Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Addressing End-of-life Component Solderability Issues, Part 4
Nolan’s Notes: Finding Your Sweet Spot
Standard of Excellence: Delivering Excellence—A Daily Goal
New Ultrasonic Coating System Advances Spray-On EMI Shielding Capabilities
January 14, 2020 | Sono-TekEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Sono-Tek Corporation (OTC BB: SOTK) announces the release of a new ultrasonic coating system, the FlexiCoat EMI, specifically designed for conformal spraying of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) shielding material onto semiconductor packages. This new market is seeing growing interest and activity as a result of smaller devices requiring improved EMI shielding protection properties. Conventional techniques such as shield cans and SMT clips are inadequate for newer small devices. Ultrasonic coating is a cost-effective, faster and simpler alternative to expensive sputtering-based coating equipment.
Sono-Tek’s FlexiCoat EMI is an automated XYZ coating system specifically engineered and proven to spray copper and silver-filled shielding materials with precise control of coating characteristics and little overspray.
Sono-Tek ultrasonic nozzles are widely known for their low/no maintenance, non-clogging, high uniformity and highly repeatable performance. A special ultrasonic nozzle configuration was developed for these EMI applications to provide a more targeted spray area that reduces overspray drastically when compared with all other spray types. This new nozzle design is fully integrated into the FlexiCoat EMI system, along with an array of application-driven features to make the system a full coating solution for EMI shielding coatings.
Some features of the FlexiCoat EMI system include:
- 500x500 mm slides, conveyor and pumping system
- Proprietary ink mixing system to ensure ink stability over time
- UPH/throughput is significantly faster than sputtering at 1/10 the price
- Compatible with ink formulations from Tatsuta and other ink providers
- Uniform shielding coverage on top and sides of package is achieved using nozzle tilt
- Top surface: sidewall thickness ratio of 1: 0.6 ~ 0.7
Bennett Bruntil, Sono-Tek’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing, said: “Our entry into this growing semiconductor application was a natural outgrowth of our semiconductor coating expertise in other applications. Our equipment is quickly proving to be an excellent fit for companies looking for an effective, low-cost alternative to sputtering for deposition of new copper and silver-filled epoxy materials on the market.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Copper Price Surge Raises Alarms for Electronics
07/15/2025 | Global Electronics Association Advocacy and Government Relations TeamThe copper market is experiencing major turbulence in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a 50% tariff on imported copper effective Aug. 1. Recent news reports, including from the New York Times, sent U.S. copper futures soaring to record highs, climbing nearly 13% in a single day as manufacturers braced for supply shocks and surging costs.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPresident Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.
Happy’s Tech Talk #40: Factors in PTH Reliability—Hole Voids
07/09/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkWhen we consider via reliability, the major contributing factors are typically processing deviations. These can be subtle and not always visible. One particularly insightful column was by Mike Carano, “Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper,” where he outlined some of the possible causes of hole defects for both plated through-hole (PTH) and blind vias.