Re: milling circuit boards

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, R Rogers <rogersmach@...> wrote:

>
> Those services aren't free or even cheap compared to taking a $4

piece of board and milling it yourself. They usually have a 3 board
minumum and by the time they get through with their games, it's close
to $200 for one design. Someone who is experimenting with different
designs, that could get expensive.

>
>

I can tell you from experience that prototyping is expensive. I
consider the milling of PCB's to be valuable. It is a lot faster to
do a layout (even using single sided with jumpers design) than to hand
breadboard or wirewrap. I can do a design, route the board, assemble,
test, make modifications, cut a new baord and have the working proto
in a day. Unless you have pockets full of money (like Ron (:-)) the
overnight board services (which end up being at least 3 days with FED
EX delivery will cost you out the ying-yang. The 5 day turn around
can be cost effective if you need the doublesided and plated through
holes and solder mask boards you get but I have boxes full of $30.00
boards that are scrap. It's ususally stupid mistakes and has to do
with the footprint of componets or just dumb engineer stuff but
getting to a usable set of boards is normally a two phase deal with
the first set being so cobbled up that you wouldn't give them to your
Mother-in-Law! Sometimes you get lucky and nail it on the first round
but not often.

Also there creeps up a lot of the little one off boards for test rigs
and stuff that don't justify a $120.00 set of 5 protos.

I spent years around the PCB industry and even owned part of one at
one point. To do it right you need plating, silkscreen and dry film
resist capabilites.

I can cut 10mil lines so it's not good enough for the smaller SMT
components and you need to solder with a fine tip and under a
magnifier (to prevent bridging).

Milling PCB's is not the solution for every case but it has a place in
the mix. I sure beats handdrilling 400 holes and if you have it for
drilling then the milling process is just that....another process.