How to cut mylar solder stencils from ExpressPCB and EagleCAD files

NewImage

Juan’s Blog has a great tutorial up on how to laser cut mylar solder stencils. Via Hack a Day.

In this post I’ll be going over how to cut out solder stencils for both ExpressPCB and EagleCAD designs on a laser cutter. I recently had a need to create some stencils from both of these programs and spent quite a bit of time at the Dallas Makerspace working with their laser cutter to get the settings just right. I’ll be cutting some designs that are mostly 0603/0805 package sizes, so don’t expect ultra-tight pitch stencils from this technique!

What You’ll Need

  1. ExpressPCB or EagleCAD Software (If you’re doing any sort of serious PCB fabrication, or design really, then please stick to EagleCAD/Altium/OrCAD)
  2. ViewMate Gerber Viewing Software
  3. PDF Printing Software (such as PDFCreator)
  4. SketchUp, AutoCAD, or some other program that can view and edit .dxf files
  5. Laser Cutter – The one at the space is a Full Spectrum 120W CO2 model.
  6. Mylar Sheets (I used 5 mil sheets purchased via Amazon)

The technique that I chose to cut these stencils is to use two sheets stacked on each other to create the stencil. The first sheet is your actual stencil, and the second is a sacrificial sheet which will catch the melted pads of the first sheet and allow you to pull them off cleanly when you separate them. The trick here is to expose the mylar to just enough heat so that the first sheet cuts clear through, but the second doesn’t. You also don’t want to apply too much heat since that will cause small sections of the mylar to melt.

See the full tutorial here.


Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards

Join Adafruit on Mastodon

Adafruit is on Mastodon, join in! adafruit.com/mastodon

Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.

Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat – we’ll post the link there.

Join us every Wednesday night at 8pm ET for Ask an Engineer!

Join over 36,000+ makers on Adafruit’s Discord channels and be part of the community! http://adafru.it/discord

CircuitPython – The easiest way to program microcontrollers – CircuitPython.org


Maker Business — “Packaging” chips in the US

Wearables — Enclosures help fight body humidity in costumes

Electronics — Transformers: More than meets the eye!

Python for Microcontrollers — Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: Silicon Labs introduces CircuitPython support, and more! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi

Adafruit IoT Monthly — Guardian Robot, Weather-wise Umbrella Stand, and more!

Microsoft MakeCode — MakeCode Thank You!

EYE on NPI — Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey

New Products – Adafruit Industries – Makers, hackers, artists, designers and engineers! — #NewProds 7/19/23 Feat. Adafruit Matrix Portal S3 CircuitPython Powered Internet Display!

Get the only spam-free daily newsletter about wearables, running a "maker business", electronic tips and more! Subscribe at AdafruitDaily.com !



No Comments

No comments yet.

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.