Design and Development of Smart Industrial Chemical Etching Setup for PCB Manufacturing

Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are important elements in practically all modern electrical appliances, and the demand for high-quality, precisely made PCBs has increased substantially with modern advances in technology. This research paper presents the design and implementation of an innovative etching system aimed at reducing wattage consumption in PCB manufacturing. The system incorporates PTC heaters, known for their self-regulating temperature control and energy efficiency. The design of the PTC heaters is detailed, and their performance is rigorously tested against that of conventional resistors. Power consumption comparisons reveal that PTC heaters consume significantly less energy, initially operating at 440 watts and decreasing further after reaching the desired temperature, whereas conventional resistors continuously consume approximately 1200 watts. Sample PCBs were manufactured using both PTC heaters and ordinary resistors, with the line widths measured and compared. The experimental results show that PTC heaters provide more consistent and precise etching due to their stable temperature maintenance, resulting in uniform PCB lines. In contrast, ordinary resistors exhibit larger temperature fluctuations, leading to variable line widths. The significance of adopting PTC heaters in the etching system and its cost comparison is discussed.