Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Masking ink questions
I have Polymer (PVDF) sheets, coated with different kinds of thin
1-6 micrometer) metal layer. The metal layers are made of the following materials: Gold, Aluminum, Ag-Ink (a screen-printed paste, made of Ag mixed with some unknown binder. The binder is dissolved by Acetone). I want to etch patterns (small concentric circles and straight lines) on the metal layer. How can I do it, either by hand drawing with some masking ink, or do it more professionally with low cost laboratory equipment (for R&D small quantities). What kind of masking ink is available ? Sincerely,
- Ramat Hasharon, Israel
Avner:
Draw the figures in your pc printer or draw board. Copy them in a Xerox or similar high quality paper or acetate. Lay the X copy facedown the metal surface and gently heat the back with a suitable heat source (hair dryer
⇦ this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] might work). The X ink will be transferred to the metal creating a shield or mask. Then, use specific chemicals to dissolve each metal. This last part involves dangerous chemicals that have to be handled with extreme care.
Good luck.
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
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