Custom PCB Prototyping using a Laser Cutter

Step 5 Cut boards and etch

It is really your choice to cut the boards first or etch the entire board and then cut it afterwards.  I feel that you need less solution and a require a smaller container if you cut the boards first, and then etch afterwards. With Radioshack's Etchant Solution (Ferric Chloride), you only need to use a little more than enough to cover the boards entirely. Once the boards are submerged you need to "agitate" them for about 20 - 30 minutes.  "Agitate" really just means move around -- I simply lifted and dropped one end of the container every 10 - 20 seconds.  Nothing rough, just a slow wash.  After about 5 - 7 minutes you will begin seeing the orange copper disappear and the yellow color of the fiberglass underneath start to come through.  By the 30 minute mark there should be no more orange copper, only black lines on yellow.  You are done.  As the bottle says, flush the excess solution, and rinse the boards with water in a sink.  The solution will stain, so be careful.  It will also smell of a bizarre and unpleasant musk.  This is normal if you use ferric chloride.

Comments

[mattve]

did you used the laser to cut the boards as well, or a different method?