Does anyone know how to cut PCBs without generating fiber dust ?
When using a tile cutter with a rotating cutting disk, even a water cooled one, fiber particles are generated. One can protect inhaling them by using a proper mask, but these fiber particles are very bad for the environment. A different machine, using a very fine milling cutter, would also create fiber dust.
Very small strips of PCB can be cut using metal sheet scissors, but cutting larger PCBs will make them crack.
I’m aware of laser cutters, but these are extremely expensive.
I wonder if anyone can advise a clean and inexpensive method ?
I use a guillotine paper cutter. I works good for 0.8mm pcb I mainly use.
When in doubt use a microcontroller.
HI, I would say the following: as much as you may try to avoid making fibre dust when fabricating a PCB at home I can guarantee you that it is basically impossible. Let’s say you’ve used tin snips/cutters and cut your PCB to size and (so far so good) but…: cutting a PCB to size it is only half the job! Thinking about it, you will eventually still need to drill some holes to it as well (regardless of what PCB stile that is TH or SMD style) Now every time you drill a hole, however small it might be you are producing fibre dust . It is simply inevitable. Also you you sometimes need to fine tune refine the PCB edges. perhaps because it does not quite fit inside a particular designates space/enclosure etc you inevitably need to use some sand paper to fine tune it with. Sometimes the PCB needs to have rounded corners and again, this is also done with some sand-paper, either manually or using a sanding machine. So, the conclusion is that no matter how hard you’ll try to avoid making fibre dust you will still end up making some So the only protection against it will be dust extraction vacuum equipment and the usual dust mask, gloves and protection glasses. My 2 cent.