Circuit Design Part 5 : Etching process

 

 Ferric Chloride

The basic principle of etching any metal is to apply a substance to the surface of the metal which will rOne of the most discouraging things about making a hardware project (apart from obtaining all of the components) is building the printed circuit board - PCB.  It is sometimes possible to use strip board or some other pre-fabricated board but more often than not the circuit complexity and performance requires a proper PCB to be made.  The good news is that due to improvements in printing and processing technologies it is now relatively easy to make inexpensive high quality PCB's at home.Making PCB's requires the use of Ferric Chloride (FeCI3) which is corrosive so avoid skin and eye contactesist the bite of the etching solution. This substance is called resist. Once the resist is applied, all you have to do is submerge the piece in the etching solution and wait for it to etch.

Etching Steps

1. Dilute the concentrated Ferric Chloride fluid with water and pour into the
       container.
2. Place a sheet of news paper on a flat surface and put the trays on it's.
3. Put the PCB copper side up into Ferric Chloride.
4. Hold the PCB board with metal holder.
5. Gently rock the top tray to keep the etch fluid moving avoiding spillage.
6. After about 15mins all of the unwanted Copper should have disappeared.
7. Remove the board and drop it into a bucket of cold water to clean off. 

 The final touch.