CNC for PCB drilling  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: knudsenuk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 08:39:33 am
content: Has anyone got any recommendations for an off the shelf CNC for drilling prototype boards. I converted a Boxford machine a while back but 140kg and the sheer size is overkill for this task.I use mach3 and export drill files using eagle pcb code.

author: ander7
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 09:33:12 am
content: Have you checked 3018 CNCs? They are small and can be used for drilling PCBs.

author: knudsenuk
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2025, 05:37:46 am
content: Yes. Usually they don’t have ball screws and lack precision sufficient for this job

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2025, 05:54:00 am
content: Quote from: knudsenuk on August 11, 2025, 05:37:46 amyes, there is a lot of garbage, but there are also plenty with fully supported square rails and (cheap) ball screws. Cost of these starts at around EUR1200. for that sort of money you can get something similar to what's shown below. (And there are different variants, but they all tend to be blue.There is one quite stupid design flaw that a lot of these units share.When you assemble it, it's much better to put the whole base upside down, and then connect the rails and the table to each other, so they strengthen each other.

author: nikolatesla
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2025, 02:09:44 am
content: I have a few cnc machines and a belt driven laser.The belt driven laser can do pcb copper removal and drilling .I fitted a small 3phase brush less motor with a collet chuck.It is a bit flimsy but keeping speeds and feeds correct make it usable .The 3018 is abetter choice which can be converted to grbl via Arduino or any of the controller boards which support 3 axis.Or just stick with mach3.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2025, 09:01:29 am
content: Quote from: nikolatesla on August 13, 2025, 02:09:44 amDoes anyone even sell a full 3018 kit that doesn't come with a controller running Gnea GRBL or one of its 32 bit successors e.g. grblHAL?Although GRBL is a bit primitive and limited (no canned cycles or macros), with appropriate processing to generate GRBL compatible G-code from your drill file, it can do the job well enough.The main issue with '3018' machines is they are generally entry level 'toy' CNCs, with insufficiently spaced round rods + linear bearings resulting in poor rigidity, especially in the X gantry and Z axis, excessive backlash due to plain leadscrews with poor or no anti-backlash nuts, and are seldom square or properly trammed. Then there's the spindle, which generally will be underpowered with poor bearings and excessive runout. You can probably deflect the tool tip by a distance comparable to typical component lead diameters with light hand pressure on the spindle . . .You *may* be able to get one aligned well enough to work for PCB drilling if your pads are annular rings with a center aperture about 1/3 of the drill diameter so it is effectively starting in a centerpunch, but I would expect it to eat drill bits - the general slop will tend to promote chatter which breaks small diameter carbide, and FR4 is notoriously hard on HSS bits.