Stencil printer size and stencil size - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: newtekuser
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2024, 02:17:07 am
content: I'm the recent owner of a Neoden FP2636 stencil printer for frameless stencils and was sure I would be able to figure out how to place my stencil into the machine but I feel like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.The specs say it should accommodate a stencil size of 260 × 360 mm which matches the size of the stencil I ordered from jlcpcb. However, for the life of mine I can't figure out how to mount it into the printer frame because it is a few inches larger than the seam of the printer as you can see from the pic.Am I missing something, do I need to cut the stencil? (that would be extremely silly). Maybe the machine specs were misrepresented?https://www.ebay.com/itm/254328198560

author: mairo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 24, 2024, 06:12:07 am
content: What is larger, the stencil, or the stencil printer frame? The stencil printer frame can be adjusted for various lengths, you can loosen it from the sides and adjust accordingly… once you done with that and straiten it , you will have the adjust the height of the mounted stencil with respect to the board so that is even on all sides, this task for me is the most time consuming with these kind of stencil printers.

author: newtekuser
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2024, 03:41:02 pm
content: I'm an idiot for not measuring the stencil size which is 280 × 380 mm and thought to be standard size. This stencil printer accepts max 260 × 360 mm which explains why I can't use it with this stencil.And per the screenshot jlcpcb doesn't list smaller sizes for selection, but can be customized.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2024, 07:29:28 pm
content: Something to bear in mind for future orders is that the shipping cost for small stencils is a LOT lower than for full sheets. So give yourself perhaps a 5cm margin on each side so that the stencil will fit in the same box as the PCBs.

author: newtekuser
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2024, 02:37:57 am
content: Great suggestion, thank you very much!

author: andrea.longobardi85
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2024, 07:21:43 am
content: Quote from: tooki on February 24, 2024, 07:29:28 pmI had an hard time asking PCBWAY/JLCPBC explanation on how to enter stencil custom size in their order form. They insisted they need just the width and length but wouldn’t be able to explain what would be referred to…or what would be the center/origin of the stencil frame. The origin of my gerber files? The center point of the PCB Panel?I wonder if anyone has been trough this….

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2024, 11:31:01 am
content: They just center the board on the stencil somehow. I’ve never ordered panelized boards, but it stands to reason the stencil would match the panel.Why does the origin matter? You have to align the stencil and PCB holder anyway. I’m struggling to identify what the issue is.And yes, probably thousands and thousands of people have “been through this” with JLCPCB alone.

author: andrea.longobardi85
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2024, 11:40:08 am
content: Because I would like to use the stencil with Eurocircuit stencil mate:https://www.eurocircuits.com/ec-equipment-ec-stencil-mate/If you design the stencil according to the ec-stencil spec and use their manual stencil you get the alignment for free.To do that the stencil has to be into defined ranges, in particular on the side of the alignment holes has not to be more than 19 mm from the holes.https://www.eurocircuits.com/ec-registration-system/

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2024, 12:10:12 pm
content: OK. Did you ask them theactual thing you need, which isn’t the origin or whatever, but rather “I need a cut stencil with two registration holes at a precisely defined distance from the edge. How do we do this?” Maybe there’s a better way that they can tell you.(And is it too much to ask of eurocircuits for them to post a reasonable drawing, rather than the low-resolution, blurry bitmap? Sheesh…)

author: JLCPCB Official
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 26, 2024, 09:27:26 am
content: Don't worry about it. Customize stencil size is easy . 1. Fill in the custom size 2. Select confirm production file YES option for pcb&stencil order 3. Add notes for your requirementsOur engineer will check this for you ~ If there is any problem, our engineer will email you ~

author: g00se
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 29, 2024, 01:08:40 pm
content: I use the same stencil printer.For slightly larger stencils, I do just use snips to cut out the corners so that it fits in the frame clamp.I get my stencils fromhttps://www.oshstencils.comwhich allows various sizes.