Electronics > Manufacturing & Assembly

What bonds the copper to FR4? Or how could I make a custom shaped board?

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george graves:
I have a project in mind - it needs to fit into a housing that has a narrow conical shape.  I tried fitting really thin 1/64"(?) FR4 1/2oz copper board - but mechanically it's proving too difficult to bend the board to fit.

But I could easily (well, not that easy) make a mold out of fiberglass - or maybe not....regardless....

My question is - on FR4 - what is the method used to bond the copper layer to the board?  Is the copper sheet added while the fiberglass board is "wet" with epoxy?  Or is the base made, allowed to cure, and then a glue or bonding agent(?) used to glue the copper to the board?

I looked up some resourced of "how PCB's are made" and they all seem to start with the assumption of a copper clad board.

I know this is kinda a crazy idea - but if for nothing else just wanted to explore it.

Thanks for any insight you have.

Psi:
Over the years lots of research has been done on attachment methods to reduce the problem of tracks and pads lifting off the PCB from the heat of the iron.
So i'm pretty sure it's not easy thing to do.

JuKu:
They also make flexible PCBs.

mikeselectricstuff:
I've not tried it but FR4 does get quite soft during reflow, and  suspect you could impart some level of curvature to it while hot which would  remain after cooling.

HLA-27b:
If this is for one-off ? would consider point to point wiring. Perhaps having the layout laser cut from copper foil and then wrapped around conical form and then coated with epoxy?

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