Creating PCBs with an IR Laser

This tutorial lists my steps and notes on how I used the WeCreat Visiion 20 + 5W IR laser module for (single sided) PCB fabrication. You can find more info about this device here:

https://wecreateu.sjv.io/Z60VPK (affiliated/tracking link, use code: pauls3d100 for discount!)

The summary of the idea boils down to the following, using FR4 PCBs:

laser etch mask ➡️ etch ➡️ apply solder mask ➡️ laser solder mask ➡️ laser silk screen

Why not cut the copper?

First, my assumption that the 5W laser would not be powerfull enough to cut copper. The datasheet only mentioned engraving of metals and not cutting. And secondly, if your laser is powerful enough to cut copper it will/might lead to carbonisation of the FR4 layer which will make it conductive. I got this information from this this amazing youtube video from Stephen Hawes, where he explains his approach to lasering PCBs in his workspace, and thus why his approch uses FR1 PCBs instead.

Why the "weak" 5W IR laser?

Due to the lower power, it has a smaller focus point, i.e. the actual dot that will hit your material with energy. Comparing three differently powered modules from WeCreat we find the higher the wattage the lower the resolution will be:

I work mostly with SMD parts with a copper clearance of 0.2mm. The higher the precision in this case, the clearer the result will be.

Anything else?

Note 1: When ordering PCBs from Aliexpress, make sure when using my tutorial for reference you are using FR4 (fiber glass based, semi transparent back color) and not FR1 (paper based, brown back colour).

Note 2: If you are new to using a laser, this will require some experimenting to find the correct settings that work ideal for your setup.

Note 3: ⚠️ Make sure your device is setup correctly with fumes going out through a window as explained in the manual. Technically you will be burning things indoors.

Preparing PCB

To source my PCBs I use this aliexpress item: https://aliexpress.com/item/1005008984077774.html. The first step is to clean the PCBs, maybe sand them with an ultra fine sand paper if the surface is not even/perfect/... . To clean them I used a few drops of isopropyl alcohol. During this phase I use gloves because I'm touching the PCBs at the edges and they are often roughly cut (which I sand down with a file).

Create your PCB

I use KiCad to create my PCB designs, it's open source, but learning this is not covered here. Youtube is a good place to search for tutorials. What I will cover though is how I get SVG's exported from KiCAD into WeCreate MaketIt!, the software used to control the laser.

The SVGs exported from KiCAD will not work well directly imported into the laser software because there will be many overlapping regions. There are integrated tools to join shapes, but overlapping areas will delete each other in certain areas, which is apparently not a trivial problem to solve. I tried to clean up the SVGs in Inkscape but that was no success, for the same reason. Also the imported traces were too thin, and the width was lost.

My approach was to export the PCB as SVG, then convert to a 2 color bitmap which is then converted again into an SVG using potrace.

This is my helper script I used in the end, the resulting _fixed svg can be imported.

#!/bin/bash

[[ -z "$1" ]] && exit 1

DPI=1200

FCU=$1-F_Cu.svg
FCU_PBM=$(basename $FCU .svg).pbm
FCU_FIXED=$(basename $FCU .svg)_fixed.svg

SILK=$1-F_Silkscreen.svg
SILK_PBM=$(basename $SILK F_CU.svg)F_Silkscreen.pbm
SILK_FIXED=$(basename $SILK F_CU.svg)F_Silkscreen_fixed.svg

magick -density $DPI $FCU -trim -negate -quality 100 $FCU_PBM

potrace $FCU_PBM \
  -s \
  -o $FCU_FIXED \
  --turdsize 0 \
  --turnpolicy black \
  --longcurve \
  --alphamax 0 \
  --opttolerance 0.1 \
  --resolution $DPI 

rm $FCU_PBM

magick -density $DPI $SILK -trim -quality 100 $SILK_PBM

potrace $SILK_PBM \
  -s \
  -o $SILK_FIXED \
  --turdsize 0 \
  --turnpolicy black \
  --longcurve \
  --alphamax 0 \
  --opttolerance 0.1 \
  --resolution $DPI 

rm $SILK_PBM

The silk screen PCB svg works out of the box since it has no overlapping areas. You will need to install potrace and imagemagick.

Converting back to SVG with fixed DPI settings will ensure that importing it into WeCreat MakeIt! will result in correct size.

Engrave Etch Mask

I 3D printed an adapter to place the PCBs into the WeCreat Vision20. This allows me to put it (almost) perfectly back in place after each processing step, after etching and applying solder mask. You can download my STL files here: /download/2026-03-01-wecreat20-pcb-adapter.zip Print it in white since it will make alignment a lot easier, since you will have something to see in the alignment view. Thank me later. Otherwise it's black, painted PCB versus black background.

My settings for this step are:

• Laser: 5W IR
• Power: 55%
• Speed: 228mm
• Lines: 300

I used to do this with the toner transfer method, but since my laser printer seems to be grainy and has missing lines (it's fairly old now), the result was not as clean as with my new approach.

Etching

⚠️ I recommend you get familiar with PCB etching first, you can use this as a starting point: https://frgmnt.org/naps-etchant-chemistry/ ⚠️ "It is a severe irritant of the skin, eyes, and respiratory system." ⚠️ Use ventilation, gloves, eye protection, protective clothing, ... inform yourself first! ⚠️ Always handle with care, and once the solution is used up (i.e. does not etch anymore), consult your local waste/recycling provider. ⚠️ Do NOT dump into the sink, since the copper ions will kill the bakteria in the treatment plant. ⚠️ Don't store in a closed container since the etching solution will gas out oxygen and create pressure.

Read the above link, it has a lot more info. Thank you.

That being said, I used 20g of NAPS dissolved in 100g of water. This keeps the amount of chemicals used to a minimum, and the smaller amount of etchant makes it easier to warm up in a water bath. Because at room temperature it will do nothing.

Since I wasn't fancying a complicated setup with a heater, I decided to create a water bath. I tested this by pouring boiling water into an outer container and with room temperature water in the future etching container. Then with two thermometers I track the temperature rise / fall over time as let the etching container float on the boiling water. This is probably far from perfect but allowed me to get results within 15 minutes, during three different etching sessions (= starting at room temp again). The highest temperature I measured was 51°C after 6 minutes, which is a bit higher than the recommended temperature of 40-45°C above, but it was good enough for me.

Cleaning the PCB

This is a simple step. You can use acetone to remove the paint, but I used acetone-free nail polish remover because it worked. 🤷‍♂️ Wear gloves, too, dampen a paper towel, hold onto the paint, wait a few seconds then wipe off. Repeat. Ventilation is also good, ;).

Applying the Soldermask

This is a frustrating step, unless you build your own screen printing setup. If you have some 2mm screws lying around, you can use my 3d printed rig: /downloads/2026-03-01-silkscreen.zip

The frustrating step would be trying to paint it on, or using a transparency to squish it on. If you have watched Stepen Hawes youtube video linked above you can see it in action.

Since I'm still learning this, too, I can say that I used too much silk screen paint, resulting in mixed results in the next step.

Laser Solder Mask

Almost there. Once you have placed the PCB back into the Laser (using something to align it, see above), you can start with the following settings:

• Laser: 5W IR
• Power: 50%
• Speed: 28mm
• Lines: 200

I recommend engraving a speed/power pattern using the integrated tools of the WeCreat MakeIt! software to find good settings. Mine were to weak, or the solder mask was too thick, and I had to do two passes. To check the alignement I set all pads to "Ignore" and just lasered a single pad to check the placement was perfect (I had to re-align by 0.2mm to the left in software) and then ran the full process.

Laser Silk Screen

If you want, you can also engrave the silk screen. If you have done a speed/power pattern run above, you will see which settings work best for you.

I went with:

• Laser: 5W IR
• Power: 50%
• Speed: 300mm
• Lines: 200

One one PCB, the thickness of soldermask varied so much I burnt through it.

Outro

If this is something you want to try, you can find more info about the WeCreat Vision 20 here:

https://wecreateu.sjv.io/Z60VPK (affiliated/tracking link, use code: pauls3d100 for discount!)

If you need inspo what else you can do with a laser, check out WeCreat's gallery on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wecreat.official/

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