Homebrew PCBs

On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 21:28:46 +0200, herby1620 <herby1620@...> wrote:

> A couple of questions:
> 1)  How well do the laser transfer methods work?  I'm assuming that
> one takes the transfer and makes it work on a PC board with an iron
> (or some heat source with pressure).
> 2)  If I can get a color laser printer, would I get color transfered
> as well?
> 3)  Quality?  Would it look "reasonable" for the task?
> 4)  Durability?  I was thinking of coating the whole thing with some
> clear spray to make it last.
> 5)  Am I making any sense?  Is this idea a whole waste of time and I
> should look to something else?


I made a very small aluminum plate once with my initials on it (to replace  
the company plaque on a meter case i used for something else) to test the  
viability of TT for front panels.
It worked just like on PCB.

I also made a house-number and name sign for putting on the front gate, to  
make it easier for the various delivery services. I used PCB material for  
that, but it was recently destroied by a not-so-skilled driver and i will  
have to make a new one. I plan to try inkjet printing on formica sheet  
this time.


So as long as your material is compatible to the heat needed for  
transfers, and flat if you plan to use a fuser/laminator, it will probably  
work just fine. You should use silicone paper so that you get a nice shiny  
surface with no paper residue. A laquer coat is a very good idea. I used  
water based acrylic for the house sign and it did well outside, well,  
before it was broken.

There is also something called "water slide paper" that is basically toner  
transfer with an intermediate step that allows application to a surface  
which is not heat resistant.

ST