New process for PC Boards

[The Dark force of dance]

Y-ellow Bob 'n' all.
        And before I begin. Thanks for bringing this stuff to our collective
attention. Of course It'll be another 50 years before it's generally
available here but interesting none the less.

At 12:28 PM 9/30/97, Bob Zimmer wrote:
>The November 1997 issue of Electronics Now magazine has an article on a new
>(?) method of making PC Boards.  It uses sheets of 1 mil copper foil.
>Summarizing the article, you would print the pattern onto the foil using
>software and a laser printer, then etch the foil using Sodium Persulphate.
>When done, you have the copper traces on a plastic backing.  You then glue,
>using spray adhesive, the copper onto a pre-drilled perf board and presto,
>you have a printed circuit board!

This is very similar to the way japanese consumer gear is often made. The
board is a kind of phenolic substance. The holes a pre-drilled and the foil
rolls off a kind of stamping press whilst the board substrate is still hot
'n' probably sticky. The foil pattern is stamped onto the board with a kind
of rotary pattern cutter. I'm not describing this very well but it's more
like something from the printing industry. The way they do, or use to do
news papers. The print surface is on a cylindrical roller, it cuts the foil
pattern as it rolls on past. This is then stamped onto the hot board and it
all rolls off in another direction. The board is then snapped along
pre-perforated lines.

But of course in this case, you can only use this method when you reach a
certain economy of scale. And the drawback is that the tracks lift off the
board the moment you try to do any repair work.

But I'd be most interested in learning more about this low volume
alternative. Especially if it's less expensive than pre-sens board per square.

Thanks in advance.

Be absolutely ICebox.
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