Homebrew PCBs

Janes,
The UV laser has been done -- check back in the archives Zoltan built a system basically replacing the print head with a UV laser diode and raster scanning the board. It was a little slow but had stunning resolution and chrispness in the image.  It's on my project list, just not near the top.

Craig

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "James" <jamesrsweet@...> wrote:
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> 
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> --- 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.
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