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@article{202467,
        author = {Santosh Vilas Giri and Ajay Damodar Holkar and Omkar Vishwambhar Jadhav and Rutuja Sanjay Borse and Shivparn Sanjay Chandan},
        title = {Automatic PCB Maker Machine},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {12},
        pages = {7271-7275},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=202467},
        abstract = {This paper presents the design, fabrication, and performance evaluation of an Automatic PCB Maker Machine that employs a high-speed DC spindle motor fitted with a carbide V-bit end mill to selectively remove copper from a single-sided copper-clad laminate (CCL), thereby isolating the desired circuit traces without disturbing the surrounding copper layer. Unlike chemical etching or permanent-marker methods, mechanical milling confines material removal strictly to the narrow isolation channels between traces, which preserves board integrity, eliminates hazardous wet chemistry, and accelerates the prototyping cycle. The platform is built around a three-axis Cartesian gantry driven by NEMA 17 stepper motors operating in 1/32 micro stepping mode, controlled by GRBL firmware on an Arduino with a CNC Shield. A touch-plate Z-probing routine achieves a depth repeatability of ±0.02 mm, which is critical for consistent copper isolation on FR4 substrates. The complete workflow, from PCB schematic capture in KiCad through Gerber export, CAM toolpath generation in FlatCAM, and final G-code execution via Open Builds CONTROL, is described in detail. Experimental validation on 50 × 50 mm FR4 boards demonstrated a minimum achievable trace width of 0.4 mm and an isolation gap of 0.35 mm with no short circuits between adjacent tracks. The system is low-cost, modular, and replicable, making it suitable for academic laboratories, maker spaces, and rapid electronic prototyping environments.},
        keywords = {CNC milling, PCB prototyping, copper isolation, GRBL, mechanical etching, stepper motor, FlatCAM, carbide end mill},
        month = {May},
        }