CELEBRATING OUR 5TH YEAR OF PUMANEWS™ |
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As I See It!
For Years to Come
SEPTEMBER 2023
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11 days ago, Insulectro began officially selling EMC laminates and Arlon polyimides expanding our reach and transitioning our customers to these new exciting products.
These first 11 days of our New Era have underscored several victories that have come from our planning. First, Insulectro's supply chain management is rock solid - designed with our customers needs placed first. Second, I have a renewed respect for the resilience and strength of our customers.
For many, this is a disruptive change but the strength of the supplier-distributor-fabricator partnership is making the difference. We are successful at finding new ways to "get stuff done."
September 5 marks the beginning steps of this incredible journey.
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Our New Era Began September 5th!
Welcome EMC & Arlon to the Puma Family
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Insulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, has begun selling EMC and Arlon laminates and prepregs beginning September 5, 2023.
"We welcome two new manufacturers to our World-class supplier/partner family,” said Insulectro President and CEO Patrick Redfern, “Arlon and EMC offer a wide array of cutting-edge, high-performance laminates for mission critical printed circuit boards manufactured for high endurance and long-life programs."
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SALES & OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT |
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Ken Parent Speaks Out!
Customer Feedback
Keeps Us Steadfast
SEPTEMBER 2023
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Two weeks into our transition to distributing Arlon and EMC laminates has been rewarding and challenging. Our team has made progress and has also been tested by this transition, but they have pulled together and made our customers the highest priority.
The team at Arlon EMC has been working hard to also overcome the challenges of such a monumental move. The Insulectro, Arlon EMC teams are getting to know each other fast.
We appreciate our customers patience as we have worked through the obstacles of change. Our plans leading up to A-Day have paid off, the deadlines were on top of us, yet we hit the ground running hard. We have only just begun to provide our customers with a superior service model on top of better performance materials.
Our teammates are reporting back to our Arlon EMC conversion teams the feedback they are getting from you, our customers, and this feedback keeps us steadfast. Please keep telling our Teammates how we are progressing (or not), we believe in making problems visible to solve them. We also are hearing the support and excitement that you are expressing to them.
As we learn the three drivers that have made Arlon EMC successful:
- Technology Leadership through commitment to R&D
- Manufacturing Excellence and Automation
- Building Customer Trust
We are benefiting in these three areas to build our laminates business with the North American PCB Fabricators and OEM’s.
Insulectro is expecting a three-phase evolution to our end goal with Arlon EMC. We are in Phase 1 and have been selling and servicing Arlon and EMC laminates now for two weeks.
This has been more chaotic than we would like, however we continue to learn and resolve issues as they come up. Phase 2 is where our customers will be more comfortable with our new service model and begin to be very collaborative to drive a successful relationship between Customer – Arlon EMC Laminate Manufacturer – Insulectro Distributor - OEM that all will benefit from the technology, service, and value we all create.
Phase 3 is where we all agree we have accomplished the Insulectro Vision and Purpose paramount to our success, “To be Vital in the Design and Manufacture of Future Circuits” and to make sure “We Enable Our Customers to Build Better Circuits, Faster”.
Thank you for your support and patience as we work towards Phase 3 of our Arlon EMC relationship with you.
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Ken Parent
Chief Operating Officer
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"Not Your Father's 85N"
Lead the Pack with
Arlon's Exceptional 85HP
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Arlon’s 85HP is the best in class 250⁰C high glass transition temperature polyimide resin system available on the market today.
This unique blend of polyimide resin and micro-fine proprietary fillers results in superior performance for the most demanding thermal and high layer applications. Compared to conventional polyimide systems, 85HP has a lower Z-axis expansion and twice the thermal conductivity of conventional polyimide resin systems. 85HP has proven to reduce cracking and wicking in high layer, high density, thick copper designs that challenge conventional resin systems.
Applications for 85HP include mission critical PWB’s for military, aerospace, space, down hole oil and gas drilling and many other high reliability applications. Validated to three IPC-4101 slash sheets 40, 41, & 43.
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Norm Berry
Director of Laminates & OEM Marketing
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Livin' in a Material World!
Long Term Partnerships with Strategic Partners Are the Key
SEPTEMBER 2023
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“A-Day” has come, and with it brings the excitement of our bright future together.
This new relationship between Insulectro and Arlon/EMC leverages the best of all of our companies - Technology Leadership in Copper Clad Laminate and Prepreg materials and Best in Class Customer Service, Education, Technical Support, Value Added Services, and Supply Chain Management.
The long term partnerships with Strategic Suppliers is vital to our longevity and ability to enable the North American Printed Circuit Board customer base to build better circuits faster.
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It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were starting another key Supplier relationship with DuPont. How quickly twenty years have gone by, and I’m proud to be one of the honorees at the recent DuPont’s Partner Appreciation Event held at their Silicon Valley Innovation Center.
When we began our partnership with DuPont, we were only supporting Riston® Dry Film and Pyralux® Flex Laminates. Over the years, we expanded our coverage to include additional regions in North America as well as supporting additional product lines that now include DuPont Metallization Chemistries, DuPont™ Kapton® Films, and Celanese Micromax™ (former DuPont Micro Circuit Materials) Electronic Inks and Pastes.
This month I fondly celebrate our successful supplier partnerships, both new and old, and continuing to grow together- The Future Looks Bright!
DuPont Partner Appreciation Event at the DuPont Silicon Valley Innovation Center.
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[from left to right] Insulectro’s Dain Hertsgaard, Flex PM; Michelle Walsh, VP Product Management; Chris Hunrath, VP Technology; Anthony Rardin, DuPont America’s Commercial Leader; and Tim Redfern, Insulectro President Printed Electronics |
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Michelle Walsh
Vice President of Product Management
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Upgrade from what you're using Now!
Arlon & EMC Laminates Easily Drop-in
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Fabricators & OEMs!
Ask your Insulectro representative for our new 16-month (Sept 2023 - Dec 2024) shop calendar.
Spotlighting our New Era in Laminates & Prepreg.
US & Canadian versions available.
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PRINTED ELECTRONICS INKS & PASTES,
SUBSTRATES & FILMS
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Kevin Miller Can See it!
Join Us in San Jose on Tuesday!
SEPTEMBER 2023
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Register Now!
"It's All About Flex! A Flex Circuit Showcase" in San Jose on September 19
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Insulectro will be hosting a full day seminar in our San Jose CA facility. The event will take place of September 19th 2023 from 8:30am to 4:00pm and coincide with PCB West show September 20th & 21st.
The showcase is focused on new technologies in the Printed Electronics, Flex Rigid and Additive processing of Flexible Circuitry. We will have our suppliers supporting and presenting at this showcase by DuPont, Celanese, Arlon and Insulectro.
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The Celanese Micromax® team which manufactures a portfolio of Conductive Inks announced the launch of nine new product grades for the printed electronics market. The new products Micromax® Conductive Inks developed included the PE800 series of products for consumer electronic applications such as touch sensors, busbars and EMI shielding. Additionally, the new HT series is formulated to meet customer needs for electronic inks in high temperature applications."
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We look forward to supporting your future needs and material requirements. All customers have access to our custom converting services plus rapid delivery and as well as our in-house technical assistance.
Please call Insulectro at 1-855-955-0200 with any questions regarding these product offerings or visit our E-Commerce site at https://insulectro-pe.com/.
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The People Behind the Puma
Eduardo "Ruben" Zambrano
Field Application Engineer - Midwest
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PERSONAL COMMENT:
I’m originally from Argentina (FIFA 2022 World Cup Champions!) and came to the US in 1996 when I was 14 years old. I came on board at Insulectro in August 2020, and I’ve been in the industry for over 20 years.
As a Field Application Engineer attached to our Equipment business, I service Pumice Scrubbers, and a wide variety of horizontal wet process equipment for the PCB industry. It is important to keep the equipment running efficiently. I work out of the Chicago land branch and I’ve been traveling from coast to coast - wherever customers need high quality, reliable service to maintain their equipment.
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Ruben likes dirty equipment. The dirtier the better. |
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When you were child, what was the first job you wanted to have when you grew up? I wanted to be an art teacher
Name a couple of childhood nicknames? Che, Arge. Most recently, Pedro!
Favorite Halloween costume? Obi-wan Kenobi
What did you think when when you became a part of Insulectro? I was happy to hear that such an great company was willing to take a chance on me. To let me do what I do best, which is service equipment.
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How would your teammates describe you? Hard working guy. Funny. Good at Call of Duty.
What are your three greatest strengths? Fixing things, Sports, Winning
Tell us a secret that would shock your work colleagues.
I don't share my secrets
If a close friend or relative could change one thing about you, what would it be? I have no idea. My close relatives love me and wouldn’t change anything about me.
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Since you revive and rebuild our customers’ equipment, do you spend more on laundry detergent or beer? I spend more doing laundry, while holding a beer.
Are you more at home in jeans, a suit, or yoga pants, and why? Shorts, I like to be comfortable.
What’s the most rewarding DIY project you have done? I built a home theater in my house basement from scratch.
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What’s the most embarrassing car you’ve ever owned? 1986 Acura legend. That thing was old and rusty, but it got me from point A to point B
What do you always eat too much of? Pizza
What’s your dream vehicle? 1965 Shelby Cobra
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Great weekend for you is? Either playing volleyball with friends. Or in some National Park hiking.
What’s biggest regret you ever had? Back in high school I had a chance to pass or to kick the ball on goal. I should of kicked, we would of won. Can't trust anyone to score but me.
If you could go anywhere in the universe where would you go first, and why? I don't know, who would take care of my customers?
What’s your beverage of choice? Alcohol: Sam Adams. Non-alcohol: water
If a distant uncle left you $15 million what are the first three things you would do?
1- get a 1965 Shelby Cobra
2- get a 1986 Jeep CJ-7
3- buy a lake house
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If they were making a movie about you, what actor would be play you? Michael Peña. He is funny.
In writing your autobiography, share with us your first paragraph.
"I was born on a warm, sunny day in July 1981, Jujuy Argentina. Lived with my mother and 3 older brothers. We liked to fight a lot but that's what brothers do, I would lose most of the time since I was the youngest. . ." Something like that.
What’s the last thing you learned that caused you to go “Wow!”
Argentina World Champions, I cried like a little girl.
How would you like to be remembered? I would like to be remembered as a good person.
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OPERATIONS & SUPPLY CHAIN
WORLD-CLASS MANUFACTURING
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WCM: Customer Focus
A-DAY Edition: Enabling Our Customers With Better
Products & Services
SEPTEMBER 2023
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Tuesday 9/5/23 was “A-Day”. A milestone day in our company’s history that begins a new journey towards better living out our Corporate Purpose: Enabling Our Customers To Build Better Circuits, Faster.
As we begin partnering in this new relationship, it is clear Arlon-EMC’s corporate focus areas of Technology/Innovation, Quality & Manufacturing Excellence, and Building Customer Trust, are in direct alignment with Insulectro’s Corporate Purpose and World Class Manufacturing principles.
The Operations and Supply Chain Teams at Insulectro have elevated in preparation for the launch of this New Era!
As expected, it’s a large undertaking; not so much related to our Supply Chain and Operations inventory and order fulfilment execution expertise – we have a strong foundation there to launch us into early success.
But as with any transition, there are new relationships to be built so that we can best leverage Insulectro’s already preferred “GSD” model and executing “Puma Fast”, with an enhanced product portfolio of a new supplier, and the opportunity to expand our service for laminates for all our North American customers.
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The Operations Team has been working tirelessly since early summer to develop new storage plans for the new Arlon-EMC line up we’ll be stocking on laminates and prepregs. Nearly 30,000 sheets and panels of material at almost 10 different locations were counted, consolidated, moved, labeled, and received, to be ready for “A-Day”. [LEFT: our very first delivery handcarried by Insulectro TAM Pancho Castillo]
Amazing effort with key teammates like David Klebba, Felix Martinez, and Jaygee Gozum (and their teams at various Insulectro branches) to “GSD”. A ton of work was needed here, and the team hit the ball out of the park!
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One of the many opportunities in this transition to enhance our customer experience is adding refrigeration capabilities to better preserve the high performance prepreg materials we’ll now be receiving from Arlon-EMC. Since mid-summer, we’ve acquired nearly ten new prepreg panel cold storage units and placed them at all our strategic branches around the country.
Many thanks to Joe Harbour, Director of East/Midwest Region Ops and Felix Martinez, Director of West Operations (and their Site Leads and teams!) for pulling this off and having us ready for “A-Day”.
“Go Bold, Go Cold!”
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Finally, our Supply Chain Team has spent countless hours placing initial stocking orders, setting up thousands of new item #s, beginning to form relationships with Arlon-EMC Customer Service, and setting up our systems to integrate forecasts and demand signals so we can establish ongoing weekly inventory replenishment.
Montserrat Barcelo, Director of Supply Chain, and her team (shout out to Robert Ernst and Joe Dickson, Supply Planners for EMC and Arlon!) do and are doing marvelous work to support our Sales Team, and most importantly our customers, to get stock in position to fulfill our corporate purpose.
Our Supply Chain execution is really the Insulectro difference: Right Product-Right Place-Delivered Fast.
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Special thanks also to Dan Diesel, Chief Strategy Officer, who is really the “Secret Weapon” for Insulectro and has been for over 40 years. Dan’s work has helped us accelerate our readiness with part # set up and system readiness. We’d be lost without Dan’s support - thank you Dan!
Finally, thank you very much to all the good people we’re getting to build strong relationships with at EMC-Arlon. There are too many to name, but Deanna Bustamante and her Customer Service Team, Sam Kuo – EMC Technical Manager in North America, JoAnna Shirley and her help to understand the EMC supply chain better into North America, and on and on and on.....
All of us in Operations and Supply Chain are so pumped to get the “A” train rolling with Arlon-EMC! Exciting times, and this is where Insulectro’s best-in-class service offering really shines through.
No one can do what we do, no one has the reach in North America we do. Puma Pride will lead us to a successful start-up and early wins for our customers!
Bring it! We are ready! GSD!
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Thanks for all you do! Stay safe and stay engaged! And thanks to everyone for another remarkable month.
Jason Shuppert
Vice President of Operations
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INSULECTRO'S COPPER & COPPER FOIL OFFERINGS |
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Ensure Integrity
Process VLP2 Copper Foils Properly
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Copper Foil is a Technology Enabler. . .
Carrier foil for tighter Lines & Spaces!
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JX Metals JXEFL (As & Cyanide free) VLP2 Copper foil for outer layer is an important contributor to the boards overall performance and compliments Elite Materials Company (EMC) EM-528 halogen free resin. These Very Low Profile (VLP2) foils with an Rz under 2µm require special call out on the Purchase Order and care when processing.
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Processing of high performance VLP2 copper foils requires attention to ensure the integrity of the smoother treated profile and those treated dendrites are not over etch leading to impacts on peels and chemical undercut.
While these low roughness foils work to acceptable levels on core materials as they are encapsulated into a multi-layer stack, they also work within sub lamination assembly too.
Care should be taken when specified for outer layers and combined with a high or normal flow resin due to the smoother surface with its lower mechanical anchor points.
This is due to the loss of adhesion that is inherent with a reduction in the mechanical bonds (profile) compared to more conventional foils with Rz profiles in the 5µm and greater. The chemical anchor points in combination with the mechanical anchor support acceptable peels on FR4 resins.
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Remember only pass VLP2 foils through alternative oxide ONCE, removing 50-60 µin at most.
This high performance VLP2 copper is produced by JX Metals called JX-EFL. Mechanical profile achieves an Rz 1.9 µm along with the chemical treatment it can perform against standard ED foils. Can be used on PI & MPI systems too.
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Contact me or your TAM for additional information. |
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Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Foil, CAC® & Pacothane®
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LEADER IN
POLYESTER FILM
Polyester film is the heart of Coveme. The company was founded in 1965 in Bologna, Italy, with 60 years of experience in polyester film treatment and converting.
in transforming this extraordinary material. Coveme supplies its superior line of heat-stablized and hydrophilic Kemafoil® polyester to Insulectro's printed electronic customers.
Coveme treats, coats, heat-stabilizes, laminate and cut polyester film for a wide range of applications, and their materials make an essential contribution to the most technically advanced products of everyday life.
The company has 2 production sites in Italy and China, 3 research and development laboratories in Italy, China and Germany, 13 production lines and a commercial network that operates on a global scale.
The processes carried out by Coveme are surface treatments, coating, heat stabilization and lamination, and turn the polyester film into a value added support suitable to be used in further industrial processes.
Coveme’s target markets are wide spread and include renewable energies, graphic and industrial printing, microelectronics, household appliances, automotive, sports and fashion industries, furniture panels industry and intelligent logistics systems.
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Bright Spots in the Southwest
EMC & Arlon Take Center Stage
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The last few months have seen some softening in the market. Demand is slightly down compared to the previous few months and more so compared to the same periods last year.
Generally, it’s across most product lines and customers but there are pockets showing growth. We are continuing to do what we do best which is stay in the field, make our calls and help where we can with troubleshooting and process improvements.
EMC and Arlon are two of the bright spots.
We are hearing a lot of positive feedback about this change and our customers seem eager to make the switch. Whether it’s to keep the Insulectro service model and availability, upgrade to some of EMC’s higher technology products, capture some of the savings that EMC products provide or a combination of these reasons there is enthusiasm to move.
Some customers have already begun forecasting EMC and Arlon so they can start buying as our old stock is used up. It’s exciting!
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Insulectro IT Director Hits Milestone
Aun Qadir Thirty Years on the Job
Thanks, Aun. Lots of changes in technology over three decades.
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Sean Redfern
Technical Account Manager - Southern California
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Supporting All Ranges of Technology
High-Strength, Precise Hole Location, & Kyocera's Multiple Router Series
Use a Tool Designed for Your Success!
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Kyocera has a full line of products to support customer needs in both the drill and fabrication areas. Highlighted this month are the multiple router series available to support all ranges of technology and are ideally suited to meet the quality needs and challenges seen in the fabrication room today.
Below is a list of the router series stocked and available at Insulectro to support our customers as they strive to provide outstanding quality to their customers.
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Have a challenging process issue? Reach out to us today and we will work with your team to provide a solution!
Need a special tool design or diameter? We can work with your team to develop the correct tool.
Kyocera is unique in the North American market as they alone can design, develop, and manufacture drills, routers and endmills for specialty applications, quick turn requirements, and bring new designs faster to ever changing market needs all right here in Orange, California USA. Along with our industry leading backer and entry products Insulectro has what you need to build better boards faster.
Please contact me for additional information, technical support, or process related questions. Our Insulectro team looks forward to assisting in you!
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Along with our industry leading backer and entry products from LCOA™, Insulectro has what you need to build better boards faster.
Please contact me for additional information, technical support, or process related questions. Our Insulectro team looks forward to assisting in you!
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Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - Kyocera Precision Cutting Tools
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Chris Hunrath on Future Tech
Building Stacked Microvias with Low CTE Prepreg and Foil
SEPTEMBER 2023
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In the ever-increasing need for circuit density, using fine pitch and small stacked plated microvias provide a design solution. Although fitting in these circuit elements from a design standpoint is possible, building it with high yields and high reliability is another matter.
The strength (reliability) of stacked microvias is the result of a combination of many things, aspect ratio, drilling, cleaning (desmear), plating, and naturally the dielectric material.
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Aspect ratio is important because design (circuit density) and reliability are competing elements. The difference in CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) between the copper metal and the surrounding dielectric put pressure on the bond between the plated copper and the copper pad. A larger via will help as there is more surface area to hold things together, but this is not always an option.
Before microvias were common, the move to high Tg (glass transition temperature) materials greatly improved through hole reliability. This is because the CTE in most materials greatly increases above the Tg.
Let’s look at the difference this can make going from a 125°C Tg to a 170°C Tg material over a temperature change to 260°C. That’s an increase of 235° from 25°C with some of the material experiencing that change both above and below the CTE.
Many epoxy-based PCB laminates have a CTE of 50 ppm/°C below the Tg and 230 ppm/°C above. For the 125°C Tg material, it will expand at 50 ppm for the first 100 degrees, then 230 ppm for another 135 degrees. Obviously, this is different for the 170°C material at 50 ppm for the first 145 degrees and 230 ppm for the last 90 degrees.
While this might not seem like much, the higher Tg material sees the much larger expansion for 45 degrees less over the temperature rise. For a 100 mil thick PCB, that’s 3.61 mils of z-axis expansion vs 1.76 mils for the 170 Tg material, a little less than half the amount.
An important consideration is that multilayer PCB’s will have areas with higher resin content, and thus even more expansion and the difference becomes even greater. Most PCB material data sheets rate z-axis expansion in percent in total thickness up to 260°C with actual multilayers being higher still.
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Now let’s extend this to a resin system with a much lower CTE than standard high Tg epoxy. Legacy systems will typically have a 2.8% z-axis expansion to 260°C. Newer systems can be as low as 1.4%.
This will be a major reduction on interconnect stress and improve reliability on stacked microvias with high resin constructions. With half the expansion, via structures that would not pass thermals before now become feasible.This will impact everything from design to PCB fabricator yields and profitability.
Using one or two plies of thin, high resin prepreg with copper foil is an established method of build-up for “any layer” HDI PCB’s. It allows unrestricted via placement for high circuit density. Thin is important to keep the via aspect ration as low as possible, but there is also a need to fill the underlying circuitry without voids. This drives the resin content up and increases the need for low CTE systems.
Along with our suppliers, we will bring new, low CTE systems to our customers. Let us know if you have a challenging design and we can work together to make it not only buildable, but a high yield success.
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Chris Hunrath
Vice President of Technology
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Glibrite (GB4300):
Copper Surface Treatment
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ELIMINATE PUMICE SCRUB! It’s time to stop mechanically scrubbing circuit boards and start etching them. With Shikoku’s Glibrite system you can achieve better and more uniform soldermask adhesion.
With just 15uin of etch you can get more micro topography resulting in more surface area for soldermak to stick to. This process also works great for dryfilm adhesion on plated subs and shinny foil inner layers. With only 15uin of etch there is minimal degradation of signal integrity.
If you are ready for your next big step in process improvement, contact us to let us show you how we can help.
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Jeff Johnson,
Product Manager
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Arlon & EMC Materials
Amazing Possibilities for PCBs
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We have announced a big change for us, and the industry, that our new partners are Elite Materials and Arlon.
With this comes access to the best-in-class materials ranging from Mil-Aero to Ultra Low loss dielectrics.
These products bring some amazing possibilities for high reliability and highly advanced PCBs. One example is combining our 1.5 micron foil with a low loss/low Dk 1017 prepreg and then imaging with our 5125 mSAP photoresist. A simple and scalable way to accomplish HDI build-up designs.
The San Jose branch is our hub for advanced materials. We stock hundreds of prepregs (glass styles, resin types, resin contents) and as we bring these new products to the broader customer base, we will focus on the ones that bring design capabilities for reliability and signal integrity.
EM-827 for general slash sheet requirements. EM-370Z for high reliability and stacked via designs. EM-527 for very low loss and low z-axis CTE applications. EM-890K for ultra-low loss and low Dk. Finally, the Arlon polyimides for high thermal performance and low flow for rigid flex.
While there are products beyond the ones mentioned, having a focus increases the likelihood we have all of the building blocks on the shelf.
We stock materials throughout our branch bases, but San Jose has a unique customer base of complex and quick turn PCB’s. We are committed to bringing great options quickly to our customers.
Let us know what your needs are. I look forward to meeting all of you soon. Together we can shape the industry.
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Chris Hunrath
Vice President of Technology
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Let us assist in organizing and boosting the efficency and performance of your lamination room while also reducing the energy costs in this area as well! |
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Let us assist in organizing and boosting the efficency and performance of your lamination room while also reducing the energy costs in this area as well!
Indubond can provide the equipment needed throughout your lamination department.
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Diverter- to sort and build your layer sequence according to the job number.
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CDR – A 20 drawer auto sorting cabinet to accumulate all materials in your stack up and distribute in sequence for layup.
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230N – Two drawer bonding unit with 4 to 6 bonding heads.
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Lay up and breakdown stations - To handle caul and separator plates.
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XPress 360 – One and Two opening induction press that provides precise heat distribution throughout the complete stack through the Stainless steel separator plates or Insulectro's CSC product for increasing your stack height and throughput.
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Loaders/Unloaders – These will be able to handle the separator plates to load and off load out of your plate scrubber.
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With the InduBond® double opening XPress, you have the capability to run two different materials that have two different heat cycles in one press load. Run your Arlon polyimide in one opening while running your EMC laminates in the other!
Reach out to us for a presentation and see how we can optimize your process and save on energy costs by up to 70%!
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Having the right equipment and the technical support to back it can make all the difference!
Not only are we supplying quality consumables and equipment for the lamination room with InduBond® and the XPress and into the wet process area as well. With technology driven customers already using and growing with the UCE equipment lines, and having our technical service team to support with preventative maintenance programs at facilities as well, we are excited to be able to support our customers even further.
With the acquisition of (ETI) Equipment Technologies, we have added the line up of UCE Wet Processing, Scrubbing and Plating Equipment which compliments well with our high performing Focus Tech Chemistry line. This acquisition has also added more Service Technicians to our team to support you even more!
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Lines include:
- Plating lines
- DES – With Hyper Etch Technology
- SES – With Hyper Etch Technology
- Immersion Silver/Tin
- OSP
- Desmear/PTH
- Scrubbing lines – Debur/Pumice/Jet
- Handling equipment
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We will also work with your current chemistry supplier and set up any UCE line to their specification! |
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We have over 40 installations completed in the United States and Canada alone. Our service team is at your disposal, used and new equipment!
An example of equipment manufacturers we service:
WISE / CHEMCUT / SCHMID / I.S. / IPS / DYNACHEM / DUPONT Laminator Retro-fits / TMP Presses / HAKUTO / PLASMA ETCH / INDUBOND® / UCE
- Emergency Service
- Preventative Maintenance
- Installations
- Rebuilds
- Retro-fits
- Troubleshooting
- Training
- Spare parts
- Brushes
Please reach out should you like to discuss our equipment offerings further. Thank you.
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Jon Pelletier
President, Equipment Technologies
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Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager - Equipment
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Learning to Sprint
The Race has begun.
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It has been a very busy and exciting first week beginning our new relationship with Arlon / EMC.
With all things new there is an adjustment and learning curve that comes with that excitement. While we have been preparing for months on the transition it is a very large task, but rewarding.
We need to educate ourselves and our customers about a variety of World Class products that we can now offer. I have had an amazing amount of people requesting technical presentations, asking about inventory, and placing orders.
Our industry advances rapidly and everyone needs to keep pace or be left behind. Having the best offerings in Halogen Free, HDI, High Speed Digital, and High Reliability, will help everyone keep current customers and expand to new customers.
The best part of the transition was getting to know all of the different people at Arlon / EMC. They are passionate about their products, highly motivated, and a lot of fun to interact with. I look forward to getting to know them better so we can provide the best service to our mutual customers.
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Our friends from Calumet receive an Insulectro Challenge Coin!
Don't know what that is? Ask your Insulectro representatives about it.
[from LEFT: Rob Swykert, Steve Vairo, and Elden Hendrickson]
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Tables are Turned!
Insulectro Execs: Patrick Redfern, Rob Schulz, and Ed Kneller meet with Trey Adams former Puma now heading Operations at Price Circuits in Chicago.
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Rob Shulz
Director of Sales - Midwest
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For over 30 Years
Midwest Circuit Association Golf Tournament
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Another short Minnesota summer has gone by, but we did find the time for another successful Midwest Circuit Association Golf Tournament. It was held on August 18th, at Majestic Oaks in Ham Lake, MN and the weather was perfect.
Thanks to all the customer and supplier contributions, we had plenty of nice gifts for the drawing and cash for the skill prizes. We had right around 80 participants for 18 holes of best ball scramble, followed by dinner, then prize drawings, cash paid out for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams, along with longest drive, closest to the pin, and longest putt on front and back nine.
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The MCA Golf Tournament has been going on for over 30 years, and I can only remember it being canceled a few times. I believe in 2001 and 2002, as the industry was going through a very rough patch, including tremendous downsizing, and then the summer of 2020, when we called it off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We are definitely going to keep this tradition going, in fact. the course is already reserved for next summer, August 16th, 2024. I know it’s hard for many of us to make time for this event, but once there, it is always worth it.
What an excellent opportunity to spend time and get to know co-workers/peers outside of work. Again, thanks to all the customers and suppliers for your contributions and participation.
Please spread the word for next year’s MCA tournament and let’s see if we can get to over 100+ players.
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Garret Shepard
Technical Account Manager - Twin Cities
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Dain's Got It: "Bring the Heat!"
The Importance of
Baking Flex
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Although Pyralux® materials are known for their many great properties including high temperature use, signal integrity and durability to name a few, they do absorb a lot of moisture.
This occurs at a rate MANY TIMES faster than traditional epoxy laminates and other materials as shown in the table below.
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Moisture not removed from these materials during critical steps can cause both outright failure of the board and performance issues for your customer. Excess moisture during lamination often manifests as bubbles between the laminated layers. These can range from large to small and will sometimes cover an entire panel.
This makes the proper baking of Pyralux® extremely critical prior to lamination and assembly. We recommend a bake of ~121°C (250F°) for 2-4 hours prior to lamination and 2-10 hours prior to assembly. Bake times of even longer than this are not unheard of.
In addition to material properties, copper features can also effect bake times. Large copper features like ground planes will trap moisture, preventing it from escaping. Thus, boards with these types of features may require extended baking periods. When in doubt, bake it out.
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Dain Hertsgaard
Product Manager, DuPont Flex Laminates
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Welcome to the September Edition of
Insulectro PumaNews™ Magazine - East Coast Edition
A-DAY: Semper Paratus
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As I write this article Insulectro is now one and weeks into our new partnership with EMC and Arlon.
Week one was certainly both exciting and challenging as you might expect with an undertaking on such a scale of magnitude.
The one-thing that stands out in the first week was how incredibly resilient and tenacious our Insulectro team and our new partners are.
No panic and no obstacle too big to move out of our way.
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Insulectro, EMC and Arlon have melded into a strong and determined team which I have deemed the TRIDENT and for good reasons.
Going into week two will undoubtedly bring additional challenges but the mission is crystal clear…take care of the customers and everything will fall into place.
A few articles ago I wrote about Insulectro GSD (Getting Stuff Done) and the need for being fast, I said, “we are fast because we are prepared to be fast” this statement epitomizes our first week in this transition.
There is no substitute for being prepared. Our people, our partners and our systems make the impossible possible and successful.
It takes a team, sharing the same vision, from the same culture all working towards the same goal to make the dream work.
My son, Ron Murdock Jr., just retired this month after 20-years of serving with the United States Coast Guard; the slogan Semper Paratus which means Always Ready!
Insulectro, EMC and Arlon are ready to service your business and take the LEAP with you into the New Era of the best in class products and materials to build better circuits faster!
Thanks for reading.
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Ron Murdock
Director of Sales - Eastern Region/ Canada
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Microfill™ LVF-III
DuPont's Copper Via Fill Chemistry
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Copper Via Filling continues to be a frequent conversation in the industry. DuPont features products for this process. This month we would like to share 5 attributes of DuPont’s Copper Via Fill chemistry, LVF-III, that support current requirements of copper filled vias.
Relative to Power Of Five:
- LVF-III is designed for panel plate and yet minimizes surface copper while filling vias
- LVF-III eliminates button or pattern plating to fill vias resulting minimized planarization
- LVF-III eliminates sanding of button via pillars, which offers a more reliable via especially in stacked designs
- LVF-III eliminates organic contamination in the via fill copper tank from dryfilm
- LVF-III typical plating time is 2 hours
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At-A-Glance
The DuPont Chemistry Line
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With the acquisition of East Coast Electronic Material Supply (ECEMS) in late March, Insulectro has brought another best-in-class product line to our customers. The addition of the DuPont Electronics Imaging & Interconnect Solutions (ICS) chemistry line, which was legacy Dow Chemicals before the Dow-DuPont merger, adds a complimentary piece to an already robust Insulectro product offering.
DuPont ICS is innovating new metallization technologies across many platforms:
Electroplating Applications
HDI
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Microfill™ EVF-III for advanced via filling and through-hole plating
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Microfill™ LVF-IV for next generation SLP applications
MLB
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Copper Gleam™ PPR-II for high aspect ratio pulse plating
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Electroposit™ EP-1600 for high aspect ratio DC plating
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Copper Gleam™ HS-200 for horizontal DC plating in FPC applications
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Copper Gleam™ ST-920 for DC vertical continuous plating (VCP)
IC Package Substrate
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Microfill™ SFP-II & Microfill™ LVF-IV for advanced SAP applications
Making Holes Conductive
Electroless Copper Solutions:
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Circuposit™ 3350-1 Vertical Electroless Copper
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Circuposit™ 4000 Horizontal electroless copper for FPC/RFPC
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Circuposit™ 6700 Horizontal Ionic Catalyst for Advanced HDI applications
Direct Metallization Solutions:
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Next Generation Crimson™ & Conductron™ palladium-based systems
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Next Generation Graphite 2000™ carbon-based system
ENIG:
Duraposit™ SMT-88 & Aurolectroless™ SMT 520
Process Chemistries:
DuPont offers a full line of cleaners, developers, strippers and other ancillary products to support printed circuit applications.
General Metal Finishing:
Full line engineering, decorative and precious metal offerings
As you can see, through this addition of the DuPont ICS chemistry line, Insulectro is now providing chemistry and technical support to the general metal finishing, plating-on-plastics, and wire plating industries, which we see as an area of growth.
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Ed Kneller
Product Manager, DuPont Chemistry
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Join our
Puma Team!
Help us define the future of Printed Circuit Boards and Printed Electronics!
Join our Puma team and be a part of our growth.
Business Development
Operations
Pricing
Production
Warehouse
Others
Click on the ad (left) to see various positions we are recruiting.
As advertised in i-connect007's PCB Magazine
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Click-Out our
Pyralux® Flexible Laminates Selector Guide. . .
(click on product name)
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
The standard copper clad laminate systems for any flex or rigid flex designs.
Single sided flex copper clad substrate
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
Standard acrylic adhesives for building multi-layer flex designs. Offered as coverlay, sheet adhesives and bondplys.
An epoxy-based adhesive system demonstrating both low loss and high reliability, specifically designed for OEMs and PCB design manufacturers. Offered as coverlay and sheet adhesive.
High temperature flexible adhesive system with an MOT of 225C.
Featuring a unique Kapton Polyimide and Fluoropolymer film base double-sided dielectric offered as a clad laminate or bondply. Ideal for RF designs.
Embedded resistance double sided laminate
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Dain Hertsgaard
Flex Product Manager
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Perfect Matchup for Arlon 85HP
PACOLON™ Ultra High Performance
Release Film
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES is the world's leading manufacturer of products to enhance and assist the production and quality assurance process for the lamination and manufacture of printed circuit boards [PCB].
High performance Polyimide resin 85 HP from ARLON is best in class 250 °C high glass transition is supported by another best-in-class release film PACOLON™ from Pacothane.
85 HP has a lower Z-axis expansion and twice the thermal conductivity of conventional polyimide resin systems. 85 HP has proven to reduce cracking and wicking in high layer, high density, thick copper designs that challenge conventional resin systems.
PACOLON™ – is a ultra high performance Release Film which withstands operating temperatures up to 500°F/260°C. Engineered to provide excellent, contamination-free release during the process of laminating Rigid Polyimide PCBs, all Flexible Circuit Boards, Teflon and other demanding applications. These film provides a super smooth surface for adhesive and resin flow control [Flex Circuits], with low deformation under pressure [i.e., controlled, repeatable shrinkage].
ADVANTAGES:
- Easy release at temperatures up to 500 °F / 260 °C
- Excellent flexibility
- Low X-Y axis shrinkage
- Ultra smooth surface finish, with superior conformal properties
- Inert and homogenous
- No separator plate residue, prepreg or vacuum system contamination
- Available in 2 Mil thickness
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PACOTHANE TECHNOLOGIES®
Proudly Produced in the USA
with American Labor and American Materials!
For more information on Pacothane and their products please reach out to me. For any additional information on DuPont™ laminates, please connect with Dain Hertsgaard, Product Manager for DuPont Flex Laminates dhertsgaard@insulectro.com, and Ed Kneller, Product Manager for DuPont Chemistry ekneller@insulectro.com.
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Mark Satchwell
Product Manager - Pacothane® Products & Copper Foil
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Just revised! Ask me for Pacothane® Product Sample Guide. |
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Geraldine Arseneau
Product Manager - LCOA®
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Design Education - An Insulectro Priority
Insulectro Sponsors New Design Trade Association
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Printed Circuit Engineering Association™ (PCEA) is an international network of engineers, designers, fabricators, assemblers, and anyone related to printed circuit development.
Our mission is to promote printed circuit engineering as a profession by encouraging and facilitating the exchange of information and the integration of new design concepts through communications, seminars, and workshops.
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If you are a professional serving in the printed circuit industry from any associated discipline, you are encouraged to join. Membership is free and you’re encouraged to be involved as we all seek to collaborate, educate and inspire one another. Visit the web-site at: www.pce-a.org
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As advertised in i-Connect 007's PCB Magazine.
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Shur-loc, IBC Brush and Equipment Service are being recognized by customers as key contributing factors in Insulectro helping them to increase their departments efficiencies in areas of their facility.
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When overusing screen mesh, you gradually reduce the opening in between the threads of the fabric. As these threads receive hit after hit by the edge of the squeegee rubber, the fabric threads “cords” of the mesh will lose their round shape and become flatter and more oval shaped.
This flatness of the thread will begin closing the opening between these woven threads resulting in less ink being displaced across the panel surface. More importantly, you will lose coverage over critical areas where you really need the ink such as at the knee of the trace.
Below are pictures taken with a microscope showing new mesh, and the other on used mesh showing the thread breakdown in the fabric and the reduced openings.
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Now, check out David Larson from Shurloc stretching a large format frame commonly used on the Circuit Automation DP1000, 1500, 2500 and 3500 series auto screen printers and see the difference! Frames also available for flatbed printers and hand tables. We can customize as well!
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The startup is easy, and the ROI begins immediately though reduced labor and performance at the machine. We can get you set up whether you have a DP1000,1500, 2500 or 3500. We can provide frames for flatbed printers and hand tables as well. |
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“Are you thinking that you’re getting the complete life out of your pumice brushes by using them until the operator can no longer adjust the brushes any further?”
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In many cases, I’ve seen where customers will keep the brushes in the machine until there is no further adjustment left in the mechanical adjustment system.
At this point, the operator usually goes to maintenance at lets them know it's time to change brushes, is this what you are experiencing?
The illustration below shows how running your brushes too long could influence the topography results on the surface of the panel. As the bristles of the brush become shorter and shorter, they lose the ability to flex and drag the pumice particles across the surface of the copper giving optimal surface topography for proper soldermask or dryfilm adhesion.
Instead, the bristles could act as a broom when they become too short and sweep the pumice particles away!
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“Customers are beginning to see the difference in having us assist their maintenance staff in the ever-important preventative maintenance programs needed to uphold an equipment’s performance.” |
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- Are you getting the best performance out of your equipment?
- Is your equipment DOWN more than it is UP?
- Let us lend a hand by assisting your maintenance team.
Remember that we can assist in your equipment needs through the following:
- Emergency Service
- Preventative Maintenance
- Installations
- Rebuilds
- Retro-fits
- Troubleshooting
- Training
- Spare parts
- Brushes
The calls for Preventative Maintenance Programs are increasing as customers understand the benefits this brings to their equipment’s overall performance and up time.
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Also, do you have a used piece of equipment you’re looking to get installed? We may be able to assist here as well!
Ruben Zambrano
Field Application Engineer
Cell: 847-345-3759
Mike Engle
Field Application Engineer
Cell: 360-749-1756
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Please reach out should you like to discuss any of these topics further.
Thank you.
Kevin Barrett,
Product Manager - Equipment
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Today's Copper Foils
for Tomorrow’s Applications!
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Tailored to meet market trends such as compartment miniaturization, vehicle electrification and increased connectivity demands require improved characteristics of both wrought and ED foils.
Focus on wrought solutions such as:
- Low profile height (Rz) for signal integrity, as low as 0.4µm
- Consistent profile height across the web which does not change when ordering thicker foils
- Alloy foil with Increased tensile strengths which can exceed 700Mpa
- Grain structure in terms of large crystals and uniform orientation improves fatigue resistance and provides excellent vibration resistance.
- Thermal resistance to withstand hostile environments for automotive applications.
Wrought foils released to IPC 4562A in grade 5, grade 7 and grade 8.
Call us to find out more – we love to talk about this stuff!
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Give us a call to discuss how CAC can help you
make better circuits faster.
Mark Satchwell
Product Manager, Copper Foils
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Everyday Materials You Need, On Our Shelves Every Day
Insulectro recognizes the importance of maintaining adequate inventory to begin work. Designers know when you need it, you need it. Using the link insulectro.com/puma-fast/, you can see what PumaFast™ and standard materials we stock to get you up and running.
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Stronger than ever!
Our ACT! initiatives!
We have successfully collaborated on many ACT! opportunities.
We are delivering on Technology, Design and Education while you can bank on the sales results!
We are virtually taking our ACT!
to another level!
Insulectro and our partners are moving the chains to help our customers exceed performance goals. Our team of professional and technical resources are now offering our customers access to design and education services.
This is a Game Changer!
Our ACT! Initiatives combined with our design and education services provide our customers a total solutions package with a one-stop-shop option.
Our customers now have total access to not only our Insulectro foot print, best in class products, materials on the shelf when you need them; but also the expertise to deliver solutions from design to delivery…FAST!
Call me and to set up a VIRTUAL ACT! with your customer.
There's a reason I'm smiling.
Ron Murdock
ACT! Manager & Technical Account Manager
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To be the easiest company to do business with. . .
Insulectro has a program for continual improvement, all designed to make ourselves as user-friendly as possible to our customers, their customers, and our suppliers. Speed Matters, so we focus a lot of attention on getting you the materials you need as quickly as possible.
Our PumaFast™ Program lists current inventory of everyday materials you need every day.
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Best-in-Class Materials
from our Premier Suppliers
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