{"id":2220,"date":"2017-02-06T05:47:29","date_gmt":"2017-02-06T12:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/play.fallows.ca\/wp\/?p=2220"},"modified":"2017-02-05T21:08:29","modified_gmt":"2017-02-06T04:08:29","slug":"3d-printed-circuit-board-drill-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/play.fallows.ca\/wp\/projects\/electronics-projects\/3d-printed-circuit-board-drill-press\/","title":{"rendered":"3D Printed Circuit Board Drill Press You Can Make"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"circuit<\/a><\/p>\n

There are lots of designs for making a circuit board drill press for PCB fabrication. I thought I would try one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Drilling holes in printed circuit boards can be a challenge for hobbyists. The holes are really small, typically 0.8 mm diameter. Also, placement needs to be quite accurate. You want the hole right in the middle of a small copper pad. So far, I have used a twist drill which is worked by hand. If you are not careful, it is all too easy to break the tiny bit. Even a simple PCB may have 20 or 30 holes. An\u00a0Archimedes drill may take 15-20 pushes per hole. Mind numbing work.<\/p>\n

E-bay is full of ads for “PCB mini drill press”. Mostly, these cost between $10-$15 and come with a few bits. These electric motors run on 5 to 12 volts, and may turn at 10-20,000 revolutions per minute. I ordered one from Vangel<\/a>. It comes with a collection of 0.8 to 1.5 mm bits. The motor’s diameter is around 28 mm.<\/p>\n

Circuit Board Drill Press Made of Plastic<\/h2>\n

My first attempt uses a design from Thingiverse<\/a>. A maker named Zezo published a design that looked easy. It uses a plastic gantry rather than metal rods and bearings. The whole project cost me around $15 including the drill and plastic parts. Check out this video<\/a> of the drill press in action.<\/p>\n

I made a few modifications to the build:<\/p>\n