ESI Receives UV Laser Orders from Flexible-Circuit Provider

Electro Scientific Industries Inc. (ESI), a Portland, Ore., provider of production laser systems for microengineering applications, announced it has received a follow-on order for several Model FLEX5330 ultraviolet (UV) laser Microvia drilling systems from a provider of flexible circuits and component-assembly systems to the electronics industry. The North America-based customer will use the UV laser drilling systems for volume production of flexible printed circuits in its manufacturing facilities located in the US and Asia. "Laptop computers, PDAs, cellular flip phones, and other personal digital devices contain flexible circuits because of their ability to be twisted and folded into complex, tight-fitting assemblies," ESI said. "These stringent packaging parameters drive demand for high-precision micromachined features and vias." The company said its UV laser drills' blind microvias meet these exacting requirements for flexible-circuit manufacturing and enable volume production of smaller, feature-rich electronic devices.