Applied Films: New technique for making flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs)
A new technique for making flexible printed circuit boards (PCBs) will be unveiled in Japan next month. The Smartweb sputter metallising system from Applied Films of Germany will be seen at the Internepcon show in Tokyo on 18-20 January. It can coat 12 micron thick PET and polyimide films with standard copper seed layers of less than 200nm in continuous production. The system allows double sided metallisation in a two-pass production, says the company. It is less than 2.5m high and can easily be integrated into the production environment. Applied Films claims that the system is an improvement on the traditional casting and laminating processes used to make flexible copper-clad laminates. The company’s technology for making colour shift layers on plastics films – which change colour depending on the viewing angle – recently won an award at the International Converting Exhibition.