From digital circuit layouts to a physical double-sided PCB.
A double-sided motor driver PCB prototype was printed with Monobee on 1.6 mm FR4, using silver nanoparticle-based conductive ink and a 160 µm metal nozzle.
Surface calibration, drilling, conductive pattern deposition and second-side alignment were brought together in a single in-house prototyping workflow.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Bringing PCB prototyping in-house
Custom electronic circuits often go through several iterations before a design is ready for manufacturing. For low-volume prototypes, outsourced PCB fabrication adds cost, delivery time and operational steps to every iteration.
In this demonstration, Monobee fabricated a double-sided motor driver PCB prototype developed as part of the EmbedTech project. The front- and back-side layouts were prepared digitally and transferred onto FR4 with silver nanoparticle-based conductive ink.
The objective was to show a practical way to produce custom, low-volume circuit prototypes in-house.
PCB ARCHITECTURE
Two sides. One circuit design.
The motor driver PCB distributes its conductive patterns across both faces of the FR4 board. Each side was prepared as its own layer in the digital design and printed to its own geometry.
Accurate positioning keeps the intended relationship between the two printed patterns and the drilled hole locations.
FRONT SIDE
Front-side circuit
A denser arrangement of conductive traces, connection pads and component mounting regions, printed on the first face of the board.
BACK SIDE
Back-side circuit
Additional routing that completes the circuit layout. The board was repositioned and the second-side geometry aligned with the physical substrate before printing.
DRILLED FEATURES
Drilled features
The Drilling Module prepared the holes defined in the PCB design, including component, mounting and interconnection locations.
FABRICATION WORKFLOW
From design to double-sided PCB
The prototype was produced through four documented operations, all run on Monobee. Together they took approximately 4 hours and 25 minutes.
0125 min
Surface calibrationThe FR4 board was secured to the platform. Calibration set the substrate position and height references for controlled deposition.
021 h
DrillingThe Drilling Module prepared the holes defined in the PCB design before conductive ink deposition.
031 h 30 min
Front-side printingSilver nanoparticle-based ink formed the front traces, pads and component connection regions.
041 h 30 min
Alignment & back-side printingThe board was repositioned, the back-side layout checked and aligned with the substrate, and the second pattern printed.
PARAMETER
VALUE
Substrate
FR4
Substrate thickness
1.6 mm
Conductive material
Silver nanoparticle-based ink
Tip
30G metal syringe tip, 160 µm inner diameter
PCB architecture
Double-sided
Production time
≈ 4 h 25 min
Consumables
30G metal syringe tip0.16 mm ID · 12.7 mm · purple
INK
Silver nanoparticle inkFront and back circuit layers
FR4 board1.6 mm thickness
ALIGNMENT & DOUBLE-SIDED PRINTING
The second side starts with alignment.
Printing one surface is only part of a double-sided board. Once the substrate is turned over, the second design has to be positioned relative to the physical board and the features already in place.
Here, the back-side geometry was aligned after the FR4 board was repositioned. Monobee's digital workflow handled surface calibration, print positioning, nozzle-height adjustment and preparation of the second print.
WHY ALIGNMENT MATTERS
Traces, pads and drilled holes on both faces have to keep their positional relationship. Running these steps on one platform makes two-sided PCB designs practical to explore during early-stage prototyping.
FABRICATION RESULTS
Designed digitally. Printed physically.
The demonstration produced a physical double-sided PCB prototype whose conductive patterns follow the prepared front- and back-side layouts. Both printed surfaces were documented and compared visually with their digital designs.
FRONT SIDE
DIGITAL DESIGN
PRINTED WITH MONOBEE
BACK SIDE
DIGITAL DESIGN
PRINTED WITH MONOBEE
This work establishes fabrication feasibility. Electrical continuity, component-level operation and complete motor-driver functionality call for additional documented testing.
THE KEY ENGINEERING INSIGHT
Double-sided prototyping is more than printing twice.
The substrate has to be positioned, drilled, calibrated and repositioned while the intended relationship between the circuit layers is kept. In this demonstration, those operations ran as one connected Monobee workflow.
For research teams and product developers, this shows how additive deposition and integrated drilling can be combined to explore custom PCB designs in-house, faster and more cost-efficiently, without a separate fabrication run for every iteration.
WHY MONOBEE
Why prototype digital electronics with Monobee?
More flexibility during circuit development.
In-house fabricationPrepare physical circuit prototypes inside your lab or development environment.
Integrated drillingCombine conductive deposition and hole preparation on one modular platform.
Double-sided prototypingExplore layouts with conductive features on both faces of compatible substrates.
Design iterationChange the digital pattern and print the next geometry as development moves on.
Material explorationInvestigate conductive ink formulations for different circuit architectures.
WHERE IT APPLIES
Potential applications
Motor control electronics
Custom PCB prototyping
Double-sided circuit research
Embedded system development
Low-volume electronic prototypes
Research and educational electronics
CONCLUSION
One platform. Two printed sides.
Monobee printed a double-sided motor driver PCB prototype on 1.6 mm FR4 in about 4 hours and 25 minutes, combining surface calibration, drilling, conductive deposition and second-side alignment in one in-house workflow.
