productronica: Peters Places the Focus on Inkjet

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Peters will present the benefits of its brand-new inkjet solder resist at productronica. The coatings manufacturer from the Lower Rhine places the focus on Elpejet® IJ 2467 when exhibiting at the world’s leading trade fair for electronics manufacturing, which takes place in Munich from 14 to 17 November.

“Our product is characterised by the fact that no cracks form in the coating layer under load in the long run," says Detlev Schucht, head of Research & Development at Peters. It is this property in particular, which has proven itself in reflow soldering, that Peters is presenting shoulder to shoulder with Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG Circuit Board Technology at productronica. Belonging to the Würth Group, this company is one of the largest PCB manufacturers in Europe. "Together with Würth Elektronik, we will demonstrate the outstanding properties of our solder resist to the interested audience from the electronics industry," emphasises the chemical engineer.

"As a digital printing variant, the inkjet process offers possibilities for a fine-structured application of solder resists, which has many advantages for customers in the PCB industry," says Kevin Poth, ELPEPCB® Project Manager at Peters. In addition to crack resistance, inkjet-coated PCBs can be marked individually, e.g. by a QR code, so that each individual PCB can be identified and traced reliably, says the Inkjet Project Manager standing next to the test facility in the Peters laboratory.

“Furthermore, the solder resist Elpejet® IJ 2467 is solvent-free," says the coating engineer, pointing out the environmental aspect. The coating is also extremely precise, in such a way that the product is only applied where it is actually supposed to go. The coverage on the PCB edges can be controlled selectively, which is saving resources and increasing reliability. "We're talking about an economical process that also saves considerable energy," reports the 31-year-old, who joined Peters seven years ago after graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering from the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, where he is pushing inkjet technology.

“We inform the productronica trade audience that both the ink and the coating process are sustainable and meet the industry’s state-of-the-art demands," says laboratory manager Detlev Schucht, pointing to both the economic and ecological advantages. Coating the solder resist via inkjet saves several process steps at a time. "Below the line, there is less waste, less energy input, economical use of the high-tech product, no solvents," summarises the 56-year-old. "That brings customers who are employing this technology further ahead as to their CO2 footprint."