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What is the Life span of etched PCB using Ferric Chloride

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  1. #1
    yusuf yusuf is offline

    What is the Life span of etched PCB using Ferric Chloride

    Hi friends..
    What is the Life span of etched PCB using Ferric Chloride.. I mean after etching process .. How many days will the copper track will work properly..
    Small help and effort can create an idiot " Hero "

  2. #2
    JimB JimB is offline
    How many days will the copper track will work properly.
    What a strange question!

    The quick answer is forever.

    This assumes of course that the etched circuit board is completely washed to remove all traces of ferric chloride.

    JimB
    0
    Experience is directly proportional to the value of the equipment ruined.

  3. Thread Starter #3
    yusuf yusuf is offline
    Thanks Jmib for your reply and help !

    But , If the copper clad has being etched with ferric chloride solution.. and it will last forever ..

    Then why the company's or industries doesn't uses it...
    Why their board are different from our's (Which has being etched)

    Is there are advantages and disadvantages of copper clad which has being etched by ferric chloride !

    and What is UV technology , I have heard that this technology is also using in etching...

    If this simple ferric chloride can accomplish all without any problem ; then Why these technology exists !
    0
    Small help and effort can create an idiot " Hero "

  4. #4
    JimB JimB is offline
    Have a look here to find lots of information about the manufacture of PCBs
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Printed_circuit_board

    But , If the copper clad has being etched with ferric chloride solution.. and it will last forever ..
    Then why the company's or industries doesn't uses it...
    Why their board are different from our's (Which has being etched)
    The world is not black and white, there are often many ways of doing something, each was has its own advantages and problems.
    Different companies chose a method which they think gives the best compromise for their situation.

    Is there are advantages and disadvantages of copper clad which has being etched by ferric chloride !
    I have no idea!

    and What is UV technology , I have heard that this technology is also using in etching...
    I have no idea!
    It sounds like a way of getting the required copper pattern onto the etch resist.

    If this simple ferric chloride can accomplish all without any problem ; then Why these technology exists !
    Like I said before:
    Different companies chose a method which they think gives the best compromise for their situation.

    JimB
    0
    Experience is directly proportional to the value of the equipment ruined.

  5. Thread Starter #5
    yusuf yusuf is offline
    Thanks JimB for your co-operations !
    As you are senior for me !
    Was pcb etching with ferric chloride was good and long lasting according to your life experience in etching pcb with ferric chloride...

    I respect seniors and obey their commands !
    0
    Small help and effort can create an idiot " Hero "

  6. #6
    DirtyLude DirtyLude is offline
    I have ferric chloride etched boards that are at least 10 years old now and don't show any signs of decay. If you want them to last, make sure they are very clean after etching. You can use some type of conformal coating to keep the copper from tarnishing. I don't know if it makes them last longer, but the ones I've used conformal coating on still look good and the ones I haven't are pretty tarnished.
    0
    Mark Higgins

  7. Thread Starter #7
    yusuf yusuf is offline
    You can use some type of conformal coating to keep the copper from tarnishing.
    What is conformal coating , friend ! And how do I implement on the PCB..
    0
    Small help and effort can create an idiot " Hero "

  8. #8
    jpanhalt jpanhalt is offline
    The original question is unclear, but one could interpret the question about whether there is any advantage to using ferric chloride as being related to the quality of the board produced, not its longevity.

    Undercutting is one of the major variables to consider in terms of quality. Of course, speed, cost, recycling, etc. are other considerations. ChemCut has published a study that focuses on undercutting and speed. Here is the link:

    http://www.electro-tech-online.com/c...dercut_Doc.pdf

    As for some of the other factors, here is a report from California. I searched to see what it had to say about ferric chloride, and it is not mentioned per se. One factor that is critical in commercial processes is the stability of tin/lead plating to the etchant. While ferric chloride gives low undercutting, it also affects such plating, which may explain why its use is not considered in this publication. Note the date on the CA publication is 1999. There may have been changes since then as use of lead has become much more restricted since.

    http://www.electro-tech-online.com/c...anufacture.pdf

    John
    0
    Last edited by jpanhalt; 24th January 2012 at 02:12 PM.

  9. #9
    JimB JimB is offline
    Was pcb etching with ferric chloride was good and long lasting according to your life experience in etching pcb with ferric chloride...
    Why do you think that a circuit board could be unreliable?
    What has put this idea into your head?
    As I said earlier, "What a strange question!"

    Just looking at the test equipment in my workshop, there is an oscilloscope, signal generator, spectrum analyser and tracking generator all made in the 1970s, they are getting on for 40 years old, admittedly some of them were the very best available at the time, but there are no problems with the circuit boards.
    Maybe a capacitor or transistor may fail now and again, but a circuit board trace - never.

    JimB
    0
    Experience is directly proportional to the value of the equipment ruined.

  10. #10
    shokjok shokjok is offline
    I have a homemade bike trailer taillight interface that I designed in 1987, etched with FeCl and still working to this day, even in sub-zero temps. The circuit has 14 components, all original, and operates from a garden tractor battery carried in the trailer. The PCB is larger than a credit card, easily serviced and has traces of tarnish nowhere near the green coppertop roofs of Canada's Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario.
    No photos of this interface exist, only the circuit. It fit inside a Micronta 270-212 plastic case ( from the former Radio Shack in Canada, nka Source by Circuit City).
    0

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