CNC PCB ASAP

Sometimes you just need to make your own circuit board. Sending it over seas to China for manufacturing can take weeks and might come back and not even work so you have to redo it.

What if you can make your own circuit board fast! You can with a CNC machine and I'll show you.

CNC Machine, 0.6mm drill bit, 35 degree V bit, copper board, sand paper

The end result is that the software gbrl control needs to follow the instructions saved in the .nc file and move the cnc machine accordingly.

But first you need to create the circuit. I like ExpressPCB but there are many pcb creator softwares out there and many are free. The important thing to do is to make the holes where you need them, then draw the cut lines as traces and the perimeter line.

GCAM is a nice software to import the files then export the 3 different.nc files, drill, traces, and outline. It can also view a 3D render of how it board will look. And you can set the tolerances like how deep the traces will cut.

This is the heart of this project. This is the benefit of using a cnc machine to make a circuit board so quickly.

I first start by firmly attaching the copper board to the bed with clips.

I then insert a 0.6mm drill bit. This is tight for components so you might need a little larger diameter for larger components.

Next load up the traces.nc file and I use a 35 degree v bit to cut along the traces.

Finally I keep that same v bit but load the outline.nc file to slowly cut 0.32mm 5 different times totally the 1.6mm board thickness.

All this cutting and drilling can get messy. So I bought this small vacuum cleaner to suction up the dust.

Polish the copper with some light sand paper. Make sure the traces are cleanly cut and use an exacto knife to help clear if needed.

Optional: To prevent oxidation with the copper and keep it clean, I use this liquid tin chemical that creates a silver layer on top that prevent oxidation. But warning it is very toxic and dangerous so read the bottle and follow correctly.

The circuit board is ready for the components to be soldered! This board is very quick to make compared to a professionally manufactured board so its great when you want to quickly test out an idea.

Thank you for checking out my tutorial and I hope see you next time!

YouTube - 3DSage