Photo Stencil invests in machinery

The Tannlin TX with automatic optical inspection increases stencil production capacity and capabilities. Photo Stencil's Malaysia facility serves the solar, semiconductor packaging, and printed circuit board industries in Asia. "Demand for our electroformed, chemetch, and laser stencils has increased significantly throughout Asia," said Calvin Lim, GM, Photo Stencil Malaysia. "We added our second Tannlin machine in mid 2010 and in September 2011 added a complete chemical etch production line to produce complex multi-level step stencils." "As part of our strategic plan to drive technology and grow capacity and capability, we added a third machine in Malaysia to manufacture laser cut stencils," said Neil MacRaild, CEO and president, Photo Stencil. "From our previous experience we found the Tannlin machine to be fast and accurate. The demand for laser cut stencils in Asia has helped drive our expansion and need for additional production capacity." "Tannlin's stencil cutting system simultaneously cuts and provides 100% inspection, not just of the presence of apertures, but also for the quality of every aperture cut. In the time it takes to cut a stencil, every aperture is also inspected. Data is taken directly from the Gerber file so what is seen on the CAD is what you get at the laser," explained Fraser Shaw, founder and director of technical sales and marketing, Tannlin Ltd. "Photo Stencil has a reputation for not only producing the highest quality stencils, but has a team of engineers to analyze the type of stencil needed, customize it for the customer's application, and provide support throughout the process. We are proud that they continue to select our laser cutting systems." The Photo Stencil Malaysia facility has about 1'400 square meters of space and employs 30 people. Besides sales, engineering, application support, and stencil manufacturing capabilities, the facility has a dedicated CAD department that is focused on design optimization and support to regional customers.