The 10th MID Conference in Fürth met with enormous interest in professional circles. The number of presentations reached a record level. The Research Association Molded Interconnect Devices 3-D MID e.V. expanded the two-day convention program, with three series of presentations taking place parallel to one another. The “industrial track” showcased MID technology developments from an industrial perspective; the “scientific track” did so from a scientific perspective.
 
LPKF’s focus this year was on metallization. Ulrich Prinz from Enthone informed visitors of the latest developments in the plating of LDS serial parts and prototypes on the basis of one-stage copper technology. Enthone and LPKF developed the “ProtoPlate LDS” process from a serial application. ProtoPlate is an instant bath for metallizing prototypes that was also demonstrated at the MID Conference.

With ProtoPlate, Enthone and LPKF are closing the last gap in the manufacturing process for three-dimensional interconnect devices: the metallization of prototypes. The ProtoPlate process does not presuppose any chemical knowledge as all components are provided in a set. For ProtoPlate, you only need a power connection and a space of 50 x 40 centimeters.

Robin Krüger from the LPKF LDS developer team highlighted how the efficiency of the metallization process can be increased. Krüger presented a process for galvanic reinforcement of LDS components in the roll-to-roll (R2R) process. The metallization process can be accelerated in this way by up to 65% and thus can be carried out more cost-effectively. At the same time, galvanic reinforcement produces noticeably thicker copper layers, a precondition for higher flows.

As a further advantage of the process compared to conventional processes, Krüger mentioned a substantially smoother surface, whereby the components can be bonded better. Reinforced MID interconnect devices could be used in the automobile industry, for example, as a replacement for the lead frame technology that is common there.