Rick,
A heated bed is no real problem - I built one that works pretty well.
But I'm not sure the wax won't stick to the copper directly.
I hadn't thought about removing the plastic. PLA, which is the
plastic I've been using, has only one solvent I know of,
Tetrahydrofuran, which you can get on ebay. Heated Benzene is also
supposed to work. However, by switching to ABS, you can use acetone
to dissolve the plastic easily.
Mark
At 09:36 AM 8/15/2013, you wrote:
>Mark,
>
>Using a 3D printer to apply a mask is an interesting idea. I think the PCB
>would have to be kept warm so the plastic sticks. After etching, how would
>you get the plastic off or would you just leave it? I suspect it would
>contaminate the solder joints if left too close to the holes.
>
>Rick
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com [mailto:Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com]
>On Behalf Of Mark Lerman
>Sent: Thursday, August 15, 2013 6:17 AM
>To: Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] convert inkjet printer into wax printer
>
>I spent a lot of time both with a Phaser wax printer and with direct
>printing of resist using an Epson printer. While wax is a great resist, the
>Phaser was impossibly difficult to modify and more importantly, the Phaser
>firmware had it cleaning the printhead and drum many times. Apparently the
>wax causes a lot of clog problems.
>Likewise the Epson printer. The ink clogs the nozzles on a regular basis,
>requiring a lot of cleaning to keep the nozzles clear. You end up spending
>way more time screwing around with the printer than doing anything useful.
>
>What might work very well is using a 3D printer to deposit plastic on the
>pcb directly. I have a 3D printer and will try it and post the results. If
>it works, a relatively simple XY table could be easily implemented, or you
>can purchase one of the really inexpensive 3D printer kits. As a bonus, it
>could also drill holes. And, if one wants to get truly creative you might be
>able to print conductive material directly on FR4, eliminating the etch.
>Most of the 3D printers can accommodate a heated bed that can "cure"
>conductive inks.
>
>Of course, if you are building a cnc, you might want to use it to route the
>pcbs and be done with it. I also have a pretty good cnc mill designed for
>pcbs. I don't use it much because it is slow, noisy, requires multiple tool
>changes, creates a lot of dust (use a vacuum system), and often produces
>defective boards, mainly because the pcb has to either be held very flat, or
>be "mapped", requiring even more sophisticated equipment ($$$).
>
>Mark
>
>
>
>
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