Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

Hi All,

Even though this isn't directly a PCB-related topic, I figured it
applies enough and the information would be valuable to most of us. I
make a lot of wiring harnesses, sometimes with wire of the same color.
I've been thinking of various ways to print directly on the wires.
The wires I work with are PE/PVC/silicone insulated, 20-24ga. stranded
copper wires. Here are a few ideas I've had:

∗Secure a professional hot stamp/ink jet wire marking machine: very
costly and probably overkill.
∗Devise a small machine based on rubber stamps. Rubber stamps are
cheap, but can they print small enough text?
∗Devise a different small machine based on stencils. Many of us,
myself included, use mylar laser-cut stencils for SMT PCB's. I know
they can be cut with enough resolution, so why not just make a small
jig to hold the wire while a pad wipes ink through the stencil? Not
as cheap as the stamps, but not bad... especially if you panelize.
∗Build a DIY ink-jet printer. Parallax used to sell a serial ink-jet
kit for under $100. I'm sure I could scrounge the parts and a surplus
controller board from somewhere... but can it print small enough?

Any other ideas? Do any of you have experience with this?

I've seen the thermal label "wire" printers that print to adhesive
labels, but they're too time consuming. If any of these methods work,
I'm sure I could automate the process to a degree. My goal is to
easily mark bundles of 20-40 wires (each with different labels), about
12' long marked every 3-4".

Thanks!

-PS