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Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
I bought this paper for 15$ (10 pages, thats a lot $$$) i want to try the real purpose made stuff. Then compare to the standard magazine pages, and then to any brand name office supply paper/film types...
(I remember a previous thread on which somone metioned a good paper product for this purpose, but i cant find it.)
I also use H2O2+HCl, and ill never use Ferric chloride again, so well see if that makes a difference. it shouldnt though.
Submit your known good process and paper and this thread will be our repository, so we wont have to by the expensive stuff.
Registered Member #2939
Joined: Fri Jun 25 2010, 04:25AM
Location:
Posts: 615
In my experience the expensive paper works far, far better than magazine pages. Best I've ever used was a coated Mylar product called Press'n'Peel blue. Still uses heat to transfer toner to pcb, but then simply peels off (no soaking), leaving an additional sealing layer over the toner that reduces pin-holing by about 95% over unsealed toner. Board prep: critical - must be absolutely spotless and free from grease - best cleaning tool I've used was an abrasive rubber block designed for that purpose Even/correct heating : critical - I modified an electric frypan into a monster hotplate by adding a better thermal controller with phase control output - no more on/off heat spikes. Even pressure : critical - I used vacuum on my hotplate: vacuum port in plate|cloth layer|artwork|pcb|cloth layer|silicone baking sheet to cover and seal. Timing: not so critical (finally), I put a thermocouple on top of the baking sheet and cooked the board until the temperature on the top of the baking sheet reached around 110C.
Takes a bit of messing about to get the process right, but once sorted a pcb can be made in an hour. My best effort was double sided Kapton flex, with 5 thou track /space : 23 out of 24 circuits worked!
These days I have access to a 60W CO2 laser engraver, so all I do is spray lacquer on the PCB , laser off the bits I want etched and dunk in etchant.
Registered Member #2431
Joined: Tue Oct 13 2009, 09:47PM
Location: Chico, CA. USA
Posts: 5639
2Spoons wrote ...
In my experience the expensive paper works far, far better than magazine pages. Best I've ever used was a coated Mylar product called Press'n'Peel blue. Still uses heat to transfer toner to pcb, but then simply peels off (no soaking), leaving an additional sealing layer over the toner that reduces pin-holing by about 95% over unsealed toner. Board prep: critical - must be absolutely spotless and free from grease - best cleaning tool I've used was an abrasive rubber block designed for that purpose Even/correct heating : critical - I modified an electric frypan into a monster hotplate by adding a better thermal controller with phase control output - no more on/off heat spikes. Even pressure : critical - I used vacuum on my hotplate: vacuum port in plate|cloth layer|artwork|pcb|cloth layer|silicone baking sheet to cover and seal. Timing: not so critical (finally), I put a thermocouple on top of the baking sheet and cooked the board until the temperature on the top of the baking sheet reached around 110C.
Takes a bit of messing about to get the process right, but once sorted a pcb can be made in an hour. My best effort was double sided Kapton flex, with 5 thou track /space : 23 out of 24 circuits worked!
These days I have access to a 60W CO2 laser engraver, so all I do is spray lacquer on the PCB , laser off the bits I want etched and dunk in etchant.
excellent this is what i needed to know! TY! i was thinking of using a CO2 laser attachment on my NC mill for that very same process.
Registered Member #1403
Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968
I use ordinary cheap glossy photo paper for laser printers. I let the transfered toner soak for long in water. I dry up the print and touch up any bad spots with a permanent marker.
A cold and weak FeCl solution is used not to etch too fast and strong.
This method takes longer, but it is considerably cheaper than using expensive made for the job materials.
Using magazine paper I have only had bad results where especially the green colour would transfer too.
Registered Member #3883
Joined: Fri May 13 2011, 06:30PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 87
I've tried a lot of different materials and papers with little luck, so I finally "gave in" and bought some photoresist. Made a exposure unit from a bug-zapper (6W UV tube), and I will never look back with regret. Print, expose, etch, it's so quick and easy.
Registered Member #1451
Joined: Wed Apr 23 2008, 03:48AM
Location: Boulder, Co
Posts: 661
I've used magazine paper, several types of glossy photo paper, and the stuff you just bought. The expensive stuff is by far the best. To avoid wasting the entire sheet, first print onto a normal piece of paper. Then tape a small chunk of the blue paper over the area that was printed and run the same piece of paper through again. This time the toner will be printed to the transfer paper chunk and you haven't wasted the entire sheet on one board. I've been using the same pack of 10 sheets for the past year and I'm only on the second sheet.
Registered Member #65
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
Location:
Posts: 1155
Tried quite a few board methods over years, but Press-n-Peel Blue is easy for fast direct transfers.
Process with an older HP flat paper feed thick-toner laser printer: 1.) Preheat clothes-iron (the transfer-plastic-backing should soften slightly) 2.) Use fine steel-wool on Phenolic PCB to clean (flatter surface than fiberglass) 3.) Use disposable paper towel to scrub surface of PCB until no tarnish remains 4.) Quickly tape the transfer film to the board in the top two corners 5.) Place boards open-end in a folded piece of paper to protect plastic surface 6.) Heat with iron under moderate pressure to bond to copper surface (If two-sided PCB, flip over and repeat with a few alignment though-holes and wire held under the tape) 7.) Leave to cool by pressing in the pages of a large book 8.) Use ice cube to cool entire plastic backing (shears toner from film) 9.) Slowly roll back transfer film from surface 10.) Re-heat board trace-side up on iron to bond any plastic burrs/cracks/holes 11.) Let cool 12.) Use Ferric Chloride agitated acid bath to etch trace-side-up (less undercutting) 13.) Drill out your PCB 14.) Clean with fabric cloth and solvent
I have managed a good yield of two sided SOIC boards using this method. However, TSOP pad spacing is too close and traces will flow together during the bonding process. Note a newer printer may not have this issue as the toner thickness is minimal.
Registered Member #2939
Joined: Fri Jun 25 2010, 04:25AM
Location:
Posts: 615
Carbon_Rod wrote ...
However, TSOP pad spacing is too close and traces will flow together during the bonding process.
Track flow is a result of too high a pressure and/or too high a temperature. This is why I built the accurately controlled hotplate with vacuum for applying pressure. It takes away the variation of ironing by hand. Of course, it may be hard to justify building a hot plate if you are only doing a few boards per year.
My trick for double sided pcbs was to use my LCD monitor as a light table: tack one piece of artwork to the monitor (toner up), align the second piece over the first, toner down, then tape three sides together, leaving the fourth open so you can slide the blank PCB in. Then both sides are heat transferred together, in one step. For alignment I added special marks to the artwork, consisting of a cross hair with three concentric circles of equal line thickness and spacing.
Turkey9's trick for saving paper is one I have used too. Best tape to use is paper based 'masking' tape - plastic tapes may melt in the printer. Also I only tape the leading edge of the paper, less chance of wrinkles and jams.
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Toner Transfer Papers and Process for Etching...
