AUCTION (NZ): LPKF S63 PCB Milling Machine and Conductive Rivet Press - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 29, 2025, 11:18:27 pm
content: Hey all, decade long lurker here who finally decided to make an account. Hopefully that's all good that my first post is trying to sell something! This PCB Mill is something I was able to purchase after a previous company shut down and while it has been fun to have, I really haven't used it enough and am downsizing so no longer have the space to store it. Not looking to make a ton, really just cover my initial investment, ideally, and see it go to a home that'll get some use out of it!LPKF S63 Milling Machine:Currently listed on TradeMe in New Zealand for photos etc.:https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/business-farming-industry/industrial/manufacturing-metalwork/lathes-accessories/listing/5293750356Video of it running a quick test job:https://youtu.be/y293fG0PJJADetails:http://www.iproweb.fr/test/0%20-%20MATOS%20GUILLAUME/LPKF%20Laser%20&%20Electronics%20-%20ProtoMat%20S63%20-%20(2012)/DATA%20US.pdf229mm x 305mm x 35mm working volume0.5um resolution in X/Y1um repeatability0.1mm traces/spaces60k RPM spindle15 position automatic toolchanger1/8" toolingSingle phase powerDust extraction with auto stop/startPaste dispensing toolOptical fiducial recognitionCan do single-sided, double-sided and multi-layerHigh-end PCB mill, used in a R&D environment for making custom capacitor arrays as well as light duty milling for holes/engraving on aluminium/ABS enclosures. Light use, likely in the 20-40 hour range so everything is as-new. The mill has been perfect for our use case, easy to use, quick and reliable. Comes with all the original spares and accessories. All the linear rails and screws have been regularly lubed and are in perfect condition. Ready to use as-is.Accessories:Full tool setExtra universal mills for isolation routingExtra endmills for route-outExtra RF endmillsExtra backing boards~5x 0.5oz double-sided boards10x 1oz double-sided boards10x 1oz single-sided boardsStack of 2oz and 4oz double-sided boardsSpare polishing padsConductive Rivet Tool:Bungard Favorit press and rivetshttps://www.bungard.de/en/machines/through-hole-plating/favoritEasy to use way to create vias/through-holes that allow leaded components to be installed. Comes with the tools for 0.4mm, 0.6mm, 0.8mm, 1.0mm and 1.2mm rivets as well as a bulk supply of rivets in each size.Location is Westgate, Auckland. To arrange viewing please contact Jonathan on 021 188 3368. I'm also happy to run a small demonstration job for any serious bidders. I can also provide a brief training session during pick-up on the software/workflow for the final buyer.

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 29, 2025, 11:33:43 pm
content: I've got it listed for $5k reserve, $10k buy now but that's a real stab in the dark so I've got no idea if I'm dreaming or not... Would appreciate any feedback if anyone has a rough guess at what they think it'd be worth.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 12:09:43 am
content: You don't happen to know anything about contact rivets do you? Like for relays, switches and so on?I am not interested in buying any equipment just interested for information about this seldom documented thing.How it all ends up being designed, where to get small quantities of exotic stuff (say like tungsten-silver/copper, or weird platings)Shot in the dark, my inquires get zero response in this shadowy world of making your own relays, switches, hot plug connectors and so on.I do like PCB rivet hardware in my designs though, like standoffs, turrets and also flange rivets for repairing bad boards.

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 12:18:28 am
content: Nothing at all, sorry. I could see how these PCB rivets could be used for some of that, though.The copper rivet system has been a pretty neat way to handle the issue of vias/through-holes in low quantity milled PCBs, though. In the 0.4mm size they're remarkably close to what I'd use as a standard commodity via from PCBWay, although they're pretty fiddly to line up and use at that size. In the larger sizes they're nice because you get a remarkably strong conductive barrel that you can use for leaded components without needing to worry about top-side soldering on non-plated boards. You can still de-solder and remove leaded components like normal etc.They've worked especially well for us because we were using them with thicker copper (~4oz) and high current applications (>100Arms) where the wall thickness of the rivet is much more substantial than anything you get from a plating setup, although they take up a bit more space so you can't put quite as many in a given location.The main downside is that it can get pretty tedious if you need to install more than 20-30 at a time so I'd use them a little more sparingly than if I were just slapping vias all over the place or making via fences for EMC reasons etc.

author: cunningfellow
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 10:47:27 pm
content: coppercone2 - have you seen the multicore/copperset pcb rivet system.They are no longer made, but there is a Japanese company that still does compatible consumables.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2025, 11:04:28 pm
content: i have multicore via kit but I mean contact rivet, the button that passes current on the relay levers, the bit that sparksI just thought someone around that kind of machine might know something about it lol, I thought they might use something like that for low volume relay productionThat's the part that gives something the ability to pass current during connection without being destroyed... found in switches, relays, and I am imagining maybe some special connectors that are designed for hot swapping.If you take a higher power switch or relay apart, like a toggle switch or several amp relay, you will see there is a little 'button' that is soldered or riveted to the end of the 'armature' which actually strikes the other conductor. It is shiny and polished and raised above the 'leaf spring' .. that part is designed to survive the electric arcingIf you don't have it, then you need inrush current control circuitI find it intensely interesting because its just a little tiny static mechanical part that really holds back alot of cool design work that can be done with making your own relays. Possibly very interesting things like coaxial relays or other special designs (short stroke, piston, experimenting with different types of 'strikes', trying to control timing with greater precision (imagine you made a real 'nice' mechanically precise design, etc). Makes me think of a trebuchet and all the other counterparts they had to it.... say a 'crossbow' style mechanism, or something that winds up, pneumatic, etc.. its fun thats held up by lack of access and knowledge about special rivet types. I started being interested because of wafer rotary switches. Simple cheap thing, but its a god damn crux to equipment repair, because its hard to figure out the things that it uses. To me it screams DIY me!!!That rivet press would be suitable for making old style wafer switches (out of PCB material) real nice (actually they would be better, if made from real FR4, instead of phenolic). I use keystone manual 'staking' tools to form little rivets, but its pretty bootleg compared to a specialized mini press... which can probobly do a true rivet, instead of being limited to hollow ones. The new switches use plastic molded parts, which is not fun for DIY

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 12:00:15 am
content: Interesting consideration. I wonder if you could do something similar, if bulkier, using brass screws and soldering/electroplating something onto the heads. Even just peening over one end with a hammer would work for most of the materials we'd likely be considering. That's starting to look like a low-heat version of how old-school iron-workers made and used rivets...The rivet press I have only has tooling for hollow rivets but they seem reasonably robust. I haven't personally tried to use them for staking anything but I suspect they'd work pretty well. The main body of the press is reasonably hefty but I don't think I'd want to use it for anything too substantial. We've got a 3t arbor press for working with the Wurth power elements etc. that's dramatic overkill so something in between would probably work well for a more conventional rivet design.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 01, 2025, 12:21:40 am
content: Oh yeah its definately a wide range of solutions. Nickel plating probobly would work for some fun things. If you start reading about the exotic electrochemistry for some of the stuff they want for maximum performance it gets freaky hard quickor of course.,.. you can yoink rivets out of stuff, but damn thats alot of work. Its on my radar though, if I find a box of defunct relays I don't trust in the trash some day, I might just strip them for contact rivets. Thats a good collection to start because their technically complicated and also very small. Maybe if some elevator gets removed lol

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 10:05:12 am
content: Closing tomorrow (Thursday) 8pm NZ time. Only 1 bid so far for $3k. Have dropped the reserve to $4k... Sad to see it go at that price but I'm getting the hard word on it needing to go and I don't have the space at home, sadly.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 10:53:52 am
content: It is a somewhat specialist item, and you have not priced it for a "I don't need to think about it" sale. And by only offering pick up you have basically limited your potential buyers to locals.If you want to get $4k or 5k for it (which seems reasonable from the description) then I imagine you'll need to wait a few months at least. If you have a serious offer for $3k then that sounds pretty good for a quick sale.I wish I was a local and had a spare $4k to drop on it. I think I could possibly justify it somehow maybe almost... don't tell my wife I said that!

author: JBNZ
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: May 07, 2025, 09:01:54 pm
content: Definitely get your point with respect to pickup only. It's 60kg and awkwardly shaped, which is probably my biggest gripe with the whole thing, honestly. Doesn't fit in the boot of my car, either, otherwise I'd have offered delivery on a some $/100km basis or similar. Getting it strapped to a pallet and boxing it in would have been doable but just beyond what I have the time and inclination to deal with currently. I'm also not certain it'd be worth enough to bother shipping all 'that' far?I was originally ok with waiting a while to sell it as it's out at my current job as there was space for it and it may potentially prove useful. Now it looks like it'll need to move it on a bit quicker than anticipated.At this stage I'm ok with the $3k bid and yeah, that's definitely a bargain that someone will get on the back of me not being in a great position to sell it.I think part of my issue is that I'm also still stuck in the whole 'well, it cost a lot of money, but is it actually worth a lot of money' kinda of back and forth. It feels like they're a type of thing that has fallen away into irrelevance somewhat with the speed/cost of fabbed boards via PCBway etc. That leaves it squarely in the 'weird niche or toy' kinda category, I guess.Yeah, sad you're not within driving range, would be cool to see it go to a forum member!