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Voltera's Circuit Printer Launches on Kickstarter, Smashes Goal in Minutes

posted by cmn32480 on Sunday July 05 2015, @01:44AM   
from the beats-a-breadboard dept.

janrinok writes:

A machine that might change how small businesses and hobbyists manufacture circuit boards has just reached its Kickstarter goals in a matter of minutes:

The Voltera V-One circuit printer, one of our favorite finds at CES this year, just launched its crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter — and hit $100,000 in 35 minutes.

The Voltera system provides multiple capabilities: It will print the traces for your prototype circuit board (at 8mil space and trace), dispense solder paste to allow you to place SMD components on professionally manufactured boards, and provide heat for reflowing those electronics onto boards. And it prints multiple layers with a transparent ink.

The extruders on the system pop on and off with magnetic clasps, allowing for easy transitions between materials.

Initially priced at $1499, it is perhaps beyond the reach of many home constructors, but I expect that prices will fall in time and then we can say goodbye to the chemicals and UV lights.

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Original Submission

• Layers Layers (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 05 2015, @02:46AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 05 2015, @02:46AM (#205181)

  it prints multiple layers with a transparent ink

  That's a goofy way of saying something.

  The link from January says

  uses a silver nanoparticle conductive ink to lay traces on a standard FR-4 board. The printer can also place an insulating layer over the traces to allow for two-layer circuits

  That makes more sense.
  It sounds, however, like the bottom side of the board is left unused, so no post-reflow hand-mounting of components on the bottom side as you might do with a (minimal) standard stackup of
  - 1st signal layer
  - Supply layer
  - Ground plane
  - 2nd signal layer

  .
  Another thing:

  Resistance is comparable to copper, “about an order of magnitude not as conductive” but says that in their tests, everything has been fine so far.

  So, their tests must be doing logic-level stuff and no analog stuff that pulls any current.
  If -you- do something with significant, you'll be going to bus bars [google.com] earlier than with traditional copper etch.

  Within its limits, it sounds pretty cool.

  -- gewg_

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• Re:Layers (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 05 2015, @06:18PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 05 2015, @06:18PM (#205338)

  s/with significant,/with significant current,

  -- gewg_

  Parent

• Re:Layers (Score: 2) by mojo chan on Sunday July 05 2015, @09:43PM

  by mojo chan (266) on Sunday July 05 2015, @09:43PM (#205381)

  Single sided boards and surface mount parts only. No small pitch devices. It has some uses, but you have to design your layout specifically for it so it isn't much use for prototyping boards that will then be made the more traditional way.

  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)

  Parent