OK to print first layer *before* drilling?

[pion]

I’ve printed & baked Side A of a two-sided PCB. Is it OK to print & bake Side B now, then drill? Should I drill now and print Side B after? Or do I need to redo the entire board?

I saw in https://www.voltera.io/docs/punk-console/drill-the-holes/ and Solder paste dispensing on double sided PCBs that the recommended workflow is drill first, then print both layers. Is there a specific reason for that workflow? I would think that it’d be preferable to print both layers before drilling, rather than drilling first and having to clean up the ink that gets deposited into the drilled holes. The only reason I can think to drill first is to save an alignment step for Side A.

[pion]

I think I’ve answered my own question: There is no hard requirement for a particular ordering between drilling and printing+baking either side, but it’s more efficient to drill first because it saves a board alignment step.

Are there other considerations besides efficiency?

[Marten]

Hi Pion,

I have experimented with this and it made chips of conductor ink come loose from the board.
This was with the previous generation of conductor ink, maybe the conductor 2 or flex inks can handle it better but I don’t see any any benefits to try it.