Homebrew PCBs

I have long thought it should be possible to use lithographic methods to 
do what you want and more. Lithography works by putting a substance the 
repels water & attracts oil on a surface that attracts water making it 
repel oil. Toner from copiers is natural for it and I think some water 
proof ink jet inks may be too.

The system can be enhanced and modified by the chemistry of solutions 
you develop or rub up the image with. In the case of a ink jet print an 
emulsion that the oily or oil attracting component bound to ink and a 
gum component such a gum arabic stuck to the un-inked paper. The then 
paper is lightly rubbed with a damp sponge with water and maybe some 
chemicals added then a roller with an oily printers ink put on it. The 
ink can be offset to another surface that oil will stick to and used as 
a resist or mask for plating.

Forty years ago I ran a printing press that used a Xerox made paper 
printing plate that was good for about a 1,000 copies. The principles no 
different here. I doubt it is worth the effort as the direct transfer 
works so well.

Gordon Couger


Surf Thenet wrote:
>
> Has anyone ever tried to make a printed circuit board by printing a 
> reverse
> image onto a sheet of aluminium foil [with an ink jet printer], then 
> plating
> copper onto the exposed trace? This sheet would be epoxied [copper side
> down] onto a thin fiber glass board, allowed to set and then caustic soda
> would eat the aluminium away leaving the copper trace behind.
>
> Sound feasible? See any obvious problems with the approach?
>
> Surf
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>