3 comments

  • giantg22 hours ago
    This looks great! I&#x27;ve ordered stencils and do 3D printing... kicking myself for not thinking of it.<p>On the other hand, it gave me a great idea. What if you could 3D print the solder paste right onto the PCB using a tool that swaps out the hot end?
  • aleph-z58 minutes ago
    I mean, why not laser cut a mylar sheet? That&#x27;s an existing method and works well for 0603 footprints and similar, and is also quicker.
    • Animats40 minutes ago
      Yes, that&#x27;s the usual approach. Mylar sheets for short runs, stainless steel sheets for production. 3D printing in PLA probably won&#x27;t have enough dimensional accuracy for fine pitch boards or boards of any size. The demo shown is a very small coarse pitch board.<p>The thickness of the stencil matters, because that determines how much solder paste you are laying down. This approach is going to produce thick stencils.<p>There are CNC machines for laying down solder paste. Here&#x27;s one.[1] It does a few more jobs, too. The various CNC desktop board-making machines are still too expensive for most hobbyists, though.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.voltera.io&#x2F;products&#x2F;v-one" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.voltera.io&#x2F;products&#x2F;v-one</a>