Discover additive PCB applications involving drilling through-holes or vias, printing conductive inks, and dispensing solder paste for electronic prototypes.

Additive PCB Prototyping

<figure class="w-richtext-figure-type-video w-richtext-align-center" style="padding-bottom:33.723653395784545%" data-rt-type="video" data-rt-align="center" data-rt-max-width="" data-rt-max-height="33.723653395784545%" data-rt-dimensions="854:480" data-page-url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9EFmO5rXmc"><div><iframe allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H9EFmO5rXmc" title="Printing a Line Following Robot Control Board with Silver Ink on FR1 | Additive PCB Prototyping"></iframe></div></figure><h2 id="">Project overview</h2><h3 id="">Purpose</h3><p id="">The goal of this project was to prototype a circuit board that controls a line-following robot, using a simple design that could be used to teach electronics in a hands-on way.&nbsp;</p><h3 id="">Design</h3><p id="">For the control board, we separated the ground traces and other signal traces on opposite sides of the FR1 board, with through-holes to mount key components like the 16-pin L293DNE motor driver.&nbsp;</p><p id="">These through-holes also serve to accommodate other components such as LEDs, infrared proximity sensors, and motors, which could not be surface-mounted due to their size and functional requirements.</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e34f4_67867f1f4fe491a4ba8bd9fc_line-following-robot-control-board-schematic.webp" loading="lazy" alt="line following robot, circuit design" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 1: Circuit design</figcaption></figure><p id="">We divided the robot’s main body into small parts and printed them with a 3D printer.</p><h3 id="">Desired outcome</h3><p id="">Once connected to power, a 9V battery, the assembled robot should be able to distinguish its designated paths from the background and navigate along the paths, making turns as needed.</p><h3 id="">Functionality</h3><p id="">By using infrared proximity sensors, motors, and a motor driver, our design enabled the robot to move along the yellow tape on the black floor and navigate corners, all without relying on a microcontroller or onboard code, which would have introduced unnecessary complexity.</p><p id="">For the purpose of this project, we did not require a specific travel speed. However, the design can be customized for other activities, such as robot racing or obstacle avoidance challenges by reducing the overall weight of the robot, adjusting the configuration of sensors, or choosing high speed rated motors.</p><h2 id="">Printing the control board</h2><h3 id="">Printing the front side</h3><p id="">Before dispensing the silver ink, we drilled 39 through-holes with a diameter of 1.6 mm on the FR1 board using V-One.</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e3530_67867f62a9f693d5f2d7da4e_line-following-robot-drilled-through-holes.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Board with through holes drilled with a V-One PCB printer" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 2: Through-holes drilled with a V-One PCB printer</figcaption></figure><p id="">On the front side of the board, two infrared proximity sensors detect the paths and send signals to the motor driver, which controls the robot's movement by turning the motors on or off.</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e34df_67867f917f95f638bd6cc49a_line-following-robot-front-view-schematic.webp" loading="lazy" alt="schematic for control board, front view" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 3: Schematic for the control board, front side</figcaption></figure><p id="">[script]https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac591c6aa6e9/678683097f95f638bd706979_Applications_line%20following%20robot%20white%20paper%20table%201.txt[/script]</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e34e5_67867fbb7f95f638bd6cf8b3_line-following-robot-vone-dispensing-settings.webp" loading="lazy" alt="dispensing settings in the v-one software" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 4: V-One dispensing settings</figcaption></figure><h3 id="">Printing the back side</h3><p id="">The back side of the board consists of traces that connect to the ground pins of the components and complete the circuit.</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e34d1_67867fe2c4b3eb20f1d635d0_line-following-robot-back-view-schematic.webp" loading="lazy" alt="schematic for control board, back view" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 5: Schematic for the control board, back side</figcaption></figure><p id="">[script]https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac591c6aa6e9/67868313690e9bd108c5eaef_Applications_line%20following%20robot%20white%20paper%20table%202.txt[/script]</p><h3 id="">Post processing the control board</h3><p id="">When both sides were complete, we inserted rivets into the through-holes and dispensed solder paste for resistors and the NE555 timer using V-One’s built-in solder paste dispensing workflow. We then populated the components and manually soldered the motor driver, capacitor, motors, infrared proximity sensors, and LEDs.&nbsp;</p><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e3524_67867ffb82a2108e6206293b_line-following-robot-control-board-components.webp" loading="lazy" alt="populated control board" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 6: Control board with components</figcaption></figure><h2 id="">3D printing the main body</h2><p id="">To house the control board and serve as the robot’s movement platform, we designed a main body divided into four parts. These parts were 3D printed using PLA filament:</p><ul id=""><li id="">Two wheels&nbsp;</li><li id="">Two motor brackets&nbsp;</li><li id="">A case</li><li id="">A lid&nbsp;</li></ul><figure id="" class="w-richtext-figure-type-image w-richtext-align-center" data-rt-type="image" data-rt-align="center"><div id=""><img src="https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6334888a34bfac03b46aa715/67868064daeba8787c8e34e2_67868043da47e689aea50f73_line-following-robot-design-main-body.webp" loading="lazy" alt="3D render of the main body" width="auto" height="auto" id=""></div><figcaption id="">Figure 7: Design of the main body</figcaption></figure><p id="">We then put the control board into the case and assembled the parts.</p><h2 id="">Challenges and advice</h2><h3 id="">Soldering issues</h3><p id="">Conductive ink, when applied to FR1, can sometimes adhere less robustly compared to traditional copper traces on a PCB. This makes it prone to being lifted off the board during soldering if excessive heat, pressure, or mechanical stress is applied.</p><p id="">To improve solderability, we lowered the curing temperature of the ink. This adjustment enhanced wettability, allowing solder to adhere more effectively to conductive pads, especially for sensitive connections and larger components.</p><h2 id="">Conclusion</h2><p id="">Through this project, we developed a line-following robot controlled by a double-sided PCB, using a relatively simple design and readily accessible components. This highlights the feasibility of incorporating advanced robotics and electronics concepts into educational programs. Depending on the students' skill levels and the intended applications the design can be adjusted to make it more or less challenging.</p><p id="">If you’re interested in exploring other PCB prototyping projects we have completed, take a look at:</p><ul id=""><li id=""><a href="https://www.voltera.io/application-whitepapers/printing-flexible-pcb-silver-ink-pet" id="">Printing a Flexible PCB with Silver Ink on PET</a></li><li id=""><a href="https://www.voltera.io/application-whitepapers/dispensing-solder-paste-factory-fabricated-pcbs" id="">Dispensing Solder Paste on Factory Fabricated PCBs</a></li><li id=""><a href="https://www.voltera.io/application-whitepapers/printing-strain-gauges-tpu-laminated-glove-remote-hand-control" id="">Printing Strain Gauges on TPU laminated on a Glove for Remote Hand Control</a></li></ul>

Printing a Control Board for a Line Following Robot with Silver Ink on FR1

Are you interested in building robots? Learn how we created a line-following robot controlled by a double-sided PCB printed with silver ink on a FR1 board.

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Printing a Control Board for a Line Following Robot with Silver Ink on FR1

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