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IndustryArena Forum > Community Club House > Making PCB's with a small cnc mill
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    828

    Making PCB's with a small cnc mill

    What software is used to draw pcb traces and then generating the tool path to be isolation milled?
    I don't know anything about this prosses but what to learn.
    I searched on the forums did see any threads, unless I'm (chair)
    I searched with Google also.

    Thanks all!
    Dennis

  2. #2
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Posts
    550
    The 'for free' option is usually Eagle (http://www.cadsoft.de/). It's often less than intuitive but it works, limited to 3x4" in the free version. You can download and use a script (ULP) to produce gcode for isolation milling, for two sided boards, board outline and board drilling....

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    828
    Starting to make sense!

    Thanks
    Dennis

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Posts
    10
    Look up a program called WinQCad. It's free and will create ready to run GCode for you. Take some time to get used to it and run through it's tutorial before you decide if you like it or not. The first time I ran it, I didn't like it but the more time I spent in it, it works pretty good. Plus it creates the GCode for you without having to run it through any other programs.

    -Allistah

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    197
    I have just tried winqcad. Its a great program. you get nice schematics also. I konstructed a simple card and used a engraving bit and made this card with my Emco F1P Emcotronic Desktop machine. Become a nice little card I think
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Printkort.JPG  

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