2024-12-20 to 2025-01-02: Reduced Holiday Operations

Dear Birck Research Community,

The Purdue winter recess begins effective Friday afternoon December 20th and concludes Thursday morning, January 2. The university is officially closed during this time. As we have done in past years, the Birck Nanotechnology Center will remain available for research but will be unstaffed and hazardous gasses will be unavailable. Lab work may otherwise proceed, though any fume hood work must be done with someone else present in the same laboratory or cleanroom bay (the "buddy" system). Click the link above to get more detail about equipment conditions and rules.

Refer to the Material and Process Compatibility page for information on materials compatible with this tool.
Equipment Status: Set as UP, PROBLEM, or DOWN, and report the issue date (MM/DD) and a brief description. Italicized fields will be filled in by BNC Staff in response to issues. See Problem Reporting Guide for more info.

Status	DOWN
Issue Date and Description	08/24/22 Mill crashes on startup
Estimated Fix Date and Comment	09/02/22
Responding Staff	Mihailo Bradash

iLab Name: LPKF Mill
iLab Kiosk: BRK Packaging and Assembly Core
FIC: Dimitrios Peroulis
Owner: Mihailo Bradash
Location: BRK 2254 - Galley
Maximum Wafer Size:

Overview

General Description

Maximum PCB Overall Size: 230 X 330 mm
Maximum PCB Platable Size: 200 X 260 mm (for reference if through hole plating will be required)

Please Read this Before Requesting Training on this Tool

Notice 1:This tool produces bare copper boards only. The image to the right is an example board produced by an
LPKF mill. This board still needs to be removed from the larger stock material.

Notice 2: Birck does not provide cutting tools to operate this tool. Before you can be trained on this tool, you will need
purchase the relevant tools for your production. For new users it is recommended to purchase the Starter Package.

Page 7 - Part Number 129103-1 - Starter Package - $450 (2020 pricing)
with Green distance rings for Drill Bits & Yellow distance rings for Contour routers

See catalog link to the right for details and pricing options. All tool bits must be ordered with the distance rings.

www.lpkfusa.com

Notice 3: Due to ongoing issues with the LPKF mill, Birck has decided to move this tool to a "Super User" format of use.
This essentially means each professor/group should select one student to be the user for the entire group and all
fabrications at the tool should be completed by that user. The goal is to have that user on the tool frequently so they
become, and maintain, proficiency at a level that will reduce potential damage to the tool due to operator errors.

Ok, so I read that, and I don't think it's a good fit. Now what..?

A simple google search for prototype PCB fabrication will turn up many options for online short run PCB services.
Review their capabilities carefully as they do vary from service to service. Some offer same day turn around!

Soldermask Color Options

Specifications

Description	Value
Workplace noise level	71 dB (A), without soundproof hood and dust extraction
Range of spindle speeds	Up to 100,000 rpm (variable)
X and Y feed rate	150 mm/s
Drilling rate	150 strokes per minute
Tool Change	Automatic
Tool Magazine	Up to 15 positions
Tool shank	3.175 mm diameter (0.125 in)
Cutting depth adjustment	Automatic
Working area	305 x 229 x 23 mm
Resolution(X/Y)	+/- 0.25 um (0.01 mil)
Repeatability	+/- 5 um (0.2 mil)
Minimum drill diameter	0.2 mm

Technology Overview

Sample Requirements and Preparation

Standard Operating Procedure

System start up

Start the PC.
Check that the switch on the dust extraction unit is set to the automatic position.
Set the desired extraction power (75-100% depending on size of board)
Open the cover of the Protomat S103 and set the main switch to the ON position.
Close the cover.
Start the CircuitPro software on the PC. A series of initialization steps will take place automatically. Once these complete, the Protomat S103 is ready to use.
1. It is possible that the mill/drill head is equipped with a tool, used by a production process in the past, and mill cannot identify the current state during initialization. When CircuitPro is checking the tool status two things may occur:
  1. Tool status is known - the tool will be placed into the corresponding position of the tool magazine.
  2. Tool status is unknown - you will be prompted to select which tool is currently in the spindle (1-15, or none). Click OK.

Processing Gerber Files utilizing Circuit Pro

Open CircuitPro template. File > New > select the appropriate template for your project.
Press the import icon, or alternativley, File > Import.

1. Hold down Ctrl while selecting all required layers for your project > click Open
2. Change the "Layer/Template" column for each row, to map the data to the appropriate layer within CircuitPro. > press OK
  1. More about Gerber File Format and ODB++ File Format.
3. Check settings on layers to make sure they are correct
  1. If NC drill layer is improperly displayed you may need to change the N digit from 4 to 3. This setting signifies how many zeros the software uses. The setting is normally either 2:4 or 2:3
  2. Click on the layer and review the overall dimensions for correctness. You may need to change from English units to metric depending on export options in the design software.
4. Press OK and your design should be displayed on screen.

Board Production in Circuit Pro

System Shutdown

Save the current CBF file
Exit CircuitPro Software by clicking File > Exit.
Open the cover of the Protomat S103 and set the main switch to the OFF position.
Log off the PC.

Questions & Troubleshooting

Process Library

References

RP Tools & Materials Price List.pdf

20170516 Service Questionaire

Mill manual.