The electronics industry is characterized by a multitude of steps involving many technologies and materials, from the naked PCB to the packaging and assembly of semiconductor devices. All these steps and applications are carried out by many different machines and processes. But at the root of them, several of these steps involve one form or other of depositing a material on a substrate. There are subtractive processes, e.g. etching, additive processes, such as screen printing, and digital processes, such as jet dispensers.

In this paper we present a Continuous Laser Assisted Deposition (C.L.A.D.) technology that combines the benefits of all these approaches in advanced manufacturing. It has the productivity of screen printing, with the flexibility of dispensing and the precision of jetting.

C.L.A.D. technology can deposit highly viscous materials on large areas. The technology is mesh-free, nozzle-free and contactless, meaning lower maintenance costs. As an additive manufacturing technology, it involves less material wastage, and enables new designs. Combining multiple steps into one station is less labour-intensive, and most importantly of all, it uses standard materials.”