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The toner transfer method.

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Marko

Tue Mar 08 2011, 07:27PM

Registered Member #89 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 02:40PM
Location: Zadar, Croatia
Posts: 3145

Hi everyones,

It has been a long time since this PCB production technique was invented, and I'm wondering what technological advances have been made in it since?
I use glossy paper for my pcb's. And the largest frustration I've had is - removing the gloss after transfer, before putting the board to etch. My first PCB's were terrible because I would leave all of the glossy layer on while etching, and only over time I've learned to scrape it slowly with a toothbrush or a pin/needle for small spaces. But as PCB's got more complex, with groundplanes and thermals I usually end up having to go with the pin through the whole pcb, which is a huge pain. And for some papers the gloss seems to be nearly as hard as to remove as the print, resulting in lot of damage that 's hard to repair later.

Not to say that I've never yet been able to ever get a pack of same brand photo paper again - some I used firstly were better but I never found them again.
But they all have the gloss problem. I was wondering, has anyone came to a solution to this in meantime? I was wondering if there was some sort of chemical that could help dissolving the gloss (which is apparently mineral based). Acid seems to just remove it from the PCB though.

I've heard some people use matte paper insted of glossy coated one. How well does that work and what paper should I try if it does?

Apparently there came to existence a true transfer paper, which apparently has a glossy layer made of sugar that dissolves completely in water:

Anyone tried this personally and is it worth it's extreme cost?

Marko

Avalanche

Tue Mar 08 2011, 07:34PM

Registered Member #103 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:16PM
Location: Derby, UK
Posts: 845

Can't comment on the transfer papers, but I seem to remember having some success using brown paper from the kitchen, greaseproof paper. Can't remember which side I printed onto.

Maybe it's time to try the photographic method? I built up a cheap rig a while ago and I've never looked back

James

Tue Mar 08 2011, 09:28PM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

I use paper from catalogs that come in the mail. You want the thin cheap glossy stuff, it just sort of falls apart when you soak it for a minute or two. Catalogs from Action Lighting are perfect, but I've used those from Crutchfield and some tire shop as well as some old magazines. Usually about the time I've used up one catalog, another comes in the mail.

ScotchTapeLord

Tue Mar 08 2011, 09:32PM

Registered Member #1875 Joined: Sun Dec 21 2008, 06:36PM
Location:
Posts: 635

I've read that Pulsar paper used to be good but that they changed the composition and now it isn't as good.

I've tried kitchen parchment paper, which is what I believe Avalanche was referring to, but had little success. I've heard good things about it, though, and it's possible that I may not have cleaned the clad well enough.

I've to date made two successful boards, one single-sided and one double-sided. Both were from paper cut out from a magazine. The single sided was a very simple design and came out perfect. The toner stuck on and the paper soaked off. The double-sided one needed a bit of touch-up, as the ground planes were blotchy and one trace failed, and the toner would chip off when I went at it with a toothbrush. I just used my finger after that, patiently rubbing, soaking, repeating...

In the end it came out alright but the experience has caused me to opt for surface mount designs in the future.

James

Tue Mar 08 2011, 10:32PM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

I've been getting very good results from toner transfer with magazine paper. I've made dozens of boards and routinely use 603 size SMT components and SOIC chips. I can do SSOP ICs, but that's about the limit and usually requires a bit of manual cleanup to prevent solder bridges. I never touch up the toner though, if it isn't perfect I clean it off and try again, but it's rare that I have to do this. The trick is to get the board good and clean, and use a laminator to do the transfer. I used to use a cheap Scotch consumer laminator that I modified to make it hotter. Now I use a fancy commercial one I got on ebay that does 160C without modification and has variable speed. You want it really hot, and run through slowly if possible.

Turkey9

Tue Mar 08 2011, 11:22PM

Registered Member #1451 Joined: Wed Apr 23 2008, 03:48AM
Location: Boulder, Co
Posts: 661

I've just started using toner transfer paper from Digikey because I got fed up with the layer of gloss left of the traces. It is definitely worth the price. Just cut a piece the size of your board and tape it to a normal piece of paper. Don't use an entire sheet for one small board as it is a huge waste.

When soaking, the paper lifts off in about a minute and leaves an immaculate layer of toner beneath. I'd recommend either making your own toner transfer paper or just buy some of the real stuff.

James

Wed Mar 09 2011, 12:24AM

Registered Member #3610 Joined: Thu Jan 13 2011, 03:29AM
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 506

What layer of gloss? Mine come out almost perfectly clean after 2-3 minutes of soaking, the magazine paper just floats away. The small amount of residue on the toner can be wiped off with a moist finger or washed right off with Windex.

Patrick

Wed Mar 09 2011, 12:28AM

Registered Member #2431 Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639

1) Buy full sheet labels from office depot.

2) Pull the label off, and throw it away. But keep the glossy backing, the piece you would normally throw away is what you want.

3) Then run that sheet through the laser printer, with the toner being fused on the glossy side.

4) Heat and peel, no water needed no brushing bits away, this has worked fine for me!

Frosty90

Wed Mar 09 2011, 05:45AM

Registered Member #1617 Joined: Fri Aug 01 2008, 07:31AM
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 139

Apparently you can make your own transfer paper by soaking ordinary paper in gumwater made with dextrine, anyone tried this? Apparently this is similar to the 'proper' transfer sheets you can buy, but obviously much cheaper.

aonomus

Wed Mar 09 2011, 06:52AM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

I recently ran into problems with the staples branded photopaper due to a formulation change (introduction of water proof coatings which were plastic based, melted with heat and sealed out water).

I have obtained great results (~200-250um resolution) with "HP Presentation Paper 120g", product number CG988A. The paper does toner transfer well, rapidly hydrates, shrinks less (causing less buckling of the paper), and is easier to handle.

This paper for toner transfer plus tin plate makes beautiful boards.

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