instructables

How to Make a Flexible Printed Circuit Board

by Parzivalis

A few months ago I started developing my own bio-impedance measurement system and I planned to use a exible
printed circuit board as a sensor. Since I haven't used this type of board before, I started looking for a manufacturer
specializing in exible PCBs. I found that I can order one from PCBWay.com but to my surprise, the automatically
calculated price was way too expensive (111.98$ for the board used in this instructable).
For a minute I thought that maybe I can make a exible PCB by myself so I started to surf the internet on how to make a
exible PCB at home. I found that many people use a material called "Pyralux". Unfortunately, I couldn't nd this material
in my country and I didn't want to order it from China, since the delivery will take another 6 weeks. So the only way to go
was to create something new from materials that are easily accessible to everybody. Ladies and gentlemen buckle up
your seatbelts and get ready to jump into this instructable on how to make your own exible printed circuit board!
Supplies:

1. Laser printer
2. White A4 paper
3. Glossy magazine paper
4. Transparent sheet (200 microns thickness)
5. 1200 grit sandpaper
6. Copper tape (50mm wide)
7. Kapton tape (50mm wide)
8. Paper tape
9. Scissors
10. Pencil
11. Cotton ear picks
12. Protective gloves
13. Plastic container
14. Micro ber towel
15. Acetone-free nail polish remover
16. Ferric chloride etchant
17. Nail polish remover with 75% acetone
18. Spray bottle with water

All these supplies you should be able to nd easily at your local stores. For example, I got a transparent sheet at a local
o ce supply store for only 0,29€ also I got 1 metter of copper tape at a local electronics component store for 1,30€. The
most expensive material was a good quality Kapton tape which cost around 14,59€ at a local electronics component
store. I recommend using only a good quality Kapton tape because the cheap one will deform from heat when you will
solder.
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Step 1: Creating Flexible Printed Circuit Board Layout

Before you start designing your PCB, it’s a good idea to make a schematic of your circuit. The schematic will serve as a
blueprint for laying out the traces and placing the components on the PCB. Most of the time I work with Altium Designer,
but when I'm in a rush, I use EasyEDA because of its simplicity. If you are new to printed circuit boards I highly suggest
you to start with EasyEDA.
You can download EasyEDA for free!

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Step 2: Printing Flexible Printed Circuit Board Layout

When you nally have a printed circuit board layout now it is time to print it. The most important thing in this step is to
get a glossy magazine paper. You can easily nd it at your local supermarket. While using this glossy paper the only thing
that will transfer to your exible printed circuit board is going to be the actual toner.
First, I printed the PCB layout on white A4 paper. Then I placed the glossy magazine paper on top of my print and
secured it in place with paper tape. Some people might think that you can print straight on glossy paper and that is true,
but I printed on white A4 paper rst just to have a rough idea of where I should place my glossy magazine paper.

Step 3: Creating Flexible Board From Scratch

Now in this step, we are going to make an actual exible printed circuit board material. When I was experimenting with
di erent materials, at rst I used only one layer of copper tape and one layer of Kapton tape. I ended up getting a really
thin and weak exible printed circuit board, so I decided to use the transparent sheet between those two layers to make
the board a bit stronger.
So I started by cutting a transparent sheet with scissors. Keep in mind that the transparent sheet must be larger than
How to Make a Flexible Printed Circuit Board: Page 3
your printed circuit board layout. Next, I sprayed the transparent sheet with water. This trick is undoubtedly a life-saver
because water prevents the adhesive on Kapton tape from sticking to the surface of a transparent sheet. After spraying
the transparent sheet with water it is time to apply a Kapton tape. Using a micro ber towel push all the water out and x
all imperfections. Let the board dry for a couple of minutes, so the Kapton tape will bond with the transparent sheet
Don't forget to repeat this process on the other side of the transparent sheet!
The Next thing you will need to do is apply the copper tape to your board. While experimenting I found out that the
easiest way to do it is by placing a piece of copper tape on your table (The copper side must be facing downwards to the
table). Unfold the protective paper just a little bit on one end and secure it in place using paper tape. Repeat it on the
other end. Remove the protective paper from the copper tape completely and spray the sticky side of the copper tape
with water. Apply your board with a transparent sheet and Kapton tape on both sides to the copper tape and using a
micro ber towel push all the water out and x all imperfections. If the copper tape or Kapton tape is sticking out on the
ends cut it with scissors.

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Step 4: Toner Transfer

Toner transfer is a really important step because it will decide how good the result of the nal product
is going to be. You must be very diligent in this step. I used this video as a guideline, maybe it will help you too.
The rst thing you will need to do is to make some marks where to cut your glossy paper with a printed
circuit board layout. Remember your glossy paper with a PCB layout must be larger than your board, so you can easily
fold your glossy paper around your board. When you are done cutting, place your board on top of the glossy paper. The
copper side of the board must be facing downwards to the PCB layout. Then simply fold all the ends and secure them
in place with paper tape. The most important thing here is that the glossy paper must be sitting ush with the board. This
will guarantee success.
Now it is time to use some chemicals. When working with chemicals always use a plastic container
and wear protective gloves! Place your wrapped board into the plastic container and pour a little bit of nail polish
remover. I used Oversa nail polish remover which contains around 75% of acetone. You should be able to nd a similar
product at your local supermarket. Now when the paper will get wet using medium pressure rub the board with
your ngers to successfully transfer the ink. When you notice that the paper is dried, that will be the sign that you are
done. Remove the board from the plastic container and remove the paper tape with glossy magazine paper from your
board.
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Step 5: Etching

After successfully transferring the ink now it is time to etch your board. This process involves removing copper from the
surface of the exible PCB to reveal the desired circuit pattern. To remove the copper I use ferric chloride, but you can
also use other etchants.
First, place your board into a clean plastic container. Secure the board in place using Kapton tape. It is important to
secure the board with Kapton tape because when the exible PCB will be getting close to being nished it can start to
oat. Then pour your etchant and wait until the exible PCB will be etched out. This process should take around 25
minutes, but this time may vary due to using di erent etchants. After you are done etching, give your board a good rinse
and clean your plastic container.

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Step 6: Cleaning!

Now it is time to do some cleaning. Fill your container with fresh water and get 1200 grit sandpaper. Carefully sand down
the black ink on traces. Then cut your board to the size you want you so will have less glue to remove. I used Oversa
acetone-free nail polish remover and a cotton ear pick to remove the remaining glue on the board. Take your cotton ear
pick and soak it into acetone-free nail remover. Then gently scrub the remaining glue. You have to be careful while
removing the glue because you can accidentally remove a trace from its position.

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Step 7: Final Result

This is how my exible printed circuit board came out. I hope, you will achieve the same or even better results!

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