Talk:Pledge: PCB Etch Tank

I definitely think it's worth going beyond the tray-and-bottle approach, but think it's worth considering the best way to proceed.

The tanks are quite nice kit, but fairly old technology. See the spray tanks from the same manufacturer for the latest and greatest. Also, the bubble etch is only part of the process - if you want a quality setup it's worth considering whether one of the multiple tank arrangements are worthwhile.

I'm not proposing a much bigger pledge requirement, but more of a wait-and-see approach. It's very easy to build a bubble etch tank, and it might be more interesting still to build a spray etcher.

Having said that, with the growing availability of chinese suppliers and their facilities (PTH etc), further used units may well turn up. Having some pledges ready for action in case something appears on ebay is probably pretty handy.

FWIW, I do own a three-tank system from Mega that I picked up cheaply (couldn't justify buying new). It's not too easy to transport but it might be worth doing a loan for a few weeks before you commit yourselves.

dsikar: I think it's worth buying some ready-made manufacturing equipment - as perhaps opposed to the vertical DIY approach. It would be good to free-up time, like not having to watch a PCB develop for 30-40mins. Ultimately, I'd like to get a CNC milling machine to "etch" PCBs - I've read this is the highest achievable resolution, compared to photographic or thermal-transfer methods.

• CNC milling methods are never going to be as good as lithography -- there's a reason they don't CNC mill silicon chips -- and any CNC system the Hackspace is ever going to have is going to have significant drawbacks compared to the traditional way of making PCBs. The best way to speed up PCB manufacture in the space is probably: a) a good laser printer and transparencies, and b) a set of proper etching tanks. Russ 00:13, 21 July 2010 (UTC)