Circuit Mill Problem Statement

Problem Statement

What is the best bootstrapping CNC circuit mill available that could produce all types of through-hole, single or double-sided circuits for prototyping?

Requirements

• 6"x6" working area
• Ability to make circuits up to Arduino microcontroller clones

Possible Solutions

A possible solution is to use an existing open source cnc mill:

1. Mantis Machine 9 - appears to have a boot-strappable stepper controller and microcontroller design that could be made on this $100 mill. Good points - $20 spindle; $100 for everything. Modify this to metal for stability, and this would make a great universal bootstrapping circuit mill to last a lifetime.
2. SnapLock appears to be a robust bootstrapping mill, but the cost is $600 see bill of materials
   1. What would the performance of SnapLock be if drive was replaced with precision acme instead of ball screw, and even hardened threaded rod with brass nuts or something similar?
   2. Frame snaps into place, no alignment issues. Milled on a ShopBot
3. MyDIYCNC - $580 for complete kit
4. RepRap Prusa Mendel
5. CNC Circuit Mill from Christian in Austria
6. Protobot