Colorado Springs, CO -- Photo Stencil, a provider of high-performance stencils and tooling, has taken delivery of a third stencil laser cutting system at its facility in Penang, Malaysia, to increase capabilities for manufacturing laser cut stencils for electronics customers. The system, a Tannlin TX with automatic optical inspection, was ordered last fall. The company added a second Tannlin machine in mid-2010, and a chemical etch production line for complex multi-level step stencils was completed in Sept. 2011.

The Tannlin stencil cutting system cuts and provides 100% inspection of not only aperture presence, but the quality of every aperture cut. Data is taken directly from the Gerber file so that what is seen on the CAD is what happens at the laser, explained Fraser Shaw, founder and director of technical sales and marketing, Tannlin Ltd.

Photo Stencil's Malaysia site serves the solar, semiconductor packaging, and printed circuit board industries in Asia, with about 15,000 sq. ft of space and 30 employees. It houses sales, engineering, application support, and stencil manufacturing capabilities, with a dedicated CAD department for design optimization and regional customer support. "The demand for laser cut stencils in Asia has helped drive our expansion and need for additional production capacity," noted Photo Stencil president/CEO Neil MacRaild.