Technical Feasibility of a New Solventless Approach to Manufacture Pre-Pregs and Laminates for Electronic Applications

This study refers to the technical feasibility of a continuous process for manufacturing pre-pregs and copper-clad laminates for electronic applications, with the aim to overcome three critical technological challenges, the elimination of environmentally detrimental solvents, elimination of voids and elimination of cure/temperature history variability between laminates. The new approach is based on the concept of injection pultrusion or continuous RTM. The centerpiece of the process is the impregnation die. Glass fabric and resin are fed into the die where impregnation and depending of the design, partial reaction occurs. The B-staging, if not finished in the die, will be done in an oven located immediately after. The final cure and lamination occurs in a continuous belt clamp. In the present paper, we discuss the chemo-rheology of a potential resin system and use it to establish the technical feasibility of the process.