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I have seen 0.035 mm copper foil. Until now I have used toner transfer method to etch my PCBs. If one could print on this foil directly it would be almost to good to be true. Any experience or thoughts on that matter?

con-f-use
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  • Any thoughts on how to bond the copper to a substrate after you print it? Whatever you use is going to have to survive etching and soldering. – Michael Kohne Jun 10 '11 at 15:27
  • Yes, you can print patterns on aluminum foil but it does not work the same with copper. Any ways to print directly on copper? –  May 01 '12 at 17:36

2 Answers2

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A laser printer uses patterns of static electricity to control where the toner sticks to the paper. So the media cannot be conductive. Copper will not work.

markrages
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    The way I understood it, the laser charges the rolls that transport the toner to the paper. The cargg is, what makes the toner stick to those roll threads. Correct? If the rolls were themselves conductive the toner would be everywhere on them. I don't doubt your statement (as I said to good to be true) but I don't see why the paper being conductive would matter. Once the rolls touch the paper, the toner is where it belongs. Or is the paper statically charged as well? – con-f-use Jun 09 '11 at 22:21
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    http://computer.howstuffworks.com/laser-printer2.htm The paper is charged by one wire and discharged by another. – markrages Jun 09 '11 at 22:27
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    on the other hand, AL-foil is reported to work: http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/Homebrew_PCBs/message/4287 – markrages Jun 09 '11 at 22:40
  • Makes sence. AL has a thin oxidation layer on top. That certainly changes its static-el properties. – con-f-use Jun 09 '11 at 22:46
  • 2nm oxide can only stop few V of electricity, so it does not play this role here. – BarsMonster Jun 10 '11 at 12:55
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    This is incorrect - The printer creates patterns of charge on a photosensitive drum (where the laser bit is). This patterned charge is passed near toner, which causes the toner to stick to the drum. A *homogeneous* charge is then used to transfer the toner *from the drum to the paper/media*. Therefore, the conductivity of the media should not really matter. – Connor Wolf Jun 11 '11 at 05:35
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    I can confirm through personal experience that you can in fact print on copper foil. The foil must be free of oil and grease (including fingerprints), however, or the toner will not stick. – Tristan Jul 07 '14 at 16:10
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Yes it should be possible. I personally printed on aluminium foil on my laser printer, copper should be no different.

You should be careful not to jam the foil - use piece of paper under the foil, and glue borders to it.

BarsMonster
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