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Wafer Precision
Solving Complex Wafer Handling Challenges with Custom Tooling
The Client
A leading medical technology company specializing in silicon wafer-based components used in advanced medical imaging, diagnostic devices, and microelectronics for healthcare applications. These wafers require high-precision handling and processing to ensure flawless functionality in sensitive medical applications.
To maintain production accuracy and repeatability, the client needed custom tooling that could slice, rotate, and reposition wafers with extreme precision.
The Challenge
Silicon wafers are incredibly delicate and require precise handling to avoid defects. The client faced several key challenges in their production process:
🔴 Tight positional tolerances – The tooling had to maintain a repeatable accuracy within XX to meet stringent quality standards.
🔴 Multi-step wafer processing – The system needed to slice the wafers horizontally, then rotate them 90 degrees before precisely placing them vertically for the next stage of production.
🔴 Avoiding contamination and damage – Improper tooling design could lead to scratches, misalignment, or breakage, increasing scrap rates.
🔴 No off-the-shelf solution existed – The client needed completely custom-engineered tooling, designed from scratch, to fit their specific production workflow.
Without highly accurate, repeatable tooling, the client risked inconsistencies, production delays, and costly material waste—all of which could impact their ability to meet demand.
The Gromax Solution
Understanding the unique technical requirements of the client’s wafer processing, Gromax engineered a custom precision tooling system designed for repeatability, accuracy, and seamless integration into their production line.
Key Aspects of the Solution:
✅ Fully Custom Tooling Design – Since no existing tooling met their requirements, we designed a completely new system from scratch, tailored to their exact needs.
✅ High-Precision Slicing & Positioning – The tooling allowed for repeatable slicing of silicon wafers within XX tolerance, ensuring consistency across production runs.
✅ Integrated 90-Degree Rotation Mechanism – We built a mechanism to precisely rotate each wafer without misalignment or positioning errors, enabling seamless vertical placement.
✅ Non-Contact Handling Design – To prevent contamination and damage, the tooling incorporated carefully controlled contact points and minimal force application, reducing risk of wafer defects.
✅ Prototyping & Testing for Perfection – Before final production, we prototyped, tested, and refined the tooling to validate accuracy, repeatability, and ease of operation.
By engineering an innovative, high-precision solution, we enabled the client to achieve repeatability and reliability in their wafer handling process—eliminating previous inconsistencies.
The Results
The custom-engineered tooling system delivered immediate and measurable improvements:
📉 Reduced scrap rates – The precise handling system minimized wafer breakage and defects, improving yield per batch.
🎯 Achieved XX tolerance accuracy – Every slice and rotation met the client’s strict tolerances, ensuring repeatability across production.
🚀 Streamlined production efficiency – The seamless slicing and positioning process increased throughput and reduced downtime.
✔️ Improved process reliability – The client now had a repeatable, scalable solution that could grow with demand.
🔄 Eliminated previous tooling inconsistencies – The new system removed human error and process variation, delivering consistent quality across all production runs.
By developing a precision-engineered tooling solution from scratch, Gromax solved a longstanding production challenge, allowing the client to scale operations with confidence.
Key Takeaways
By applying advanced tooling design and precision engineering, Gromax helped the client:
✔️ Develop fully custom tooling tailored to silicon wafer processing
✔️ Ensure repeatable slicing and positioning accuracy within XX tolerances
✔️ Prevent wafer defects through non-contact handling and precision rotation
✔️ Improve production speed, efficiency, and yield per batch
✔️ Eliminate process variability, ensuring long-term reliability and scalability
This case study highlights how custom-engineered solutions can transform complex manufacturing challenges into repeatable, scalable successes—driving quality, efficiency, and process innovation in medical technology.
Gromax Precision Die & Mfg., Inc. specializes in designing and manufacturing precision metal stamped parts and tooling, including progressive stamping dies and custom equipment. With an on-time delivery rate of 99.68% and a defect rate of just 0.066%, the company ensures exceptional reliability and quality.
Gromax is ISO 9001:2015 certified and ITAR registered, serving industries such as medical, defense, aerospace, industrial automation, and automotive with high-quality, innovative solutions.
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