Teflon Etch Tank

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mbodo
 
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Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:13 pm

Teflon Etch Tank

Post by mbodo »

Not sure if this is the best forum group for this. Can teflon coated tanks be used for PCB etch with Ferric Chloride?

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john444
 
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Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:42 pm

Re: Teflon Etch Tank

Post by john444 »

Hi Mbodo,

The teflon will be fine in ferric-chloride.
But, you cannot count on any coating to be perfect.
Any pin-hole or other imperfection will allow the ferric-chloride to penetrate.
If the base material is any of the vast majority of metals,
you will have corrosion under the teflon coating.

Don't use a teflon coated skillet with ferric-chloride!
It will ruin the skillet and the ferric-chloride will not be usable for etching copper.

Glass, silicone, polyethylene, polypropylene, PVC are the appropriate
materials for using & storing ferric-chloride.
Photography developing / processing trays are great because they have a
pouring spout in one corner.
Otherwise, almost any plastic or glass tray will do.

Good Luck, John

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adafruit_support_mike
 
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Re: Teflon Etch Tank

Post by adafruit_support_mike »

As a side note, Teflon has been outrageously expensive for the past couple of years.

For this application, polyethylene (low density or high density) will do everything Teflon can at a fraction of the cost.

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