Homebrew PCBs

Hi,

i've read some time ago an article about o guy using a matrix printer
to puncture some sort of foil in order to use it as a masking stencil
for making soldermasks on pcb. I tryed to find that page again, with
no result. Does anyone knows about this ? I'm starting to experiment
with this... but i'd like to have something to start from...

thanx,
Mihai

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "mihai_hagianu" <mihai_hagianu@y...> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> Hi,
> 
> i've read some time ago an article about o guy using a matrix printer
> to puncture some sort of foil in order to use it as a masking stencil
> for making soldermasks on pcb. I tryed to find that page again, with
> no result. Does anyone knows about this ? I'm starting to experiment
> with this... but i'd like to have something to start from...
> 
> thanx,
> Mihai
There was an early dot matrix technology that used carbon coated
paper coated with metal. They used an arc to vaporize the metal
exposing black print on silver surface.
I think it might be difficult to actually punch thru metal without
leaving some metal sticking out the back.
mike

I know the stuff you are talking about. It is a low resolution
screenprinting stuff that is meant to be used in a process using a BW
print and an IR lamp, but it just happens to work in a dot matrix
printer as the coating on the screen is pulverized by the hammers.

However: it is very low res. The dot matrix method is being used by
tattoo artists to make stencils. Screenprinters don't use them because
it uses a very rough screen, something like 80 count I think.

Steve Greenfield

--- In Homebrew_PCBs@yahoogroups.com, "mihai_hagianu"
<mihai_hagianu@y...> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> i've read some time ago an article about o guy using a matrix printer
> to puncture some sort of foil in order to use it as a masking stencil
> for making soldermasks on pcb. I tryed to find that page again, with
> no result. Does anyone knows about this ? I'm starting to experiment
> with this... but i'd like to have something to start from...
> 
> thanx,
> Mihai