What is the purpose of a 3D-stencil?
A 3D-stencil is able to print on different levels and areas (cavity) of a printed circuit board whereas a conventional step stencil print only on one level.
Which differences in step height are possible?
Maximum differences in step height are 2mm. The step differences can be adjusted in 10µm steps.
Why do we need a special squeegee blade?
A conventional squeegee of a SMD printing machine is not able to adjust step differences >100µm. The squeegee blade is no flexible enough to dip into the step area, because it is made of rigid stainless steel. In addition the distance, which must be kept in the step area from the step edge to the first aperture, is in most cases not available on the printed circuit board.
Therefor a squeegee blade with slots is necessary to dip into the step area.