CNC Circuit Mill

Overview

A CNC Circuit Mill enables automated production of electronic circuit boards. As a GVCS technology it enables automation functionality.

Detailed Description

Printed circuit board milling is the process of removing areas of copper from a sheet of printed circuit board material to recreate the pads, signal traces and structures according to patterns from a digital circuit board plan known as a layout file. Similar to the more common and well known chemical PCB etch process, the PCB milling process is subtractive: material is removed to create the electrical isolation and ground planes required. However, unlike the chemical etch process, PCB milling is typically a non-chemical process and as such it can be completed in a typical office or lab environment without exposure to hazardous chemicals. High quality circuit boards can be produced using either process. In the case of PCB milling, the quality of a circuit board is chiefly determined by the system's true, or weighted, milling accuracy and control as well as the condition (sharpness, temper) of the milling bits and their respective feed/rotational speeds. By contrast, in the chemical etch process, the quality of a circuit board depends on the accuracy and/or quality of the photomasking and the state of the etching chemicals.

Product Ecology

Uses

• Lasercutter - Structure
• Furnace - Router, spindle
• Multimachine - spindles
• Motor - XYZ articulation
• Wire Mill

Creates

• Circuit boards
• Controllers

See Product Ecologies for more information.

Components

• XYZ Table
• Motors
• Wires
• Controller
• Router
• Vacuum

Status

Currently evaluating integration of exiting CNC Circuit Mill prototypes into the GVCS Product Ecology.

See Also

CNC Circuit Mill Discussion Wikipedia: Printed Circuit Board Milling Mantis 9 Snaplock

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