GB2249219A

GB2249219A - Manufacturing single sided printed wiring boards

Info

Publication number: GB2249219A
Application number: GB9121966A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Masuo Matsumoto
Original assignee: Nippon CMK Corp
Current assignee: Nippon CMK Corp
Priority date: 1990-10-18
Filing date: 1991-10-16
Publication date: 1992-04-29
Anticipated expiration: 2011-10-16
Also published as: GB2249219B; GB9121966D0; JPH04154188A

Abstract

In a method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards, of the type in which a printed circuit consisting of a required pattern is formed on one side of a substrate by etching copper foil laminated on the one side of the substrate, the substrate sides of two such single-sided copper-clad laminates 21, 22 having a copper foil 24, 25 laminated on one side thereof are bonded together by means of double-side adhesive tape 23. Then, after subjecting both copper foil surfaces to an etch resist printing process based on the pattern required for forming the printed circuit, the copper foils on both sides are etched. <IMAGE>

Description

"A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SINGLE-SIDED PRINTED-WIRING BOARDS" The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards.

The processes involved in the manufacture of conventional printed-wiring boards are shown in Figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.

That is, after cutting an original sheet to shape, an etching resist is printed onto the copper foil surface of an insulating substrate in an etching resist printing process 2, and after the etching resist is hardened, the copper foil of the insulating substrate is etched in an etching process 3, whereby a conductor pattern consisting of a required pattern is formed on the insulating substrate.

After the etching operation, the etching resist ink printed in the etching resist printing process 2 is removed in an ink peeling process 4.

After the formation of the conductive pattern, while leaving lands such as connecting terminals on the conductive pattern, a solder resist is deposited in a solder mask printing process 5 and component markings are printed on the solder surface in a component marking printing process 6. Component irking is also applied to the component surface in a component marking printing process 7.

Thence, after a press guide hole making process 8, a pressing process 9, and the usual checking process 10, and the application of a pre-flux in a pre-flux process 11, the respective processes in the etching operation ends with an appearance checking process 12.

The aforementioned press guide hole making process 8 is a process for making a guide hole for the pressing operation in the next pressing process 9, and the pressing operation is carried out through the guide hole, and at third point, the shape of the copper-clad laminate is processed from a work size to the appearance of a completed article. Further, in the succeeding processes such as the checking process, a conduction check, pre-flux processing and appearance check are performed for each article.

In order to implement the respective processes 1 to 12 required in etching the printed-wiring board, an automatic line production system called an automatic printing and etching line was developed.

However, the automatic printing and etching line performs the individual processes from the etching resist printing process 2 to the component marking printing process 7 in Figure 3.

However, the etching work of single-sided printed-wiring boards have various specifications A to E, as shown in the following table, and thus inefficiency in the line structure will occur if they are mechanically placed in the automatic printing and etching line for processing.

Table

Etching Solder resist Etching mask (Solder surface) (Ccmponent surface) printing printing Component marking Component marking A o o o 0 0 B o o o o C o o o 0 D 0 0 0 E 0 0 The Automatic print etching line arrangement implemented for etching single-sided printed-wiring boards consists of an etching resist printing process 2, an etching process 3, a solder mask printing process 5, a component marking printing process 6 (solder surface), a reversing process 13 and a component marking printing process 7 (component surface) which are shown in Figure 4. The specification A provides the highest efficiency if the etching is performed according to the various specifications of single-sided printed-wiring boards in the table using such system. However, of the specifications in the table, the component marking printing process 7 of the component surface in specification C, the component marking printing processes 6 and 7 of both surfaces in specification D, and the solder mask printing process 5 and the component marking printing processes 6 and 7 of both surfaces in specification E perform no-loaded printing, so that there is a defect that the heavily invested line cannot be fully utilised.

Accordingly, the present invention was developed in view of the disadvantage in efficiency of the conventional automatic printing and etching line for single-sided printed-wiring boards, and seeks to provide a method of manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards which can efficiently implement an automatic printing and etching line independently of the various specifications of single-sided printed-wiring boards.

The method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards of the present invention is characterised in that, in a method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards in which a printed circuit consisting of a required pattern is formed on one side of a substrate by etching the copper foil laminated on the one side of the substrate, the substrate sides of two such single-sided copper-clad laminates having a copper foil laminated on one side thereof are bonded separately from each other, and after applying an etching resist printing based on the pattern required for forming the printed circuit to the copper foil surfaces on both sides of the bonded copper-clad laminates, the copper foils on both sides are etched.

In accordance with the method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards, the etching work of double-sided printed-wiring boards in an automatic print etching line is made possible by bonding the substrate sides of two single-sided copper-clad laminates having a copper foil laminated on one side thereof, separately from each other, whereby the efficiency of the automatic print etching line can be increased.

In order that the invention may be better understood, an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figures 1 and 2 are explanatory views to illustrate the manufacturing method of the present invention; and Figures 3 and 4 are explanatory views to illustrate the conventional manufacturing method.

Reference is now made to Figure 1, which is a sectional view of the copper-clad laminate used in the implementation of the manufacturing method of the present invention, and to Figure 2 which is a flow chart of an automatic printing and etching line.

In the method of the invention, the substrate sides of two single-sided copper-clad laminates 21 and 22 made by laminating copper foils 24 and 25 on one side of substrates 26 and 27 respectively are bonded together by means of a double-coated tape 23, in such a way that the foils are separate from each other (see Figure 1).

In such bonded condition, a laminate 20 for production use exhibiting the structure of a doublesided copper-clad laminate is etched in an automatic printing and etching line, as shown in Figure 2, whereby the printed circuits (not shown) of the respective single-sided copper-clad laminates 21 and 22 can be formed.

The processing of the laminate 20 for production use, as shown in Figure 2, commences with a first etching resist printing process 30 on one foil 24 or 25, thence a reversing process 31, and thence a second etching resist printing process for the other copper foil 25 or 24. Next, a double-side etching process 33 is applied in order to simultaneously etch the copper foils 24 and 25 on both sides to the required pattern. Thereafter, a solder mask printing process 34 and a component marking printing process 35 for either one of the printed circuits, followed by reversing through a reversing process 36, and thence a solder mask printing process 37 and a component making printing process 38 for the other printed circuits are carried out in this order.

In consequence, after such processes, the manufacture of single-sided printed-wiring boards can be completed by peeling and separating the singlesided copper-clad laminates 21 and 22 from the double-coated tape 23 via required means.

In accordance with the above described manufacturing method, the same structure as that of a double-sided copper-clad laminate is provided by bonding the substrate sides of two single-sided copper-clad laminates having a copper foil laminated on one side thereof, separately from each other, and manufacture can be implemented using the automatic printing and etching line for double-sided printed wiring boards. In addition, productivity can be doubled, and particularly in specification C in the table, the operating efficiency of the facility can be maximised, whereby an efficient facility operation is provided.

In accordance with the method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards of the present invention, not only the productivity of single-sided printed-wiring boards can be increased, but also the same efficiency as that of the conventional automatic printing and etching line can be accomplished.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing single-sided printed-wiring boards of a type in which a printed circuit consisting of a required pattern is formed on one side of a substrate by etching a copper foil laminated on said one side of the substrate, said method comprising: bonding the substrate sides of two such single-sided copper-clad laminates having a copper foil laminated on one side thereof, separately from each other, and subjecting the copper foil surfaces on both sides of the bonded copper-clad laminates to an etching resist printing process based on the pattern required for forming said printed circuit, and thereafter etching the copper foils on both sides.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said two single-sided copper-clad laminates are bonded through a double-coated tape provided with a bonding layer on both sides thereof.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said etching resist printing comprises: performing the etching resist printing of one copper foil surface, and thereafter reversing said copper-clad laminates, and performing the etching resist F-;nting of the other copper foil surface.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the etching of the copper foils on both sides of said bonded copper-clad laminates is performed at the same time for both sides.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said bonded copper-clad laminates to which said etching process has been applied, are separated from each other after the solder mark printing and component marking printing required for the respective printed circuit surfaces are performed.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described.