Gorilla Circuits Elevates PCB Precision with Schmoll’s Optiflex II Alignment System

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Gorilla Circuits, a leading PCB manufacturer based in Silicon Valley, has enhanced its production capabilities with the addition of Schmoll Maschinen’s Optiflex II Post-Etch Punch system—bringing a new level of precision to multilayer board fabrication.

As PCB designs grow more complex, with higher layer counts and diverse materials, ensuring exact layer registration has become critical. Gorilla Circuits addresses this challenge with the Optiflex II, an advanced system featuring a high-resolution XYPhi alignment setup and up to eight CCD cameras that scan both sides of the PCB layer. Based on the practical results on very complicated boards Gorilla Circuits sees that this technology allows for ultra-precise alignment and significantly reduces layer shift to less than 0.5 mil, ensuring consistently accurate lamination results.

The Optiflex II fixed tooling, adaptive optical lighting, and ability to handle materials as thin as 50 microns make it ideal for high-density interconnects (HDI) and other demanding applications.

A machine’s performance is only as valuable as the ecosystem supporting it. In Gorilla Circuits' case, that support comes directly from Schmoll America, the local service arm of Schmoll Maschinen. From commissioning and training to fine-tuning and fast-response maintenance, Schmoll America's role has been critical in helping Gorilla get the most from their Optiflex II system.

"The Optiflex II has completely transformed our ability to control innerlayer registration. What really makes it work is the combination of excellent hardware and the team behind it. Schmoll America understands our environment, responds fast, and helps us stay ahead of production challenges," stated a process engineer at Gorilla.

This deployment is part of a broader partnership with Schmoll, which includes laser systems, high-speed drills, and routing machines, all working together to drive innovation and precision across Gorilla Circuits’ operations Optiflex II individually inspects each layer, rejecting any material outside tolerance thresholds