PCB manifacturing with Printer

There is a lot of descriptions about "How to make PCB with Laser Printer( so called toner transfer technology)
It seems good, but is there any chance, to print directly on copper board, with some kind of ink jet printer. There is water ressitant ink , probably exist also and acid resistant. Such approach ( if it possible) will be very fast and easy.

Is there some one, who tried this idea?

The problem using an inkjet printer is that it doesn't have a straight path for the paper. That's OK for paper, it can bend easily - 1.6mm PCB can't!

I have tried using a laser printer with flexible PCB (very thin - like the single laminates in multi-layer PCB's). Even so, the printer must have a fairly straight path (my Brother HL760 does 8) ).

It worked well, but dealing with the very thin PCB and laminating it to a thicker piece to hold the components were as much trouble as printing a transparency and doing it the usual way.

I have just got hold of another old Brother laser. When I get time, I'm going to try modifying the mechanics to give a properly straight path if it's feasable. If not, I'll just use the fuser unit for the toner-transfer method.

There are some very nice, very expensive solutions to all this, but what's the fun in that?

If you try the flexible laminates in your inkjet, I think you will struggle to find a suitable ink. It doesn't just have to be water resistant - it has to be etching-fluid resistant. The toner in laser printers is plastic - so it's OK.

Good luck,
FoxyRick.

Maybe it is possible with a printer like Epson STYLUS PHOTO R300
who is capable to print directly on CD/DVD and paper with maximum heigth of 1.3 mm.
I have not tried it.

Laser printer is very expensive, that is the very problem.

Is the laser printer work with conductive material?

There are some very nice, very expensive solutions to all this, but what's the fun in that?

Click to expand...

What you mean?

Moss said:

Is the laser printer work with conductive material?

Click to expand...

Well, it worked for me - I admit I was a little surprised. Maybe it was the oxide layer on the copper that held the static charge long enough for the toner to stick. I didn't clean it before trying and remember thinking maybe I should have!

Moss said:

FoxyRick said:

There are some very nice, very expensive solutions to all this, but what's the fun in that?

Click to expand...

What you mean?

Click to expand...

Take a look here:

https://www.megauk.com/

Especially the Plotting Systems, Dry Film Laminators and PCB Isolation Contour Milling sections.

Cheers,
FoxyRick

Thanks a lot for information

I have not tried it.

Click to expand...

It prints only on special CD-ROM, suitable for printng. If works well on standart CD it will be perfect!

it may be an absolutely insane idea, but what about a cross between a cnc mill and a printer?

there are various ways of doing it like
-use the printer mechanism and put a small mill where the print cartridge was and map the ink outlet signals to the z axis

this may have more than a little bit of vibration problems an stuff.

what if you used a full stepper motor'ed mill setup, but take the signals off the printer motors and send them to the motors on the mill.

both have problems, but i wont force you to use them ;-)

anyway, I'll go back into my box now.

A more serious version - cross a cnc with a flatbed plotter!

I used to have a big A2 Roland - unfortunately I sold it when short of cash. Six months later I thought of this. D'oh!

Best way would probably be a flexible drive shaft with the chuck at one end, fixed to the plotter pen holder, and driven by a fixed motor. That way the plotter isn't overloaded by the weight of a motor. Like a dremmel set.

Anyone got a spare plotter lying around??? And a dremmel? They go quite cheaply on eBay these days.

Cheers,
FoxyRick.