User:PilkingtonClick119

If you were wondering how CD duplicators work, you will do well to read ahead. A CD duplicator enables mass replication of CD's that come from a recorded or a raw CD. Read on to get well-versed with the technique of CD duplicators.

A cd pressing is a machine which allows the process of copying data on Compact Discs. These are replicated in mass quantities of over tens of thousands of pieces by using only the master version of the CD which can come from either a source recording or a raw CD. They can be in either CD-Audio form or CD-ROM form. The process is used in mastering of CD-Rs and CD-RWs with DVDs being made differently and thus having different methods of mastering. A CD is used to store audio, video, or data in various formats which are defined in Rainbow Books. The CD's are usually made in a class ISO 5 or better format. They can also be manufactured to have quite strict tolerances, for only a few US cents extra per disk.

The CD mastering techniques of a CD duplicator differ from the usual "burning" process that people mostly use. The pits of a mastered CD are molded into the CD blank, instead of being burned in a dye layer. In addition to that, the CD burners write data in different sequences, while a CD pressing plant literally writes the entire disk in a single stamping operation.

There are different types of mastering available in the market today. One option is the glass mastering technique. The glass mastering technique of a CD duplicator is performed in the class 100 or in a clean environment within the actual mastering system. Dust, pollen, or even hair can cause errors to make the whole master system unusable. During this process, the glass is used to hold the CD master image while it is being created; therefore the name. The glass substrates are approximately 230mm in diameter and 5mm thick, and often come with a small hub on one side. Once the glass is ready for the process, it is placed in an LBR, also known as a Laser Beam Recorder. It uses laser to write information, with a final lens chosen for the required pit size.

Another technique is photoresist mastering, which uses a light sensitive material, also known as a photoresist to create the CD pits and the lands on the master CD. The LBR uses a deep blue laser in this case for the master, unlike the Glass technique. When the photoresist is exposed to light, it goes through a reaction which makes it more solid. After that, it is introduced to a solution that removes the positive photoresist and the unexposed negative photoresist.

After the has finished the mastering process, the developed glass is placed in a metaliser which uses a combination of vacuum pumps to lower the vapor pressure inside. The glass master is then coated with the nickel vapor up to a thickness of ~350mm.