5 ms·
I'm surprised I've never heard of this before. Toner transfer was always kind of a pain. Now I just prefer milling because it avoids all the nasty acid and lets
by opencl 7y ago
I'm surprised I've never heard of this before. Toner transfer was always kind of a pain. Now I just prefer milling because it avoids all the nasty acid and lets you accurately drill holes and cut the PCB to size/shape at the same time. Small CNC machines are pretty cheap these days, the one I use cost $130.
PCB houses are amazingly cheap and fast compared to just a few years ago but if you don't need multiple layers nothing beats having it done in a few minutes for ~$0.10 per square inch for prototyping.
- jhart99 7y agoOut of curiosity, what cnc machine are you using?
- gaze 7y agoNot OP, but I've had luck making PCBs on my Taig mill. Might want to choose something with ballscrews or at least preloaded nuts or potentially a belt drive. PCBs hate backlash, but don't constitute a high load.
- opencl 7y agoI have the Linksprite engraving machine[1], there are a bunch of companies selling the same design if you search for "CNC 1610" on any of the major e-tailer sites. It's called 1610 because the build area is 16x10cm, there are larger versions called 2418 and 3018. At the price point it's obviously the bargain basement model of the CNC world and the quality is not great. But it works fine for PCBs as long as you don't need super narrow traces, the backlash is surprisingly not terrible thanks to the preloaded nuts. [1] http://store.linksprite.com/diy-cnc-3-axis-engraver-machine-pcb-milling-wood-carving-router-kit-arduino-grbl-assembled-version/ http://store.linksprite.com/diy-cnc-3-axis-engraver-machine-...
- xellisx 7y agoI've found using the vinyl sticker method works pretty well for toner transfer.
- kennywinker 7y agoIsn’t f4 fibre glass particulate not something you’d want in your home? That’s one of the things keeping me away from cnc milling...
- jononor 7y agoFor milling at home, FR2 boards (paper with phenolic resin) are recommended over FR4. We get ours from conrad.de, ships all over Europe.
- opencl 7y agoYes, safety is always important. That's why I put the machine in my garage where there's a dust collection system. Breathing in fine dust in general is not very good for you so dust collection and/or wearing a respirator is generally a good idea when doing any major wood/plastic/fiberglass cutting.