September, 2018 – Bowman, the premier manufacturer of world class, American-Made XRF measurement instruments, has introduced an extra-long, extended stage option for its XRF plating thickness instruments that are primarily used in the semiconductor / wafer manufacturing industry.

In this sector, circuit density, trace spacing, board gauge, aspect ratios and microvias dominate, and demand is strong for a way to measure more and smaller test points.

In some high-volume operations, rigid / flex boards can be as large as 610x530mm, and while it is impractical to cover that surface area in one pass, the Bowman extended stage option allows the task to be accomplished with just a single, quick re-positioning step.

The Bowman extended stage option had its genesis with two long-term PCB customers, independent of each other, who requested a 400x300mm (16×12”) table stock with a tabletop size of 800x600mm (32×24”).

A longer stroke potential and a more expansive tabletop has created an efficient and unprecedented new dynamic for quality labs throughout the microelectronics sector.

Bowman’s extended table precision is ±3µm. The option is now available for 3 of Bowman’s 7 XRF coating thickness instruments:
“P” Series “O Series” “M” Series