Homebrew PCBs

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, DJ Delorie <dj@...> wrote:
>
> 
> Is it time for someone to purpose-design a direct-to-pcb printer?
> Probably way too expensive to consider, but still...
> 
> Maybe something that laminates UV film on, and has a linear array of
> high power UV LEDs to expose the film as it's being laminated, on both
> sides...  Include an infeed tray with registration pins for pre-drilled
> PCBs...  pre-drill, drop on pins, press button, when pcb comes out the
> other side you wait 15 minutes, peel off the outer protective film, and
> develop.  Maybe it could laminate (or just use a sticky-backed film) on
> a UV-opaque film over the UV film after exposure, so you don't even need
> a darkroom :-) Add a tiny inkjet head on the way out to print timestamp
> and job information, and you're done!
> 
> ok, blue-skying over :-)
>

I suspect it will be difficult to come up with something that will be affordable yet offer decent performance.

I'm intrigued at the thought of a laser photoplotter that would cure UV resist. Either an X-Y plotter table with a 405nm laser in place of a pen, or a scanner assembly from a laser printer with a feeder to run the board through.

Really though I've got the laser printer toner transfer process pretty well dialed in, and for any time I want more than one board and don't mind waiting, Seeed Studio is ridiculously cheap so it's easier to just send off for a batch after I've etched a prototype at home.