Molded Interconnect Devices (MID)
Using Laser Direct Structuring (LDS)

Laser systems for the production of 3-dimensional MIDs is another example of LPKF’s commitment to bringing efficiency and precision to an emerging technology. There has long been a desire to deposit conductive paths directly on molded plastic structures. In the past, this was accomplished by first molding part of the structure in one mold, then placing this structure into a second mold and "shooting" again with a different plastic. One of the plastics was formulated so that conductive paths could be grown on it while the plastic areas remained unplated.
 

The new LPKF laser direct structuring (LDS) process greatly simplifies this task, and also allows a significantly greater degree of precision. The structure is molded in a standard mold using one of several proprietary plastics available, then the desired interconnect pattern is directly written on the resulting molded part and the conductive paths are plated using industry-standard methods. The plating adheres only where the plastic has been activated by the laser.
 
Materials
 
There is a variety of plastic materials in LDS grade available. Please check our materials section for details.