[sdiy] Personal Pcb milling machines ???

[rsdio at audiobanshee.com]

I didn't realize you were talking about milling the entire PCB, rather than just drilling the holes after etching the copper through some other means. Metrix has done both. They originally used the milling machine for the whole process, then they got an LPKF Protolaser S that can cut 2 mil trace / space PCBs without breaking bits. They now use the milling machine for drill holes only, thus the need for registration points when moving the board from one process to the next.

My point is that the equipment costs can be shared if you live in an area where there are other PCB designers.

Brian


On Dec 30, 2015, at 11:09 AM, rsdio at audiobanshee.com wrote:
> Metrix Create:Space here in Seattle has a milling machine that they use and also make available by the hour for customer projects. I don't know its capabilities, but I do recall that drill bits break, and alignment is done by drilling guide holes before the PCB is fabricated - so that the drilling can line up with the traces. I also don't recall how long it takes to complete a board.
> 
> I believe it's a lot of work to master the many steps required to finish a board this way. I suppose it can be faster than ordering a board from an outside shop, but you'll be spending a lot of time that you could use more productively on something else.
> 
> Brian
> 
> 
> On Dec 30, 2015, at 6:18 AM, Dan Snazelle <subjectivity at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> Does anyone on here own a pcb Miller ? I am starting to spend a lot on quick prototypes and am just wondering if throwing down a couple grand would mean I could go straight from a gerber to a testable board in an hour 
>> 
>> But I'm sure there are downsides 
>> 
>> 
>> Any info appreciated!!