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| A production technician sets up a screen printer at Remtec's new 30,000 ft2 facility. It can produce up to 50,000 metallized ceramic substrates per month used in telecommunications, wireless, and power electronics equipment. |
A new, patented process for producing copper-plated tracks on ceramic substrates has been commissioned recently by Remtec Inc., Norwood, Mass. These substrates are similar to the printed-circuit boards commonly used in electronic equipment, but are typically smaller with denser circuitry and higher thermal conductivity. The new substrates also allow printing thick-film conductors, multiple layers, resistors, and plugged hermetic via holes. The combination of thick-film and plated-copper metallization significantly improve the substrate's thermal properties and electrical performance, and increases circuit density.
The process lets Remtec make up to 50,000 ceramic panels per month as large as 5 3 7 in. that contain from one to 100 individual substrate circuits. The new equipment includes lines for plating gold, copper, tin, and nickel, machines for improved thick-film deposition, and 25-in. conveyor-belt furnaces. The metallized ceramic substrates, chip carriers, and packages Remtec produces are used in computers, telecommunications equipment, wireless communications, power supplies, and other electronic equipment.
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