Tuesday, 1 July 2014

pcb fabrication - How do you cut PCB?


I just spent about 20 minutes trying to cut through a PCB with a hacksaw. These things are really tough.



What is the correct tool to cut PCB material, and get a nice straight line?


I saw something about a guillotine, but can't find a vendor.



Answer



The first thing I should mention is safety. You need to wear breathing protection since the dust created by cutting is very hazardous to breath. Safety glasses should always be worn. As Norm would say -- read and understand all the manufacturers instructions for your tools.


I use either a hacksaw, bandsaw or tin-snips. Since I primarily use the bandsaw for wood I only use it if the blade needs to changed anyways. After cutting 10 linear inches of FR4 the blade will be useless for wood. I hate changing bandsaw blades.


Hacksaw is what I usually use. I leave 50mils between board edges. I place copper no closer than 25mils to the edge. The hacksaw blade is apx 35mils wide. I use a magnifying visor. This is fine for prototypes.


Sometimes I snip the edges with tin-snips. A scroll-saw would be ideal. Quick change carbide blades. Also I have heard of people using shears.


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