Transfer to Copper Clad - cut before or after

[PhiloB]

I'm printing off images to transfer to copper clad tomorrow.  Do you transfer multiple images to one large piece of clad and then etch leaving the cutting of the board to last?
Or, do you cut the board and transfer individually and then etch multiple pieces.
Are their other options?  I've always cut the clad first.  But given the number of boards, I thought it might save time to transfer all at once. 

[Stomptown]

Hopefully Haberdasher can chime in on this one!

What I can say from personal experience is that larger areas are more difficult to transfer. That being said, most my experience is with enclosure etching. It is always easier to do small enclosures and more difficult to do larger ones. That being said, if you find a method that produces good results, I would think it would be easier to do it before you cut...

[davent]

I usually do a number of boards to a single piece then cut them up later. Granted i do photoboards and teh total area of board needed is not very big.

[PhiloB]

Thanks guys, any other experiences?  Part of me is concerned about damaging traces when cutting.  Is this unfounded?

[rullywowr]

I cut enough so it fits in my etching container. If it's a lot of small boards I cut after I etch and drill as it's easier to handle. Cutting after is not a problem. I use a wet tile saw but a knife or hacksaw works fine too. I highly recommend using MG Chemicals "Liquid Tin" after as this will put a nice silver tin coat on your board. The board will be less prone to oxidation as time goes on.

[davent]

I've found with the Liquid Tin that if i partial populate a board, lose it for a while/weeks, not unusual, it becomes really difficult to solder, oxidized. I now just spray a light coat of lacquer sealing the etched copper side and never any problems after any length of time to just solder through the lacquer coat.

dave

[Haberdasher]

i make a photoshop doc the size of my piece of copper clad.  then i take my circuit images and usually arrange them in columns or rows with one edge lined up perfectly.  it takes me a couple minutes to rotate them & move them around to get the best fit.  that way at least i know that everything i'm trying to do will fit.  then i usually cut the board into strips the same size as my rows (with a spare mm on either side) and transfer.  i find i normally get better results when doing strips than whole planks, and this way there's less cutting afterwards.  then after etching i cut the strips into single pcb's.
whether or not you will damage the pcb's probably just depends on how you are cutting them and how much space you leave between the circuits.  trial & error, man.  trial & error.

[PhiloB]

Thanks Haberdasher! Makes sense.  I think I'll give that a shot!

[Haberdasher]

i forgot to say doing it like that allows me to avoid having to make a lot of inside corner cuts, which is where you can really make some mistakes.  of course if you have a wet tile saw like rully, then go nuts.  you can probably make yourself a little jigsaw puzzle if you want.

[flanagan0718]

I just did a few of my first etches this weekend, I cut the board first. Of course they were my first and I though I was only going to do one. 4 boards later I realized it would have been easier to put them all on one board, etch, then cut. Oh well, lesson learned.

[atreidesheir]

I etch with a sponge with etchant on it.  This method is better when you cut first.

[rullywowr]

I just did a few of my first etches this weekend, I cut the board first. Of course they were my first and I though I was only going to do one. 4 boards later I realized it would have been easier to put them all on one board, etch, then cut. Oh well, lesson learned.

This. Especially if the etch doesn't come out good you don't have to cut. Also it is easier to handle larger pieces when drilling the holes.