The CD/DVD Manufacturing Process
The process of manufacturing CDs and DVDs has changed the way in which the world looks at and listens to entertainment. Prior to the introduction of CD/DVD mass-production, less sophisticated means, such as vinyl records, tapes and VHS were used to mass-produce music and movies. But now, with the revolution of CD and DVD manufacturing, we take a step up. Music and movie fans no longer have to purchase bulky records or poorly manufactured tapes in order to listen to music or enjoy their favorite movies. With the birth of the compact disc, anyone can easily slip this small, shiny circle into their car stereo or home entertainment center for their listening and/or viewing pleasure. But how did the mass-production of CDs and DVDs become such a powerful force in the world? What was the indispensable step that made the manufacturing of CDs and DVDs possible, and in the process shaped a new mold for the way the world enjoys its entertainment?
Those interested in getting answers to these evolutionary questions, need first to understand that CD/DVD manufacturing is an intricate process. Complex and time-consuming procedures along with amazing chemical processes combine to produce the formation of a disc. It is crucial to understand, when examining the advancement of CD/DVD technology, the process of replication. Many steps are taken to manufacture discs: glass mastering, photoresist or non-photoresist mastering, post mastering, and electroforming. But the most vital step in the process of manufacturing is replication.
CD/DVD replication is the step that takes place after the quality of the master has been determined and is ensured to be ready to be replicated on a large scale. This is the crucial point in the manufacturing process where mass-production takes place; it is the turning point in which the album makes a super-star out of its singer. CD/DVD replication has created a world where listeners from New York to Tokyo can have access to the same exact CDs and DVDs. It is a process that has reinvented the way the world enjoys its movies and listens to its music.
How exactly does replication happen? It involves several different steps, each of which are necessary to understand in learning the replication process. Replication begins in a factory in a CD molding machine. The molding machine uses high-temperature polycarbonate injectors. Each molding can produce 900 discs per hour! Hot molten plastic is poured into the mold cavities forming a disc. Then, cool water is run so that it gathers around the molding, solidifying the plastic, at which point the molding is opened. Only three to five minutes pass during this process - astonishing!
When the molding process is finished, a vacuum handler places the disc onto a cooling station. At this point, the disc contains all of its digital information although it doesn’t yet have the reflective layer that allows the disc to be playable. Next, the disc passes into a chamber where it undergoes a process known as “sputtering”. During sputtering, metal is coated onto the data side of the disc, which is the side without the record label.
After metallization, lacquer is coated onto the metal layer. This provides the right surface for the DVD or record label to be printed. It is crucial that the ink used in printing the label is compatible with the lacquer coating. It is also important for people to remember the necessity of ink being compatible when using a pen to write on a CD or DVD as the disc might fracture and be ruined if it’s not.
Replication has been instrumental in the mass-production of CDs and DVDs. It has altered the way we listen to and view entertainment. The next time you head down to the record store to buy that hot new CD or the latest DVD release, take a moment to think about the replication process. It has truly allowed CD/DVD manufacturing to be driving force in the world of entertainment.