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I'm looking for a CNC machine that can be used for different PCB manufacturing tasks such as:

  • Drilling PCBs (using a rotating head)
  • Pick and place (to assemble PCBs)
  • Soldering

This CNC does not have to be heavy-duty, I'm just looking for some decent accuracy to deal with SMD parts.

  • A while ago I found the Lumenlab Micro CNC which was modular and multi-function, but they seem to have stopped production.
  • The RepRap seems to be a 3D printer only, I don't think you can do anything else with it.
  • The Makerbot is another 3D printer.
  • The ShopBot Desktop is a multi-function CNC and lathe, but only for drilling/plotting/engraving.
  • The redFrog PnP machine is a low cost hobbyist Pick n Place machine that works for SMD parts. About the lowest cost machine you can find.
  • The OpenPnP project documents an incomplete Pick n Place design. But you must build it yourself, nothing to buy here.
Robin Rodricks
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    They're three different machines, and soldering isn't done with an iron, but reflow in a carefully temperature controlled oven. The P&P is a tall order, literally. How much do you want to spend? I got a quote of 35 000 dollar for [this small machine](https://www.manncorp.com/pick-and-place/mc400/?auto=done). – stevenvh Jul 05 '12 at 08:16
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    I have not seen any soldering XYZ machines, do they exist? Solder paste dispensers do exist, and would seem more usefull for an SMD prototyping environment. About P-n-P machines: the big problem is not so much the XYZ movements, but the pickup/release mechanism and the component dispensers. I think SMD needs more than the 'decent' accuracy that is acceptable for hobby 3D printers. – Wouter van Ooijen Jul 05 '12 at 08:17
  • Have you seen a P&P machine that can also be used as a simple CNC? – Robin Rodricks Jul 05 '12 at 08:30
  • @WoutervanOoijen - Yes, they do exist. Here is a [Micro Laser Soldering System](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnyB9btlhS8). – Rocketmagnet Jul 05 '12 at 08:37
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    If you want to make a PnP machine yourself, it's not impossible. Lots of people have done it. Take a look at the [OpenPnP project](http://code.google.com/p/openpnp/). – Rocketmagnet Jul 05 '12 at 08:41
  • @Rocketmagnet - does this pick the parts from tape and reel? If I watch the simulation it looks like components are nicely lined up, and then I might as well drop them directly onto the board IMO. – stevenvh Jul 05 '12 at 10:04
  • @Steven - yes it does. If you watch the [partial board test](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPHi1JaWPJM&feature=channel&list=UL) you can see it picking (slowly) from the reel. It looks pretty good though considering the project has only been active for a year. Be interesting to keep an eye on. – Oli Glaser Jul 05 '12 at 10:24
  • Milling generally requires leadscrews for rigidity, which introduces rotating mass if you want to then move fast enough to pick and place - PCB milling is up to ~20mm/s and pick and place ~1000mm/s. Unless the machine is so tiny it has no mass, or is very slow at placing, you have to design it to work well for a factor of 100 in speed. (Cirquoid uses leadscrews and has max feed of 20mm/s, so takes several seconds to fetch components 100mm away on its bed) – Pete Kirkham Aug 11 '15 at 23:07

3 Answers3

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As @stevenh said, they are 3 separate machines.

  1. I can't answer.

  2. At work we have a pick and place machine. It's pretty specialized since it has to take parts from various tubes and trays. As @stevenh said, this is an expensive machine. I wouldn't try that with a general CNC machine.

  3. Soldering by machine is done by wave or reflow. A soldering iron is likely not what you want. If you are a hobbyist, consider a toaster oven for reflow solution.

Brian Carlton
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I know two systems which are made for small size prototyping ("low-cost").

  1. Cirqoid

    • can mill, dispense solder paste and place the components

  2. voltera (shall be delivered in the end of 2016)

    • can print a two layer pcb, dispense solder paste and bake the board

Disclaimer: I do not work for either of these projects.

SusanW
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kimliv
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This looks like what your asking. The FirePick Delta is built using the openPnP project that has already been linked. It is an ongoing project but it might be of interest to you. https://hackaday.io/project/963-firepick-delta-the-open-source-microfactory

jgelderloos
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