[Neil_J]

I finally got my CNC controller built, and had some time to start milling some PCB's...

I have to say I love my Sherline 2000, definately worth every penny (Although I think their CNC controller is WAY overpriced at $600.. I made mine for around $60.00)

I also bought the DRO encoders, as Mach2 CNC will display the coordinates on the screen, eliminating the need for the control box...

I'll be posting many more pictures in the future, I plan to do a lot of aluminum and steel on it too...

[rustyolddo]

Looks great!

[DerekZahn]

Nice work! What bit do you use to do that?

Thanks!

[Neil_J]

Nice work! What bit do you use to do that?

Thanks, I used a .032" carbide end mill for the pcb shown. I've been experimenting with bits down to .010" which should allow me to snake two lines through two .1" DIP pads. 60 degree spade tips and engraving bits also work, but I haven't tried these yet. I bought my bits from Enco, but you can also find them at Northbay Technical and Think & Tinker. For drilling holes, you can pick up a 50-pack of surplus 1/8" shank carbide drill bits in VERY small sizes at Harbor Freight for $12.99 (or a quarter a piece)

I have a 10,000 RPM kit on my Sherline which allows the copper tracks to come out very smooth, and burr-free. I wouldn't mill with anything less than 10,000 RPM for PCB's...



I'll have more pictures this weekend, when I have time to play with it.

[vguerrao]

I´m buying a CNC Sherline Mill to produce PCBs. Besides PCB Express or Ares 7 what else do i need to produce reasonable quality PCBs, becaute the traditional acid method is slow and sometimes of poor quality.

[Neil_J]

I´m buying a CNC Sherline Mill to produce PCBs. Besides PCB Express or Ares 7 what else do i need to produce reasonable quality PCBs, becaute the traditional acid method is slow and sometimes of poor quality.

I've had many years of experience making them myself, yet I still order all of my boards from Advanced Circuits, their sister site Barebones PCB, or Sparkfun's Batchpcb.

With the surface-mount parts these days it's near impossible to get that kind of precision from any machine -- you'll find the Sherline to have too much backlash for anything more than a simple board with ten parts. Also the pcb material needs to be really flat, i.e. vacuum table territory. If you do try and mill them yourself, do a lot of research before you buy anything. There's a lot of good information scattered around the internet. You'll need post-processing software, tooling, fixturing, etc... But I can't give much advice since I have my boards made for me these days.

Good luck,

-Neil