On 8/15/2023 7:27 AM, John Walliker wrote:> Having complex external shapes in FR4 never seems to be a problem forIt's not a question of whether or not they can *do* it but, rather, what the cost penalty is. I'm looking for *really* cheap.> manufacturers, but some don't like large internal cutouts. Others are OK > with these. In one design I linked the internal cutout to the outside with a > 2mm wide channel so that everything could be cut without lifting the router bit.(I'm trying to identify similar shapes that I can convey easily) Imagine routing a board with the outline of the digit '8'. Or, '2' (note the tight internal angle on the bottom right) to keep eliminate the need to lift the tool to route an internal void.> Some manufacturers will fit as many repetitions as possible onto one panel > for a fixed price.Yes. Panelizing a nice regular shape is easier than something more obscure. How tightly could you pack '2's onto a panel? (That;s actually an interesting problem. I'll see what my panelizing software comes up with for a solution... I wonder how many options it explores?) What's the minimum distance between to ensure you don't chip a board edge? etc.> I recently had a small double-sided design with a complex routed > outline manufactured with about 190 repetitions on a single 130x210mm panel > for about GBP100 in total.Those would be tiny boards. I'm looking at an enclosing polygon of maybe 100mm x 70mm (but, a fair bit of that being "space")> Here are the details for a larger single-sided panel. > https://www.pcbpanel.co.uk/panel-f-single-sided-conventional.html > You can probably do a lot better in China, especially if you use resin > bonded paper.It might be better to populate and then cut. But, that limits the houses that can do that. OTOH, it might afford better panelizing options for the different boards (on a single panel).
Cheap, easily milled PCB material
Started by ●August 14, 2023
Reply by ●August 15, 20232023-08-15
Reply by ●August 15, 20232023-08-15
On 2023-08-15 10:11, Don Y wrote:> On 8/14/2023 7:45 AM, Phil Hobbs wrote: >>> The boards don't have to be particularly sturdy as >>> they will be supported completely by their undersides. >>> >>> What sort of material might be suitable for this? >>> >>> [I'm only looking for small quantities -- hundreds. >>> I'll let someone else refine the process for bigger >>> quantities (with commensurate investments] >> >> We’ve used Dirty PCBs for stuff like that in the long-ago time. >> >> https://dirtypcbs.com >> >> Dunno if they’ve gone too far upmarket since. > > "Stuff like that" meaning "dirt cheap", "flimsy"? Or, "unusual outlines"? > > Dirt cheap, solder mask and silk screen optional, PTH also optional. We built some breakout boards for prototyping. (Small rectangular pads on a grid of 0.5 x 0.65 mm are super useful too.) Cheers Phil Hobbs -- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC / Hobbs ElectroOptics Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 http://electrooptical.net http://hobbs-eo.com
Reply by ●August 16, 20232023-08-16
On 2023-08-15, Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:> On 8/14/2023 10:50 PM, Jasen Betts wrote: >>> [I'm only looking for small quantities -- hundreds. >>> I'll let someone else refine the process for bigger >>> quantities (with commensurate investments] >> >> Any through hole parts? > > No. *Possibly* a couple of registration holes.perhaps thin phenolic paper or polyimide, it can be cut using blade in a press, laser or water jet etc... or scissors for prototypes. -- Jasen. 🇺🇦 Слава Україні
Reply by ●August 19, 20232023-08-19
On 8/15/2023 11:54 PM, Jasen Betts wrote:> On 2023-08-15, Don Y <blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote: >> On 8/14/2023 10:50 PM, Jasen Betts wrote: >>>> [I'm only looking for small quantities -- hundreds. >>>> I'll let someone else refine the process for bigger >>>> quantities (with commensurate investments] >>> >>> Any through hole parts? >> >> No. *Possibly* a couple of registration holes. > > perhaps thin phenolic paper or polyimide, it can be cut using blade in a > press, laser or water jet etc... or scissors for prototypes.Thanks! I will see if I can find a house that has it available. Perhaps (in production) a die can be created to just stamp out the blanks prior to stuffing...
