[Noisebridge-discuss] [sudo-discuss] flexible circuit board material works in wax-deposition printers!

Praveen Sinha dmhomee at gmail.com
Fri Oct 25 23:07:59 UTC 2013


FWIW I saw a very similar process being used with the laser cutter at NB to
produce some very cool PCB technology.   This one is worth having workshops
on :)


On Fri, Oct 25, 2013 at 3:58 PM, Jake <jake at spaz.org> wrote:

> http://www.instructables.com/**id/DIY-Flexible-Printed-**Circuits/<http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Flexible-Printed-Circuits/>
>
> Get some thin sheets of polyimide which have copper on one or both sides.
> Polyimide is a yellow polymer with a high melting temperature and is
> sometimes called Kapton. A common type of copper-coated polyimide is DuPont
> "Pyralux" material.
>
> Pyralux sheets come in many different varieties of polyimide thickness,
> copper thickness and adhesive thickness (the "adhesive" is between the
> copper and polyimide holding everything together.) Copper thickness is
> given in oz per square foot, while adhesive and Kapton thickness is given
> in mil (1 mil =0.001 inch).
>
> Pyralux LF7062 (pictured) has 1/2 oz Cu, 1/2 mil adhesive and 1 mil
> Kapton. This works OK but is a bit thin and crinkly for the printer to
> handle.
> LF9120 has 1 oz Cu, 1 mil adhesive and 2 mil Kapton - seems to work best
> in the printer
> LF9210 has 2 oz Cu, 1 mil adhesive and 1 mil Kapton - stiffer, but works OK
>
> Other options are double sided copper ( a sandwich of Cu/Kapton/Cu held
> together with adhesive) and a roughened surface, denoted by R at the end of
> the part number.
>
> The roughened sheets and double sided sheet work OK. However, Pyralux with
> 2 oz or thicker copper can be difficult to feed to the printer, especially
> if there is copper on both sides.
>
> See if you can get a free sample from DuPont. Occasionally, Pyralux sheets
> turn up on eBay.
>
> Cut the Pyralux sheets to 8.5x11 or 8.5x14 inches with scissors or a
> knife. Avoid smudging the copper with fingerprints or oil, which can block
> the etch solution later. To protect the printer, try to keep the edges
> relatively flat and free of burrs.
>
> For direct printing on the copper film, locate a solid-ink printer. These
> are commonly confused with laser printers, but instead print melted wax.
> Unlike most inkjets, the wax makes a good protective layer for copper
> etching, and unlike laser printers, solid ink printers don't rely on
> locally charging the paper surface, which could be troublesome when the
> paper is replaced by a copper sheet.
>
> Some models are Tektronix Phaser 840, 850, 860, and Xerox Phaser 8200,
> 8400, 8500, 8560, and 8860. You might find one in an office. Most Phaser
> models are regular laser printers, so check under the hood for the solid
> ink blocks (pictured) if you're not sure.
>
> If you don't have access to a solid ink printer, the "toner transfer" iron
> on method, using a laser-printed design, could replace this step.
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