Is laser direct imaging (LDI) a solution for the needs of solder mask imaging? The question established a baseline for LDI Product Manager Uwe Altmann's presentation at the productronica Forum in Munich, Germany on November 11, 2009.

How would the PCB industry manage next-generation solder mask imaging requirements--the inevitable demand for ever-decreasing feature sizes, higher registration accuracy and improved side-wall geometry? With the IPC Technology Road Map as his reference, Altmann described the critical dimensional consequences of a seemingly straightforward move from 500 micron to 400 micron BGA pitch in volume production, then demonstrated, convincingly, that these requirements were well within the limits of Orbotech's LDI capability.

The company's proven Paragon equipment, with over 380 installations world-wide, was the basis of a new, high-power version, the Paragon SM20, specifically developed for production-scale solder mask imaging. Over and above the well-validated attributes of their primary-imaging systems, the SM20 offered the production capacity to process 40 double-sided panels per hour at 100 millijoules/cm² exposure for a wide range of proprietary solder mask formulations. Altmann explained that, for reasons of qualifications and approvals, PCB fabricators preferred to use standard resists rather than press their suppliers to provide special, high-photo-speed materials, and the SM20 had been developed with this clearly in mind.

Summarising the features of the Paragon SM20 system, Altmann remarked upon its versatility as a high-accuracy digital imaging solution for quick-turnaround and sampling, as well as HDI and rigid-flex--offering higher yields, superior image quality and lower costs.

The scheduling was exemplary: Immediately following Altmann's technical presentation in the productronica Forum, a large crowd gathered in the Orbotech booth in Hall B2 to witness the formal unveiling of the new machine. Yoav Harel, Orbotech President Europe and North America, declared how proud he was that the inaugural launch of the Paragon SM20 could be in Europe, and thanked all of the European fabricators who, by their suggestions and feedback, had contributed to its development. All present raised a glass in toast as he cut the big blue ribbon.