The origins of horizontal plating are "low profile," beginning in 1987 with the installation of the first horizontal plating line, for permanganate desmear, at a PCB maker in Germany. Horizontal plating has undergone its share of advances since. The basic concept, however, has never changed, and today there are more than 130 lines installed at PCB manufacturers around the world. 1991 saw the introduction of horizontal electroless copper systems. Based on the total installed capacity per country, Taiwan could be called the center of horizontal plating. Taiwanese PCB makers have installed about 50 lines, and horizontal plating is the technology of choice of almost all top Taiwanese PCB shops. Among the first customers was one leading Taiwanese PCB producer; since its first electroless copper installation, in 1991, it has added 10 lines, with 41 plating modules, at plants in Taiwan and China, making it the clear leader in horizontal plating capacity in the world.
展开▼
