Engraved Circuit Board Designer

  The project leads to the alternative way to manufacture a milled circuit board with the help of computer numerical control (CNC) milling robot. Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are one of the far most used control modules in electrical and electronic industries. The idea behind this propos

Project Title

Engraved Circuit Board Designer

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

The project leads to the alternative way to manufacture a milled circuit board with the help of computer numerical control (CNC) milling robot. Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) are one of the far most used control modules in electrical and electronic industries. The idea behind this proposal is computer controlled milling machine which can be used for quick fabrication of double layered PCBs called MCB where a user wants to test the circuit without a need to wait for the conventional PCB fabrication. The workspace of the machine was 800 mm x 500 mm. The stepper motor driven with TB 6600 driver and combined with ball screw on linear bearing to make the motion more precisely. The test result showed that the machine accuracy is about 99.5 percent for X and Y axis and 96 percent for Z axis. The end effector of the CNC milling machine has the facility to move in 3 axes-x, y and z in accordance with the input received from the Mach3 controller. Dip Trace, copperCam and EDA/CAD software is used for creating the schematic diagram for the milled circuit boards. The design to be engraved on the copper clad board is uploaded to a software called Copper Cam, where it can be converted to G-code files after making the necessary modifications, G-code program used on CAM processing uses MACH3 controller software. These G-code files are then uploaded to the CNC machine using the software Universal G-code Sender, thus enabling the microcontroller to direct the rotation of motors and coordinate the movements of the end effector so as to engrave the board design on to a copper clad.

Project Objectives

This project impelled us to design a 3 axis CNC machine which will be:

>Easy to use 

>Having low space requirement

>Low cost

>Compatible to any windows operating systems(7 to 10)

>Less time consuming then etching process

Project Implementation Method

The functioning of 3-axis CNC PCB milling machine is consisting on three systems which were design and fabrication in mechanical, electrical and software system.

 Different designs are made on software like Dip Trace and EDA/CAD which will uploaded to copper Cam software that converted to G-code files by making some modifications, these G-code programs then interface with CNC machines by using universal G-code sender (UGS) software . The design to be engraved on the copper clad board. The machine is controlled by the motor driver HR4998. The G-code values are passed onto the microcontroller using USB or data cable upgraded with a CNC shield using UGS software. The stepper motors are attached to pulleys on the other side using belts. Also, a slider is coupled to the metal rod for easy and friction free movement. This is done on two sides of the square. The ends of a metal rod are connected to these sliders. When the stepper motor rotates, it leads to the linear movement of the slider and the metal rod. This constitutes the movement in the y-axis. Next the stepper motor-pulley attachment is modeled on this rod and sliders and installed on both top and bottom of it which results in x-axis movement.  The entire setup in which the parts fabricated using the 3D printer and assembled with other components and materials. The z-axis motion is controlled by a motor which is connected to the gear nut mechanism. The rotation of the motor controls the vertical movement of this holder. 

Machine works in three systems ,electrical, software and mechanical systems

1. Dip trace software used to design sketches. It can converted to G-code files by copper cam software. These programs can interface to CNC machine by UGS software. The machine is controlled by the TB 6600 driver. The G-code values are passed onto the microcontroller using USB.  The stepper motors are attached to pulleys on the other side using belts. Also, a slider is coupled to the metal rod for easy and friction free movement. The ends of a metal rod are connected to these sliders.  When the stepper motor rotates, it leads to the linear movement of the slider and the metal rod.  This constitutes the movement in the y-axis. Next the stepper motor-pulley attachment is modeled on this rod and sliders and installed on both top and bottom of it which results in xaxis movement. The z-axis motion is controlled by a motor which is connected to the gear nut mechanism. The rotation of the motor controls the vertical movement of this holder. ? Design to be engraved on copper clad board

Benefits of the Project

It prevents us from the health issues as acids have many side effects which used in etching process.

It assures the human safety like cut, burn etc. which caused by etching process

It reduces environmental issues like residual particles of factory or industries which were thrown every where like in water or burn them these caused an environmental problem and this machine overcome this issue

The PCBs designed through this machine will be sustainable or accurately designed.

It can enhance the technology.

It helps in automation.

It can reduce domestic and industrial problems through technology

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Weight approx. 30kg

Dimmension(mm)= 700x550x300

Working area(mm)= 270x325x38

Power Supply = 220 V , 50-60Hz 

Tool Diameter = 0.1mm – 3,145mm

Required accessories = Computer/Laptop

Required Software = Mach3Mill

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Manufacturing

Other Industries

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Quality Education, Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com