Making pcbs

I use blue laser print film with a laminate press for toner fusion.  If your design is two sided you need to make a couple registration holes.  I use CorelDraw for making my images as this gives me better control as it doesn't understand circuit boards.  This way for instance, I can drop footprints atop each other if I want to late-bind to the form-factor of the parts I want to use.  Scrub your board with fine steel wool.  Wear eye protection when etching.  I bought a commercial etch bath with an aerator for an agitator and a robust aquarium heater.  I use ferric chloride, I like that it isn't fast.  The stuff stains like crazy.  Sometimes, large ground planes craze with the blue film, so I back them up with a chisel-point sharpie and/or tape.

Be patient and experiment.  Sometimes you have to do range-of-parameter tests like in chemical photography.

I think the milling machines for circuit boards run about 5K.  They are up to doing multiple layers, nowadays.

I use blue laser print film with a laminate press for toner fusion.  If your design is two sided you need to make a couple registration holes.  I use CorelDraw for making my images as this gives me better control as it doesn't understand circuit boards.  This way for instance, I can drop footprints atop each other if I want to late-bind to the form-factor of the parts I want to use.  Scrub your board with fine steel wool.  Wear eye protection when etching.  I bought a commercial etch bath with an aerator for an agitator and a robust aquarium heater.  I use ferric chloride, I like that it isn't fast.  The stuff stains like crazy.  Sometimes, large ground planes craze with the blue film, so I back them up with a chisel-point sharpie and/or tape.

Be patient and experiment.  Sometimes you have to do range-of-parameter tests like in chemical photography.

I think the milling machines for circuit boards run about 5K.  They are up to doing multiple layers, nowadays.

Thanks Don,

Can you put a name and product number to the blue film?  I have seen an ad for a green film called Pulsar Green TRF Foil   I was thinking of trying it and a toner transfer paper they sell if someone thought it was good to try or is it not worth the trouble.  I am yet to find anyone.  We have seen a product sold at one of the Australian electronic stores but it is $35 for 5 sheets. It is called Press 'n' Peel and looks similar to the product in Fran Blanche's PCB video on youtube. It may go under a different name in the US, Europe or UK.  Any good and if so, can you get it cheaper?

5K is a bit out of my price range - at least this year at any rate.  The hackerspace I visited have a DIY mill.  Any one on this thread done this? Any luck?  A chemical free way would be nice.

Regards

Terry