Weftmaster Falcon-I

PCBs are generally made of various layers of materials, which are bonded together by heat, pressure and other methods. Its basis, the so-called substrate, is commonly made of glass epoxy, also known as fiber reinforced plastic. In order to ensure and achieve an efficient and smooth PCB manufacturing process, a top quality and flawlessly woven glass fabric is the key to minimized rejection costs and ultimate quality assurance.

A fully integrated PCB manufacturer can control the entire manufacturing process. One of the world’s largest manufacturer of such boards and other technical glass fabrics, operating several plants in China and Taiwan, occasionally experienced tiniest unevenness on the surface of its PCB boards. Particular defects originated from exactly that woven glass fabric, eventually caused by minute filamentation of the yarn and slightest fluff accumulation during the weaving process. By using FALCON-i optical sensors to monitor the weft insertion during the weaving process, such tiny yet costly defects could easily and reliably be eliminated.