Small Scale Electronics
| Nickel eectroforming enables electronics engineers to design lead-frames that are half the size of mechanically punched units. |
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Electroformed nickel lead-frames offer several advantages
Nickel magazine, October 2002 -- Well-established nickel electroforming technology is now being
used to produce lead-frames for the electronics industry.
Micro-metal component specialists Tecan Components of Weymouth, Dorset, U.K., for example, have refined and improved the electroforming process to produce lead-frames in any volume to an extremely high level of accuracy.
Traditionally, lead-frames are made by mechanical punching and photochemical etching methods. These methods are excellent for high-volume production, but have accuracy limitations that cannot satisfy the increasingly finer requirements of the electronics packaging industry.
Electroforming, on the other hand, enables parts to be produced at half the original size or with double the lead capacity for the same "footprint." These refinements allow fine-pitch dimensions and tolerances that were previously unattainable or prohibitively expensive to achieve on a routine basis.
Applications of these products, which can also be supplied with a gold finish, can fulfill the needs of a wide spectrum of the electronics market. These needs include low and high lead-count semiconductors and other multi-lead component requirements. Electroformed nickel products are suitable for all production and assembly techniques including loose parts, waffle trays and tape or reel.
New nickel electroforming facilities recently installed at Tecan Components enable the company to supply high quality product for any desired quantity from rapid prototyping through small batch sample quantities to medium and high volume production requirements.
 Tecan Components Weymouth, Dorset United Kingdom Phone: Fax: E-mail: Website: |
