Budget PCB Router: Find One Under $1,000

[JerryG]

Do any of you guys have a PCB router? Do you know of one for less than $1,000?

 

[berkeman]

Do any of you guys have a PCB router? Do you know of one for less than $1,000?

Do you mean a router to cut PCBs out of a multi-up panel? Or do you mean a PCB milling machine like the LPKF machines to let you mill a 2-sided PCB from copper clad?

http://www.lpkfusa.com/protomat/index.htm

If the latter, I know of a consultant who has an LPKF milling machine here in Silicon Valley. I can give you his contact info if you want it.

 

[Snoogans]

I'm currently looking into this myself. I'm starting to lean towards a zenbot router with a wolfgang engineering spindle. Comments I have read on forums around the web seem to be favourable to these products. I think you could expect to pay around $1500 for the lot however, which is still a good price.

 

[JerryG]

I'm currently looking into this myself. I'm starting to lean towards a zenbot router with a wolfgang engineering spindle. Comments I have read on forums around the web seem to be favourable to these products. I think you could expect to pay around $1500 for the lot however, which is still a good price.

This looks like a good option. Has anyone used a zenbot to engrave PCBs? Can it get the traces pretty narrow?

 

[Snoogans]

Apparently the wolfgang spindle is excelent for PCBs with narrow traces, there are some videos on youtude demonstrating. Can't say about the zenbot however.