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Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Laser printing Aluminium Foil - It works !!???!!??!

From: Alan King <alan@...>
Date: 2004-02-25

>>own list of things to try eventually too. Be sure and try oxide layers
>>etc on
>>the PCB, may improve the image and or adhesion.
>>
>
>
> i do really think there is no need to isolate the surface.
>

This is not just to try for isolation but also adhesion etc. It's simple to
try and there are enough other variables it's worth trying, any changes may give
better results.





> I would rather not use a fuser at all but a infrared heater lamp.
> it is simple to set up if you already converted it to a carriage (flatbed)
> printer.
> just take the quartz lamp out of the fuser and move the pcb past (slow).
> there can be no smearing of the image then.
>

Just your own little motor assembly to do this after the toner is on may work
well enough.



>
> spreading is mostly a effect of pressure, not heat alone.
> if you just heat it without pressure i assume there will be no spreading
> at all.
> (to be tried in experiment)

Long as you don't get far above the melt point this is probably true enough.


> I'm looking for a printer for very cheap, i would buy myself another for
> the normal
> printing stuff and convert the LJiiiD, but it is only 300DPI.
> Especially printers with problems like "pulls in several pages at once"
> or "always a paper jam" are very cheap, and this is not really something
> important
> for printing on pcbs.
>
> still, i want it really cheap, as i am not sure if it works at all, so
> this will take a while.
>

HP LJ 6L that I have is one of these, fixable with a simple kit from HP
though. Paper path is convoluted but if the back case were opened up the feed
out has a straight forward option. Pretty good 600 DPI laser printer, goes for
around $100ish used but maybe less now or with the bad paper feeding..

Alan