Superball: an innovation putting the Loire region in the international industrial spotlight
Superball project: creation of a French solder ball industry
IREIS has launched a unique technology aimed at improving the quality of interconnect balls used in soldering for all electronic components: hollow-core balls known as Superballs.
Superballs represent a new market opportunity for HEF, the only company in Europe and France to have this expertise. These innovative components enhance the quality of everyday appliances — including computers, mobile phones, position sensors, and accelerometers — by doubling their service life. Thanks to their hollow-core design, Superballs offer increased resistance to mechanical stress, significantly reducing the risk of premature failure. This €800,000 innovation was developed through a joint project involving the IREIS R&D center, Thales, Nicomatic, and the Georges Friedel Laboratory of the École des Mines de Saint-Étienne. The project was selected as a winner of the “R&D Booster” call for projects by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, underscoring its innovative character and strong potential to boost research and development in the region.