A professional who tends equipment that strips photoresist film and etches layers of copper laminate from exposed surface of printed circuit board (PCB) panels leaving unexposed areas to form conductive circuitry pattern. Respnsibilities include:

• Reads process specifications and adjusts equipment controls to regulate conveyor speed, spray intensity, and solution strengths and temperatures.
• Positions copper panels coated with photoresist on conveyor that carries panels through series of processing units, such as sprayers, rinsers, scrubbers, and dryers.
• Starts and monitors equipment that chemically strips photoresist and excess copper from exposed areas of PCB panels leaving unexposed copper to form circuitry pattern.
• Observes equipment operation, gauges, and meters to detect malfunctions or variance from specifications.
• Visually examines sample boards during and after processing for conformance to specifications.
• Notifies supervisor of equipment malfunction or substandard etching quality.
• Reroutes panels through processing units to complete stripping or etching process.
• May periodically change or adjust chemicals and solutions.
• May test acid solution, using pH meter.
• May manually immerse panels into processing tanks.
• May inspect circuitry pattern on panels, using microscope.
• May be identified according to process involved and be designated Etcher, Printed Circuit Boards (electron.
• comp.); Stripper, Printed Circuit Boards (electron.
• comp.).