pcb shear!

[westfw]

use the LPKF to separate the boards.

How do you set that up? I can vaguely see creating a meged PCB with the LPKF registration holes included, but the details escape me...

[ralphstirling]

There are usually a couple of boards on my panel that have mounting holes. The mounting holes are just the right diameter for the LPKF locating pins. I have one locating pin hole with a pin always installed that I can usually use, and drill a second one in the base material at the correct x,y offset for a second board mounting hole and push in another locating pin. Now I can select board outlines from the panel gerber file to cut out with a contour routing tool. I have to choose the sequence of cuts with a bit of care, although the vacuum holddown works pretty well to keep things from shifting around during cutting. It's easier to do than to explain.

I merge the gerbers to make the panel in the first place, so I just have one gerber for each layer. The board outline layer just looks real different with lots of boxes and circles (for round boards).

-- Ralph

[booster]

ill probably need one of these, too. right now using tin snips, works surprisingly well! still, a guillotine would be nice. MEGA has some.
theres also the T-Tech
http://www.t-tech.com/order/product.asp ... ductid=580
any recommendations from others?

Where I work we use a depaneler called CirCut made by a company called Seetrax.

http://www.seetrax.com/vcutsep.htm


It uses two circular blades, one of which spins at a user adjustable speed. Score guides are situated in front and behind the blades and you simply guide the PCB in along the score line. Once the PCB reaches the blades it gets pulled in and comes out separated the other side.

I believe Seetrax are a UK based company, maybe there is something similar available in the US.

[gsattler]

There's always the option of a scroll saw and a piece of plywood between the PCB and the table to prevent trace cutting. I use that a few times a month when the PCB designer "forgets" to put de-panelization scoring on the PCB.

[alex_dubinsky]

Simple boards without many holes we still etch. We print the gerbers directly on .008 single sided laminate using a Xerox Phaser 8400 solid ink printer and etch in a copper chloride bath. Start to finish is about 15 minutes, and our etching tank allows six different boards to be put in or removed independently, which works well for busy electronics lab sessions.

You mean you've modded the Xerox Phaser, or it can print flat out of the box? (Or is 008 mil laminate flexible--sorry I've actually never seen it firsthand.) What kind of trace/space do you get from it? I've been dabbling with InkJet direct printing, and I'd really, really love to hear about your experience with the solid ink.

[SiliconFarmer]

Couldn't the well-equipped kit builder use their laser etcher to de-panelize the boards?

[adafruit]

fiberglas is a great insulator

[alex_dubinsky]

I think I read fiberglass can be cut, but it takes a relative while and leaves charred edges. Might be an option, though, if combined with tab routing or scoring. In both cases there is much less material to burn.

[ralphstirling]

Simple boards without many holes we still etch. We print the gerbers directly on .008 single sided laminate using a Xerox Phaser 8400 solid ink printer and etch in a copper chloride bath. Start to finish is about 15 minutes, and our etching tank allows six different boards to be put in or removed independently, which works well for busy electronics lab sessions.

You mean you've modded the Xerox Phaser, or it can print flat out of the box? (Or is 008 mil laminate flexible--sorry I've actually never seen it firsthand.) What kind of trace/space do you get from it? I've been dabbling with InkJet direct printing, and I'd really, really love to hear about your experience with the solid ink.

The 5-8mil laminate is quite flexible, and we just tape it down to plain
paper and send it through the printer. You can read the instructions we
give the students at:
http://engr.BANNED.edu/students/cla ... ab/etching

The thinner the laminate the better. It took a while to obtain some
thin and flexible enough to avoid jamming. I bought several large
sheets from Isola Laminates, .006" single-sided and they have been
working well. We etch with copper chloride, and the solid ink works
well with that etchant (at room temperature). We used to use sodium
BANNED, and that worded too, but not as reliably.

We can do 10mil space/trace pretty routinely, and down to 8mil with
a bit of extra effort. Anything we want to use long-term we get
commercial boards made (usually by Advanced Circuits), but for
quick lab experiments it works excellently. I originally wanted to use
ink jet, and experimented with an Epson C82, but the ink just washed
off the pcb. I've read of more recent efforts involving baking the board
for a half hour before etching. I like the Xerox solid ink much better
than that.

-- Ralph