UFP

Lasertec UFP saves you time and money, and delivers significant benefits in comparison with 300 series stainless steel stencil.
Flatter Stencils – allows for more accurate printing of finer apertures Harder Surface – provides a more durable stencil increasing cycle time between stencil changes More Uniform Surface Aspect – allows for higher stress relaxation properties so stencils that are laser cut or etched will have more consistent results.
UFP is a fine grain stainless steel with superior fatigue strength, exceptionally smooth surface and elevated wear factor.
Smaller grain size – Standard stainless steel has a grain size of 20 to 30 microns. UFP has a grain size of 1 to 2 microns. This super fine crystal grain is achieved by reducing carbon which moderates recrystallization behaviour and prevents the formation of Cr23C6 (chrome-carbide — seen as smut and rust on the surface — which prevents formation of a passivation layer); adding nitrogen which gives solid solution strengthening; and the addition of niobium which yields fine grain size and provides secondary protection against the formation of Cr23C6.
Better energy absorbtion – The proprietary recrystallization moderating procedure results in the huge increase in the number of grains in the substrate, and thus the number of grain boundaries. Since energy is absorbed at the grain boundary, the increase in grain boundaries yields higher energy absorption. This also provides a material with a hardness greater than 430 HV and has a cycle life of 107 cycles before failure in mechanical applications such as springs or gaskets.
Uniform Grain Structure – yields smoother aperture walls, and will yield better results from zero cutting when step etching.

More About this Service

UFP yields improved paste roll, aperture wall texture, and paste release, while maintaining the same thermal and mechanical properties as traditional stainless steel.
Greater adhesion to resist – better paste release – The pictures below show that the finer grain of UFP does not have the rolling direction bias seen in traditional stainless steels offering greater adhesion for the resist and less inclusions for the solder paste to get trapped in which leads to smearing and residue. In addition, because of its finer grain, UFP does not require Electro-polishing to remove burrs and surface blemishes.

Larger contact area – The smaller grain of UFP provides a mechanically smoother surface with larger contact areas for resist, or cleaner surface for the paste to roll over.

Incease in print resolution – Fine grain structure of UFP Stainless Steel yields faster etch rates, cleaner etching and an increase in print resolution: more consistent paste heights are achieved with UFP Stainless Steel Stencil.

Documentation

Documentation

User Guide

Warranty