Request a PCB that is a PCB stencil?

Request a PCB that is a PCB stencil?

Can I somehow use my silkscreen layor as the drilled layor? Can I somehow convert from one to another?

Also then if that and the silk screen layor could be merged I could have a stencil to drop the components in. then heat it on a hotplate to solder.

You mean use a PCB as a stencil for other PCBs?

Won’t work. First off, its far too thick. Secondly, you would need to somehow route square sections all over your board - this is incredibly expensive compared to even straight drilling.

There are a few companies that will convert your paste layer gerber into a kapton stencil. Kapton is a robust plastic film. Not nearly as robust as a metal stencil, but for low volume its a bargain.

One site (haven’t used them): http://ohararp.com/Stencils.html

PCB Pool supplies free stencils with their PCB prototypes.

Leon

Your right pcb pool does offer a metal stencil without the design files for the stencil the other offers k… stencils that I seen used on a adafruit video.

Now the assembly stencil could be made of metal if it is spaced away from the board. Or board material. It is basicly another board spaced a littlle away so 400 degrees on the surface of the pcb or a little less for solder melting might not destroy the placement stencil if they stayed together after placing before hot plating…

This would allow the board to be populated by placing things in holes no precision required. :slight_smile: orentation would still matter.

I think some parts of the kicad files could be turned into postscript or pdf files and I think their is a gerber to drill file converter… so maby I could get it to drill a series of holes like a dot matrix printer cutting out my assembly stencil.

pcb-pool supplied a free smd laser stencil for my prototype pcb order it worked really well !