How do you etch a PCB at home without ferric chloride?

How do you etch a PCB at home without ferric chloride?

The short version is:

1. Equal parts vinegar and peroxide.
2. A small heap of salt.
3. Your masked copper board/soon-to-be PCB.
4. Optionally, a little heat to speed things up.

How do I make an etching solution at home?

Mix two-parts of diluted hydrogen peroxide with one-part muriatic acid. There you are, done! The hydrogen peroxide acts as an oxidizer allowing the acid to eat away the copper. Place your board to be etched in your new solution and watch it go!

Which solution is used for PCB etching?

Currently used for print circuit board etching of solvents are iron (Ferric Chloride), cupric chloride (Cupric Chloride), alkaline ammonia (Alkaline Ammonia), sulfuric acid hydrogen peroxide (Sulfuric Acid + Hydrogen Peroxide) etching fluid, ammonium persulfate, sulfuric acid – chromic acid etching solution.

What chemicals are needed to etch PCB?

At one time or another, PCB manufacturing processes use solvents such as ferric chloride, cupric chloride, ammoniacal etchant, sulfuric acid + hydrogen peroxide, sulphuric and chromic acid, cupric chloride, alkaline etching, and copper ammonia complex ion as etching fluids.

How do you etch a PCB at home?

Dissolve 2-3 teaspoons of ferric chloride power in the water. Dip the PCB into the etching solution (Ferric chloride solution, FeCl3) for approximately 30 mins. The FeCl3 reacts with the unmasked copper and removes the unwanted copper from the PCB. This process is called Etching.

Can stainless steel be acid etched?

The process of acid etching works equally well on the surface of stainless steel plates, profiles and sheets and other metals such as aluminium and brass are also suitable for acid etching.

How do you etch a PCB?

How to Etch a PCB

1. Step 1: Design.
2. Step 2: Print Out the Design Onto the Shiny Side of the Transfer Paper.
3. Step 3: Sand the Copper Plate So There Is a Rough Surface for the Design to Stick to When Transfered.
4. Step 4: Wash the Copper With Some Water and Rubbing Alcohol and Let It Dry.

How do you make acid etching?

Choose the acid you want to etch the steel with.

1. Ferric chloride is normally mixed with water in equal parts to form hydrochloric acid in solution.
2. Copper sulfate is better suited to etching mild steels than stainless steel.
3. Nitric acid is commonly mixed in a ratio of 1 part nitric acid to 3 parts water.

What metals can be etched?

What metals can be etched?

• Steel and stainless steels →
• Nickel and nickel alloys →
• Copper and copper alloys →
• Aluminium →
• Titanium and titanium alloys →
• Other specialist metals including molybdenum and polyimide metallised film →

What is PCB etching?

Etching is the process of material being removed from material’s surface. The etching process is one of the major steps in the final processing of printed circuit boards (PCBs). This process removes excess copper so as to reveal the desired circuit patterns.

What metals can be acid etched?

The most popular metals for DIY metal etching are copper, brass, and nickel silver. Though zinc and even iron have historically been popular. The first known acid etched image was done on an iron plate in 1510 by Daniel Hopfer.