Calumet Electronics Corporation has purchased 2 Schmid Develop/Etch/Strip Lines to enhance their printed circuit board manufacturing capabilities. The increasing demand for finer lines/spaces, higher layer counts, controlled impedance, and hi-reliability in the PCB industry requires highly advanced production technology. “Schmid is acknowledged as the global leader in manufacturing high-end wet processing equipment” Elden Hendrickson, Jr. - Procurement Manager stated, “These lines provide critical processing capabilities for pcb inner layers and are another example of Calumet’s commitment to continuous improvement!”

The Develop/Etch/Strip Line performs 3 critical functions affecting the quality of the inner layers of multi layered printed circuit boards. The photographic resist that defines the pattern of additional plating is developed to expose unnecessary copper areas in the developer module. The exposed copper is then etched off by using a sprayed-on cupric-chloride based etching solution in the copper etch module. Finally, the residual dry-film resist layer is stripped away in the resist strip module. The Schmid etching modules utilize oscillating spray manifolds arranged either parallel or at right angles to the conveyor direction, through optimization of the nozzle positioning, a consistent etching rate is achieved across the entire panel surface. Continuous monitoring of the process bath parameters, the pressure and flow rates of the individual spray bars allow for ideal etching results.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

Calumet Electronics Corp., located in Calumet, MI, is a Small Business certified as a HUBZone Enterprise manufacturing printed circuit boards for over 37 years. All boards are manufactured from UL recognized materials according to a Quality System that is registered to ISO9001:2000 and certified to the Military Specification MIL-PRF-31032. Their highest commitment is to quality, performance, and customer satisfaction; providing a lower cost of ownership for prototype and production requirements. Visit their website, www.calumetelectronics.com for a complete overview of their product offerings. For more information about Schmid, visit www.schmid-online.de