy actions are taken soon, the semiconductor industry will have to grapple with the reality that the supply chain is still running through Asia as they bring new fabs online over the next few years. . .
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SALES & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT |
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Ken Parent Speaks Out!
Great Partnerships Are
Getting Stronger
MARCH 2023
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One of the most rewarding parts of my work with the customers, suppliers, and Insulectro Teammates that I get to work with, is the ability to collaborate and move projects forward.
Today with the worldwide economic situation and the local North American PCB challenges, I am convinced that the opportunities to “Get Stuff Done” (GSD) and drive business forward in our market has never been greater. The pendulum is swinging to an environment of bold investments in making PCBs in the USA and North America.
Great partnerships are getting stronger, and I am seeing Insulectro collaborating at new levels. Our suppliers are getting on board with ways to support these collaboration opportunities.
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Last week Michelle Walsh, Jason Shuppert, and I were able to participate in the Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) Partnership Conference in Pullman, WA and visit the new SEL State of the Art PCB Factory in Moscow, Idaho.
This conference named “Partnership Conference” demonstrated the spirit of collaboration. From the first SEL visits to Insulectro 2 years ago, through recent visits between our two companies the SEL Teams led by Diane Maceri and John Hendrickson have been collaborative and educational.
State of the Art is apparent in several of the processes in the SEL PCB Factory. The SEL team is helping us drive best practices through mentoring us on World Class Manufacturing in the Insulectro, CAC, LCOA™, and Focus Tech businesses, and it is making a difference. I am confident that our relationship with SEL will help us be a better supplier to our entire customer base.
One of the challenges I continue to witness is the need for great people and training the new workers entering the workforce. Insulectro continues to look for opportunities to train the workforce. We are also fortunate to have people that are investing in teaching and mentoring us. How can we continue to collaborate on training the future great leaders to fill these expanded factories?
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Lastly, technology is getting more complex. New materials and processes are being sought out to bring the USA PCB and substrate technology to a new level of capabilities.
Daily conversations are taking place due to the challenges of getting Ultra High Density (UHDI) PCBs and Substrates from reliable sources within NA today.
I do believe it will be those that collaborate and build stronger mentoring and training programs to solve these challenges will be the companies that we will strive to be partners with near term. I do look forward to building stronger ties with our partners today.
I also know there are new customers and suppliers that these partnerships will evolve with over the next few months that will make us stronger. Thanks for your partnerships today. Let’s go GSD!
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Ken Parent
Chief Operating Officer
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Livin' in a Material World!
Leveraging the Strengths of Our Product Management Team
MARCH 2023
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In the last month, the team of Insulectro Product Managers have recently restructured to closely align with a Process area and/or to leverage the team’s subject matter strengths. |
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The recent changes include Geoffrey Leed’s expanding his DuPont™ Flex product line responsibilities to also include managing DuPont’s Metallization Chemistry offering.
Geoffrey has the unique skill set of previously working for a board fabricator and Chemistry manufacturer to bring this knowledge together to be able to trouble shoot design and fabrication yield challenges, in addition to leading the effort of bringing Connected Factory solutions to our customers.
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Another change includes Mark Satchwell, our Copper Foil resident Expert, who has taken on the Pacothane Technologies® product line to manage all the materials used in the Lamination Room, which includes Copper Foil from partner suppliers Denkai America, JX Nippon, and Mitsui and the industry leading bonded copper solution by CAC, Inc.
Mark’s background working with other specialty metal foil manufactures positions him to guide fabricators through the maze of selecting what copper is best used for each design application, as well as guiding best practices for lamination stack ups.
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Geraldine Arseneau has been transitioning the Pacothane product line over to Mark so that she can focus on supporting customers in the Drill Room. With her extensive background working with drill manufacturers and pcb fabricator facilities, Geraldine has a thorough understanding of drill room best practices and is driven to solve the most challenging customer pain points.
Geraldine manages the LCOA™ Backup and Entry materials, and the most recently added Supplier to our line card, Kyocera, with their superior line of drills, endmills, and routers.
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The Isola product line management continues to be led by Norm Berry, an expert on laminates and prepregs. Norm is passionate about educating both fabricators and OEMs on the right material selection to meet their design needs and ensure that product standards are selected to optimize availability.
With his extensive background in laminate manufacturing, distribution, design, and sales, Norm is sought out by customers, OEMs and industry friends to present the most cost-effective material solutions for all levels of technical design challenges.
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Jeff Johnson continues to manage a complimentary group of product lines- DuPont™ Dry Film, Focus Tech Chemistry, Shikoku Chemistry, and EMD Electronics (Ormet® Interconnect pastes). Jeff travels coast to coast to support our customers.
Jeff’s background as a Field Application Engineer, a pcb fabricator process engineer, and CID certified, make Jeff one of the best customer problem solvers, new product evaluators, and customer educators. Jeff understands process interactions, is hands on, and can reference his mental library of prior challenges to quickly identify solutions and prove them out.
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Finally, Kevin Barrett, who had been managing the Equipment Service and Equipment Product Lines for Insulectro, has shifted to manage these focus areas now with recently acquired Equipment Technologies Inc. (ETI).
Kevin leverages his years of industry experience in Sales, supplier management, Equipment troubleshooting and Preventative maintenance to support the Insulectro Sales Team and our PCB fabricator customer base in all things Equipment.
Please reach out to the Team and let us know how we can HELP!
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Michelle Walsh
Vice President of Product Management
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PRINTED ELECTRONICS INKS & PASTES,
SUBSTRATES & FILMS
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Kevin Miller Can See it!
LOPEC 2023 Showcase PE Advancements
MARCH 2023
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Insulectro had the opportunity to attend the LOPEC show at the Messe Muchen Convention Center in Munich Germany. The event took place from February 28th to March 3rd and is a show that focuses on printed electronics and additive processing of flexible circuitry. This year’s theme focused on smart living and mobility.
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Smart living was demonstrated by the vast range of how products and applications of Printed Electronics will make our life easier, smarter, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly in the future.
From solar cells integrated seamlessly in building facades or roofs, to skis with integrated sensors, to new light therapies for combating jaundice in babies – printed electronics plays a crucial role in all these innovations, as they are thin, lightweight, and flexible as well as cost-efficient to manufacture.
Thanks to these qualities, circuits, sensors and other electronics components can be integrated unobtrusively into practically anything.
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Mobility especially in the automotive and aviation industries, printed electronics components open up a multitude opportunities and possibilities. For the automotive industry, printed electronics adds functionality to interior surfaces of the central console, doors, steering wheel and more with complete design freedom.
With touch sensors and printed electronics specialist manufacturer of 3D structural electronics companies will showcase 3D panels with integrated touch function, display, and illuminated elements. Innovations such as ultra-thin heating elements for e-cars, printed sensors for greater safety during autonomous driving, and many more for tomorrow’s mobility.
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We were able to support the Celanese Micromax™ and DuPont Teijin Films™ team at their booth. This allowed us to listen and interface with many engineers, OEMs and customers interested in the latest technologies being offered and developed in this field.
Many new materials, processes and equipment were exhibited at this show to support these new evolving markets.
The Celanese Micromax™ team which manufactures a portfolio of Conductive Inks announced the launch of nine new product grades for the printed electronics market. The new products Micromax™ Conductive Inks developed included the PE800 series of products for consumer electronic applications such as touch sensors, busbars and EMI shielding. Additionally, the new HT series is formulated to meet customer needs for electronic inks in high temperature applications."
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We were also able to spend some quality time after hours with the Celanese and Coveme team at the Hofbräuhaus in Marien Platz. We look forward to supporting your future needs and material requirements. All customers have access to our custom converting services plus rapid delivery and as well as our in-house technical assistance.
Please call Insulectro at 1-855-955-0200 with any questions regarding these product offerings or visit our E-Commerce site at https://insulectro-pe.com/.
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The People Behind the Puma
Beth Abbott
Purchasing
Londonderry, NH
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BIO: I previously worked for East Coast Electronic Materials and when our companies merged, I became part of the Insulectro family. I have been with the company for almost 2 years. I started as an ISM and transitioned over to the purchasing department.
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Meet Beth who takes care of business! |
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When you were a little girl what did you want to be when you grew up? A nurse
Are you more into food or convenience and why? Both! There’s a time and place for both.
If you could change careers tomorrow and money was no object, what would you go do? A photographer with National Geographic.
Describe a time at work when you beamed with pride. Being able to expedite orders and meet our customer’s expectations.
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How does your attitude change from Monday morning to Friday afternoon? I try to keep it the same through the week. We all have good and bad days but I try to focus on the positive things.
Who has been the most influential person in your life, and why? My parents. They instilled in us the value of hard work, keeping your word, and treating others as you want to be treated.
What’s your go-to play vacation and why? Each year we rent a cottage on Lake Winnipesaukee. Being able to spend quality time together as a family is something I cherish.
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If you’re a new addition to the crayon box, what color would you be and why? Orange. It is often overlooked and ready to shine brightly when called upon.
If you suddenly inherited $10 million, name three things you would impulsively and three things you would take time to reflect over? Impulsively:
- I would take my mom to Alaska. She has always wanted to go there.
- I would buy my daughter and son-in-law a house.
- My son-in-law needs a new truck. It would be great to be able to surprise him with a new one when he gets home from his deployment.
Things to reflect over:
- Whose life could be changed by making an anonymous donation to them.
Name one thing you really don’t want anyone to know about you. I promise not to tell. . . I can’t tell you. You don’t have the security clearance. 😊
What’s the perfect Netflix night for you? I don’t have a subscription to Netflix.
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What’s the craziest outfit you ever bought that you thought was cool at the time. I remember when I was in high school, I bought a pair of purple & pink plaid pants and a purple camp shirt to go with it. I look back on that now and wonder why my mom let me wear such outrageous clothes.
What do you like most about your co-workers? They are caring, supportive and will do almost anything to help if you ask (including killing a bug that has invaded my cubicle).
What do you like most about your customers? Their sense of humor.
What advice would you tell a new teammate at your company? There is a lot to learn so don’t get discouraged or overwhelmed. No question is stupid and we are all here to help each other succeed as a team.
What’s the last thing you’ll say on the day you leave the company? I appreciated the opportunity to work here and thank you for allowing me to be part of this family.
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What’s the last thing you ate too much off and what were you thinking? An entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. It sure tasted good but I didn’t feel so great afterwards!
Name three traits that describe you. Loyal, dedicated, kind. I’m kind of like a golden retriever!
How do you know when you’ve done a great job? When no one asks “why are we out of this?”
Besides food and water, what two things must you have if marooned on a desert island? My family and sunscreen
What has been the most embarrassing moment do far in your life. Too embarrassing to share!
How would you describe your sense of humor? Goofy
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OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN
WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING
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WCM: Simplicity
SIMPLE Problem Solving In-Action
MARCH 2023
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World Class Manufacturing is a journey. In 2022 we were very intentional - our corporate theme at Insulectro for 2023 is “Simplicity”. In everything we do across all functional areas, we’re asking ourselves “how do we make that simpler?”.
Ken Parent, Michelle Walsh, and I just returned from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories’ (SEL) annual Supplier Partnership Conference at their headquarters in Pullman, WA. We saw again how World Class Manufacturing (WCM) is embedded in SEL’s culture, and at the heart of WCM is “Simplicity”.
SEL has been employing the tenants of WCM in their assembly plants for years, and now they are carrying those learnings forward to their newly built PCB factory in Moscow, ID. We were fortunate enough to tour the new site and see many examples where trusted Insulectro equipment and materials are being utilized to produce circuit boards in this state-of-the art facility.
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We’ve learned (and are still learning!) a lot from SEL regarding how to foster engagement of all employees to solve problems (especially those who are doing the work where the problem is occurring). There are so many benefits to this philosophy, but one of the most important is that those teammates performing the task each day will naturally drift towards solutions that make their lives simpler and more efficient.
Our operational sites across North America have bought in 100% to expanding our problem-solving capabilities across all our Teammates. We’re using a simple 4-Step Problem Solving approach: 1) Do I have a problem? 2) Have I confirmed Root Cause? 3) What countermeasures will prevent reoccurrence? 4) How will I continue to “check”/measure for the expected results?.
Some of the highlighted “wins” already accomplished and shared across teams so far this year include:
Andrew Pena, Fabrication Operator – Londonderry, NH
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Many thanks to all our Operational Teammates who are working diligently each day to SIMPLY solve problems. You each are so vital to our execution to meet our customers’ needs every day.
2023 is a year of “upping our game” on engagement and problem solving for all our Teammates. We will employ simple problem-solving methods every day in every facility. By force multiplying these capabilities to everyone in our organization, we will take a significant next step on our WCM culture-building journey.
I look forward to updating you in the coming months about our progress and to share more “before and after” success stories from an engaged team who is living out our focus on SIMPLICITY every day.
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And thanks to everyone for another remarkable month.
Jason Shuppert
Vice President of Operations
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INSULECTRO'S COPPER & COPPER FOIL OFFERINGS |
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Copper Complexity & Clarification.
Not All Copper Foils Are Created Equal
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DFM, or Design For Manufacture is not a new concept. Neither is the Insulectro unofficial motto, "Making Revision 1 Work."
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We must balance all these building blocks, signal integrity, loss, impedance, skew, size, thickness and finally availability, buildability, and cost in the PCB design.
With many new engineers it is important to remember the basics to ensure Rev 1 works.
ED
- Treatment on rough (matte / Anode) side: used for outer layer applications.
- Higher bond strength due to increased profile roughness.
- Treatment on reverse (shiny / Cathode) side: used for multilayer core applications.
- Cleaner etching of internal layers due to lower roughness.
- Improved dry film adhesion due to rough surface on top side.
- Smooth or shiny side underneath against the core.
- Grade 3 HTE provide an elongation % to support PTH in Z axis deformation insight.
- Available from 6 µm (standard 9 µm Q oz) up through 210 µm (6 oz)
Wrought
- Inherently smoother than traditional ED foils with an Rz 2-3µm VS. ED @ 4µm>
- Rolling direction impacts trace lines and their formation which influences SI.
- Turning trace line 45° benefits SI & reduce delamination from grain boundary erosion.
- Large grain crystals and uniform crystal orientation supports dynamic flexible designs.
- Consistent dendrite height (profile roughness) throughout foil thickness range.
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Grade 7 (RA) OR Grade 5 (AR) – PCB standard is Garde 7
- Available from 6 µm (standard 9 µm Q oz) up through 480 µm (14 oz)
Carrier Foil
- Supporting HDI and ultra HDI designs – sub 2 mil L/S
- Grade 1 ED foil
- Very smooth profile, Rz 2µm <
- Able to support peel strengths of 4 lbs/in >
- Available in 1.5µm 3µm and 5µm all on a H oz carrier.
Do not settle on the foil types used yesterday to support the designs of tomorrow or you’ll lose business today.
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OEM’s demand performance, fabricator’s look for support….
Insulectro provides options!
For further information on these concerns or materials please reach out to your TAM or me directly.
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Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil & CAC®
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Get to Know
Shikoku Chemicals
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Insulectro distributes OSP and advanced pretreatments manufacturered by Shikoku Kasei Group.
Its product portfolio includes inorganic
chemicals, organic chemicals, advanced and specialty
chemicals, electronic chemicals comprising organic
solderability preservative and microetching solutions, and
advanced and specialty chemicals.
OSP (Organic Solderability Preservative) is the most popular
final surface finish for PCBs. OSP film has excellent humidity
resistance to protect copper oxidation.
SHIKOKU KASEI GROUP has its origins in a business in Japan started by two young engineers based on the invention of an innovative manufacturing method for carbon disulfide, the raw material for the chemical fiber, rayon. It was 1947, shortly after the end of the war.
Since its founding, Shikoku's "unique manufacturing methods" have gradually sublimated into unrivaled R&D capabilities, and today is recognized as a chemical manufacturer with a number of products that, although niche, hold one of the world's leading market shares.
Based on Shikoku's corporate philosophy “Doku-sou-ryoku (creativity),” creative ideas as the driving force of its development.
The company “transforms” the technologies that it has accumulated into next-generation products, and create a virtuous cycle for the earth, people, and lifestyles through technology and product proposals. The word "KASEI" unleashes the power to change while creating something better.
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We Know the Drill!
Kyocera Series 430 Hybrid Drill
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Kyocera’s commitment to continuous product improvements, particularly when faced with new PCB applications and materials, has resulted in their newest series 430. The hybrid drill design demonstrates high strength, longer endurance, precise drilled hole location, and superior hole wall quality.
Benchmark testing against competitor’s tool resulted in superior hole location accuracy, as well as increased tool strength and hit counts.
Insulectro offers the Series 430 drill line in a wide range of diameters and flute lengths. In conjunction with Kyocera, we are committed to offering our customers the lowest cost drill solutions without compromising on quality.
Your local Insulectro representative has detailed documentation for all Kyocera products.
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BREAKING NEWS
INSULECTRO & LCOA™
R&D LAB LAUNCHED WITH PARTNER KYOCERA
Insulectro has opened a testing and development laboratory for Kyocera tools in its Lake Forest, CA headquarters. The Lab was created in association with backup and entry materials manufacturer LCOA™ in that company’s plant.
“I am pleased to announce that Insulectro, the exclusive North American distributor of drills, routers, endmills, and other cutting tools manufactured by Kyocera, will begin offering a variety of services from a new laboratory on our Lake Forest campus,”announced Geraldine Arseneau, Insulectro Product Manager for the Kyocera product line.
“This will enable us to build on the synergy of Kyocera’s best-in-class tools and Insulectro’s dominance in drill room backup and entry products.” Arseneau joined Insulectro several years ago after a lengthy career with Kyocera.
The new Lab is expected to support new product design, troubleshoot field issues, and include design feature testing, DoE (Design of Experiments) studies, confirmation testing, and repoint cycling testing.
It will determine proper feed and speed parameters for common PCB applications, develop processing parameters for new industry materials to understand how new technologies affect product performance, and supply customers with complete solutions. The Lab will also support industry and competitor benchmark studies.
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Joe Negron, Kyocera Sales Manager, enthused, “The Lab is a large next step for the Kyocera/Insulectro team. It vastly increases our capability to service our customers as technology changes.” |
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The Lab is equipped with a Schmoll Drill/Router (dual spindle drill with 160KRPM and router 50KRPM); a Microview CMM used to measure positional accuracy; and a Haas CM-1: compact CNC vertical machining center (50KRPM spindle, 5 HP motor).
It also includes a Struers Automated Polisher/Grinder for X-sections; an Olympus Toolmakers microscope; and a Metallograph to measure hole wall quality.
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Insulectro Vice President of Product Management Michelle Walsh is also enthused about the additional capabilities, “This month we hosted a joint meeting of the Kyocera Team with Insulectro’s leadership and operations teams.
"We were all very excited not only about the Lab’s value for our existing customers but how we now have the capability to run studies to promote product offerings and qualifications requested by new customers. Fabricators can continue to count on Insulectro for the developing technological information.” PICTURE ABOVE: Russ Reynoso, Design Engineering Manager for Kyocera explains the new capabilities of the Lab to Kyocera President Tom Haag (center)
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Along with our industry leading backer and entry products from LCOA™, Insulectro has what you need to build better boards faster.
Please contact me for additional information, technical support, or process related questions. Our Insulectro team looks forward to assisting in you!
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Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - Kyocera Precision Cutting Tools
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Chris Hunrath on Future Tech
Combining mSAP and Ormet®, Stacked Vias anyone?
MARCH 2023
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As an Industry, we are continually pushed for higher density. This leads to the need for greater via placement flexibility, or rather having more options for via placement.
Because of the different CTE’s of solid copper vias vs organic dielectrics, stacked vias can be a reliability challenge. As vias get taller, smaller in diameter, or higher stacked, the expansion pressure will reach a critical level that even quality plating cannot hold up.
The current solution and best practice is to “stagger” the vias allowing the conductor/dielectric system to expand during the assembly reflow process without pulling on what becomes a very tall single copper structure. This has been proven to be more reliable but uses additional “real estate” in the design.
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You can see that stacking the vias creates a tall copper “slug” in the dielectric structure that has a lower CTE then the surrounding material.
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EMD ELECTRONICS' Ormet® sintering paste has several attributes that could be beneficial in this application. Its CTE is higher than copper and it forms a metallurgical bond with the coppers it is linking. Unlike a conductive ink that has a polymer binder system that relies on contact and has its own CTE issues, Ormet® forms strong bonds to the innerlayer copper and does not have a polymer binder.
Typically, Ormet® is used to form z-axis interconnects during lamination. This saves process steps while allowing for greater flexibility of via placement and therefore density. The paste is applied to the b-stage, often prepreg and the layers are pressed together bonding and interconnecting.
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Typically, this is done by heat tacking prepreg and mylar to a sub or core, then laser drilling through both, and applying the paste using the removable mylar as a stencil. The paste is dried, then the layers are laminated together as normal forming both mechanical and electrical bonds.
Now instead, imagine laminating an ultra-thin functional foil (1.5-3.0 microns) with a peelable half oz copper carrier. Laser drill, apply the paste, bake and then remove the peelable carrier.
Then image the surface and plate. This would form the surface circuits with very fine line and space capability because of the thin functional foil. The plating would also connect with the internal circuits through the paste.
This can be repeated forming a stack of vias that’s closer to the dielectric in CTE while not have any transition metal or coating as in the case of electroless copper or some direct plate systems.
In addition, the excess tin in the paste would have a certain amount of “self-healing” properties to allow for re-alloying if microfractures were to form. We have seen Ormet® interconnects go down in resistance during thermal exposure/cycling.
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Let us know if you would like to try this process. We have all the materials for this structure. I am always happy to discuss new ways to build PCBs.
Chris Hunrath
Vice President of Technology
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Insulectro PumaNews™ will write, curate, and publish provocative articles on innovation, vision, and thought leadership in our industry spotlighting people who make a difference.
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Current & Challenged
Meet Crystal LaClair
Chemical Engineering Supervisor
GreenSource Fabrication
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About me in summarized bullets:
- Born & raised in Claremont, NH
- 15 minutes from GreenSource Fabrication LLC in Charlestown, NH
- Attended Saint Joseph’s College of Maine (Graduated 2011)
- PreMed (Major of Biology/Minor in Chemistry)
- Wait-listed for Grad School
- Need to find work to start paying loan while waiting…
- By 2012 the loans consumed me and I pushed off Grad School until I could figure out how to manage the loans and being independent
- My parents refinanced their house so I could pay off my loans faster with an aggressive pay rate
- On top of paying a mortgage rate, I had moved out and had other bills to tend to – my budget was tight (there were times my grandparents would bring me food from the Soup Kitchen they volunteered at to help me get through the week)
- Started at Whelen Fall 2011 as an Assembly Tech
- This was difficult having a BS degree and not finding a more suitable job for the skills I had acquired in college
- Was given the opportunity to work at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in 2013
- Was not overly excited about this because it was in the oncology department & I would have to interact with Cancer patients and their loved ones
- Also, I am a very loyal and dedicated person so I reached out to the Quality Department of Whelen and presented my resume
- They gave me the opportunity to join their team
- Whelen began building their PCB Fab department in 2014
- I was asked to interview for a Chemical Lab position by Whelen’s GM (now Senior VP -Operations)
- During the interview, I felt like a kid in a candy store looking at chemical tanks set up prepping for line installs
- I knew the project would be challenging and fun
- April 2014 I started working in the PCB area while installs were occurring
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Late 2014, I started operating equipment lines (everything from a mechanical drill, conformal plater, image/etching, soldermask, ENiG)
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2015-2016 started in the lab analyzing all of the chemicals within the facility and maintained dosing tanks
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Late 2016 started getting involved with Quality
- This is when we started to plan to expand to build more complex boards, rather than just Whelen’s Double sided PCBs
- 2017 – Many installs, expansions for the start of GreenSource
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Titled Quality Engineer at the time
- Traveled to Austria to learn the ProX2 & ProX3 equipment
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Moved to Chemical Engineering to support chemical line installs
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Late 2018 – Supervised plating department and Engineered line within plating
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2019 – 2021 – Focused more on Engineering role and filled in as needed for Supervisor role when individuals would come and go
- This was a challenging time during the start up of the enhanced facility
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2022-Present – Chemical Engineering Supervisor
- Mentor Chemical Engineers and Engineer Technicians as they learn the industry
- Share growth in the field as we gain PCB knowledge and develop learned Chem. Engineering skills
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In the past 9 years, I have had a lot to be thankful for.
It’s humbling to look at this expeditious timeline considering the skills and experience I arrived to the industry with. Outside of the workplace, I faced real world challenges that any young adult would encounter, and my family helped me survive each hurdle.
Whelen has given me many opportunities which I am thankful for; they did not turn away when I inquired to join the quality team, then the GM (Brian Boardman) gave me the opportunity to interview for the PCB position. Within the PCB department the expansion of the facility allowed for more opportunities of growth within.
As the company grew, some individuals would stay and others would leave. Those who have persevered through the tough times of exponential growth bonded as they faced the growing pains.
Many of my role models throughout my career have been colleagues whom I still work with today. The GreenSource team has created a culture of unified growth. We are a family of individuals whom pick one another up during challenging times and celebrate the victories, no matter how big or small.
With our technology and blend of experience levels within the workforce, GreenSource has a bright future. Our equipment and employees are state of the art. We continue to push the limits and find ways to break the mold in the PCB world. Alongside our growing team of young [green] and experienced employees, we will continue to push the industry’s capabilities – and I’m here for it!
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Our team at APEX 2023. Derek Lovejoy, Chemical Engineer Intern, won best student paper on regenerative etch recycling. |
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Interviewing one of our GSF Engineers for a culture video. I wanted to make this situation more light hearted than stressful as being in the spotlight isn’t for everyone. My personality is de-escalate through comedy or humility in myself rather than others. |
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Outside of work our team bonds through poker nights, cornhole tournaments and cookouts. The fact that our team enjoys working with each other at the level of making time for each other outside work is few and far. The culture we have is amazing to say the least.
On a personal level, I love spending time with family and being outside. Annual vacations include a week outdoors mountain biking or traveling; cruises are ideal as they are entertaining and touch various landmarks so you explore a large variety within a short timeframe. I’ve always been athletic and a fan of many sports. My partner and I enjoy playing tennis, hockey, snowboarding, and many other games that bring people together.
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This is my family at a cookout in 2018. My grandfather passed away in 2021 but he’s always been a huge part of my life so I wanted to share an image with him at the center as he was the point man in our family. |
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First two presses installed and running production at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories with more to follow. Let the performance and power savings begin!!
When it comes to high technology and the importance of controlling heat and pressure through the stack for resin flow, there is none other than the InduBond® XPress induction press.
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What can the press deliver you ask? Pictured below is a test that was run with a 21x24- 40 panel high stack up using the LCOA CSC (copper/steel/copper) instead of separator sheets and the Pacothane “Paco-Clutch” to achieve this higher panel stack.
Both the registration and consistent heat transfer past the test.
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We have the machine to fit your needs with a proven track record of quality, performance and durability! |
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Universal PCB EQUIPMENT CO, LTD |
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The UCE quality of their Develop-Etcher-Strip line with vacuum etch is accelerating with multiple installations happening along with customer purchases in place thus far in Q1 of 2023.
Be very careful when chosing your next Asian built line, THEY ARE NOT ALL BUILT WITH THE QUALITY, LEADERSHIP AND INTERNAL QUALIFICATION MEASURES THAT UCE PROVIDES.
We have you covered in your wet process area!
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We have over 40 installations completed in the United States and Canada alone. Our service team is at your disposal, used and new equipment!
An example of equipment manufacturers we service:
WISE / CHEMCUT / SCHMID / I.S. / IPS / DYNACHEM / DUPONT Laminator Retro-fits / TMP Presses / HAKUTO / PLASMA ETCH / INDUBOND® / UCE
- Emergency Service
- Preventative Maintenance
- Installations
- Rebuilds
- Retro-fits
- Troubleshooting
- Training
- Spare parts
- Brushes
Please reach out should you like to discuss our equipment offerings further. Thank you.
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Jon Pelletier
President, Equipment Technologies
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Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager - Equipment
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"Nothing personal. It's just business."
Seeing Eye to Eye
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My wife and I are blessed with four grandchildren. Prior to COVID we spent much time with the oldest, now 6 year old twins.
The third boy we barely got to know before COVID hit and we didn’t get to see them for over 6 months and then almost another 6 months of 6 feet apart.
We are still trying to catch our relationship up with him. Post COVID, this past weekend was spend with all four grandchildren at their home. There are not many things in life as good as having your 2 month old granddaughter sleeping in your arms.
What’s the point? Being in person for important things in life are best. I shared comments last month relative to IPC Apex and the return of an in person show without restrictions since COVID. Afterward, I started reflecting on the joy of regular industry life returning as well as the show. For our industry, during COVID, while we were “essential” and continued manufacturing, we resorted to many important meetings via TEAMS, phone calls or email.
Personally, I was frustrated by the lack of visits that COVID demanded. Now that it is over, have we returned to pre-Covid business life? I believe we have been sluggish to get back to in person meetings.
Do we resort to TEAMS, etc for convenience? There’s a line in the movie, The Godfather, and then repeated in the movie, You Got Mail, “nothing personal, it’s just business”.
I know I am misusing the original intent of that phrase. I am stealing it to make a different point. To me, we are missing something if we do business but we don’t work to make it personal, and we make it personal by meeting eye to eye. I’m not just speaking of suppliers visiting customers. If you own or manage a PWB shop, meeting and talking to your team, including operators, regularly helps you understand how your business is running and it builds trust.
Everyone’s role is important and speaking to them face to face reminds them of this. Get to know your team personally. People love to be listened to and to me it is best done face to face. Your business will win because of it but the greater win will be a personal one.
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Ed Kneller
Technical Account Manager - Midwest
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Growth in Substrates
Insulectro Increases Portfolio Again:
DuPont Kapton® MT
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Kapton® is the DuPont ubiquitous high-performance polyimide that was first developed in the mid-20th Century. It is ultralight and displays exceptional dielectric and thermal characteristics, maintaining key electronic properties across a temperature range from almost absolute zero (0K) up to 400°C (673K).
DuPont™ Kapton® MT polyimide film is a homogeneous film possessing 3x the thermal conductivity and cut through strength of standard Kapton® HN. Kapton® MT and Kapton® FMT films have higher modulus than HN; this offers improved strength to the final product.
The Kapton® FMT polyimide film provides all the benefits of the Kapton® MT polyimide film with the addition of a fluoropolymer resin coated on both sides of the film.
Kapton® MT and Kapton® FMT offer an excellent combination of electrical properties, thermal conductivity and mechanical toughness for its use in electronic and automotive applications.
Applications include:
- Insulation pads (heat sink)
- Heater circuits
- Power supplies
- Ceramic board replacement
- NKN slot liners
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Jeff Crawford
Insulectro Printed Electronics - Advanced Substrate Specialist
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Geoff shouts: "But wait! There's more!"
DuPont™ Pyralux® AP:
The Flagship with Options
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DuPont™ Pyralux® laminates and adhesives offerings expand beyond just simple FCCL (Flexible Copper Clad Laminates).
The industry standard, Pyralux® AP, has been out for decades and continues to excel in any environment it is tasked with.
But for applications requiring something different, DuPont’s Pyralux line up has options.
Pyralux® TK FCCL is built with a polyimide core that has a special FEP fluoropolymer film coated to either side. This gives the dielectrics unprecedented dielectric performance for low loss applications like RF or mmWave applications. (Dk: 2.5 Df: 0.002)
Pyralux® HT is a high temperature thermoplastic adhesive for environments requiring excessive heat soak. With a rated MOT of 200C, when paired with Pyralux® AP clads, this material can really handle the heat. Additional benefits to this film is the ability to run the adhesive throughout the rigid section of rigid-flex designs without sacrificing reliability.
Pyralux® AG, another FCCL, is perfect for any ultra-thin flex application or dynamic bending environment. Pyralux® AG is unmatched in dynamic bending performance for longevity when compared to any other offering in its class. Pyralux® AG is made at scale enabling lower price points for FCCL’s requiring ½ mil polyimide cores and 9 micron copper constructions. This also makes AG ideal for any commercial application.
Pyralux® HP is the newest flexible adhesive introduced to the market. With a modified epoxy resin system, as opposed to the acrylics used in Pyralux® LF and Pyralux® FR, Pyralux® HP low loss properties give this adhesive the properties designers need when going a step beyond LF and FR electricals, but not so far that they require a Fluoropolymer like Pyralux® TK!
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Geoff Leeds
Product Manager, DuPont Flex Laminates
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Maja Stupar
Inside Sales Manager, Printed Electronics
Londonderry, NH
Please welcome Maja Supar to the Insulectro family. Maja joins the printed electronics team as an Inside Sales Manager (ISM) in the Northeast.
We asked her to tell us about herself and family. In her own words: "Prior to joining the Insulectro Team, I worked Inside Sales for a food broker called AJ Letizio Sales and Market. I studied psychology in school but quickly discovered I wasn’t interested in that line of work at all. My first job out of school was Medical Credentialing for Cigna which I really enjoyed but it became a little too repetitive.
"It feels wonderful to join Insulectro! Everybody has been very welcoming and so helpful. I’m very excited to be part of the Team and contribute to the growth and success of the company."
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Robust Military & Aerospace Markets
Overall Strong Business Conditions
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As of the writing of this recap, sales are strong in many areas but showing some signs of softness in others. It matches what we are hearing from customers which is that overall business conditions are good but there are some concerns for weaker short-term demand coming for some.
We’re hearing of robust demand in military and aerospace sectors but commercial is lagging and continued chip shortages and pockets of supply chain disruptions are still there.
We think that with our much improved inventory position of Pyralux® laminates and prepreg and DuPont’s improved supply chain and turnaround times will help customers rebound as they gain more confidence to select Pyralux® for new designs.
Meanwhile, some of the product category leaders are Isola’s 370HR and HSD/RF products as well as Focus Tech’s broad line of chemicals are up significantly. Customers recognize they gain when using superior products.
It’s noteworthy also to highlight the significant activity around equipment. We have an exciting amount of quote requests, purchase orders placed and deliveries being made for everything from InduBond® presses and registration machines to UCE wet process, scrubbing and plating equipment.
Not to mention, chemistry process controllers which are helping our customers manage their lines better. The team of Pancho Castillo, Mike Carnarius and Gabe Zepeda are busy and we are bringing our other teammates weekly into the field with technical resources to enhance our service level and remain proactive with support and solutions.
I feel really good about where we are right now.
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Sean Redfern
Technical Account Manager
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@Mike Creeden
Signal Integrity (SI), Electro-Magnetic Interference/Compatibility (EMI/EMC)
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What is signal integrity in a PCB and is why is important?
Signal Integrity (SI) is a term used in our industry to convey the signal's ability to propagate energy from a charge that will be received without any distortion.
Signal integrity is process to determine that the signal was delivered properly through a transmission line. Thus, a net could have good signal integrity or bad signal integrity.
We must also consider that each net could induce a bad signal integrity phenomena to any adjacent net. This concept can have farther reaching concerns when energy emissions radiate and affect another device. This is termed Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI). Also, this concern is factored by our ability to shield and contain emissions. This is termed as, Electro Magnetic Compliance (EMC).
Proper device shielding (Shield cans, left image below) and stripline routing which are shielded by a GND layer both help control EMI/EMC.
- High Speed Digital (HSD) circuitry typically will be routed on an inner layer with a containment of a GND layer above and below thus containing emissions.
- Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry typically will be routed on an external layer because they do not do well with vias that can transmit energy in an unwanted fashion (See right image below). They will use the GND layer below and a shield above to contain emissions.
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Shields for RF EMI/EMC Containment -
Unwanted Energy Transmitted from a Via Stub
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For the sake of this article, we will discuss these concerns as they relate to routing and the environment that signal energy exists which is call a transmission line.
Poor SI implementation will create EMI/EMC issues. Therefore, the best method to manage EMI/EMC is to not create unwanted signal emissions.
When teaching the subject of EM Theory to layout engineers, I will ask them, where is the energy from the signal they just routed? The answer that I often get is, that the energy is in the trace. I further ask them, is it in the center of the trace or on the surface?
At this point most people are just guessing. Neither of these answers are correct. Just like any house outlet requires a two prong plug, our signals require a twisted pair consisting of the signal and it’s Return Path i.e., GND. The energy is in the form of a forward propagating wave, traveling from the source to the load or loads.
All signals are driven at an amplitude of voltage, in reference to 0.0V (Commonly referred as GND). This EM energy field is Capacitive (Electro) in nature and Inductive (Magnetic) in nature. High capacitance is the energy and low inductance is the movement of energy by means of a voltage drop. Therefore, the energy exists in between the two opposite poles of the signal and GND.
They both serve as a wave guide. Within the laws of physics, opposites attract, and similar objects repel, the concept is like a magnet attracting or repelling. Therefore, the energy fields exists within the dielectric material between the signal and GND, (Shown in left image below). All the energy a signal receives is in the Rise Time (Tr) at the beginning of the signal pulse, (Shown in right image below). This is critical to understand what is a high speed signal.
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The material plays a critical role in the performance of the EM field wave. Material being comprised of resin/weave which has a certain resistance to the energy field, this is known as a Dielectric Constant (Dk) or (Ԑг). The resin has a Dk of about 3.0 Dk and weave is about 5.0 Dk, which then has an average environment of about 4.0 Dk., better materials have a lower Dk, and many materials have a higher Dk.
For reference we visualize electricity traveling as lightning in the air which has a 1.0 Dk. Also, the surrounding metal in all directions play a critical role in in regard to two similar but differing perspectives, the impedance, and the energy return path.
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Impedance is a resistance to energy flow. It is meant to be a consistent environment to regulate signal propagation and timing. It is determined by all the features of a signal and complete environment around it along it length such as size and thickness, vias used, adjacent material, and surrounding metal.
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Return Path is best conceptualized as the other wire in a twisted pair. This as aforementioned as the other side of the EM energy field.
The biggest danger in considering these two similar but differing perspectives is that any metal will serve as an impedance backdrop. Likewise, any metal will also serve as a return path however, it may be a bad return path that will create signal integrity problems.
GND is always the best return path. Impedance models are similar to a road system and return paths are correctly driving on the right side of the street.
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There are many issues that can affect Si and EMI/EMC in our circuit, such as copper surface profile, this will be discussed in a later article. This article focuses on the transmission line environment.
Any feature or variable along the completed length and its surroundings are what is known as the transmission line. Signal interaction with energy from anywhere either inside the system or outside the system can be a SI or EMI/EMC issue that will prevent optimal performance
As we present our products and services to you and your company, we want you to know Insulectro’s Design Education Program is eager to freely support signal-integrity reviews of design circuits prior to fabrication. Also, we are ready and eager to create one or several training sessions for the OEM or your fabrication team.
These will be tailored to meet the exact needs of the audience, brought by a technically appropriate presenter, with specific content to further your team’s success and provide that edge to meet the needs of advancing technology trends.
Contact any of our Technical Account Managers or call any of our branch offices to schedule your Virtual Training Session soon.
Reminding you to make technically appropriate material decisions and to get the best use of the best material.
Mike Creeden CID+ MIT
Technical Director, Insulectro Design & Education
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PCBAA LEADERSHIP SPEAKS OUT |
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Welcome to the March Edition of
Insulectro PumaNews™ Magazine - East Coast Edition
Pay It Forward…
What is a mentor?
- an experienced and trusted adviser
- advise or train (someone, especially a less experienced colleague)
As I write this article, I confess that it was a mentor of mine that inspired me to write it. It’s safe to say we can agree that throughout our lives we have known mentors - people who have changed or influenced our lives personally or professionally.
Mentors help us think about things differently. Mentors help fill the gaps from the lack of our experiences by sharing theirs.
We may have not thought about them or called them mentors when we were younger but as we got older and wiser we have come to acknowledge them as mentors and can appreciate what they contributed to our lives.
My mentors come from a myriad of backgrounds and experiences, many are family members, some close friends and some are industry colleagues.
My mentor and friend responsible for me composing this article, is also my manager and the COO of Insulectro, Ken Parent.
Ken reminded me of a very important aspect about mentoring and that is we should all “pay it forward” when we have the opportunity. It is now more important than ever for me to focus on making a positive difference in someone’s life.
Having raised a wonderful family, it’s an amazing experience to be the Patriarch and sharing my life’s experience and lessons learned. Of course it’s not always easy to get everyone on board…but I keep mentoring.
In work, I take great pride in the fact that I get to manage (mentor) a great team on the East Coast. It’s fun and rewarding when the team shares the same vision and values especially getting stuff done for our customers.
Our industry needs mentors especially as more and more youth are entering the work force. Many are coming straight out of college because of the wide range of Engineering disciplines our industry has to offer for a rewarding career. This presents the opportunity for all of us to pay it forward. Their success in this challenging industry largely depends on how well we do as mentors and trusted advisors.
I am proud to be called a mentor and realize how important and how great a responsibility I have shaping the future.
We can all make a difference by Always teaching, Always learning.
Thank you for reading.
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Ron Murdock
Director of Sales - Eastern Region/ Canada
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PCBAA LEADERSHIP SPEAKS OUT |
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Drones Are Not A Fly-by-Night Idea
PCBs Lighten the Loads for Commercial UAVs
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Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are typically associated with military users, although a growing number of applications are being found for UAVs in commercial, industrial, and even medical markets.
Commercial users await approval from key government agencies, such as the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration, for properly authorized use of drones in non-military applications, but interest in non-military use of drones is growing rapidly, as the number of commercial drones with different sensor payload packages is growing, for help with everything from herding and counting cattle on farms to inspecting the structural integrity of commercial buildings.
The differences in commercial and industrial applications for UAVs from battlefield electronic warfare (EW), reconnaissance, and surveillance missions for the military are apparent. But how do commercial UAVs differ from military UAVs for the electronic payload circuit designer who must choose the optimum printed-circuit-board (PCB) material for that mission?
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Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are typically associated with military users, although a growing number of applications are being found for UAVs in commercial, industrial, and even medical markets.
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The nature of a UAV’s application will determine the sensors required in its payload. The functionality and performance needed to best complete the application will help establish guidelines for the minimum requirements of the circuit materials that support a drone’s payload.
Commercial drones are available in a wide range of sizes and with a wide range of sensor packages for many applications. Present and future applications for commercial UAVs include building and power-line inspections, farming, public safety, search and rescue (SAR), mapping and surveying, retail package delivery, weather forecasting, unmanned drone taxi services, and warehouse inventory management. Sensors include light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radar, infrared (IR) thermal imaging, visible-light cameras, and magnetometers.
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Electronic circuits for military drones are expected to have higher reliability than similar circuits for commercial drones. While commercial drones may be specified for typical flight time of about one-half hour for a battery charge, a military UAV must provide a flight time closer to one hour for a battery charge, to support extended missions with longer ranges.
Normally a larger battery would be part of the solution for longer flight time, but the added weight does not help with a commercial drone’s logistics and cost nor with a military drone’s compliance with reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP) goals. The military trend for reduced SWaP in electronic systems such as UAVs is sure to be adopted for commercial markets where cost and competition are major issues. For example, more efficient power-supply circuitry aided by automatic power detection and making use of low-loss circuit materials can contribute to longer UAV flight times without need for a larger battery.
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About Isola
Isola is a leading global material sciences company that designs, develops, manufactures and markets laminate materials used to fabricate advanced multilayer printed circuit boards, which provide the physical platforms for the semiconductors, passive components, and connection circuitry that power and control virtually all modern electronic products. Isola operates a network of factories worldwide.
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Norm Berry
Director, Laminates & OEM Marketing
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Optimize Your Chemical Processes
Remember the Equipment
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No matter what chemistry and process you are using, all the factors matter. Ph, Temperature, Concentration and Dwell time are the most important factors when trying to maintain a bath to perform day in and day out.
Often missed in most conversations, however, is the equipment. If there is inadequate flow, DI water supply for rinses, or poor agitation, many chemical processes will run far below optimal. Insulectro offers UCE equipment with DuPont chemistry to help solve those problems to guarantee quality product and process output.
For long term insurance, our equipment team can maintain and repair most equipment sets used by the industry today. Having a bad pump, temperature sensor or flow meter shouldn’t be a single point of failure to shut down a process or shop.
Reach out today to see how our chemistry and equipment combinations can provide the full package to solve any modern PCB fabrication problem. See related articles on equipment throughout this issue.
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At-A-Glance
The DuPont Chemistry Line
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With the acquisition of East Coast Electronic Material Supply (ECEMS) in late March, Insulectro has brought another best-in-class product line to our customers. The addition of the DuPont Electronics Imaging & Interconnect Solutions (ICS) chemistry line, which was legacy Dow Chemicals before the Dow-DuPont merger, adds a complimentary piece to an already robust Insulectro product offering.
DuPont ICS is innovating new metallization technologies across many platforms:
Electroplating Applications
HDI
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Microfill™ EVF-III for advanced via filling and through-hole plating
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Microfill™ LVF-IV for next generation SLP applications
MLB
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Copper Gleam™ PPR-II for high aspect ratio pulse plating
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Electroposit™ EP-1600 for high aspect ratio DC plating
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Copper Gleam™ HS-200 for horizontal DC plating in FPC applications
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Copper Gleam™ ST-920 for DC vertical continuous plating (VCP)
IC Package Substrate
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Microfill™ SFP-II & Microfill™ LVF-IV for advanced SAP applications
Making Holes Conductive
Electroless Copper Solutions:
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Circuposit™ 3350-1 Vertical Electroless Copper
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Circuposit™ 4000 Horizontal electroless copper for FPC/RFPC
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Circuposit™ 6700 Horizontal Ionic Catalyst for Advanced HDI applications
Direct Metallization Solutions:
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Next Generation Crimson™ & Conductron™ palladium-based systems
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Next Generation Graphite 2000™ carbon-based system
ENIG:
Duraposit™ SMT-88 & Aurolectroless™ SMT 520
Process Chemistries:
DuPont offers a full line of cleaners, developers, strippers and other ancillary products to support printed circuit applications.
General Metal Finishing:
Full line engineering, decorative and precious metal offerings
As you can see, through this addition of the DuPont ICS chemistry line, Insulectro is now providing chemistry and technical support to the general metal finishing, plating-on-plastics, and wire plating industries, which we see as an area of growth.
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Geoff Leeds
Product Manager, DuPont Chemistry
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Ormet® PCB-710
Eliminate Lamination and Plating Steps
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Ormet® PCB-710 is a lead-free, copper-based, paste formulated for creating microvias in printed circuit boards. This can be done to replace stacked via designs with multiple lamination steps, or to bond subs together without requiring a through-hole drill to electrically connect the subs.
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The Ormet® paste is processed at normal PCB lamination temperatures. The final product offers superior thermal and electrical performance.
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For more information on Ormet®, please contact me. |
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Jeff Johnson
Product Manager - Dry Film/Chemistry/Paste & FAE
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Copper Surface Treatment
Glibrite (GB4300) Eliminates Pumice Scrub
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ELIMINATE PUMICE SCRUB! It’s time to stop mechanically scrubbing circuit boards and start etching them. With Shikoku’s Glibrite system you can achieve better and more uniform soldermask adhesion.
With just 15uin of etch you can get more micro topography resulting in more surface area for soldermak to stick to. This process also works great for dryfilm adhesion on plated subs and shinny foil inner layers. With only 15uin of etch there is minimal degradation of signal integrity.
If you are ready for your next big step in process improvement, contact us to let us show you how we can help.
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Jeff Johnson
Product Manager - Dry Film/Chemistry/Paste & FAE
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Join our
Puma Team!
Help us define the future of Printed Circuit Boards and Printed Electronics!
Join our Puma team and be a part of our growth.
Business Development
Operations
Pricing
Production
Warehouse
Others
Click on the ad (left) to see various positions we are recruiting.
As advertised in i-connect007's PCB Magazine
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Click-Out our
Pyralux® Flexible Laminates Selector Guide. . .
(click on product name)
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
Single sided flex copper clad substrate
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
An epoxy-based adhesive system demonstrating both low loss and high reliability, specifically designed for OEMs and PCB design manufacturers. Offered as coverlay and sheet adhesive.
High temperature flexible adhesive system with an MOT of 225C.
Featuring a unique Kapton Polyimide and Fluoropolymer film base double-sided dielectric offered as a clad laminate or bondply. Ideal for RF designs.
Embedded resistance double sided laminate
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Geoffrey Leeds
Flex Product Manager
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Best Conformable Pad & Release Film
THERMOPAD™ & THERMOFILM™ for Use in High-Temp Laminations
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES is the world's leading manufacturer of products to enhance and assist the production and quality assurance process for the lamination and manufacture of printed circuit boards [PCB].
Ultra-High temperature lamination needs, we have you covered. Conformable pad and release film rated up to 600 °F (316 °C)
These, high temperature rated press pads known as THERMOPAD™ and release film known as THERMOFILM™ have been created by a name and company you trust to deliver solutions to support the lamination cycle and help you “build better boards faster” as we say at Insulectro.
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Thermofilm™ offers the consistent attainment of proper release and surface protection under the challenges of elevated lamination temperatures up to 650 F.
We recommend ordering 1 inch oversized to achieve ½” coverage against your current separator plate dimension to protect against resin squeeze out.
Its single thickness of 1.5 mils (0.0015”), and no embedded impurities manages F.O.D, has extremely low X & Y shrinkage. Designed for high temperature Bondply resin systems such as market leader, DuPont’s Pyralux® TK supporting high speed digital (HSD) and high frequency cycle times.
Thermopad™ offers Z-axis conformable pressure distribution at these elevated high temperatures that make it superior to harder (brittle) based polymer press pads. It’s single thickness of 44 mils (0.044”) can be used in any high Tg substrate supporting LCP builds whilst offering predictable control of the heat rise for an efficient and effective lamination cycle.
We recommend the press pad to be the same size as the separator plates and located at the start and end of the press stack between the release film as the illustration shows.
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES®
Proudly Produced in the USA
with American Labor and American Materials!
For more information on Pacothane and their products please reach out to me. For any additional information on DuPont™ laminates, please connect with Geoff Leeds, Product Manager for DuPont Flex Laminates and DuPont Chemistry gleeds@insulectro.com.
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Mark Satchwell
Product Manager - Pacothane® Products & Copper Foil
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Brand-new Pacothane® Product Sample Guide to be introduced at IPC! Get your copy next week! |
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Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - LCOA®
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Design Education - An Insulectro Priority
Insulectro Sponsors New Design Trade Association
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Printed Circuit Engineering Association™ (PCEA) is an international network of engineers, designers, fabricators, assemblers, and anyone related to printed circuit development.
Our mission is to promote printed circuit engineering as a profession by encouraging and facilitating the exchange of information and the integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, and workshops.
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If you are a professional serving in the printed circuit industry from any associated discipline, you are encouraged to join. Membership is free and you’re encouraged to be involved as we all seek to collaborate, educate and inspire one another. Visit the web-site at: www.pce-a.org
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As advertised in i-Connect 007's PCB Magazine.
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Shur-loc, IBC Brush and Equipment Service are being recognized by customers as key contributing factors in Insulectro helping them to increase their departments efficiencies in areas of their facility.
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Using the Shurloc system helps in reducing these types of issues through consistent tension from the beginning to the end of the mesh life. Also knowing that each mesh panel will be at the 22.5 degree angle every time for screening LPI.
When it comes to screen tension…..too little is not good and too much is not good either!
If you’re not yet using Shurloc…..you should be!
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- Too little of mesh tension will allow the mesh to move under the squeegee causing soldermask to flow into the holes. It will also cause the mesh to retract very slowly off the surface of the panel.
- Too much tension could cause the squeegee to flex during printing and leave a heavier deposit on the outside edges of the panel. Not to mention the extra mechanical stress needed from the machines mechanical system.
- Shurloc and experienced screening department supervisors have pinpointed the optimal tension so you get the best performance across the board, or should I say “panel?"
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Is your brush (pumice or debur) footprints even across the panel?
Do they vary in width top to bottom and/or side to side?
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There are many variables that could lead to this such as:
- The conveyor portion of the machine may be worn and no longer aligned to the brush drive system.
- The brushes themselves are not running true as they should giving a larger or smaller footprint side to side.
- Regarding pumice coils, they could be installed incorrectly onto the brush shafts.
Please reach out to us if your experiencing any of these and we’ll work with you in getting this resolved.
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“Customers are beginning to see the difference in having us assist their maintenance staff in the ever-important preventative maintenance programs needed to uphold an equipment’s performance.” |
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- Are you getting the best performance out of your equipment?
- Is your equipment DOWN more than it is UP?
- Let us lend a hand by assisting your maintenance team.
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Remember that we can assist in your equipment needs through the following:
- Emergency Service
- Preventative Maintenance
- Installations
- Rebuilds
- Retro-fits
- Troubleshooting
- Training
- Spare parts
- Brushes
The calls for Preventative Maintenance Programs are increasing as customers understand the benefits this brings to their equipment’s overall performance and up time.
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Also, do you have a used piece of equipment you’re looking to get installed? We may be able to assist here as well!
Ruben Zambrano
Field Application Engineer
Cell: 847-345-3759
Mike Engle
Field Application Engineer
Cell: 360-749-1756
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Please reach out should you like to discuss any of these topics further.
Thank you.
Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager - Equipment
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Today's Copper Foils
for Tomorrow’s Applications!
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Tailored to meet market trends such as compartment miniaturization, vehicle electrification and increased connectivity demands require improved characteristics of both wrought and ED foils.
Focus on wrought solutions such as:
- Low profile height (Rz) for signal integrity, as low as 0.4µm
- Consistent profile height across the web which does not change when ordering thicker foils
- Alloy foil with Increased tensile strengths which can exceed 700Mpa
- Grain structure in terms of large crystals and uniform orientation improves fatigue resistance and provides excellent vibration resistance.
- Thermal resistance to withstand hostile environments for automotive applications.
Wrought foils released to IPC 4562A in grade 5, grade 7 and grade 8.
Call us to find out more – we love to talk about this stuff!
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Give us a call to discuss how CAC can help you
make better circuits faster.
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Copper Foils
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Everyday Materials You Need, On Our Shelves Every Day
Insulectro recognizes the importance of maintaining adequate inventory to begin work. Designers know when you need it, you need it. Using the link insulectro.com/puma-fast/, you can see what PumaFast™ and standard materials we stock to get you up and running.
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Stronger than ever!
Our ACT! initiatives!
We have successfully collaborated on many ACT! opportunities.
We are delivering on Technology, Design and Education while you can bank on the sales results!
We are virtually taking our ACT!
to another level!
Insulectro and our partners are moving the chains to help our customers exceed performance goals. Our team of professional and technical resources are now offering our customers access to design and education services.
This is a Game Changer!
Our ACT! Initiatives combined with our design and education services provide our customers a total solutions package with a one-stop-shop option.
Our customers now have total access to not only our Insulectro foot print, best in class products, materials on the shelf when you need them; but also the expertise to deliver solutions from design to delivery…FAST!
Call me and to set up a VIRTUAL ACT! with your customer.
There's a reason I'm smiling.
Ron Murdock
ACT! Manager & Technical Account Manager
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To be the easiest company to do business with. . .
Insulectro has a program for continual improvement, all designed to make ourselves as user-friendly as possible to our customers, their customers, and our suppliers. Speed Matters, so we focus a lot of attention on getting you the materials you need as quickly as possible.
Our PumaFast™ Program lists current inventory of everyday materials you need every day.
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Best-in-Class Materials
from our Premier Suppliers
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