Wet process layout2/18/2024 Plasma (dry) etching acts like a plasma lamp when etching away the unwanted copper on your PCB Applications of Dry Etching The amount of material alone in a production level wet etch will surpass that of the dry method, along with floor space required for bathing, proper training and education of your workers, as well as governmental permits required for disposal. If you are in need of a higher quantity production, further considerations should be made accordingly. Using the household materials as listed above is obviously a cleaner set up, however, using the industry standard cupric chloride will involve some forethought on proper handling and disposal of the etching solution as it is terribly harmful to the environment (especially with all that dissolved copper floating around in it). This method, of course, is rather messy and does require some knowledge of the chemicals and process involved as you will literally be soaking your circuit board for a short amount of time. If you are in a crunch for time and can’t wait for the fab house to get you a prototype board out, you will certainly be able to procure your own etched circuit board within a day or so. One advantage of using the wet method is that it is relatively simple to perform and is ideal for one-off DIY designs. Other, more robust applications involve the use of more ‘potent’ chemicals such as cupric chloride (copper chloride) or ferric chloride (iron chloride). The materials involved can range from simple household items such as the use of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and salt. If you perform a quick search of the term ‘PCB wet etching’, you’ll find a plethora of DIY videos and instructions on how to etch your own circuit board with simple, easy to attain items. Knowing which etching choice is best for your PCB can be a difficult decision. Of course, knowing which is right depends on your application. This process involves the use of a chamber filled with a positively charged gaseous solution that essentially eats away the unwanted copper material leaving behind a similar looking path to that created by the aforementioned wet method. The other, slightly newer method of etching is known as dry, or plasma etching. This involves the use of chemicals for your etching solution. The board essentially bathes in which chemically removes a specified area of the original copper plate leaving behind your predefined copper paths (once cleaned). The first and most widely understood method of etching is wet etching. There are two main schools of application when it comes to PCB etching. Is this simply a one and done PCB? Is time a factor in your decision? What about environmental impacts to larger production runs? How tightly packed and complex is your design? The style that you choose, however, could depend on many factors involved. There are various styles of PCB etching that can occur in order to achieve similar results. Whether it is a simple prototype or a full-blown manufacturing batch, your board’s connection paths will need to be precisely defined and laid out so that your components will be able to successfully communicate with one another. Know the Process Options: What PCB Etching Solution is Available?Įtching your PCB is a mandatory step for any sort of PCB production. Having this knowledge will allow you to have a smoother transition to production. But as my experience grew, I was put into positions which required me to have more of a direct understanding of production and manufacturing processes. When I was just getting started in design, I had very little idea about etching and how it worked. It does make sense, though, that I’ve worked in positions that make me recognize the PCB etching process. Now, we don’t have to worry about etching mistakes so much with more intuitive dungeon-layout logic in games and, more generally, the availability of phone and computer screens. One time, I spent hours in a dungeon only to realize that I’d done it all wrong because of a mistake in my process and had to backtrack to understand exactly where I messed up. If I sneezed once in my tracing process or the screen moved or I was called away mid-tracing, my map would be restarted. The Zelda games specifically would always leave me with a notebook full of maps and, on the more challenging dungeons, color-coded warnings. When I was much younger, I used to look up maps to video game levels online and put a sheet of tracing paper up against the screen to copy them down. I have always been a very visually-oriented thinker.
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