Re: Re: Plotters for application of Etch resist

Raynor Johnston wrote:

> From: "Raynor Johnston" <rhj-rbj@...>
>
> A little bit maybe off subject for this list but will try it anyway...
> A number of people have over the years been experimenting by replacing
> plotter pens with other pens (steadler lumocolor in particular), etch resist
> pens, or simply putting etch ink into plotter pen bodies all in order to
> apply artwork direct to metal substrates loaded onto plotter tables.
> I have found an Australian fellow who is still doing it with a custom made
> plotter he fabricated using hardware from other plotters.
> My questions...has anyone on the list any recent experience of this activity
> and what pens/inks/plotters etc they are using successfully.
> What metals have they successfully worked on.
> What etchants did they employ.

Yeesh, what a way to drive yourself nuts! It just isn't worth the hassle!
I use photographic techniques to do this. The direct ink on copper is
VERY tough to get right, and the ink is always drying up in the pen.
For small 2-sided boards, and for larger 1-side ones, you can use a
laser printer output, and either contact print the paper output onto high-
contrast film, or make the laser print directly onto transparency film, and
then contact print that onto th dry-film resist made by DuPont, under the
Riston label. You can get the boards pre-sensitized with this stuff, or
you can laminate the resist yourself. The limitation with laser printers is
that the registration of 2-sided artwork will not be good enough for
most components with boards much larger that 3" square.

I made my own laser raster photoplotter for this purpose, but I wouldn't
suggest anyone else do this unless you are planning to make a lot of boards.

Jon