CNC for pcbs
- Thread starter Travis
- Start date
cliffs_trip
Well-known member
I've just started milling boards on my cnc, which is a 400x300 mm work area, which is much more area than needed. I also have a 3018 size and it is completely capable of milling circuit boards.
There are a lot of videos on the single sided and double sided milling. I went straight to double sided and am on version 4 of a simple bjt buffer circuit. Screwed up the schematic on the first try, machining settings on second try, resized pads on board and moved some traces then milled and still wasn't satisfied, so changing milling settings again.
The software process learning curve and learning the correct milling settings seem to be what is taking the longest, but I'm almost to a working board, including solder mask.
There are a lot of videos on the single sided and double sided milling. I went straight to double sided and am on version 4 of a simple bjt buffer circuit. Screwed up the schematic on the first try, machining settings on second try, resized pads on board and moved some traces then milled and still wasn't satisfied, so changing milling settings again.
The software process learning curve and learning the correct milling settings seem to be what is taking the longest, but I'm almost to a working board, including solder mask.
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vigilante398
Authorized Vendor
I did CNC milled boards for years on my little desktop CNC, I think the bed was maybe 20cm x 20cm. My CNC was overpriced and not very reliable, but I made it work for 5 years or so before upgrading.
You can get a decent desktop CNC for way less than I paid, I've seen them as low as $200.
You can get a decent desktop CNC for way less than I paid, I've seen them as low as $200.
