PCB fabrication involves the use of a print device to be able to develop good quality artwork. Print devices that can be used are the following:
1. Manual Pen
It may not be the best option out there, but a manual pen can certainly be used to create low definition printed circuit boards or to do minor retouch on the artwork, such as closing pinholes. The pen to be used here should be a black permanent marker.
2. Dry Transfers
PCB fabrication may take time when dry transfers are used. Yet, this pricey technique enables the user to manually draw with an above average accuracy or to retouch the artwork a little.
3. Pen plotters
Really slow and tricky, pen plotters requires the use of pricey polyester drafting film. Never use a tracing paper for this since ink can just flow along the fibers. Special inks and ink pens with carved tips to obtain satisfactory outcomes. This print device needs regular cleaning as it clogs pretty quickly.
4. Inkjet printers
Because of its fairly cheap price, a lot of people just try to use it. However, ink jet printers may not yield a quality that is at par with laser printers. The major issue would be how to achieve black that is adequately unintelligible. Others use this print onto paper, which they will then photocopy onto a tracing paper using a high class copier.
5. Laser printers
Very reasonably priced, speedy and high quality, laser printers are easily the most all around print device option. It should have a minimum of 600 dpi resolution for all except for the most basic PCBs, since it entails doing work in multiples of 0.025 inch or 40 tracks per inch.
It is crucial that the printer generates an excellent solid black without the use of toner pinholes. For those who are thinking of purchasing a printer for PCB fabrication, perform some test prints first on tracing paper to determine its quality. Set the density control to ‘blackest’. Even the top laser printers do not typically cover huge areas well, but this is not often an issue provided that fine tracks are solid.
When working with drafting film or tracing paper, always employ a manual paper feed. Make sure the paper output path is set straight to maintain the flatness of the artwork and avoid jamming. For small printed circuit boards, keep in mind that it is very possible to save paper just by cutting the sheet in half.
Some of these print devices have bad dimensional precision, which might lead to further problems for huge PCBs. Yet, as long as the error is only linear, it could be helped by scaling the printout. Print accuracy will probably be an obvious concern when it leads to misalignment of the double-sided PCBs’ sides. This could generally be averted by watchfully arranging the plots to make sure the error is identical on the two layers.
To achieve the finest quality of the artwork, create a postscript file. Then, take it to a typesetting service that will then produce a film of it. This will most likely posses no less than 2400 dpi resolution, perfectly sharp and opaque black. The charge is normally on a per page basis, irrespective of area used. Hence, if numerous PCB copies can fit on one page, it will definitely cut costs.
This can also be a great way to accomplish an occasional huge PCB that does not fit the laser printer. Typeset artworks are up to scratch for PCB fabrication, but a lot of PCB houses these days only go for gerber data, since it is simpler to post-process.
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