I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:07 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:13 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:07 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

I noticed one type of file will be DXF. Wonder if the bed will move or be stationary.

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:13 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:07 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

I noticed one type of file will be DXF. Wonder if the bed will move or be stationary.

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:13 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:07 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 01:57 PM

I was doing some searching to see if anyone has done much PCB milling on their RepRap printers.  I found that their is some software being developed called Replath:
http://reprap.org/wiki/Builders/Replath

My thoughts are a normal RepRap printer is not really well suited for milling.  
Some things I notice are:
- A printer uses a fairly high Z axis travel, something a PCB mill don't really need.  

- A Printer is capable of higher speeds which may not be needed in a mill.

- Because of the higher speeds, there is less torque, which is needed to move a mill cutter through copper.  

Some features I think would be great on a mill:

- tool tip to PCB home sensing via electrical contact.

- Some type of dual layer PCB automation, auto flip, self aligning...(yes I dream:P)

The software looks like it is still really new, so I think if we build a machine the software can be made to make it go. (I hope:) )
So I think we should just start piling up some ideas and/or wish lists. :D

Nate

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

I noticed one type of file will be DXF. Wonder if the bed will move or be stationary.

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate

That's what I was thinking, would have more torque.:D

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:45 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:13 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:07 PM

That sounds great Nate, don't have any money, but what ever else, I'm willing.:cool::D:P

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

I noticed one type of file will be DXF. Wonder if the bed will move or be stationary.

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate

That's what I was thinking, would have more torque.:D

Have you worked much with the slotted material that the MendelMax uses?  I wonder how flexible it is.  I'm leaning away from using threaded rods for frame material.

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate, my Probotix router/mill will do circuit boards in its sleep.  It is gantry based, 5:1 direct screw drives X & Y, 12:1 on Z.  It will do plunge moves but you really have to slow them down to avoid cocking the router back.  Once the bit is down, no problem.

I use Amana Tool blade type engraver bits and they have no trouble with copper clad.  Also, the USB controller for the Probotix has tool touch capability if you want to wire it up.  You can also get small PCB hole bits but they are harder to find for 1/4 router shaft; pretty easy to find for dremel though.  For just PCB work, using a dremel may be better all around anyway.  My Dewalt DWP-611 is way heavy and over powered for PCB work, though it does do the job.

Take a look at it.  I'm sure you could build one DIY if you want to, it's not at all complicated.

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 05:20 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:45 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 04:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:13 PM

No worries Jeff, I think we keep this is a planning stage for awhile.  Get some good doodles on some napkins. :)

I noticed one type of file will be DXF. Wonder if the bed will move or be stationary.

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate

That's what I was thinking, would have more torque.:D

Have you worked much with the slotted material that the MendelMax uses?  I wonder how flexible it is.  I'm leaning away from using threaded rods for frame material.

Yes, the 80/40 T slot is ideal for this type of thing, in fact this is what I used for the gantry on my plasma cutter.
[attachment=2960]
I didn't have to drill any holes in it and made all the clamps to bolt all the ways and movements on it. You can find remnants on ebay, there not cheap though.:D

Quote from Dog-One on January 6th, 2013, 06:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate, my Probotix router/mill will do circuit boards in its sleep.  It is gantry based, 5:1 direct screw drives X & Y, 12:1 on Z.  It will do plunge moves but you really have to slow them down to avoid cocking the router back.  Once the bit is down, no problem.

I use Amana Tool blade type engraver bits and they have no trouble with copper clad.  Also, the USB controller for the Probotix has tool touch capability if you want to wire it up.  You can also get small PCB hole bits but they are harder to find for 1/4 router shaft; pretty easy to find for dremel though.  For just PCB work, using a dremel may be better all around anyway.  My Dewalt DWP-611 is way heavy and over powered for PCB work, though it does do the job.

Take a look at it.  I'm sure you could build one DIY if you want to, it's not at all complicated.

This is a cool unit and looks like it would be easy to build one.:cool:

For clamping, you might also consider a vacuum board, not sure how well they hold with small circuit boards.  The easiest thing is simply cut multiple boards at one time with a large piece of copper clad.  Just two clamps will hold the thing down enough to cut.  You can also do like I do and use those little pot scrubbers underneath so when you switch bits to cut things out, you don't dig into your MDF.

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 06:28 PM

This is a cool unit and looks like it would be easy to build one.:cool:

Yeah after buying the thing outright and assembling it, I can see now that getting just the raw parts and building it myself wouldn't have been very hard.

Quote from Dog-One on January 6th, 2013, 06:29 PM

For clamping, you might also consider a vacuum board, not sure how well they hold with small circuit boards.  The easiest thing is simply cut multiple boards at one time with a large piece of copper clad.  Just two clamps will hold the thing down enough to cut.  You can also do like I do and use those little pot scrubbers underneath so when you switch bits to cut things out, you don't dig into your MDF.

Whats the bed size on this unit and did you say it uses Mach 3?

Quote from Dog-One on January 6th, 2013, 06:19 PM

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 04:35 PM

I'm not sure, I think it should have cnc hole drilling capability too.  Other mills I've seen just screw the PCB to a piece of MDF for a bed.  Depending on how big of a PCB we want to do, I think some kind of gantry system would work.

Nate, my Probotix router/mill will do circuit boards in its sleep.  It is gantry based, 5:1 direct screw drives X & Y, 12:1 on Z.  It will do plunge moves but you really have to slow them down to avoid cocking the router back.  Once the bit is down, no problem.

I use Amana Tool blade type engraver bits and they have no trouble with copper clad.  Also, the USB controller for the Probotix has tool touch capability if you want to wire it up.  You can also get small PCB hole bits but they are harder to find for 1/4 router shaft; pretty easy to find for dremel though.  For just PCB work, using a dremel may be better all around anyway.  My Dewalt DWP-611 is way heavy and over powered for PCB work, though it does do the job.

Take a look at it.  I'm sure you could build one DIY if you want to, it's not at all complicated.

Thanks Dog-One,
That does look very nice.  I can see where the plunge cuts might flex a lot of areas.  
Is there anything else that you would change about your set up?

Nate

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 06:32 PM

Whats the bed size on this unit and did you say it uses Mach 3?

I can run 18" x 18".  You can order it with the parallel port standard which will work with Mach 3 or as I did, get the USB controller and planet-cnc software as a bundle.  My garage workstation doesn't have a parallel port so the decision was easy for me, though it does limit you to using only the planet-cnc software and drivers.  I'm able to generate optimized G-code from MasterCAM and dump it straight into the planet-cnc software with no problems, so I'm assuming it fully utilizes the G-code standard.

Here's a link for the controller:
http://www.probotix.com/pxb-usb_usb_interfaced_cnc_controller/

You will notice it does about everything you would ever want it to do.

So far I'm real happy with it and I've cut plastic parts from raw flat stock, engraved wood and etched PCBs.  Haven't tried aluminum cuts or anything else too beefy, but with the right bits, feeds and speeds, it would probably do it.

I posted because I wouldn't want Nate to try and force a RepRap printer to do something it might not be so good at.  My Probotix will certainly do PCBs easy, so he may want to go that direction if possible.

Quote from Dog-One on January 6th, 2013, 06:49 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 06:32 PM

Whats the bed size on this unit and did you say it uses Mach 3?

I can run 18" x 18".  You can order it with the parallel port standard which will work with Mach 3 or as I did, get the USB controller and planet-cnc software as a bundle.  My garage workstation doesn't have a parallel port so the decision was easy for me, though it does limit you to using only the planet-cnc software and drivers.  I'm able to generate optimized G-code from MasterCAM and dump it straight into the planet-cnc software with no problems, so I'm assuming it fully utilizes the G-code standard.

Here's a link for the controller:
http://www.probotix.com/pxb-usb_usb_interfaced_cnc_controller/

You will notice it does about everything you would ever want it to do.

So far I'm real happy with it and I've cut plastic parts from raw flat stock, engraved wood and etched PCBs.  Haven't tried aluminum cuts or anything else too beefy, but with the right bits, feeds and speeds, it would probably do it.

I posted because I wouldn't want Nate to try and force a RepRap printer to do something it might not be so good at.  My Probotix will certainly do PCBs easy, so he may want to go that direction if possible.

Yeah I dont plan on using a printer. I'd like to design one from scratch that can be made with some printed parts.  Also would like to stick with an arduino controller.  

Nate

Quote from firepinto on January 6th, 2013, 07:00 PM

Quote from Dog-One on January 6th, 2013, 06:49 PM

Quote from Jeff Nading on January 6th, 2013, 06:32 PM

Whats the bed size on this unit and did you say it uses Mach 3?

I can run 18" x 18".  You can order it with the parallel port standard which will work with Mach 3 or as I did, get the USB controller and planet-cnc software as a bundle.  My garage workstation doesn't have a parallel port so the decision was easy for me, though it does limit you to using only the planet-cnc software and drivers.  I'm able to generate optimized G-code from MasterCAM and dump it straight into the planet-cnc software with no problems, so I'm assuming it fully utilizes the G-code standard.

Here's a link for the controller:
http://www.probotix.com/pxb-usb_usb_interfaced_cnc_controller/

You will notice it does about everything you would ever want it to do.

So far I'm real happy with it and I've cut plastic parts from raw flat stock, engraved wood and etched PCBs.  Haven't tried aluminum cuts or anything else too beefy, but with the right bits, feeds and speeds, it would probably do it.

I posted because I wouldn't want Nate to try and force a RepRap printer to do something it might not be so good at.  My Probotix will certainly do PCBs easy, so he may want to go that direction if possible.

Yeah I dont plan on using a printer. I'd like to design one from scratch that can be made with some printed parts.  Also would like to stick with an arduino controller.  

Nate

Yes Arduino, USB control or SD card.:cool::D:P

:) looking forward to this one... :) ~Russ