Re: PCB Cutting

From: Michael (NoSpam_at_att.net)
Date: 03/13/05 

Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 16:19:41 GMT

Luhan Monat wrote:
>
> Jim Douglas wrote:
> > How do you guy's do this, I have bare PCB that is 6x6" and I am building a
> > board of 2x3", what do you use to cut the boards. Before this I used the
> > paper cutter at the office but got caught and don't want to get yelled at by
> > the admin again! I am thinking a trip to Home Depot or ??
> >
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> >
> >
> Hi,
>
> I score the board on the copper side with an exacto blade and then break
> it over a table edge. You need to first make a 2 inch cut making a 2 x 6
> and then cut that in half to make a 2 x 3.
>

I've done that too. Works fine for phenolic boards. Glass boards can require
DEEP scoring, otherwise the bending force required can be high enough to warp
the board. Occasionally I use score-bend on smaller glass boards. Clamping
board in a vise along the score while bending the waste results in less warpage.

I used paper cutter many years ago and had the warp problem described above. A
metal shear works beautifully ..... but don't let the machinists catch you
cutting glass boards on one; I'm told that glass dulls a shear beyond all reason
and that re-sharpening is very expensive.

Not having a shear, a paper cutter, nor a bandsaw, I use a nibbling tool to cut
boards and a file to clean edges afterward. Yes, it's slow and it wastes mucho
board, but it's simple ... and cheap.