Making PCBs With Laser Engraver

Making your own printed circuit boards (PCBs) at home is easier than you might think—especially with a laser engraver. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of turning a plain copper board into a functional PCB using just a laser engraver and some basic etching chemicals. No fancy equipment or professional tools needed!

Whether you're a hobbyist working on custom electronics or just want to experiment with PCB fabrication, this method is cost-effective and gives you full control over your designs.

Let’s get started!

ACMER S1 Portable Laser Engraver Mini Machine

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Other products for PCB Making and Electronics projects:

PCB Board Copper Clad Plate - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oD7xLDR

Micro Drill Bits - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oomqcpT

CNC Router Engraving Bit - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEMDVk9

Bench Power Supply - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oEToEPB

Soldering Station - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_oDcYvEp

Multimeter - https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_olIz7rF

First, I unboxed the ACMER S1 laser engraver, which came neatly packed with a power adapter, USB cable, material samples, Allen wrenches, and protective glasses. The machine itself has a compact 130 x 130 mm working area, making it a good starter option for hobbyists. The only assembly required was mounting the laser module onto the holder and tightening the screw. After plugging in the power and USB-C cable, I was ready to start.

Directly engraving bare copper doesn’t work because the laser reflects off the surface.

Instead, I spray-painted the copper side of an FR4 board black. The paint acts as a mask—when the laser burns it away, the exposed copper can later be etched.

I imported my design into LightBurn (a laser engraving software) and set the laser to remove the black paint where I did not wanted the copper traces.

The first pass removed most of the paint, but to be sure, I opted for running a second pass and this is when things started going off the plan. My laptop battery died mid engraving and I was no longer aligned.

I removed the board and cleaned it with some IPA, just to reveal that I was right and the second pass was very much needed.

I then returned the board and after some struggles, I managed to align it again and finish the second pass, but with some missed or overburnt areas.

In any case, this was good enough for test so I decided to move on.

For etching, I mixed hydrochloric acid (15% HCl) and hydrogen peroxide (3%) in a 1:1 ratio. Wearing gloves and eye protection, I submerged the engraved board and agitated it until the exposed copper dissolved.

After rinsing in water, I removed the remaining paint with paint thinner, revealing the leftover copper.

The final PCB had clean edges where we had the second pass aligned. The process works well, but double-checking laser positioning and using multiple passes ensures better results.

Also, don't forget to have your laptop plugged-in when doing any engraving!

This method is great for DIY PCBs at home, and the ACMER S1, despite its small size, handles the job effectively.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions and check out my YouTube channel for more projects and tutorials!