Hi Alan,
This is an area I don't know much about, how production boards are made. I buy 'em but I really don't know details of the process.
From every production board I've seen the solder mask appears to be an epoxy of some sort- single part, two part, UV cure, etc. Anyhow, it's a clear tinted thermoset plastic material, my guess is epoxy.
I've seen natural liquid latex rubber used for peelable paint masks but nothing that resembles latex rubber on a PC board.
For a couple of seconds max. natural latex rubber could take the heat but not for much longer unless it's a sacrificial coating.
With hundreds of newer, easier to handle and non-shrinking materials why would anyone use liquid latex rubber as a solder mask?
Just curious, thanks,
Denny
On Wed, 18 May 2005 12:20:34 -0400, Alan King wrote:
>>>�Hi Stefan,
>>>�Liquid latex dries/cures in to an unvulcanized rubber, the
>>>�toner would bond right to it... if it was ever able to get past
>>>�the heat in the printer.
>�Now don't go jumping to any crazy, non-scientific conclusions
>�there. �Most solder mask is pure liquid latex, and survives 700
>�degrees wave soldering, so of course it will survive a fuser.