Contour Routing

Cut out the printed circuit board

By using the appropriate milling tools a printed circuit board can be routed through the entire material thickness. Various styles of cut-outs or outlines can be manufactured, from circles to rectangles to complex forms. Hole diameters larger than 2.4 mm are always routed rather than drilled.

The choice of the appropriate milling tool depends on the desired milling width. Surface milling tools with a larger diameter are more stable and can therefore be driven at a higher feed rate. On the other hand, cut-through routing tools depend on the material to be worked on; FR4 material is cut through using a contour router. For soft RF base materials or aluminium, a double-edged end mill is the right choice.

All LPKF circuit board plotters are suitable for the contour routing of printed circuit boards (PCBs) by using the appropriate milling tools. LPKF circuit board plotters are also suitable for depanelization: cut step-and-repeat arrays, or individual boards with different sizes and variations.