What is the difference between a wafer-die and dicing? Many people might not be familiar with this term, but it’s quite a popular one. A wafer-die is an early version of the modern dice. Wafers were originally used in Germany, France and Italy as a method of manufacturing metal items. The wafer had large numbers of teeth on one side and then the number of smaller teeth on the opposite side.
A wafer-die or dicing silicon wafer was first used in the 1950s. In the following decade, individual die makers began to produce them in larger quantities. They became so popular that they began to replace paper rolls in many types of businesses. Nowadays, they are produced for a variety of uses in industries such as food service, pharmaceutical, dental, military, aerospace, electrical and chemical engineering, among others.
Wafer Dicing services also use other methods besides roll laminators and laser cutting. Ceramics have been a popular material for centuries. Early ceramic plates would have been manually used. This process would have required hammers, diamond grinders, steel wool, sandpaper and even nails. Today, ceramic items such as tiles, glassware and dishes can be made without all of these human processes. Ceramic items such as scribes use lasers and computer controlled machinery to create intricate images of individual die cuts.
A scribe working with wafers will first apply a powder coating to a substrate. Then the wafer dicing machine will apply a laser beam onto the powder coating. The resulting image will be highly precise cuts created from thousands of different die cuts which have been precisely engraved onto the substrate.
The equipment used to perform this process is called a die cut machine. Laser cutters and similar machines are used for other types of laminating and scribing, including screen printing and paper stamping. Some die cut machines also include a tape feeder so that the wafers and tape can be stacked or packaged in standard thicknesses. When using tape it is best to shop with a supplier who is able to provide tape of different thicknesses, types and strengths.
Dicing using a laser cutter has many similarities with other types of laminating. Just as with other methods, laser dicing machines generate a fine line of lines which can be controlled and placed precisely where they are needed on the material being laminated. The laser beam also causes the substrate to swell slightly as it is heated.
The precision level of die cuts being produced by modern laser equipment is exceptional. These machines are capable of producing detailed, perfectly-cut cuts which are virtually impossible to achieve with conventional methods of laminating and scribing. When using the new kinds of wafer dicing capabilities in your production process, you will be able to create the most precise, accurate results in any circumstances – which could ultimately save you money, time and possibly even help to reduce your manufacturing costs.
With the advance in stealth technology, some of the newest forms of die cutting equipment incorporate the use of invisible tape. These tape-based products are ideal for use with laminating and scribing because the tape can be rolled or placed very close to the edges of the object that need to be laminated or engraved, but is unable to get close enough to the surface to actually cut it. By using the invisible tape, the machine can transfer the image of the product design onto the underside of the tape, creating the exact pattern that is required. Because the product is not visible to anyone else during the process, the machine can be run without being noticed, thus reducing the chance of errors or other problems during production. This means that you can be confident that your customers will receive the finished product as designed. f