Hi,
Although i don't have experience in direct print pcbs i wish to share
some thoughts about it.
If you print shirts maybe your are using sublimation ink. This ink is
glycerine and Polyethylene Glicol (PEG) with pigments and much water. It
polymerizes with heat and becomes a plastic film. I don't see anyone
using it for making PCB's, i don't understand why, maybe anyone ever
tried, but from what i understand this is very similar with the
'recommended' inks. But is widely available, and i am very curious in
trying it, with both epson and hp heads.
Normal dye ink is absorbed by paper and will not dry in a metallic
surface. Pigment ink seems all based in polymers, the water/diluter is
absorbed by paper and the monomers polymerize at the surface.
Any ink that needs heat or UV will do pcb's if suitable for the printer
heat, but if has to much water/diluter it can spread in the surface.
Do you ever tried the inks you normally use? Can you please say which
ones?
To make double sided pcb's use the same holder that you use in the cnc
and perfectly center it on the printer, so you can flip the board upside
down and print in both sides. If you use plated holes, negative print
the board both sides, do a metallic resist plating after printing, and
strip the ink before etch. This is the perfect solution i want to have
for myself.
Other things is getting the ink out of the board after etch, will be
better to use a ink that strips ink simple alkaline bath, like normal
pcb films. These films are acrylic based, with half or more of
benzophenone to make it UV sensible but the other things are salicylic
and (meth)acrylic acid. This will strip in alkaline and have a good acid
resistance. Using just (meth)acrilic acid or a misture of both and heat
to 60ºC seems it will do the job easily, or maybe with some phenol to
give a better polymer. This is other thing i wish to try when i made my
pcb printer.
Also i wish to ask if these printers do epoxy? In my inexperienced
opinion it seems easy to print epoxy with a ink made of diluted both
parts epoxy in diethylene glycol with water and print soldermask this
way.
Simao
On Wed, 2009-02-04 at 12:46 -0800, Parin Eghlim Parsian (PEP CO.) wrote:
>
>
> Dear Sir,
>
> We are the exclusive representative of DTG Impression Technology and
> we use this printer to print on tshirts. The idea of board printing
> (to make a circuit) came to our mind because we believe that the
> process of tshirt printing is the same as board printing. Our printer
> can print on any kind of surface like garment, glass, textile, wood,
> board etc.
>
> We do not have the knowledge of board printing and it is highly
> appreciated if you give me the answers to the following inquiries:
>
> 1- Our printer CAN PRINT simply on any kind of board but we do not
> know what kind of ink should we use to make sure that this ink is
> acid-resistant.
> After printing we must put the board in HCL acid and the ink MUST NOT
> SOLVE IN ACID and we want to know which kind of ink is suitable for
> our purpose.
>
> 2- Which kind of print head is compatible for that kind of ink? We now
> use Epson Stylus Photo R2400 or 1800. Are these heads suitable for us
> or not? If not what print head do you suggest?
>
> Thank you for your urgent response.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Mohamad Amiri
> Head of R&D Department
> Parin Eghlim Parsian Co. (PEP CO)
> Address: Suite 6A, NO 8, Second Dead Alley, Kouhe Nour St., Motahhari
> Ave., Tehran, Iran.
> Tell: +98 21 8854 0072-4
> Fax: +98 21 8873 6751
> Direct Cell Phone: +98 912 676 56 88 (or +98 935 564 32 92)
> E-mail: parin_eghlim_parsian@...
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>