I am thinking of trying "Press 'n Peel" film with the idea it would
be more reliable than the homemade toner release papers, etc.
Can anyone who has used it, please report their good or bad
experiences?
Any hints to obtain better results?
Or is it not significantly better than the type of process described
here:
http://gilmore2.chem.northwestern.edu/projects/garbz2_prj.php
I've used it but not recently, having become a convert to the low cost
commercial board services.
PnP is nice in that it eliminates the "soak and scrub" steps required of
methods that use inkjet photo paper, glossy magazine pages, or the paper
sold directly as toner transfer paper. Once the PnP has fused with the
PCB blank, just let it cool and peel off the backing.
Surface prep is critical. The blank must be completely cleaned of oxides
and contaminants, like fingerprints. And cat hair...
The toner is also critical. Some laser printer toners just don't
transfer well while others are easy. Refilled cartridges may also be
chancier. If the board is clean but the toner doesn't transfer then you
may need to use another printer/copier. I'd imagine that you can get an
idea of how well your toner will transfer by just printing any image or
text onto a transfer-friendly paper (a glossy, clay coated magazine
page) and trying to fuse it onto a cleaned blank.
One thing to consider is moving to 31 mil (1/32") blanks instead of the
more common 62 mil (1/16"). Home-brew boards are usually small enough
that the mechanical strength of thicker boards is offset by the ease of
cutting (regular scissors will work, no scoring or grinding required)
and the reduction in dust the from holes.
If you DO move to 31 mil, then you may want to think about using a
laminating machine as the fuser instead of a hot clothes iron. The stack
height of a 31 mil board, plus the PnP and a backing sheet will often be
within the capacity of a laminator. It may take a couple of passes but
you'll be using a consistent pressure and heat with each run.
