Cyclone, a 3D printable CNC router for PCB manufacture

Hi everyone,
I have seen the 3D-printable PCB mill made by tmahring and wanted to share some tips that I have found out while working on Cyclone.

• Regarding workbed leveling: the Z probing technique has proven to give a very good quality without the need to level the copper board.
• Z axis will perform better if driven with 2:1 reduction instead of directly with the motor.
• The step that is more sensitive to axis robustness is cutting the edges of the board (using a chip-breaker bit)

Also, for those with experience using different router bits, please check this list and let us know your thoughts. I want to test as many bits as possible.

I hope you like the design, please let me know your questions so they can be properly documented!

A few notes from me, too:

- End mills work fine, but 0.6 mm is already too wide.

- My current favourite are 0.3 mm / 25° V-bits. Best compromise between low tendency for burring and track width variations. The smaller the diameter, the more burring you get due to low cutting speed (given the spindle speed is constant). The higher the V angle is, the lower the tendency for burring. But at V angles > 30° the width of the milled track is too sensitive to inaccuracies in leveling.

- Also important for burr-free milling is a solid support of the raw material. Else the PCB will flutter.

Regarding the latter of these: I see you hold the PCB at the edges only. How can that work and how many burrs do you get? How many PCBs can you mill before the mill bit needs replacement? For myself, I can currently do some 20 to 30 PCBs with one bit. I mill with the PCB under water to reduce dust and increase mill bit life.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

Hi Traumflug, thanks for the info about the milling bits: I took it into account and ordered some 0.3mm/25°V-bits among others.
But I'm out of Spain during the Summer so I can't make further tests

I have recently edited the video of the process (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKW3fwy1h0k)

Regarding the "flutter" of the PCB, I only noticed it when cutting (using one pass only, with multiple passes it is not that bad) and some bending when drilling. Can you suggest other way for holding the PCB?
The only burrs I see happened when doing the second pass with the 0.5mm super-bad bit (shown in the video)

By the moment I have only made a few PCBs, so I can't tell how much the bits will last. Also the software doesn't yet take in account the difference between bits, speeds... etc



Milling underwater would be really nice! no need for vacuum cleaner, right?

Thanks again for the feedback and sorry for the late response!

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2013 05:28PM by carlosgs.

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Can you suggest other way for holding the PCB?

I hold them with double sided adhesive tape. Cheap brands are better than expensive ones; worst case it sticks so firmly it takes minutes to peel the PCB off after the work.

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Milling underwater would be really nice! no need for vacuum cleaner, right?

Right.

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Generation 7 Electronics	Teacup Firmware	RepRap DIY

very very nice!!
I would also try to make this one.

thanks for sharing!

maybe is it possible to get drawings 1:1 of the Cyclone?

greetings from Netherlands!
Rob.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/06/2014 02:51AM by 3D rob.

Hello everyone,

maybe someone will need the printed parts for a Cyclone PCB Factory - I have printed a complete set an request and decided to print a second one at the same time for sale. The set is listed on emakershop http://www.emakershop.com/Seller=2273 (note: I am a private person - not a company!). If you are interested, you can also write a PM (maybe you need only a few parts or just an other color).

Hope my parts will help with your projects :-)

Best wishes
3D Andy

Hi,

does someone know where to by a spindle for the cyclone cnc within europe?

greetings

Hi Muggi, sorry but I don't know european sellers (I bought the spindle from China through eBay).

But the newer version will be using a Dremel 200 spindle, which is air-cooled and doesn't require an additional 48V power supply.

Regards,
Carlos

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carlosgs
Hi Muggi, sorry but I don't know european sellers (I bought the spindle from China through eBay).

But the newer version will be using a Dremel 200 spindle, which is air-cooled and doesn't require an additional 48V power supply.

Regards,
Carlos

cool dremel we can get everywhere..... where do i find the newer version?

This is the GitHub repository: [github.com]

The Z carriage is not yet designed, though

Cool

Big thanks... Which Parts are competed designed ( to slowly Start printing)