Catching Up with Artnet Pro

Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

Beaulieu:

Polack: This is a good question that depends on each customer’s products and specifications. If a product requires a 1-mil line, it is for the customer’s benefit that the cleanroom is fitted to achieve good line quality without dust particles that will affect this goal. Thus, the machine needs a basic cleanroom with temperature and humidity control to achieve good registration and stability. The Adix DI has a self-contained chamber with a controlled environment, HEPA filters, and a trap door on the operating side. However, if the panels will be dusted and dirty, you are going to see it on the results after imaging if the dust particles are too big.

Beaulieu: Your literature mentions photo heads upgradeable on site. What does that mean?

Polack: The Adix SA comes with one to six printing photo heads, which affects the machine price and productivity. So, a customer can order the machine with two heads and start working with the machine on-site. If the customer’s needs change over time and they need more capacity, we can offer to upgrade on-site by adding more heads to increase the machine’s capacity.

Beaulieu: I know that many DI machines claim to work with solder mask, but they do not seem to do it very well. How does this machine handle solder mask?

Polack: As I mentioned previously, this machine is the best in its class for handling any type of solder mask materials available on the market. It can achieve higher quality and smaller dams due to the unique four-wavelength LED light source on each printing head—365, 380, 395, and 405 nm—by its unique table design.

Beaulieu: Can it handle all solder mask colors?

Polack: Yes, it can handle any available color offered in the market.

Beaulieu: Is this machine as fast or faster than other machines?

Polack: This machine is as fast and if not faster than Orbotech LDI on the market. The big difference between the Orbotech and Altix machines is the fact that Orbotech is using high-power lasers to expose the solder mask materials to compensate for using a 355-nm laser on the 16-W product or the two-wavelength laser on their newest product. This is causing inefficient material exposure and wasting expensive, high electricity consumption lasers. The Altix product, due to the four-wavelength LED light source, can expose solder mask material with the highest efficiency possible without heating and burning the material, and the results are much better.

Beaulieu: Will Artnet be providing the servicing and preventive maintenance for this machine?

Polack: Yes, Artnet will support customers in North America, Vietnam, Thailand, and China. People at Artnet will be trained by Altix and Altix North America for the Adix. Artnet will also sell spare parts to customers and provide all maintenance services for this machine—basic yearly service agreements one or two times a year, time and material, PMs, and calibration. With both Artnet’s experience in maintaining direct imaging and Altix providing high-quality direct imaging, customers will benefit from the best value proposition direct imaging in the market. We are very excited!

Beaulieu: Why should a company buy this machine?

Polack: Altix Adix SA is a very good product that can compete and do better than the competitors currently on the market. Orbotech created a prestigious image of the best product in the market, which was a true statement for many years, but I do not agree that it is true currently. The Altix DI is a very good alternative to the Orbotech LDI offering the same or better characteristics and is built to last for years. There has never been a better time for customers to advance to new technology from a young and dynamic company that has created a great product.

Beaulieu: How does someone learn more about this equipment?

Polack: Customers can contact Artnet Pro Inc. in North America to request more information regarding the Altix DI product. We would be glad to arrange demos and testing for customers that want to evaluate this product. Artnet will soon add more information and technical details regarding the Altix DI product to our website as well.

Beaulieu: Will you be displaying at IPC APEX EXPO this year?

Polack: We will! Artnet will join the Altix North American team at the 2019 show in San Diego. We will invite some of our customers to join us at the Altix booth for presentations and discussions regarding Altix DI. We are running a promotion for IPC APEX EXPO 2019, offering a machine at an incredibly deep discount. The company that buys the machine at the show will also receive two air tickets to Paris with a two-night’s stay and an opportunity to visit Altix corporation headquarters in France. For more information, email me at mpolack@artnetpro.com.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group. To read past columns or contact Beaulieu, click here.

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