PCB Toner transfer?
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From: Hammy on 31 Jan 2010 10:03 On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:48:57 -0500, Jamie <jamie_ka1lpa_not_valid_after_ka1lpa_(a)charter.net> wrote: >JeffM wrote: >> pimpom wrote: >> >>>Are special media specifically meant for transfer to PCBs >>>common nowadays? >>> >> >> This is the good stuff: >> http://www.techniks.com/how_to.htm >> http://google.com/search?q=site:allelectronics.com+%22+Press-n-Peel >> >> >>>I ask because I use the toner transfer method >> >>>from time to time, but in the remote location where I live, >> >>>I'm having a hard time getting suitable media consistently. >>> >> >> My first efforts were with clay-covered paper >> (the glossy stuff, like magazine pages). >> I got advertising flyers in the mail that were blank on one side >> and I used those. >> Tom Gootee's page on this is an old standard: >> http://google.com/search?q=cache:_VA3Om2498QJ:www.fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm+Hydrogen.Peroxide+persulphate+Muriatic.Acid+Ferric.Chloride+Crinolin+it-STAINS-*-*+Hydrochloric.Acid+*-*-stain-*-*+Glossy+brush+*-*-*-transparent+Persulfate >> http://www.fullnet.com/~tomg/gooteepc.htm >> >> Soaking the paper thoroughly in warm water >> is what makes it easy to get off. >> Soaking it again if it isn't all coming off is the trick. >> >> An old thread on this: >> http://groups.google.com/group/sci.electronics.design/browse_frm/thread/46bdd51e54a09491/e7e4040e8e34cdf5?q=z+blue.stuff+Jetprint >Inkjet glossy Photo paper!., Print on the glossy side. Iron on. Its >water soluble. > > Works a treat for prototyping or single unit/home project. > The only PITA I find is getting that last thin transparent when wet coat of paper off. The link JeffM posted has a possible solution I'll try next time. Alan said >Instead, print the circuit, then clear the circuit and put a small >dot somewhere so the blank board will print. Then run the paper back >through the laser printer 2 or 3 more times. The extra fusing makes >the paper surface not stick. I now print, fuse twice more, go iron. >Then run warm then cold water over the paper, and have water running >under the paper as I peel. Peels nearly perfectly now, no overnight >soaking or tedious picking at the extra paper left on the board.
From: pimpom on 31 Jan 2010 14:21 Ken Fowler wrote: > On 30-Jan-2010, Hammy <spam(a)spam.com> wrote: > >> Path: >> border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!npeer03.iad.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!feed-me.highwinds-media.com!post01.iad.highwinds-media.com!newsfe17.iad.POSTED!7564ea0f!not-for-mail >> From: Hammy <spam(a)spam.com> >> Newsgroups: sci.electronics.basics >> Subject: Re: PCB Toner transfer? >> Message-ID: <ct99m51egevg5uma2h33odnrfi1o80ermq(a)4ax.com> >> References: <6tbpk5dac7cbjqpfc9jda5ssm7baqlvqcm(a)4ax.com> >> <hiijll$fl7$1(a)news.albasani.net> >> <th16m5pven6593pi5csalt58914t5ee5nu(a)4ax.com> >> <hk1rk1$1sc$1(a)news.albasani.net> >> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 5.00/32.1171 >> MIME-Version: 1.0 >> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >> Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit >> Lines: 27 >> NNTP-Posting-Host: 24.109.50.160 >> X-Complaints-To: internet.abuse(a)sjrb.ca >> X-Trace: newsfe17.iad 1264887906 24.109.50.160 (Sat, 30 Jan >> 2010 >> 21:45:06 UTC) >> NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 21:45:06 UTC >> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 16:45:09 -0500 >> Bytes: 2125 >> Xref: number.nntp.dca.giganews.com >> sci.electronics.basics:319627 >> >> On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:21:58 +0530, "pimpom" >> <pimpom(a)invalid.invalid> >> wrote: >> >> >>> >>> Somehow I missed the "PCB" part in the subject line earlier. >>> I >>> did notice the "toner transfer" part and at first thought >>> that it >>> was for transferring PCB art work to Cu-clad board. But when >>> there was no mention of PCBs in the message body, I thought >>> you >>> were talking about general printing jobs on paper and the >>> "transfer" in the subject line was just a poor choice of >>> expression for changing the toner cartridge. No, I wasn't >>> drunk. >>> :-) >>> >>> Anyway, can you tell me what medium you use for printing? Are >>> special media specifically meant for transfer to PCBs common >>> nowadays? I ask because I use the toner transfer method from >>> time >>> to time, but in the remote location where I live, I'm having >>> a >>> hard time getting suitable media consistently. >>> >>> >> I've been using staples "Photo Glossy Paper" item#471861. I've >> heard >> people have used magazine paper but I stick with what I know >> works. >> >> I get thirty sheets for about ten bucks; multiple PCB's can >> fit on >> one piece for me anyway's, most of my PCB's are as small as I >> can get >> them. The flyback I just did is 1.8" x 2.9". > > I had good success using the backing sheet from Avery Labels > (after I > used the labels). I used transparent tape to tape the backing > sheet > to a sheet of plain copy paper so it would feed through the > printer. > Temperature and pressure of the iron used for transfer to > copper are > the hardest parts of the process to get right. The label > backing > sheet seems to need less heat and pressure than photo paper. > The > Press'n'Peel sheets also make sharp images. > I've experimented on and off with release paper too, either peeled off the back of sticker paper or bought separately from local silkscreen printing shops. The advantage of using such non-stick (teflon coated?) material is that it peels off cleanly after ironing. But, as you implied, it's too slippery to feed into a printer by itself. The release paper backing of some sticker papers are also non-stick on the back side and I've used those without peeling off the front (normal paper) side, with limited success. They go in, but are still too slippery to feed to the exit rollers reliably in my LJ1020 printer. I've also tried hard glossy paper and they transfer well but, as a lot of people will undoubtedly have experienced, getting it all off again can be a real pain.
From: pimpom on 31 Jan 2010 14:33 Hammy wrote: > On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:48:57 -0500, Jamie > <jamie_ka1lpa_not_valid_after_ka1lpa_(a)charter.net> wrote: > >> Inkjet glossy Photo paper!., Print on the glossy side. Iron >> on. Its >> water soluble. >> >> Works a treat for prototyping or single unit/home project. >> > The only PITA I find is getting that last thin transparent when > wet > coat of paper off. The link JeffM posted has a possible > solution I'll > try next time. > > Alan said > >> Instead, print the circuit, then clear the circuit and put a >> small >> dot somewhere so the blank board will print. Then run the >> paper back >> through the laser printer 2 or 3 more times. The extra fusing >> makes >> the paper surface not stick. I now print, fuse twice more, go >> iron. >> Then run warm then cold water over the paper, and have water >> running >> under the paper as I peel. Peels nearly perfectly now, no >> overnight >> soaking or tedious picking at the extra paper left on the >> board. That sound like it's worth trying. MS Word prints a blank page without protesting or the need to put a dot somewhere, at least with my LJ1020 printer.
From: pimpom on 31 Jan 2010 15:17
JeffM wrote: > pimpom wrote: >> Are special media specifically meant for transfer to PCBs >> common nowadays? >> > This is the good stuff: > http://www.techniks.com/how_to.htm > http://google.com/search?q=site:allelectronics.com+%22+Press-n-Peel > >> I ask because I use the toner transfer method >> from time to time, but in the remote location where I live, >> I'm having a hard time getting suitable media consistently. >> > My first efforts were with clay-covered paper > (the glossy stuff, like magazine pages). > I got advertising flyers in the mail that were blank on one > side > and I used those. I've used several types of glossy paper and the transfer goes well with most of them, but removing the paper is the PITA. Your use of the term "clay-covered" (I didn't know they are called that) reminds me of something. I once bought a blank sheet of sticker paper from a small local stationery shop with the intention of using the release paper backing for toner transfer. On close examination, the surface looked different from other glossy types. It was smooth and somewhat glossy, but there seemed to be a surface coating that somehow looked as if it was not very tightly bound to the paper substrate. I tried it and it worked very well. The paper came off much more easily after ironing than with other types, and there's no feed problem as with teflon-coated paper. I exclaimed a silent 'Eureka!'. But alas, I bought just that one sheet and the shop had disposed of the few sample sheets they had. They said that they have no intention of stocking that type again as there's very little demand for it. |