Technical library [Academy]

IPC-A-610 compliance for Class 3 electronic assemblies

Keiron — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:40 GMT

Overview

Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) is a versatile manufacturing technique and one of the most advanced integrated additive manufacturing approaches compatible with a wide range of materials.
In LIFT, laser radiation is used to transfer and precisely deposit material at user-defined locations with exceptional spatial resolution. By carefully selecting appropriate laser parameters and accounting for the complex laser-to-material interactions involved, the technique can be successfully applied to materials spanning from solid inorganic compounds to very delicate biological samples.

The relatively simple nature of the laser-induced release and transfer process, together with its relative ease of implementation, initially attracted significant interest from the graphics industry, particularly for digital printing applications. As early as 1970, Levene et al. reported the laser-induced transfer of material across an air gap for character printing, graphic recording and marking purposes. LIFT subsequently popularized the use of lasers for the controlled transfer of specific materials from a donor to a receiving substrate, to such an extent that the acronym itself began to be used as a verb — "LIFTing" — to describe the process of transferring a given material or ink using a laser.

The early success of LIFT also led to the development of numerous derivative techniques, all laser-based and identified by distinct acronyms intended to distinguish them from the original method.
Recently, LIFT has gained significant traction in our industry as Digital Manufacturing (4.0, SMART Factory) establishes itself as a transformative production paradigm reshaping the manufacturing landscape at both small and large businesses. The ongoing shift toward increasing digitization is widely regarded as irreversible, with few industrial sectors likely to remain unaffected in the coming years.

Advances in computing power, computer-aided design (CAD) software and serial production technologies have enabled digital manufacturing to drastically shorten the path from concept to realization. This integrated approach offers exceptional flexibility, allowing design modifications to be readily incorporated into final products. As a result, digital manufacturing has been successfully adopted across a diverse range of industries, including electronics, energy harvesting, packaging, decoration, textile manufacturing, medical instrumentation and regenerative medicine.

Technical library [Academy]

IPC-A-610 compliance for Class 3 electronic assemblies

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