Precise PCB Structuring with LPKF ProtoMats and ProtoLasers

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

RF circuits have a firm place in technical applications. They require precise geometric layouts to achieve reliable results. LPKF will be showing how these can be manufactured in your own laboratory at booth 325C on the European Microwave Week 2024 from September 24 to 26 in Paris.

"For years, well-known customers have been using our systems to produce prototypes or small series of high-frequency applications in their own laboratories," says Lars Führmann, Sales Manager for PCB Prototyping. LPKF presents two different methods.

The LPKF ProtoMat S104 is a specialist for mechanical PCB processing. It can structure, drill and also separate individual PCBs from a panel. With a spindle speed of 100,000 rpm, 20 automatic tool positions, integrated registration mark recognition and an integrated vacuum table, it processes, for example, thin laminates and substrates with sensitive surfaces with conductor track widths of down to 100 µm on FR4 18/18 CU.

The second system does not use mechanical processing, it completely relies on the capabilities of the integrated laser. The LPKF ProtoLaser U4 expands the application area and precision through a contactless process. It can create structures with a pitch of 65 µm (50 µm line width, 15 spacing) without additional masks or films. The ProtoLaser U4 can also create high-precision structures on sensitive formats, thanks to a laser source stabilized in the lower power range.

A complex prototyping system without powerful system software? That would only be half the solution. LPKF supplies the LPKF CircuitPro software with its systems. It takes the CAD data, helps with process preparation and then guides users through the production process. This is easy because well-tested processes and material libraries help the user to achieve professional results in a short time.

Not on the booth, but already in the LPKF shop: The ProtoLaser H4 combines mechanical and laser processing. A compact table-top system houses both a HF-spindle with a 14-way tool magazine and a laser head for laser structuring.

Experienced application specialists at the LPKF booth will provide information about the systems and individual applications. A visit to booth 325C is worthwhile - and also a look across the passage. At a neighboring stand, the French LPKF distributor Inoveos is showing its own exhibits for the RF world.