Custom PCB shapes - specifically half round - milling?

Archive BatchPCB
1

Two questions. I’m using Eagle 4.11.

First:

I used a milling layer to create a custom board shape.

I need a semicircle shaped PCB for this project I’m working on.

I intend to purchase a full panel of several different PCBs.

Is using the milling layer the “correct” way to do this?

I broke the milling layer into sections so the PCBs would stay attached to

the larger panel ; incase I need to have the boards assembled by a

pick-n-place machine. Ideally 100’s of these pcbs would be part of a bigger panel and done at the same time.

Am I way off base here?

Is there an “industry standard” (or sfe desired) way of doing this?

See attached for pcb’s current implementation.

http://home.comcast.net/~zitt/mod/RPM.pcb_r.png

Second:

This panel will also be black solder mask with white silk screen. I think I figured out how to change the silkscreen color…

But do I need to do anything to change the solder mask color to black?

2

zitt:
Two questions. I’m using Eagle 4.11.

First:

I used a milling layer to create a custom board shape.

I need a semicircle shaped PCB for this project I’m working on.

I intend to purchase a full panel of several different PCBs.

Is using the milling layer the “correct” way to do this?

I broke the milling layer into sections so the PCBs would stay attached to

the larger panel ; incase I need to have the boards assembled by a

pick-n-place machine. Ideally 100’s of these pcbs would be part of a bigger panel and done at the same time.

Am I way off base here?

Is there an “industry standard” (or sfe desired) way of doing this?

See attached for pcb’s current implementation.

http://home.comcast.net/~zitt/mod/RPM.pcb_r.png

Second:

This panel will also be black solder mask with white silk screen. I think I figured out how to change the silkscreen color…

But do I need to do anything to change the solder mask color to black?

Don’t know about the board shapes, but the silkscreen colour and soldermask colour are not specified in the software, just tell Sparkfun when you order the full panel what colour silkscreen you want…

3

We panelize the designs as submitted to us by the user. If you need a routed design (half moon is no problem) be sure that your border reflects this. If you have a rectangular border (as in your picture) you’ll get a rectangular board.

We offer white silkscreen and green solder mask. You can ask for something else but without a full panel order, we can’t help you :wink:

-Nathan

4

sparky:
We offer white silkscreen and green solder mask. You can ask for something else but without a full panel order, we can’t help you :wink:

I contacted you couple of weeks ago.

I will be ordering a full panel of these litte buggers.

I changed the boarder a couple of nights ago.

One other question;

What’s the best way to get these suckers in a panel; but easily removed after assembly?

I’m thinking of applying your awesome stencil soldering tutorials:

http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorial/SMD_Pr … inting.htm

and your hot plate:

http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorial/Reflow … tplate.htm

But am worried that if I get the board completely “routed” they will arrive in individual pcbs.

What I think I want is some kind of combo… maybe v-score between two peices and route the half moon shape.

Seem right?

5

Routing them apart will get you individual PCBs. If you need a v-scored panel (as in the tutorial) you cannot do anything but rectangular shapes.

There are other ways to do panels of odd ball shaped PCBs. This is called ‘mouse bites’ but I’ve never done it and I’ve never found out from GP PCB what it takes to get this done.

All our rounded boards have to be stenciled indiv. All our square boards are done in batches. Just depends on what you are doing and how long you want to take stenciling. Stenciling a 3’x4’ panel would be impossible to line up correctly. Stenciling a .3x.3" board indiv. would take forever and a day.

-Nathan

6

Bummer.

I was hoping to do something like this:

  **
** **
------
** **
  **

where the *'s are routing

and the — is a vscore line between the two boards.

IE have the half moon PCB1 inverted and routed out

followed by PCB2 in regular oreintation and routed out.

and only vscore the middle (not routed).

That way I’d be able the stensl two PCBs at once. “bake them”… and then snap them apart after assembly.

7

have u got a router? i might be able to make a jig to hold the PCB and quickly route them urself???

8

zitt:
Bummer.

I was hoping to do something like this:

  **

**




where the *'s are routing 

and the --- is a vscore line between the two boards.



IE have the half moon PCB1 inverted and routed out

followed by PCB2 in regular oreintation and routed out.

and only vscore the middle (not routed).



That way I'd be able the stensl two PCBs at once. "bake them"... and then snap them apart after assembly.

Find somwehere with a laser cutter. Our one at work does quite well cutting PCB material cleanly…

9

This is the shape I’ll be getting made soon :slight_smile:

http://home.swiftdsl.com.au/~lohagan/board.jpg

10

Laser cutter! What a fun idea. What about the gases from vaporized copper and FR4? Can the laser cut through ground pours?

-Nathan

11

ur giving him ideas now!

12

sparky:
Laser cutter! What a fun idea. What about the gases from vaporized copper and FR4? Can the laser cut through ground pours?

-Nathan

Our one is a bit old and clunky, and hasn’t got the power to cut through copper, so you have to etch the board clear where you want to cut it. It uses an extraction fan to remove nasty gases.

Weactually use it for very quick prototyping of pcbs too, just cover the whole board with resist, and laser off the resist where you want to etch, tuns out quite nicely…