Continue to Site

Welcome to our site!

Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

  • Welcome to our site! Electro Tech is an online community (with over 170,000 members) who enjoy talking about and building electronic circuits, projects and gadgets. To participate you need to register. Registration is free. Click here to register now.

Laser Etching/Ablating

Status
Not open for further replies.

adaminc

New Member
Anyone here ever use a laser etching machine (or laser diode) to either etch the copper off the surface, or ablate a coating?

I saw some videos of ablation a few years ago and never really heard much about it after that.

Just wondering if anyone here has ever done, or heard more about it. I was thinking of building a rig to try it out, but I'm afraid of burning my eyes out, lol.
 
You'll need to use a high-power (30-50W+) Nd:YAG laser @ 1064 nm to do this as the wavelength is more suitable for etching metal. I've tried it with a Universal Laser Systems ULS25 engraver (30W CO2 @ 10,600 nm) and it didn't even leave a mark. My concern would be that the laser won't stop at the metal, it will go right through the FR4 substrate, leaving a conductive carbonized (burnt) path as it does.
Jeff
 
sound interesting :)
if you use some kind of photo resist material on coper board then even Class I laser will leave traces on coper board .
 
@HATHA

That is what I meant by Ablating, versus just etching the copper right off. I have seen a video where they ablate black matte spray paint off the surface using a professional etching machine.
 
I think the "paint removal" technique would work rather well, but the folks I know who have the engraving machine don't seem to want to experiment too awful much. :mad:
They've actually made me want to go buy a couple of my own engravers and put them out of business ...

Jeff
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest threads

New Articles From Microcontroller Tips

Back
Top