Prototyping Center

Developing your Board

Frequently asked questions about developing

Q. When I put the board in the developer, why does all of the resist come off?
A. You have not diluted the developer enough. We sell our developer in concentrated form, and you have to dilute it with water to at least 1 - 10. It is better to mix your developer weaker, and take a little longer to develope your board, than to mix it too strong and remove resist that you didn't want to remove.

Q. When I put the board in the developer, why does the resist come off very slowly, or not at all?
A. You have not exposed your board enough. In the past we published instructions which recomended a three minute exposure time, but that is generally not long enough. Expose your board for at least 5 minutes. Over-exposing is better than under-exposing as long as your artwork is at least 600 dpi, the printed side is down, and you have it weighted down.

Q. Why does nothing happen when I put the board in the ferric chloride?
A. There are a few possible reasons:

  • The ferric chloride may be spent
  • You have not completely removed all of the resist, or
  • You are not using enough ferric chloride.
If you leave even a thin film of resist on the board, it will be enough to stop the etching process. You have either not exposed your board sufficiently before developing it, or you have not left it in the developer long enough. If you have only barely submerged your board in ferric chloride, you will not see results very fast. For quick etching, use lots of ferric chloride, heat to 50°C, and airate your etchant tank with bubbles.

Q. When is the developing stage finished?
A. The board is finished developing when the resist remaining on your boards looks exactly like the circuit you are trying to make. Be sure that the resist has been completely removed from all of the copper you wish to etch away, even a thin film of resist will stop the process. Take your board out of the developer and rinse it to judge if it is ready. Sometimes the developer will turn green and give the illusion that there is still resist on the board when actually there is not. Do not over develope your board becase it will eventually remove all of the resist. It is better to mix a weaker developing solution than than a stronger one. It will take you longer to develope, but you have a better chance of not over developing your board.

Q. How do I dispose of the developer when I am done with it?
A. Dispose of this chemicals in accordance with local environmental regulations. We reccomend that you store the used chemicals in a plastic drum until you have a significant quantity and then call your local waste management company for pick-up. See Look under "Waste Reduction & Disposal" in your local yellow pages.


Photofabrication Process

Obtain Exposure and Photofabrication Kits Peel back protective backing off of presensitized copper clad board Place artwork on board Place acrylic weight on artwork and board Expose 5 min. with Exposure Kit Mix Developer 10:1 with water Brush developer over board (1 - 2 min) Rinse Etch with Ferric Chloride (4 - 5 min) Rinse








Quick Links
MSDS Listing
Material Safety Data Sheets

Products used for developing:

Photofabrication Kit
Developer
Replacement foam brush


Downloads Page

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