To begin with, we must assume that the CIF user already knows the XY dimensions of their planned project. For the majority of the PCB material offered, the Z axis will always be 1.7mm. If they did not engineer their piece, they will have to open their project in an appropriate software to determine these dimensions. The other preliminary step is that of choosing their material. The standard material is single face plate, which has a copper foil of 150microns. There exists double faced PCB plates reserved for more complex circuits. There also exists different “grades” of PCB, where the thickness of the copper foil is the primary difference, with the rigidity of the dielectric material being a secondary difference.
Step 2.1
- *PREPERATION DU MATERIAUX BRUTE**
Always use a vernier to determine material dimensions:
Notice that the “primary” numbers on a vernier are graduated in 1mm increments. The vernier is capable however of a precision of 50microns (0.05mm). To achieve this precision, gently close the jaws of the vernier around the the object that you would like to measure and note this “primary” number. Afterwards, determine which “secondary” number is the best aligned with any of the the millimeter graduations. These secondary numbers are marked in 50 micron intervals. The secondary line that is the most co-linear with that of a primary number will determine how many microns we should add to the primary number.
What is the dimensions indicated in the photo? We have a dimension of 4.95mm!
Watch this video for a detailed explination. I would advise to start the video at 1:40.
- Prepare a piece of stock material with an extra 2mm on each side (X and Y) of your project.
- Using the double-sided tape, cover one face of your project completely. Place the material orthogonally onto the wooden work surface.
Note
Within this tutorial, we will be demonstrating the use of the CIF while fixing our project with double sided tape. However, this type of fixture is not at all sufficient for metal, hard wood or hard plastics. NEVER use double sided tape to try and fix these type of materials. Understand as well that using tape will limit the total pass depth of the end-mill for any given type of material.
In the future we will be providing a tutorial concerning the use of a proper vise.