Homebrew PCBs

Mycroft,

I am not certain of the INK, my only exposure with it is when I have 
problems with that printer and usually it's a messy problem!!!!!!

That printer has a problem that i have yet to figure out. When 
printing some drawings, it seems as though it is pissing out ink 
like a race horse.  I end up with drops of black ink everywhere.  
The ink-well where I think the head goes for cleaning is now so full 
it is leaking onto the floor - just noticed that this morning.

HP says it has a leaking hose - hogwash I say.  I think something 
else is wrong based on my observations.  HP also wants $170.00 for 
the stupid hoses so that I can replace them to "See if that corrects 
the problem".

Anyway, what I am getting to is this.  Usually the mess I find is 
large drops of ink.  Just guessing, I would say it is thicker than 
Epson ink - just a hunch though.  Furthermore, the spilled ink never 
seems to dry - it's just a big ole mess.

If the printer acts up on a day when I am in a really bad mood (like 
what has been happening lately alot), I may end up running a PCB 
through that damn thing just to see if it will work for our process.

I really don't know much more about that printer. It's big, it's 
expensive, it makes big messes, it annoys the heck out of me, but I 
need it for business.

The next time it "Leaks ink from the hose", I will try to scoop some 
up and put it on a PCB to test.  However, how would I cure the ink?  
What would I use for a UV light source for something like that?

Chris



--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "Myc Holmes" 
<mycroft2152y@...> wrote:
>
> I would think a UV cure system would be they way to go. You could 
even
> 'cure' the board outside the printer. Unless your are very 
careful, light
> 'spillage" in the printer will cure the ink on the head or glue 
the head to
> excess ink pad.
> 
> The high solids UV cure systems are used to reduce VOC (Volatile 
Organic
> compounds) emissions in industry to meet air quality standards. 
These still
> do have minor amounts of solvents and tend to be very viscous 
(thick).
> 
> Chris, have you ever looked at the ink used in the HP? how does it 
compare
> to the MIS  or Epson ink as far as viscosity (flow 
characteristics)? Is the
> inkjet head heated? What kind of cleaning cycle does it use?
> 
> So what is needed? Starting with an Epson piezo print head, you 
need a
> fluid  that has the same flow and drying characteristics as the 
pigment ink.
> That means, water based, small particle size, and 'slow' drying. 
Also it has
> to have the proper wetting out characteristics and adhesion to the 
prepared
> copper pcb, both before and after the cure step. Of course it has 
to be
> applied in a layer thick enough and durable to survive the etching 
bath.
> 
> Finally, it has to be KISS simple, inexpensive and easily 
available.
> 
> I've been thinking about this for quite a while, and the only 
possibility
> that I have been able to come up with, short of specially 
compounding, is
> the spray-on photo sensitizing liquid for pcbs. It has the proper 
after
> printer characteristics. the question is what needs to be done to 
get it
> through the EPSON print head successfully.
> 
> Up until just recently, I have not had an Epson printer to 
experiment with,
> only the Lexmarks's that use the vaporized droplet method. Since 
there are 6
> separate heads on the R220, I think a few could be sacrificed to 
try this.
> 
> Myc
> 
> 
> 
> On 7/25/06, Leon Heller <leon.heller@...> wrote:
> >
> >   ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "lcdpublishing" <lcdpublishing@... <lcdpublishing%
40yahoo.com>
> > >
> > To: <Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com <Homebrew_PCBs%
40yahoogroups.com>>
> > Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2006 1:12 PM
> > Subject: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: Epson R220 PCB printing Report #1
> >
> > >I would suspect that you would be better off finding/using a UV
> > > cured Ink. My large HP Printer (24" wide) uses UV cured ink but
> > > being a big and expensive printer, I have not yet had the 
courage to
> > > try and run a PCB through it.
> > >
> > > With that system, if I understand it correctly, the print head 
puts
> > > the ink on the paper, and next to the print head is a UV light
> > > source that cures it instantly.
> > >
> > > Some day I would like get the guts up to run a PCB through it, 
but
> > > that won't happen anytime soon I am afraid.
> >
> > That's how industrial ink jet printers work, for printing on all 
sorts of
> > materials, including PCBs.
> >
> > Leon
> >
> >  
> >
> 
> 
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>