Vacuum chuck for PCB milling and engraving.

[tonyfoale]

I present a description of a small vacuum chuck that I made for holding pieces of PCB for isolation milling as well as pieces for engraving.

Click thumbnails for full size.

Above we have a couple of test examples. The milling was done with a small D bit in a high speed spindle clamped to the quill.



I have put a 20 minute video on Youtube

In that I describe the manufacture of the chuck as well as discuss the vacuum needed and ways to get it. The process of milling some pieces is also shown. Don't forget to like, share and subscribe to the video channel to ensure notice of forthcoming videos.

In the meantime here are a few stills.







Bob Warfield has posted an interesting article on vacuum workholding aimed at CNC routers which can be found at:
Vacuum workholding

There was a recent post on this forum about using fridge motors for vacuum pumps http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/h...uum-pump-71121

[rgsparber]

Tony,

Outstanding video! I'm ready to take the plunge (pun intended).

I just drilled some #65 holes in a circuit board at 5,000 RPM and 0.5 IPM. It worked fine. I know I can feed faster but didn't want to push it yet. First problem I had was securing the board. That vacuum fixture is exactly what I need. A friend of mine was an expert on drilling tiny holes for GM and he said 5,000 RPM is fine as long as I peck deep holes. However, for engraving, I beleive I will need to up where you are.

Thanks for the great information.

Rick

[tonyfoale]

Tony,
I just drilled some #65 holes in a circuit board at 5,000 RPM and 0.5 IPM. It worked fine. I know I can feed faster but didn't want to push it yet. First problem I had was securing the board. That vacuum fixture is exactly what I need. A friend of mine was an expert on drilling tiny holes for GM and he said 5,000 RPM is fine as long as I peck deep holes. However, for engraving, I beleive I will need to up where you are.
Rick

Several decades ago when I drew tracks by hand for etching I used a tiny hand held drill (30,000 rpm IIRC). It worked fine but it was tedious when I had several boards to do.

[rossbotics]

Awesome Tony, great job and vid.

Doug

[tonyfoale]

I have added a second video on this subject. It looks in general at PCB making by both etching and milling options. I demonstrate methods which I have used successfully and there is a review of some freeware that assists the process of going from an idea to a PCB.

You can see the video here :-

Rick recently posted a toner transfer method which might be of use http://www.homemadetools.net/forum/l...aminator-71497 if you go down the etching route.

Here is a link to an interesting article on photo production of PCBs photo etching PCBs

There are a ton of videos on the net showing in great detail the process of making PCBs, some articles/videos are very good but as with everything on the net some are quite bad.

A bit of history, I started an interest in electronics almost 70 years ago when I was 8 and was introduced to a crystal set. It was magic. My father was an instructor of electrical engineering in the Royal Navy during WW2 but after 2 weeks of my constant questions he disappointed me by running out of answers and I had to turn to the library for more info. It was an engrossing hobby for me until I was 16 when I discovered the joys of racing motorcycles, then my interest turned more toward mechanical stuff. Although I never really kept up with electronic trends I always retained enough knowledge to make things like ignition systems and tachos as required. Nowadays things have got a whole lot easier for those who need some electronic content in their work or hobby pursuits. Cheap microcontrollers and microprocessors like the Arduino and Pi have transformed that world. No longer is detailed electronic knowledge needed to build useful devices using hidden electron flow. In many cases you only need connect some input devices such as a temperature or position sensor to an Arduino and a PC or LCD display as an output to get a useful tool without adding other components. All that controlled by software. There has been shift from dedicated electronic circuits to general purpose devices which become dedicated to a specific task through software commands. I think that most people versed in the mechanical arts find learning software programming infinitely preferable to learning the intricacies of traditional electronic circuit design.
Apart from the mentioned projects like ignition system and tachos etc. some my recent project include things like, pressure and flow measurement for a port flow bench, shock dyno, strobe synchronisation for slo-mo videos of valve float, reading from linear and rotary encoders, motor speed control, controller for a pellet home heating system and a bunch of other stuff.

[tonyfoale]

I just came across this video which is very interesting if you can put up with the over excitable juvenile prattle of the presenter

[DIYer]

Thanks tonyfoale! We've added your Vacuum Chuck to our Workholding category,
as well as to your builder page: tonyfoale's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Vacuum Chuck by tonyfoale

tags: chuck, vacuum

[rgsparber]

Tony,

While I wait for my new vacuum pump to arrive, I decided to play with using Elmer's white glue to stick a coupon of FR4 single sided circuit board matrerial down on a piece of MDF. I put down a very thin layer of the glue, then the board, and finally about a pound of weight. Let it set up for 30 minutes.

I was able to mill a series of cuts across it deep enough to separate the sheet of copper into strips. Then, just as a torture test, I put the coupon, mounted on the MDF, against my 3M wheel. The wheel removed some of the copper around the edges but the coupon stayed solidly attached to the MDF.

Since this glue is water soluable, I was able to easily release the coupon by running water over it for a few seconds. Lifted right off.

I did take a picture but keep getting an error when I try to upload it. It is a .jpg file.

Rick

[tonyfoale]

Tony,

While I wait for my new vacuum pump to arrive, I decided to play with using Elmer's white glue to stick a coupon of FR4 single sided circuit board matrerial down on a piece of MDF. I put down a very thin layer of the glue, then the board, and finally about a pound of weight. Let it set up for 30 minutes.

I was able to mill a series of cuts across it deep enough to separate the sheet of copper into strips. Then, just as a torture test, I put the coupon, mounted on the MDF, against my 3M wheel. The wheel removed some of the copper around the edges but the coupon stayed solidly attached to the MDF.

Since this glue is water soluable, I was able to easily release the coupon by running water over it for a few seconds. Lifted right off.

I did take a picture but keep getting an error when I try to upload it. It is a .jpg file.

Rick

Good to know, should work just as well with double sided boards.

[tonyfoale]

<!-- BEGIN /var/www/html/homemadetools/protected/modules/zeus/views/tool/postUpdate.php -->
Thanks tonyfoale! We've added your Vacuum Chuck to our Workholding category,
as well as to your builder page: tonyfoale's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

This link appears to be broken.