Home made PCB using laser engraver?
Jed
Posts: 107
I have as much access as I want to a 45W CO2 laser engraver. I'm wondering if I could spray a PCB material with something, and then etch off the coating to reveal the copper to acid etch away? Does anyone know of a technique like this or what type of paint would be etch resistant?
Comments
You can buy std PCB(bare copper) or solderplated PCB (copper with solder on it) so not sure why you would want to do ?
cheers ron mel oz
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Interesting concept.... what about this in reverse?·· Copy machine Toner powder when fused with heat·is resistant to echant and can easily be dissolved with Acetone.
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
Post Edited (Jed) : 1/29/2008 1:13:06 AM GMT
-Phil
-Phil
At first I thought something along the lines of stereo lithography might work .... and it could, I just haven't come across the right medium that would work with an IR laser.
Then I thought about a visit to the dentist where it appeared that IR was used to cure a polymer ... it turns out that it's UV that does most of the work here.
A couple searches into photochemistry specifically with IR turned up several things, but I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking at, other than it seemed as though removal/reversal techniques might be a problem.
Then I stumbled on this....
http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200012/000020001200A0053245.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dye-sublimation_printer
...Which looks promising, if the right materials are used.
What diameter is your 45Watt energy focal point? ... can you adjust it? ...if so, to what energy density?
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Beau Schwabe
IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.
epiloglaser.com/mini24_overview.htm
The print driver has a "DPI" specification of up to 1200 dpi, however I don't think that's the actual resolution of the focal point as I've read before on this machine that it overlaps the "dots" to get a partially higher resolution. The engraving table itself raises and lowers and you can adjust the height manually to get a larger/unfocused dot. I can adjust scanning speed and power on a scale of 0-100% each.
It's funny you mention die-sublimation. I used to have one of those as well. They work by forcing the ink into the sublimation material. Only certain materials will work however as they have to open up (like pores) when heated to let the ink in and then close again once cooled to seal the ink in. I'm not sure how the process would work with copper.
Funny you should bring this up...I am using black spray paint here with my Epilog Laser.· I am gonna try etching this board with Ferric Chloride and I'll be sure to let everyone know how it goes.
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Regards, Ryan O'Hara
Check out our $20 SMT Stencils!!!
www.ohararp.com/Stencils.html
Can You give an
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··Thanks for any·
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Sam
Use a board with photo-resist; it can be purchased that way or applied by you. Expose and develop the entire board. Remove the resist with the laser. Etch the board...
Regards,
Terry
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Chris Savage
Parallax Tech Support
Overall I think the laser and the etching method is a viable option for small one sided pcbs.
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Regards, Ryan O'Hara
Check out our $20 SMT Stencils!!!
www.ohararp.com/Stencils.html
Post Edited (ohararp) : 2/22/2008 2:19:54 AM GMT
Great idea
James L
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James L
Partner/Designer
Lil Brother LLC (SMT Assembly Services)
With a laser engraver, could you just remove the unwanted copper directly from the board?
I tried engraving on aluminum, but aluminum tranfers heat very well, and I didn't even scrach it.· But would it work on Copper?
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-Phil
Spray on resist (paint) that's then selectively blasted off followed by a chemical etching step looks like a simple way to go too.
Marty
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Lunch cures all problems! have you had lunch?
In art etching, the 'resist medium' for ferric chloride or any other etchants can be one of a variety of coatings and not very thick. Carnuba floor wax might work; also mastic, bitimun tar, rosin, and a lot of other things. The advantage with a tradional resist recipe is that it is usually applied by a a roller or heated and dabbed on with a simple home tool rather than coming out of a spray can and it doesn't dry into a hard thick layer. Often, it can be easily removed and reapplied if it gets scratched in handling or you decide to use the board for another project. Some formulas are for hard coatings and others for soft. About the only thing that won't work well is coatings that require you to heat the whole copper plate before applying. I don't think the expense is very much when compared to black spray paint.
Also, you might use flat black rather than glossy for better results. Glossy coating are generally thicker.
Consider the fact that a black permanent marker is enough to create a film that prevents etching and I think you will begin to understand how insubstantial the film can be. Try an art supplier for etching supplies and try the library's art section for information.
BTW, I really like the approach but I suspect laser etchers are a bit costly for most of us. They might even be using them in mainstream production to eliminate the need to create transparencies as a middle step.
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PLEASE CONSIDER the following:
Do you want a quickly operational black box solution or the knowledge included therein?······
I have a counterpart with an LPKF S62 and this product is also amazing but uses traditional tooling bits.· In the future if I use the laser to make circuits I will try flat black spray paint. Otherwise, I generally order my non-solder mask boards from www.barebonespcb.com·.
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Regards, Ryan O'Hara
Check out our $20 SMT Stencils!!!
www.ohararp.com/Stencils.html