Hi 840 member from Spain

Bienvenido! B)

If making pcb's, use an endmill to flatten and level a suitable area on your spoilboard. I did this on my bespoke vacuum table, and can reliably etch to better than 0.025 mm depth. An accurately calibrated tool length sensor is very worth while for this accuracy to be repeatable.

For your interest:-

Hi Peter,

that's an very interesting little vacuum table! What pump do you use? Any DFX files or plan?

Hi DocBrown,

Unfortunately no - the base was made more or less freehand from piece of hardwood I happened to have around. It was milled om my mini mill with the help of a three axis DRO. Spoil board of MDF was glued on top and holes drilled into vacuum plenum.

I invested in a single stage rotary vacuum pump - low cost Chinese item but it works fine. Poor vacuum in second picture is due to drilling of pcb holes, prior to that the gauge was reading about -900mbar. Board sealing was done with paper masking tape only - work fine.

More pics for your interest:-

Peter

Thanks for the pictures. Now I got an idea from the inside. Had a similar idea but using simple XPS / Styrodur (hard foam) from my side I had some month ago but using the complete room of my 2/420

Meanwhile I think a much smaller one like yours is enough for PCB milling. Do you have a link to such a vacuum pump (from ebay, Bangood,...) or what price class is it?

I will not invest in a big pump like this: Pump
Ok those are cheap but too big...

Hi Hartmut,

My pump is similar to this one. This looks to be a good price, and located in Germany as well!!

Only snag is that it can produce an oil mist when operating, so either needs a means of removing mist or venting to outside.

Peter

Late edit - the link appears to be defective - I'll try again !!!!!!

Here is the link again - hopefully

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-Stage-2-5CFM-Vane-Deep-Vacuum-Pump-1-4HP-HVAC-AC-Air-Conditioning-System-Tool-/172383318634?hash=item2822d8b26a:g:5xoAAOSwx2dYCx1u

Peter,

your link does not work... 404

But maybe you are talking about this: Pump

🙂

...now the link works and YES we are talking about the same thing. 🙂

Actually it was the "oil" what makes me thinking if this will be a good choice...
But sounds that you can live with it. The other thing is maybe the noise of those pumps.

I think a "Seitenkanalverdichter", see my link above, (Rotary vacuum pump ??? :woohoo: :whistle: ) should be much more silent. But bigger, much more weight... and my room is only 6.5m² ...

So finally I think at first I will take your idea with the wooden table and then later on I will think about the vacuum pump and maybe as an interims solution the good old vacuum cleaner...

Cheers

Hartmut

Hi Hartmut,

Yes, that's the one - good price too.

As for noise, mine is mounted under my workbench and can't be heard over the noise of my SC420/2 !!

I made up an oil mist separator in a tin can and stuffed it full of absorbent paper - crude but effective.

Be very careful of a normal vacuum cleaner - good sealing = very hot motor = fire risk!! An air bleed is essential for safety.

Cheers,

Peter