PCB printers

We've all known that a printed circuit board(PCB) is a type of circuit board designed by electronics manufacturers to build complex wiring and circuitry on an organized piece of insulated subtrate such as polymers and plastics.

PCBs have reduced the need of wiring electronic components together to form circuits.

Now in the electronics industry today,

components are connected to one another on a flat subtrate.

PCBs are made up of a conductive material etched out on the surface of an insulating base.

What are PCB printers?

PCB printers are CNC (computerised Numerical Control) machines that uses conductive inks to form circuits on an insulating base, or  use to engrave out circuits from a sheets of metal on a insulting base.

The essential concept of a PCB printer is that, it forms lines of conductive material on a non-conductive board, we can create a complex electrical system on a surface using minimal space in less time.

Printed circuit board printer is use for making PCB prototypes and testing before moving into the industrial phase. It is portable an can be put on an office desk or on your workbench.

Several layers of circuits can then be printed on top of each other to create even more elaborate schemes. Due to their efficiency and affordable batch production cost, PCBs are used in all modern electronic devices, from our home computers to the most advanced pieces of lab equipment. 

The applications for this technology are limitless and they can be used in countless DIY projects. That said, having a custom PCB made can be costly and time-consuming, especially for a hobbyist, even if you do it yourself at home. It’s for this reason that some are trying to use their 3D printers to replicate the same incredible technology or turning to specialized PCB 3D printers.

How do PCB printers works?

The PCB printers are capable of making PCBs without the need for engraving. They achieve this by squirting a particular type of ink called conductive ink on a flat and hard surface. Printers that can easily print electronic circuits rather than circuit boards are under development as well. You will be glad to know that work is now in progress. This effort will help us print a simple four-bit microcontroller on cardboard directly. Creating smart clothes and intelligent packaging is the goal here. Nowadays, you may think why you will ever need a four-bit processor, but keep in mind that in 1971, it was a great innovation, which held fighter planes safely in the air. It was the time when Intel had launched their famous 4004 four-bit powerhouses.  

At this moment there are no special programs designed basically for designing PCBs to be 3D printed. Our advice is to use whatever modeling software you’re most comfortable with, whether it’s a simpler tool like Tinkercad or something more sophisticated like Fusion 360. That said, using a program that’s capable of modeling multiple materials will likely make your life a lot easier.