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Subject: Re: [Homebrew_PCBs] Re: laser ablation of paint on copper clad

From: Brad Thompson <brad.thompson@...>
Date: 2014-12-11

On 12/11/2014 10:28 AM, Slavko Kocjancic eslavko@...
[Homebrew_PCBs] wrote:
> I saw few attempts too.
> Well wraping pcb to drum is near inposible.
> Hello--
I dimly recall that many years ago a company manufactured a drum-based
PC-board engraver
(or perhaps "carver" would be more appropriate. The system used very
thin copperclad
board that wrapped around the drum.

A horizontal carriage moved the carving head in parallel with the drum's
axis, and a solenoid
moved the carving bit into (and out of) the copperclad board.

Again, I very dimly recall that the carving bit moved under the control
of a black-and-white
image of the desired traces-- likely using a photoelectric sensor of
some sort? if
you've seen a pattern-tracing wood lathe in operation, you'll have a
better idea of
how the machine worked.

When the copperclad board was finished, the user affixed the board to a
thicker piece
of epoxy-fiberglass (unclad) board and drilled through-holes for
component leads.

I saw one of these things in operation and it made a dreadful racket and
produced
low-resolution boards.

73--

Brad AA1IP