Unimicron Germany invests in PCB production
Unimicron Germany, based in Geldern in North Rhine-Westphalia, has invested a further EUR 12 million in new infrastructure, equipment and buildings in 2022.
The new building is adjacent to the inner layer production – which was set up in 2018 – and “is further expanding the company’s technological leadership and improves sustainability”, the company comments on the investment.
The investment of around EUR 12 million pays not only for the new building, but also for the infrastructure and equipment for desmearing process, chemical and galvanic copper plating, the latest fire protection systems, as well as a new groundwater decontamination facility.
With the new building and the installation of process technology, Unimicron Germany wants to “meet the increasing market and customer requirements from diverse fields such as automotive, renewable energies, industry and medical technology”. The use of robotics increases the already high degree of automation in production and ensures better and gentler handling of printed circuit boards, a press release continues.
In the past, chemicals were a constant in PCB production. Rudimentary (from today’s standpoint) technology and less stringent environmental standards or requirements resulted in chemicals contaminating soil and groundwater. In 1992, Unimicron Germany – at the time still under the name RUWEL – invested in the construction and operation of a groundwater purification plant for the decontamination of groundwater. That system no longer met the current environmental requirements and needed an upgrade. In coordination with the district government in Düsseldorf, Unimicron Germany decided to build a new groundwater decontamination facility which went online already at the beginning of 2022.
