EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Electronics => PCB/EDA/CAD => Topic started by: djsb on October 01, 2011, 02:41:41 pm
-
Does anyone have any experience of which respirator to use when working with Ferric Chloride and the vapour it gives off?
Someone has recommended a Mine Safety Applliances Model 817663 multi purpose respirator. It's mainly organic vapour protection I'm interested in, but if there is protection against dust as well that would be great.
Thanks.
David.
-
I wouldn't trust any respirator other than a separate oxygen tank strapped to my back!
You need a fume extraction system or copious amounts of fresh air ventilation.
-
Fecl doesn't give off organic vapoours - where would the organic content come from?
It is a bit acidic close-up, but unless you're heating it way hotter than necessary for etching you really don't need any extraction.
-
There is an extraction system and a window that can be opened but it is still noticeable when I walk into the room where the large tank is. The equipment used is a Rota-Spray spray etching tank and the spray seems to escape from the tank. This is obviously at work so I'm going to have a chat with the health and safety people as well.
Now I think about it it's obvious that ferric chloride is non organic, Doh.
David.
-
The "fumes" are most likely to be tiny droplets of Ferric Chloride solution (with the copper chloride products, and MAYBE some HCl.) In industrial quantities, and with a spray machine, I'd be a bit worried as well.
OTOH, the particles should be relatively easy to filter (big "droplets" rather than tiny molecules.) Probably anything good against dust would work fine. (which alas has little to do with what the health and safety people might require.)
If it's really noticeable, I might worry about my eyes, too...
-
Yeah, if you have a small mist of ferric chloride in the air then respirators isn't the solution.
It probably would filter out the chemical and stop people developing health problems from inhalation, however over time you will end up painting the room 'ferric chloride yellow'. Then people will tough surfaces and get small amounts on them.
I'm not sure if it can be absorbed through the skin, but i guarantee it's bad either way.
Ferric chloride stains everything and ruins clothes (dissolves the dyes).
I wouldn't offer to fix this issue yourself, it really needs to be done by someone qualified in chemical safety, someone who knows how bad ferric chloride is and how to make the room safe from a legal standpoint.
Normally ferric chloride is pretty easy to work with if you insure it says in the etch tank.
This is the first time i've heard of spraying the stuff as a method for doing PCBs.