Not All Plating Lines Are Created Equal

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Figure 4: A compact, modular, integrated heat pump is at the center of batch cooling/heating and water evaporation to eliminate water emissions.

Holden: There will be people that are going to spend $100 million this next year on new equipment for HDI and SLP, but they’re going to be driven by the demands of the next five years. Also, they have to be cognizant of using less water as well as air minimization. The air has to be scrubbed and contributes to the water. These are all part of the picture that is where you shine out. But the story is not told that way. Right now, people think all plating lines are the same, but they’re not. There’s an education business about why they’re not all the same, though.

Großmann: Yes. Also, you can’t present all your newest technologies. It’s pretty difficult. You have competitors that have many more people compared to us. In China, they can get hundreds of engineers working on it. If you present those technologies in normal advertising with all the information, then you would find multiple plants like this. It’s a little bit of a difficult step to reach into the market and reach the people who are in need of those new technologies. Our newest line is working, and we are pretty happy about it.

Matties: Many of the potential customers already have existing facilities, and this is a rather large expense. What are the obstacles when you’re trying to sell that to people, or what are the reasons they may not buy your equipment?

Großmann: Most companies that got offers from us and postponed the order were especially from the U.S. market. The U.S. market may be a little bit frightened ordering from Germany because of long service times or delivery, and the whole problem in the process until the machine is running. Also, in combination with green fabrication, they’re waiting and watching to see what will happen, but they still have to fulfill the orders they have. This is why we are trying to understand the U.S. market so that we can step in much better. Hopefully, we get more insights into that area.

Matties: When you went to IPC APEX EXPO 2019, you said you picked up quite a few leads and gained a lot of interest. What was driving that? What was their consideration for even looking at your equipment?

Großmann: The first thing was because they knew us from our installed equipment and that the machines run very long. This was the first step to ask us, and then we offered them special equipment. We still have a name in the U.S. from the companies and all of our PCB distributors. The main thing was mostly from the past plants we have built. For this new project, people are still asking us for equipment.

Matties: Are all of your lines exclusively using this technology?

Großmann No.

Matties: So, you offer traditional also?

Großmann We can. It depends. This system is a little bit more expensive than the regular one, but the advantage is huge. The customer needs to find the middle ground for what they need to fulfill their requirements and what they will invest in order to make high-quality boards.

Matties: My thinking is you’re not selling new technology, but you are providing them substantial cycle time reduction and improved capability that will let them find new markets. Is the price differential so great that they fall back to the traditional?

Großmann It always depends on the site and the time requirements the customer gives us. We cannot offer the newest technology if they don’t need to buy it. If they say they don’t need it because it doesn’t have to fulfill millions of PCBs, then they will buy the regular one.

Holden: How many different chemistries have you built for, and do you have to make changes in the design to optimize it with the chemistry?

Großmann We look at the chemistry that the customer wants to use. You cannot take every chemistry for it, so you have to look at the chemistry itself and see if it’s working with the process or not.

Figure 5: Automatic chemical analysis, control, and dosing systems are Ludy options.

Matties: Are you doing the principal engineering?

Großmann: The main idea is coming from Mr. Ludy and his background of nearly 40 years in the PCB area. His initial ideas will get discussed with the engineering team. Then, looking at the demands of the customer, we can combine his knowledge of the past and invent those new technologies. First, he learned Atotech, which was called Schering in the past. Then, he started his own business in 1990, producing the first galvanic plants for the antenna-less mobiles; the first was Dynatech from the U.S., and then Siemens and Hagenuk. The PCBs became thicker, and the aspect ratio is scanning higher to fill the holes. In combination with this demand of the customer, we tried to find and invent solutions.

Matties: Does he have an engineering background?

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