© Technoprobe S.p.A.
Via Cavalieri di Vittorio Veneto, 2
23870 Cernusco Lombardone, LC (Italy)
info@technoprobe.com
P.Iva 02272540135
Key Elements
The most relevant mechanical components in Technoprobe’s production process are the housing and the space transformer, both located at the heart of the probe card, the probe head.
The housing is a metal frame that supports the ceramics where the probe card’s probes reside, ensuring a precise connection to the chip that will be tested. To function correctly, the housing requires the creation of calibrated holes with micron-level positional precision and a flatness of the entire piece that must not exceed 10 microns.
The space transformer, on the other hand, is a highly precise ceramic component responsible for transforming the contact spaces or the position of the probes during the chip testing process. Its unique feature is the presence of hundreds, or in some cases even thousands, of micro-holes (with diameters as small as 1/100 of a mm) mechanically created using a specialized driller, with positioning and diameter tolerances also in the micron range.
In addition to these product families, all other mechanical components necessary for the proper functioning of the probe card, such as stiffeners, are also manufactured. These are “frames” made of steel, essential for providing the necessary rigidity to the finished product.
Technoprobe’s Mechanical Workshop
Technoprobe’s mechanical workshop is currently located in an independent facility in Osnago (LC), inaugurated in 2021, covering more than 6,000 square meters and hosting more than 100 people, including operators and mechanical designers. The workshop’s production processes are carried out using CNC palletized milling machines, CNC grinding machines, and drillers for micro-drilling the space transformers.
About 50% of the milling machines are operated via automated pallet loading and unloading performed by anthropomorphic robotic arms. This allows the machines to operate for more than 48 consecutive hours without the need for an operator on site. The environment and all machine components are thermally controlled to ensure and maintain micron-level precision.
Quality Control, supported by optical and mechanical measuring machines with precision down to one-tenth of a micron, checks the conformity of the manufactured parts and intervenes in case of non-compliance.
Materials
The materials processed in Technoprobe’s mechanical workshop include:
- Nickel alloys
- Magnetic and non-magnetic stainless steel
- Ceramic
- Aluminum
- Copper
- Brass
- Plastics: technopolymers, plexiglass, peek
- Titanium
Skills and Learning
Technoprobe’s mechanical workshop is a highly learning-intensive environment, allowing for deep mastery of machine tools and the materials worked on. Desired skills for working in the mechanical workshop include reading technical drawings and knowledge of tools. General mechanical knowledge and understanding of its processes are also important.
The training process for new hires involves pairing them with an experienced operator to learn the job until they become autonomous in performing assigned tasks. Working in the mechanical workshop allows one to learn many fundamental aspects of chip-removal mechanical processes: from the product to the tools needed to work on it, from the machines to their programming language, and from materials to their characteristics, one learns to manage a work center and all its various phases.