Laser Printer Toner Transfer With Kitchen Parchment Paper and a Laminator

[rgsparber]

I mostly run around 22,000 rpm because it is noticeably quieter. In general it is reasonably quiet though, quieter than I expected. Depending on use I do sometimes run it as low as 12,000 rpm.
Being air-cooled by internal fan it is not advised to run below 1/3 of max due to reduced cooling but that needs to be balanced against the load on it. I programme my VFD to a minimum of 133 Hz, so my range of frequencies is 133 to 400 Hz so I can't run it too slow in a thoughtless moment.

If your question is based on the idea of dispensing with the VFD and running on a non-adjustable power source I should mention that as well as being high speed they also need to be fed on a high frequency 3 phase source. The stock VFDs also convert from 1 ph 50/60 Hz 220 v source to 3 phase with voltage programmable up to around 240 v and frequency 0 to 400 Hz. Max safe current is programmable up to the capacity of the VFD and you have programme control over acceleration and braking. There are well over 100 parameters that can be set but in practice 10 should cover most needs, voltage, freq range, max current and acceleration values. If you buy the spindle/VFD package then the VFD will likely come setup for your spindle although the acceleration and braking parameters will be very conservative, resulting in excessive runup and rundown times. From memory I think that I have those values around 8 times more aggressive than stock. If you go too far then it will either not run up to speed or in braking it will simple go into coast mode and let friction and windage do the braking.
BTW the manuals are very (that should be VERY) badly translated and very difficult to figure out. Hence there is a lot of info on the net in plain English, unfortunately the helpful intent of the authors is spoilt by dangerous incorrect info. resulting in many burnt out motors.

Tony,

Geat advice all the way around. Thanks!

Rick

[hemmjo]

A search of the Internet will turn up countless articles and videos about how to transfer toner from a laser printer to either bare metal or plastic. ....snipped some

My quest, which has gone on for about 2 years, was to come up with a method requiring minimum skill and commonly found equipment. All materials must be low cost and easily found or bought.

......snipped more

If you are interested, please see

https://rick.sparber.org/TonerTransfer.pdf

Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.

Thanks,

Rick

Nice job Rick, Good write up. I have not tried it yet, but it is indeed interesting!!

Thanks

John

[DIYer]

Thanks Rick! We've added your Toner Transfer Method to our Miscellaneous category, as well as to your builder page: Rick's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Toner Transfer Method by Rick Sparber

tags: printing

[rgsparber]

Tony,

Some people drill circuit boards just a few times a year so will have trouble justifying the cost of a vacuum pump. Have you any experience with temporarily gluing FR4 down on MDF for drilling?

Thanks,

Rick

[tonyfoale]

Tony,

Some people drill circuit boards just a few times a year so will have trouble justifying the cost of a vacuum pump. Have you any experience with temporarily gluing FR4 down on MDF for drilling?

Thanks,

Rick

No experience with that but it should work fine. For drilling the boards do not have to sit as flat they would for milling.