We used to have something like that, an LPKF milling machine.  Put in
double side copper clad board (or single sided, I guess), 8.5"x11"
sized, and the machine would mill around the traces.  First it'd do
through holes (IIRC), then mill one side, then the other, then do text
and finally you could mill out the board outline.  Tool changes were
manual, of course.

There was a tool that you could press in barrels for the vias, but
nobody used that: we'd just make sure that any top side traces had the
traces routed so that it was easy to solder on the top side of the
component.

One really had to keep trace width and separation on the generous side.
If everything was set up well, sure, 10mil x 10mil rules would work.
However, as the bit wore--or if you put in a new bit and didn't pay
attention--it was easy to lose any 10mil traces.

It also wasn't exactly quiet.  Well, the machine itself wasn't bad--it
was the vaccum that we'd attach to it, to collect the dust.  That was
loud!  It also tended to have a short life, due to the fine dust.

Shawn Upton, KB1CKT
Test Engineer
Allegro MicroSystems, Inc
[log in to unmask]
603.626.2429/fax: 603.641.5336

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joyce Koo
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 12:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Hobbyist PCB Fab Equipment

Correct me if I am wrong, the eng dept in my past life used cad linked
router (a small dentist drill like on robot) directly rout out cct. It
is clean, easy, not so fast, doing double side cct can be done by hard
wire soldering in a large hole with insulation or edge wrap.  All
prototype, demo in a black box type.  No chemical except flux, solvent
clean of RMA.  Really low tech (except the router).  You set it up and
go home sleep it over, get it in the morning.  Garbage in garbage out
(saw someone with a coffee in hand with colorful words standing in front
of the little thing many times).  Can't remember the brand name. Just a
10x10 inch small thing with wires hanging out. 


______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the MessageLabs Email Security System.
For more information please contact helpdesk at x2960 or [log in to unmask] 
______________________________________________________________________

---------------------------------------------------
Technet Mail List provided as a service by IPC using LISTSERV 15.0
To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in
the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet
To temporarily halt or (re-start) delivery of Technet send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet NOMAIL or (MAIL)
To receive ONE mailing per day of all the posts: send e-mail to [log in to unmask]: SET Technet Digest
Search the archives of previous posts at: http://listserv.ipc.org/archives
Please visit IPC web site http://www.ipc.org/contentpage.asp?Pageid=4.3.16 for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-615-7100 ext.2815
-----------------------------------------------------