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World's First Ultra-Thin Multilayer Circuit Board

Posted by Hemos on from the first-to-the-post dept.

neutron_p writes "Seiko Epson has developed the world's first 20-layer circuit board. Multilayer circuit boards are normally produced by using a photolithography. However, the industry has struggled to produce thin, lightweight, high-density multilayer circuit boards. Seiko Epson uses an inkjet-based manufacturing process, which has many advantages over a traditional photolithography process."

8 of 126 comments (clear)

  1. Anyone know if it's bendable? by cshark · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Man wouldn't it be cool if it was flexible? Probably wishful thinking.

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    This signature has Super Cow Powers

    1. Re:Anyone know if it's bendable? by Cthefuture · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It sounds like it should be somewhat flexible, although I doubt you would want to move it much because the ink might flake off or crack. It looks like it could produce curved and bent boards though. That would be great for putting electronics in odd shaped housings.

      I want the consumer version. This would make it much easier for the hobbiest like myself to make boards. Just print and use. I could see printing out the board on a thin film and then glueing it to a normal thickness material. The only problem I see is how to solder to it. It's a conductive ink so you might need a low-temperature solder or some other method so as to not burn it.

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      The ratio of people to cake is too big
    2. Re:Anyone know if it's bendable? by Chatsubo · · Score: 2, Insightful

      But you would have to be careful when designing oddly-shaped boards to place the surface-mount components on flat spots. I don't think they would work very well on a curve.

      And If you're struggling to fit a board into a housing, chances are that you will use surface-mount components quite heavily.

      This problem is alleviated somewhat if the PCB is flexible, because you could solder the components in place before bending the PCB into it's desired shape.

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      > no, yes, maybe (tagging beta)
  2. As if.. by Dan+East · · Score: 3, Insightful

    consumer electronics weren't already hard enough to repair. This will take them to a whole new level of discard-and-replace.

    Once upon a time there were technicians that could take any piece of consumer electronics, and given a good repair manual, trouble shoot the problem and replace the offending component.

    This creates a monopoly of sorts - since repair is impossible, the manufacturer has sole control over their product, so their profit margin increases. It behooves them to create products that cannot be repaired.

    Dan East

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    Better known as 318230.
  3. Re:Not again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If it's anything like a normal Epson printer, half of that ultra expensive ink will be used on repeated cleanings.

  4. how about..... by zogger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...contact cement with the same silver particles stirred into it?

  5. Re:Not again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Wonderful.. they save a company $5.6 million, and all they get is $5k each.

    "Thanks for finding my Aston-Martin, here's a chocolate-chip cookie for you to share with the rest of the police department."

  6. Re:This won't replace conventional PCBs by corngrower · · Score: 3, Insightful
    The article stated that one of the advantages to this technology is the large reduction in the amount of chemicals used to produce a circuit board. This would be a big advantage for mass production of cirucit boards. A large costs for circuit board manufacturers is the handling of the chemicals and waste products, the acids, photosensitive liquids and such. One would have to have a considerable knowledge of the costs involved in each process, but you can bet that if this process is cheaper, or looks like it will be cheaper, the new process will be used.


    I can see this technology as starting point of a pcb manufacturing revolution. Connectors directly molded on to the pcb.