Printing etch resist mask?

Hi all,

Was just wondering if anyone tried printing on copper? Does the plastic stick? I'm aware that there's a KickStarter thing going about printing complete PCBs (with traces and all) but all I'm after is just printing the etch mask on a copper board. Would the mask be resistant to e.g. ferric chloride (PLA being a polyester might struggle there a bit for example)? Has anyone tried this? Is there software to convert trace layouts to G code? Just wondering...

Cheers,
Bart

That's a nice idea! I have some copper clad board so I might try it.

It occurs to me that by using interchangeable tool heads (easy on a delta printer with magnetic rod ends), the small holes for through-hole component leads could be drilled too.

I guess the PLA resist could be removed by heating to about 80C and scraping it off.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2015 05:07PM by dc42.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Only scrape the PLA off the solder pads, so it protects the traces from shorts.

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frankvdh
Only scrape the PLA off the solder pads, so it protects the traces from shorts.

From that and from corrosion. Could actually be a good idea to leave the plastic on as protection...

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dc42
That's a nice idea! I have some copper clad board so I might try it.

It occurs to me that by using interchangeable tool heads (easy on a delta printer with magnetic rod ends), the small holes for through-hole component leads could be drilled too.

I guess the PLA resist could be removed by heating to about 80C and scraping it off.

If it's anything like PLA on Kapton tape then you could probably just peel it off.

Wondering about the resistance of the plastic to the etch solution. Ferric chloride solution is rather acidic anyway, and made even more so by addition of concentrated hydrochloric acid for stability (I rarely etch boards so shelf life of my ferric chloride solution is important). PLA being a polyester should be ok for short exposures to acidic media but I'd rather first try it before committing to this statement. ABS might be better in that respect. Of course it all depends on how well the plastic sticks to the copper.

The mask could be removed with chloroform or dichloromethane although that is not a particularly quick process and can be rather sticky and messy in my experience. Probably best just to peel it off...

Let me know how your test goes!

Bart

I'm not sure it would be a good idea to leave the PLA on the board, because the temperature needed for reflow soldering with lead free solder would melt and perhaps burn the PLA.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2015 06:36AM by dc42.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

Ok, I was thinking of manual soldering...

PLA wont stick to a bare copper pcb , so i dont think this approach will work! a easier way is just to use a permanent marker to mark the traces ans then etch it.. the first ramps boards were made this way!