Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: Homebrew PCBs

I don't think carbide cutters will have a problem with copper. I use carbide tool bits in the shop to machine difficult materials so copper won't be a problem as far as cutting is concerned. Where I do see a potential problem is with how cleanly the copper will cut. It is so soft and ductile that you may not be able to get a clean cut without some smearing of the copper. Also carbide cannot be sharpened as finely as a metal cutting tool, which is why when I machine soft metals like copper I use a tool steel bit which I can really sharpen to quite a fine edge. Carbide tends to just push the copper around and smear it. It can be done but it's fiddley.

The other point would be that the circuit board material underneath the copper is quite abrasive. I'm not sure how fine you can adjust the depth of cut on these machines but it would be an advantage to be able to just cut through the copper without cutting into the board to any great extent. Carbide will resist abrasive wear much more than a steel cutter, but it too will eventually dull.

Further, I stopped in at my local craft store where they sell these cutting machines and the lady there basically said the Cricut wasn't very good and she recommended another brand, the name of which unfortunately I can't remember. As I've not used any of these machines for any purpose I can't speak to the matter of quality.

I just wanted to throw out a couple of thoughts.

Cheers,
John