stencil technology intro
Stencils are available in several technologies. The appropriate technology is determined by the materials and processes used to actually construct the stencil. The specific technology required for satisfying the application is dependent on many variables. Chief among these are:
1) the smallest pitch to be printed
2) the standard deviation of paste volume for the printing applications
3) the number of prints desired between stencil cleanings
4) the required print operation cycle time to achieve line balance
The need to satsify more rigorous printing requirements due to finer pitch components leads to a natural hierarchy of stencil technologies based on the application. Chemically-etched stencils form the base technology used when fine pitch is not required. The hierarchy advances through other technologies, laser and hybrid, reaching electroformed stencils, which are used for very fine pitch SMT (i.e. 16 mil QFP and mBGAs) and for wafer bump applications. Advancing through the hierarchy also means that the print defect rate decreases as printing performance increases.
Photo Stencil can assist in selecting the best performance stencil for an application. As the technology leader in stencils and SMT tooling, Photo Stencil can provide stencils in all the currently available technologies: CFAB®, LFAB®, HFAB®, and EFAB®. Photo Stencil has the experience and knowledge to recommend an unbiased solution for any printing need. More info related to the stencil hierarchy and specific applications are available from a Photo Stencil representative.
 E-FAB® = Electroformed
L-FAB® = Laser cut
H-FAB® = Hybrid (laser/chem)
C-FAB® = Chem Etch
EP = Electropolish
NP = Nickel plate
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