Where to buy PCB Supplies? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: lopezje29
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 17, 2017, 11:33:06 pm
content: Hi, I'd like to manufacture my own PCBs with a good quality. I'd lioke to know where can I buy the supplies for PCB manufacturing:- FR4 copper board- LPI solder mask- silkscreen- Chemicals for the precessThanks for your answers

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2017, 02:02:19 am
content: FR4 - eBay, Aliexpress, Taobao, plenty of sellers.LPI - eBay, but you will also realistically need air compressor paint spray gun, and oven for pre-curing if you want "good quality". Even if you don't want "good quality" you are fighting an uphill battle to use this stuff on anything more than a few cm square. You are better to use dry film soldermask, this is not the same as dry film etch resist. Search Dynamask on eBay, it's about all you can get.Silkscreen - Pulsar White TRF (Toner Reactive Foil) is probably the simplest, otherwise use white LPI with an actual silkscreenChemicals - Hydrochloric Acid (aka Muriatic Acid, Spirit of Salts) probably from your local hardware shop, Hydrogen Peroxide probably from your local pharmacy in Mexico, Sodium Carbonate/Percabonate for developing of dry film from your local grocery store (washing powder). More traditional etching products such as Ferric Chloride available on eBay delivered as dry powder I would expect.Now to rain on the parade, etching your own PCBs is fine, good, do it all the time, but when you start looking to have soldermask and silkscreen, forget about it unless you want to do so on an industrial scale (become a PCB factory), just pay your $10 or 20 USD and have the boards made and shipped to you from China.

author: hermit
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2017, 02:31:57 am
content: Lots of info in this thread. It goes off track on the chemicals but is useful if you know how to filter.here

author: lopezje29
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 18, 2017, 06:06:56 am
content: thanks for your answers!!!

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2017, 06:37:04 am
content: What do You want to achieve?

author: M4trix
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 18, 2017, 09:08:34 pm
content: @lopezje29,regarding the LPI inks. If you want to do some serious business, you can find all inks here -->https://www.peters.de/en/products/elpepcb-printed-circuit-coatings. I recommend SD-2467-SM-GG solder mask and SD-2698 white marking ink. You can request samples for each ink. Of course, it requires to use some basic tools like screen printing frame with a mesh (90-100 threads/cm2), frame holder, squeegee and some chemicals/solvents for washing those tools. Or... just make it simple by using dry film photoresist and dry film solder masks ( Dynamask 5000 ) as @sleemanj suggested. Forget about those UV curable inks over the ebay. They are useless.Here is some russian guy explaining how to use LPI inks for DIY ( blanket method ). The manufacturers are basically doing the same thing. -->

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 19, 2017, 07:18:24 pm
content: In the US, I buy Riston dry film etch resist from Think N Tinker. It works VERY well.Jon

author: VIKI_C
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 07, 2017, 07:43:42 am
content: Hi. PCB prototype and PCB assembly need to find a professional supplier. I knew Hua Wei also buy from them. *REMOEVD*

author: rob77
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2017, 09:23:01 am
content: i'm using dry film photoresist (riston) and dry film soldermask (dynamask). i buy my suplies from a local shop but seems these guyshttp://www.pcb-diy.com/have the very same suplies.the cheap UV curable inks from ebay works also but it's pretty freaking hard to work with those and it's hard to reproduce finer details.don't know where to get chemicals in your country but in my country (part of the EU) i can buy chemicals in special chemistry stores, but have to be registered (e.g. provide all your details , ID, etc..).good news is that for the dry film process you need only 3 chemicals you can buy virtually anywhere..to develop photoresist and soldermask you need Sodium Carbonate Na2CO3 - you can buy washing soda - it's usually 98%+ pure sodium carbonate.to remove photoresist after etching you need Sodium hydroxide NaOH - you can get that in 98%+ purity as drain cleaner (at least over here)if something goes wrong during lamination of the dry film to your board you need acetone (not a paint thinner) to remove the wrinkled soldermask - you can buy acetone in any store selling paint.on top of those 3 you'll need something to etch the copper, personally i use Ferric chloride - it works the best for me.