Homemade PCBs with Fiber Laser - 0.1mm Clearance

🔥Amazing quality PCBs using a fiber laser CNC machine and get down to 0.1mm tracks or clearance. Also, add soldermask and smd pads.

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🤝SUPPORT
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00:00 Intro
08:51 Thank You

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#pcb
#tutorial
#cnc

[er.himanshu]

***Pin
00:00 intro
09:05 Tests
11:41 Errors and Fixing drilling holes
13:00 Step-1 placing pcb
13:20 Step-2 cut the outline for positioning
14:12 Step-3 create top layer track
14:47 Step-4 Apply solder mask
Step-5 make the holes( halfway)
Step-6 Clear pads
Step-7 Apply silk layer
15:50 Step-8 (important) Flip the pcb
17:04 all steps revision

Software part

17:49 EasyEda software
21:00 no. Of files required
21:55 FlatCam software
28:41 EzCad-2 software

29:16 Comparison b/w speed power & frequency

*Following (live) steps for pcb making

30:45 cutout outline for pcb

32:16 settings for cutting the outline

33:28 Engrave the top layer for tracks

33:59 Settings for engraving top layer for tracks

35:10 applying the solder mask

35:25 removing solder paste

35:48 settings for removing solder paste
36:30 make the drill

36:38 settings for drill

38:35 bottom layer
40:01 settings for tracks
40:12 apply solder mask
40:14 Remove solder paste
40:28 drill again half way
41:01 cut outline board

THANKS, it may help😊

[Redfvvg]

Perhaps someone has already mentioned this. It is interesting to check the interelectrode resistance with a megaohmmeter. There is a possibility that the surface is carbonized and has a reduced electrical resistance, which is not good.

[thegreyfuzz]

Now this is the way I do tend to do things, want this $30 off the shelf product, spend $2000-3000 (or more) on tools to make it myself! The knowledge gained traversing these paths is invaluable. Thanks for what you do. Fiber laser is next on my list, my Diode and CO2 lasers can only do so much.

[InSearchOfScience]

The fumes from this process are gnarly. A mix of fiber glass particles and epoxy resin. You don't want to breath that smoke. Make sure to use excessive ventilation and a respirator. If it were me I would just do it outside.

[ketv]

This is a great ad for your sponsor! Who wants to go through that much work when for a few bucks a board house can do it all for you, plus plated-through holes, HASL or ENIG finish, 4- and 6-layer boards, and maybe even assembly services?

But it was fun to watch you do it!

[abdultairu]

First of all, thanks to the author for taking time to do this and share. No doubt this process if well executed can be the best way to make DIY PCBs. But the cost of fiber laser is well above the budget of most DIYers. Compared to toner transfer (albeit transfer frustration) and etching that cost next to nothing and with some careful planning one can even produce double sided boards without coughing up $2, 000. If fiber laser cost is affordable going forward, then this is the way to go, but now, I stick to ironing and JLCPCB or PCBWAY.

[bluegizmo]

One thing I didn't see you mention, is that with a fiber laser like this, if your gonna be drilling holes through a material that is thicker than like 0.2mm thick, you need to be using less than half of the available size your lens can do. I.e. if you have a 110mm working area lens, you shouldn't be drilling through a part larger than 55mm in diameter. This is because the closer you get to the edge of the working area of the lens, you will get distortions. Specifically with drill holes through thicker material, the holes at the edge of the working area will be drilled at an obvious angle through the piece, NOT straight down through it. Drilling half way through then flipping the piece to finish the drilling from the other side doesn't really work either because the angle of the holes will be at opposing angles if its flipped. As long as you stay near the center of the lens though it's not a problem. Also, larger area lenses will give you more room to work before hitting the obvious distortions, and a larger area lens has more depth of field where it stays in focus better when working with thicker materials, but you will get less transmitted power into the work piece, so you'll need to crank up the power or lower the speed.

[YoutubeBorkedMyOldHandle_why]

Fascinating. Still, I won't be running out and buying one of these laser engravers any time soon, but it is impressive what you've done with it.

I used to make my own PCBs, until I realized that manufactured PCBs were often less than the cost to buy plain copper clad. I used photo resist film on double sided copper clad. I made masks by printing (inkjet) on high resolution digital negative film. Dust, scratches and air bubbles were problematic with the photo resist. Honestly, the best I could consistently achieve was about 0.5mm traces. The most annoying issue was making vias. Basically, I'd drill the holes, run thin wires through the holes and solder to each side of the board ... which is crude and tedious, especially for big boards, but it got the job done. Headers were also annoying, because they essentially needed to be soldered on both sides of the board. I eventually found that sending everything to JLCPCB was far more elegant and probably cheaper anyway, especially if I combined a bunch of boards into a big order. And this is the one downside. It takes a while to accumulate a bunch of projects, place a big order and then wait for delivery. DIY PCBs can be much quicker.

However ... stencils from JLCPCB can be really expensive, (mostly because of the extra shipping cost), so I often make my own stencils the same way I made PCBs, except instead of copper clad, I use 0.05mm copper foil, available in rolls from AliExpress. With stencils the imperfections are not nearly so important, so this still works well. (I also tried stainless steel stencils, but copper works better.)

I imagine using this laser setup to make stencils could be really easy and quick.

[waltermeyer]

Nice Video.

1) for fixing PCBs onto the laser we use a vacuum table with porous air-permeable plastic composite matt between table and pcb. ( mats like METAPOR®CE100, 3mm to 5mm)
a. this prevents the lasertable from getting marked (the mats can be easily changed when they are "worn out")
b. the mats equalizes the vacuum, even when there are already holes in the PCB
c. uneven pcbs get more flat

2) would be good if the laser focus (high adjustment) would be controllable by the process (stepper motor on z axis)
This makes drilling/cutting the thru the full PCB much more easier and equal without the need to flip the pcb
Simply do one cut cycle, then adjust the focus a bit deeper, then next cut, then focus a bit deeper and so on until the pcb thickness is done.
For PCBs we adjust the high in about 0, 03mm steps what gives about 50 cutting to got thru a 1, 6mm PCB.
And Yes, this takes a bit longer, buts give very good cuts with good cutting geometry and nearly no burned prepreg.

[Ferreira]

My experience shows that you can produce pcb's with a diode laser, as long as you don't try to erode the cooper itself with the laser. Get a mate black permanent marker (edding and BIC have good solutions), and cover the area to be etched with it. The laser will eliminate the areas that you want to have the copper removed from. You obviously will still need to remove the copper with an etching solution, and the remaining paint can be cleared with alcohol. I haven't got around to try to cut the PCB with it, I'm afraid it may be a huge fail, but overall I'd say that for this purpose, a diode engraving laser is a good option nonetheless. This is just so that people don't think that because their laser isn't a fiber one, that they will be left out in any way.

I also only clear the copper around the tracks and pads, Not the entire PCB. I do it this way for two reasons. One is to conserve my Iron Chloride solution, the less copper I dissolve in it the more it will last, and secondly, I can make a ground plane with it, which in theory will be beneficial in avoiding cross-talk for high speed circuits.

The resin paste can be applied and the same laser etching technique can be made, exposing the pads that are to receive the solder. This is where it pays off to invest in an adjustable JIG. If you have positioning holes in the PCB, and they are keyed properly, you can remove the pcb and place it again, even flip it to make the other side, and you won't loose alignment. It becomes a seamless process.

And here is the best part about the diode laser; no matter how much you try, the copper will reflect the laser, it only get's absorbed by the black marker paint. If you make a mistake, just recover it with the marker again, and it's all good. It's only when you are sure that you have it right that you chemically etch the PCB, and you can do both sides at once.

For simple vias I would just run a wire and solder it on both sides. It's not the best professional look, but it's a handy solution, if you are not trying to balance the board's thermals. These days, through hole components are getting less and less common, and to be honest, anything that would be to become a commercial product, you want to avoid them as much as possible. If it's a hobby or POC board, you can also fold the leads and make them as "SMD" solutions. Right now, i only consider THC for mechanical stability purposes, in case they are heavy, like transformers. Aside from that, SMD all the way, no questions asked.

Overall, a good video. If anyone finds any flaws in my suggestions, do comment. I'm always up for a revision of my concepts and a chance to learn something else.

[AramAzhari]

I was watching in anticipation that was building up on "what about the vias?"

We definitely need an update with vias. 😀

One thing I like about the laser method is that it has much less chemicals than printing out silhouettes and dipping the board in acid etc.

[thedarksage]

Am I missing something or how do you deal with plated thru holes and feedthroughs? I mean it's cool to watch, but if you can't solve this problem, I think it's better to just use one of the PCB services available and spend your valuable engineering time elsewhere.

[grahamwise]

suggestion drill the plated holes on bare copper clad board, then electroplate the board to make plated thro holes. Then do all the steps you listed, it doesn't matter is masking gets into the holes.

[CraigHollabaugh]

Hero! Half way through the board for holes is a great tip. This video is incredibly detailed. It must have taken days to research. Thanks.

[wdolgae]

Working at a shop that makes PCBs, I always find it interesting how people make homemade boards!

[Gengh]

Thank you for taking the time to make this as a guide, I'm really tempted to get one of those laser machines.

Edit: I would like to see if you can electroplate the vías, if the sooth from the hole is conductive maybe you can even save a step.

[phantomhck]

Ideally soldermask should be baked after screening on, you'll get a better surface finish especially and quality if you are doing transparency exposure. It gives time for surface tension to do it's thing. A toaster or reflow oven works great.

[HakAtIt]

Man, so much details here I'll need to watch again! Incredibly comprehensive.

[danielroibert]

Hello, here is a solution that I would like to implement, but in a simpler way. Could you please indicate the power of your machine, as there are models ranging from 20W to 100W. Thank you in advance.

[MikeSinclair-SURT]

Great and succinct video! Thank you. Many or your naysayers don't appreciate the value in this method - quick iteration with a short design-test-iterate-... cycle. Quick turn to many DIYers is worth the $$$. Maxwell doesn't have much to say here for the lower frequency spectrum that most PCBs operate in. Plus most employ digital ICs with good noise immunity. Also, if you try to stick to surface mount devices, you'll cut way down on vias to only a handfull as in your example. Avoid requiring vias at thru-hole devices and only require backside soldering in these cases. Instead, if required, place a top-bottom via near the thru-hole component (was suggested earlier). Thought - can you precoat both sides of the raw copperclad material (or buy precoated copperclad?) with colored soldermask then laser etch copper cuts, then etch isolating solder masks then etch for same color silk screen labels. Not as pretty but much quicker and simpler, avoiding separate soldermask and silkscreen steps. Probably for manual soldering only. Potential problem is the relatively small space between copper etch and solder mask etch for a possible solder bridge. But careful soldering might avoid this problem. Thanks again!