Colinbus PCB milling machine

Manual

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Table of content
1. 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2. 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5

General information regarding the machine .................................................................................. 3 Installing the software ............................................................................................................. 4 First run of ColiDrive ................................................................................................................ 5 ColiLiner/ColiCAM acquiring the license ................................................................................. 6 Installing the updates .............................................................................................................. 9 Layers in ColiLiner.................................................................................................................. 11 Preparing output in Ultiboard. .............................................................................................. 12 Preparing output in Eagle. ..................................................................................................... 13 How Gerber and Excellon files are built. ............................................................................... 14 Using ColiLiner ....................................................................................................................... 19 Importing the bottom layer ........................................................................................... 19 Importing the component layer (Top layer) .................................................................. 20 Importing the drill information ..................................................................................... 20 Setting the correct format for the drills ........................................................................ 22 Aligning the drill layers. ................................................................................................. 23 Importing the cutout layer ........................................................................................... 25

ColiLiner .......................................................................................................................................... 9

2.5.1 2.5.2 2.5.3 2.5.4 2.5.5 2.5.6 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10 2.11 3. 3.1

Text on the PCB ..................................................................................................................... 26 Adjusting the number of passes with the tool around the pads or tracks............................ 27 General remarks ............................................................................................................ 28 Contour All Layers ................................................................................................................. 29 Creating the Board outline .................................................................................................... 30 Using break out tabs.............................................................................................................. 31 Exporting files to ColiDrive .................................................................................................... 32 Basic adjustment of the machine .......................................................................................... 33 General information about the depth adjustment. ...................................................... 33 Placing the tool in the motor......................................................................................... 34 Default zero position ..................................................................................................... 35 Adjusting the milling depth ........................................................................................... 37 Software configuration .................................................................................................. 41

2.7.1

ColiDrive........................................................................................................................................ 33 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.2 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.3 3.3.1

Setting the default zero position and milling depth .......................................................... 35

Setting the Mirror line ........................................................................................................... 38

4. 5.

Information about tools ............................................................................................................... 41 Credits ........................................................................................................................................... 46

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1. General information regarding the machine

Type machine: CPR-xx/PCF/HF or similar S/N: xxxxxxx Supplier: Franklin Industries N.V. Industriepark 62 2235 Hulshout Tel. 015/43 10 81 The Colinbus CPR/PCB/HF machines are specially made for milling and drilling printed circuit boards (PCB). They have outstanding precision and are equipped with all necessary accessories needed to quickly and easily produce in-house PCB boards. The machines are intended for professional and home use. Technical specifications of CPR-30/PCB/HF:

Software versions (at the time manual was released): ColiLiner1 : Standard V 3.20 revision 2008/11/20 ColiDrive 2 : V3.0.0.34

ColiLiner is a PCB CAM (computer aided machining) package. It allows importing the Gerber and excellon data, and converts them to the machine language. 2 ColiDrive is machine driving module it is a user interface for the machine.

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1.1

Installing the software

First step is to make sure that the PC is connected to the machine with an RS232 cable (DB9 plug). When this is connected, make sure that you connect the power mains to the machine that correspond to the sticker information. Then switch on the machine with the on/off switch.

DB25-I/Oconnector

RS232 serial communication

ON/OFF switch

The DB25 connector is an I/O (input output) connector that is used to control external devices. Per example for automatic control of the vacuum cleaner. Note: In order to control other devices most likely you need extra hardware such as a power switch. In case that your PC is not equipped with a serial port (COM port). An USB to serial adapter may be used. Any standard professional USB to serial cable may be used. In case of doubt contact the supplier. With the machine a CD or an USB key is delivered. Place the disk in the computer, find the install.exe and run it. Please note that you will need full administrator privileges to install the software. Note: If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista or Microsoft Windows 7 you might need to run the program as administrator. You can do this by right clicking the installer and selecting Run as administrator.

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Follow the on-screen instructions of the installer. It is advised to install the software in the suggested paths (C:\Program Files\). It is also recommended to install the software for all the users. There may be more programs on the delivered USB/CD. The only mandatory installer is the ColiDrive as this is the minimum that you need to control the machine. Other software packages like ColiLiner, ColiCAM, and DeskProto etc are up to the user to install. It is however recommended to install ColiLiner and ColiCAM as these are normally the programs that will be used as CAM packages. When all the software is installed please start ColiDrive.

1.2

First run of ColiDrive

When starting the ColiDrive for the first time Software will ask you to browse for a file on your installation media. The so called .dat file will have a format as <serial number of machine>.dat. Select this file and click OK. If the operation succeeded the program will start and most likely you will have a working machine. Should you have an error message saying that the copy failed you may install the file manually following the steps below: 1. Close ColiDrive. 2. Locate the Data folder. Depending on the version of the Windows you are using and the software version you should look in different places. ColiDrive versions below 3.0.0.62 1.1 C:\Program Files\Colinbus\ColiDrive*\Data. The * character represents any other characters. (Install folder may be ColiDrive, ColiDriveV2, ColiDriveV3 etc.) All other versions: For Windows XP 1.2 copy Colinbus.dat C:\Documents And Settings\[your user name]\Application Data\Colinbus\ColiDrive\Data\ For Windows Vista or Windows 7 1.3 Copy Colinbus.dat \Colinbus\ColiDrive\Data. C:\Users\[your user name]\AppData \Roaming

3. In the opened you can find the Colinbus.dat file. Rename this file into _colinbus.dat.

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4. Copy the .dat file on your memory stick that you have received from Colinbus. Its called <number>.dat. The <number> is the serial number of your machine. You can find this number on the sticker next to the power plug on the machine. Copy this file in Data folder. 5. Rename it to Colinbus.dat. After this process you might get a question requesting you to make a reference run. Answer to this question Yes. Machine should make a reference run. Note: if the machine makes a reference run when switched on you will not get the above mentioned question. If you do not have any control over the machine or you get a message: Controller could not be found on any computer ports follow the following steps: Close ColiDrive Switch the machine off. Make sure that the serial cable between the PC and machine is properly connected and that it is not longer than 2 3 m. Switch the machine on. Make sure that the controller started up (red led on the side is lit). Start ColiDrive If you still get the same error try re-setting the machine by using the re-set button. Re- set button can be found in the menu bar on the top of the screen.

If the error persists then please go to Setup Machine properties and under the tab machine take a screenshot and send it back to your supplier together with the copy of the .dat file that is on the CD/USB. They will help you further. With every new installation you will need your .dat file with the machine settings so it is strongly advised to keep the install media on the safe place.

1.3

ColiLiner/ColiCAM acquiring the license

ColiLiner and ColiCAM are one seat license programs. They will start up in the professional mode and the user may fully evaluate the software. However the trial version is limited in such way that it cannot export any files. Note: ColiDrive does not require any licensing. You may use this program on as many PCs you want. However it will only be fully operational on the PC where the machine is connected. Following applies to both ColiLiner and ColiCAM. When the program starts go to the menu item Activate license

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If you are using Windows Vista or Windows 7 you will most likely get the following dialog:

In this case you will have to start your program using full administrator rights. To do this, close the program and on the desktop right click the shortcut, and then select Run as administrator.

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When you repeat the above steps and have sufficient privileges the activation dialog will open.

Under order number please enter the order number that represents your purchase. Under Customer number please enter the customer number that the supplier has given you. Your License Identification Code: is a code that is generated on your PC.

Click on the button. This will open an email window with all the necessary information for obtaining the license. When you receive a return email, it will contain a message with the Activation code. Copy this code into the green section of the window shown above (first field). In the second input box type your name or your organization name. Click on Accept. As mentioned, you may use ColiLiner without the license. In that case you will be using it in trial version where the exporting and saving the files is not available. Note: After the activation has been completed any open project will be discarded. Important: When activating the software, please consider that the software is a single license only. If the software is activated future activations will not be possible without the purchase of the new license. In case of computer / hardware failure a new activation will be given if the time period of the software is passing a certain time limit.

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1.4

Installing the updates

Important: Before making any updates make sure that you back-up your Data folder. See chapter: First run of ColiDrive for details on the location of the files. This contains all the relevant data regarding your machine and settings. After creating the backup, do the software updates. Normally the settings should be preserved. However should you have any problems, restore the backup by following the same steps as in First run of ColiDrive to restore your settings. The only difference is that now you have to put back all the files you backed up.

2. ColiLiner
In order to create PCBs your CAD package exports two types of files: GERBER 274x format4 for track data and pad positions and Excellon 3 for the drill information. You will need both files before you can make PCBs. ColiLiner calculates and generates tool paths that are used to mill and drill (manufacture) PCBs. Note: It is possible to make a complete PCB using only GERBER files. For more details on that please see ColiLiner manual. When a Gerber file is created it will have different extensions. These are usually modifiable in the CAD package itself. What the extension is doesnt matter as long as you know what the file represents. In the following list are the standard file extensions that Eagle is creating. Do note that in your package these might be different.

With Excellon Version 2 the drill sizes are embedded in the file itself.If the file is Excellon Version 1 you will manually have to import the drill sizes.

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.SOL .STS .PLC .STC .CMP .WHL

Copper Solder Side Solder Top Mask Solder Side Silk screen Component Side Solder Stop Mask Component side Copper Component side Aperture Wheel File

Standard Gerber extensions are: .GBL .GTL .GBS .GTS .GBO .GTO .GBP .GTP .GKO .GM1 .GM2 .GPT .GPB Gerber Bottom Layer Gerber Top Layer Gerber Bottom Solder resist Gerber Top Solder resist Gerber Bottom Overlay Gerber Top Overlay Gerber Bottom Paste Gerber Top Paste Gerber Keep-Out Layer Gerber Mechanical 1 Gerber Mechanical 2 Gerber Top Pad Master Gerber Bottom Pad Master

When creating an Excellon files the following files are created: .DRI .DRL .DRD Drill information File Drill Rack File Excellon Drill Description

Note: If you make the Gerber274x files instead of Gerber, then you wont need the .BRD, GPI and WHL files. PTH stands for Plated Thru Holes or in other words, all holes that are through metalized (copper connection between the bottom and top layer). NPTH stands for Non Plated Thru Holes or all the holes that are NOT through metalized. The DRI, DRD en DRL files can be viewed with Notepad or WordPad. After importing the Gerber / Excellon files to the corresponding Artwork Top layer, Artwork Bottom layer, Board Outline/cutouts en Drill Template from ColiLiner, the contours can be created. They will be saved on the contour layers. At any point the project database can be saved to the disk for future use. All ColiLiner projects have an extension .CBJ

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2.1

Layers in ColiLiner

Artwork Top layer: Contains the Gerber data regarding the component side of the PCB. Contour Top Layer: Added by ColiLiner when the Artwork Top Layer is contoured. It holds all the tool paths that are required to process the layer on the machine. Artwork Bottom layer: Contains the Gerber data regarding the solder side of the PCB. Contour bottom layer: Added by ColiLiner when the Artwork Bottom Layer is contoured. It holds all the tool paths that are required to process the layer on the machine. Board Outline/cutouts: All information regarding the cut-outs of the PCB. Drill Template: All information about drills

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FILE EXPORT NC-DRILL = create Excellon file (*.drl) Properties Enter:

2.2

Preparing output in Ultiboard.

Click OK Re select NC-drill Export Save = create 1st file Save = create 2nd file (report-file). This file is only informative in nature. ColiLiner doesnt require this file for importing the files. FILE EXPORT = create Gerber file (*.grb) GERBER RS-274X Select the layers you wish to export. Ex: For single-sided PCB: Board Outline Copper Bottom Then click to export the data

Note: mechanical layer is the layer required for drills with size > 3 mm.

Select under: Select again RS274-X Export Save = create 1st file Save = create 2nd file

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2.3

Preparing output in Eagle.

Make sure that the PCB design is open by using the Eagle control panel then go to File Open Board and select the PCB to use.

Click on the ULP icon. When the dialog opens, select the ULP file with name: DRILLCFG.ULP. After a few seconds you get the notification that the execution has finished. Now click on the CAM processor icon. The CAM processor window appears. In this window select File Open Job (when asked to save the Modified Job click No). Select the CAM job called Gerb274x and click OK.

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Now click on the Process job button. A few messages will pop-up. First message will be: "Delete the $$$ file after process". Click on OK. The second message is: "More than one signal layer active", click again on OK. Depending on the size and complexity of the PCB the process may take a few minutes. When the CAM processor exported the files, there will be a few available with different extensions. These are: Copper Solder Side .SOL Solder Top Mask Solder side .STS Silk Screen Component Side .PLC Solder Stop Mask Component side .STC Copper Component side .CMP Aperture Wheel File .WHL Creating Excellon files: From the CAM processor window select File Open Job and select the EXCELLON.CAM and click OK. Now click the small Process button. Now the Excellon file is being made. This may take a few seconds. As in previous example a few files are made. These are: Drill Information File .DRI Tool Rack File .DRL Excellon output .DRD Note: When making a single sided PCB you do not need to make the .CMP and .STC files. If you still import them, ColiLiner will interpret this as a double sided PCB. You can find more information on this page: http://www.interq.or.jp/japan/se-inoue/e_eagle44.htm Sometimes it happens that a CAD package exports the Excellon Version 1 file, but uses the headers of the Excellon Version 2. In this case ColiLiner will also report that the file is Version 2 rather than Version 1. In this case the sizes of the tools will have to be adjusted manually. When the file is in version 2, ColiLiner doesnt allow you to change the settings of the file. You have to manually select the file as the Excellon version 1 in order to modify any data. You can also modify the file itself. Open the file in notepad. Delete all the lines in the beginning of the file so that the file begins with % character, and then next line is T01. If you then re-load the file in ColiLiner you will see that the file is now of type 1 (Version 1).

2.4

How Gerber and Excellon files are built.

When the CAD package exports the Excellon file it usually creates two files. One is the real drill data. The other is a report file that gives all the information on how the Excellon file is build up. 1. The report file

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Generated by EAGLE CAM Processor 5.2.0

Software information

Drill Station Info File: C:/testfile.dri Name of the report file Date : 27/09/2008 14:56:53 Drills : C:/testfile.drl Name of the file containing drill information Device : Excellon drill station with user supplied rack file Parameter settings: Tolerance Drill + : 5.00 % Tolerance Drill - : 5.00 % Rotate : no Mirror : no Optimize : yes Auto fit : yes OffsetX : 0inch OffsetY : 0inch Layers : Drills Holes Drill File Info: Data Mode : Absolute Units : 1/10000 Inch Drill Tolerances: -- Requested -- -- Used Drill -Size used Code Size Allowed tolerance on the drill sizes.

Layer that the file describes. Important information: Units and precision format. We have here a file with the precision of 1/10.000. This means that after the decimal point there will be 4 decimal places. Hence the format can be 2.4, 3.4 or 4.4. We can also notice that the units are in inches. The format will be explained later in detail.

32.000mil 292 T04 0.810mm 40.000mil 313 T07 1.020mm 36.000mil 41 T05 0.910mm 130.000mil 4 T15 3.300mm 90.000mil 2 T14 2.290mm 47.000mil 11 T10 1.190mm 44.000mil 8 T09 1.120mm 67.000mil 5 T13 1.700mm 59.000mil 2 T12 1.500mm 52.000mil 2 T11 1.320mm Drills used: Code Size used T01 0.500mm 14 T02 0.600mm 59 T03 0.800mm 20 T04 0.810mm 292 T05 0.910mm 41 T06 1.000mm 16

Tools that are used to make the PCB (including the tools that are often used)

Tool list. Here you can see which tool has which diameter. T01 (Tool 1 is a drill with the diameter of 0,5mm)

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T07 T08 T09 T10 T11 T12

1.020mm 1.100mm 1.120mm 1.190mm 1.320mm 1.500mm

313 2 8 11 2 2 File that contains the coordinates. This file should be imported in ColiLiner.

Total number of drills: 795 Plotfiles: C:\testfile.exc 2. The Excellon File.

T01 X9837Y22191 X7587Y25691 X33087Y16691 T02 X21837Y47691 X20837Y46691 X19837Y45691 X18837Y44691 X17837Y43691 T03 X70587Y35941 X47337Y23191 X10337Y58191 X9337Y58191 X8337Y58191 X7337Y58191

Tool nr 1 (in our example a drill with a diameter of 0.5 mm) Coordinates where holes are located.

Tool nr 2 (in our example a drill with diameter of 0,6mm) Coordinates where holes are located.

Tool nr 2 (in our example a drill with diameter of 0,8mm) Coordinates where holes are located.

3. Definition of some parameters. Units: Units can either be metric or imperial Omitted zeros: In order to keep the file size as small as possible, it has been decided to use the zero omission. Par example 0010,1000mm is the same as 10,1. Which zeros we want to leave out is specified by leading zeros (zeroes before the number) or trailing zeros (zeroes after the number). The number 0010,1000 with leading zeros omitted becomes 101000. Same number with trailing zeros omitted becomes 00101. Precision format: Coordinates are made out of integer and decimal part. In Excellon file par example there are no decimal numbers only integers. The position of the decimal separator is determined by: Number of digits needed for the integer part Number of digits needed for the decimal part

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Precision format is used with leading/trailing zero omission. The number of the digits that is used in precision format (ex. 4.2) would be explained as follows: The number in front of the point describes how many digits are used for the integer part, whilst the number behind the point describes how many digits are used for the decimal part. The precision format 4.2 has therefore 4 digits for the integer part and 2 digits for the decimal part. If the units are in millimeters this means that the resolution is 0.01 mm. We will now look closely the above sample. In the report file we see that the units are 1/10000 inch. From this we conclude the following: Units = imperial Precision format: x.4 (smallest value is 0.0001 inch) In order to select the correct format for import we have two possibilities that we can try. Or we have to work with leading zeroes or with trailing zeroes omitted. Since the report doesnt specify this value, we just may guess which of the two is correct. When one of the two is selected we can see on the display that the layout is correct or not. Note: Most of the programs use the (leading zeros omitted setting) To find out which precision format we should use, we have to know how many digits have been used for the integer part of the number. When using leading zero suppression, we are allowed to put as many zeroes behind the integer part of the number as long as the biggest coordinate can fit in the integer part. Let us assume we are using the precision format 4.4 (it could also be enough that we use the format 3.4 or 2.4, this depends solely on the board size.) The first coordinate is X9837Y22191. When applying the format this means that: X = 9837. Our format is 4.4 with leading zero suppression. Therefore with the zeros in front this would be 00009837. We know that we need 4 digits for the digital part. Therefore the X coordinate becomes 0.9837 inch. Y = 22191. When adding the zeroes this becomes 00022191. With the decimal precision we get the number for Y = 2,2191inch. For these coordinates we could have used the format 2. 4. Let us try this. Pictures below show that we can import this format. Changing the format to any other value will result in no change. If any coordinate would be bigger than 99.9999 inch we would have to go to the format 3.4.

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For information: imagine that we swap the value of the omitted zeroes (from leading to trailing), in that case the scale of the import wouldnt be correct anymore.

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Start ColiLiner. 2.5.1

2.5

Using ColiLiner
Importing the bottom layer

Press the button and locate the correct folder and the file with the extension .GBM (or .SOL) that defines the Copper Bottom. You can find the file easier if you use the filter:

Open the file and click on the import to layer drop down menu. When you select the field you must click again for the menu to expand. You will then see the following selection.

Select Artwork Bottom Layer. You will see the imported file in the screen in red color. You can click on Close button to close the window.

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Note: sometimes the image has to be mirrored. By definition you always have to look at the PCB with the component side facing towards you. Therefore to avoid confusion it is recommended to have text on the board.

2.5.2

Importing the component layer (Top layer)

Press the button and locate the file containing the information about the top layer with extension .GBL or . CMP Open the file and click on the import to layer drop down menu. When you select the field you must click again for the menu to expand. You will then see the following selection.

Select Artwork Top Layer. You will see the imported file in the screen in green color. You can click on Close button to close the window.

2.5.3

Importing the drill information

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Press the sion .DRD

button and locate the file containing the information about the top layer with exten-

In case of the Excellon file, ColiLiner automatically recognizes that this is a drill layer, therefore you do not have to assign the layer for it. When the dialog opens you have to set the correct values if they are not set correctly. You can always check this on the layout of the drills.

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Unit: you may select inches or metric Omitted Zeroes = Trailing of leading De XY coordinates are saved in a specific format. The zeroes can be padded on the left or on the right of the number. 004020 can be interpreted as 0.402 (leading zeroes omitted) or 40.200 (trailing zeroes omitted). Precision format: Defines the number of digits before and after the decimal point. Precision 2.4 means that there are 2 digits before the point, and 4 after the point. 3.3 means that there are 3 digits before the point, and 3 behind the point. In our example, Eagle uses the format 2.3 units are in inches and leading zeroes are omitted. If the CAD package exports the Excellon Version 1 file, you will have to manually add the drill diameters that you can find in the report file (.dri). You can view the file with Notepad. 2.5.4 Setting the correct format for the drills

Sometimes it is difficult to find the right settings for the Excellon files. The following tips should help to make it easier. Nice thing is that once the settings are set they are saved by ColiLiner so you will not have to change them again unless you change the export settings of you CAD package. 1. Most of the packages use the setting leading zeros omitted. 2. When you take a look at the .dri file, you can see that the units in ColiLiner are in inch because in the line 22 the units are in Inch.

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3. In the same dri-file the same line tells us that the unit is 1/1000. This also tells you how many digits have to be behind the decimal point. In other words this means that the format can only be 2.3, 3.3 or 4.3. It is even so that if you have a small PCB it doesnt matter which value you select because as long as the PCB is smaller than 99.xxx inch it will always fit in the scale. 4. Dont forget that the layers can be mirrored. This means that it can be that the size is correct but that one of the layers have to be mirrored. 2.5.5 Aligning the drill layers.

Since the drill layer is in different format it may happen that the drill information is not correctly aligned with the Gerber data. Note: Even this demonstrates how to align the drills over the other layer, same principle applies for aligning any layer over the other.

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Above picture clearly shows that the drills dont match the positions of the pads. To align the layers follow the following: 1. Select the active layer. From the available layers select the drill layer as the active one. This allows you to do modifications on the layer.

When the layer is selected as active the name of the layer will appear as the top most entry in the list. 2. Click on the Align Layers button 3. From the sub-menu (on the second column of vertical buttons), select the button. It allows you to align the object to the pad center. 4. Then click on the hole that you want to align with a certain pad position. 5. Then click on the pad position where the drill belongs to. 6. Make sure that the pad positions are visible. (Pad positions are not holes, they are the indication that underneath this place there is a pad.)

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2.5.6

Importing the cutout layer

Press the button and locate the file containing the information about the top layer with extension .dimension Open the file and click on the import to layer drop down menu. When you select the field you must click again for the menu to expand. You will then see the following selection.

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Select Board Outline/Cut-outs. A question will pop up that asks you to Reconstruct polygons. This in other words asks you to confirm that ColiLiner should look for the closed shapes when importing the data. For board outline it is important that the shape you want to cut is the closed shape. Click yes. You will see the imported file in the screen in blue color. You can click on Close button to close the window. Note: Dont forget to export the dimension layer as a separate layer when using Eagle. Then you can use any shape for you PCB.

2.6

Text on the PCB

If there is text on the PCB it is advised to use the following procedure. This makes the milling process faster and nicer. 1. Select the layer where the text is located as the active layer

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2. Then click on the button. 3. And on then on the button 4. Select the area that represents the text.

Text will now be visible as dashed lines. This means that the text will be milled on the line.

2.7

Adjusting the number of passes with the tool around the pads or tracks.

When it comes to soldering the PCBs the bigger the clearance around the contacts we have the easier it is to solder. Since the standard insulation of the tracks and pads is 0.2 mm it may be more difficult to solder, this especially counts for schools. In order to help the user with soldering ColiLiner has a feature that allows the user to contour the pads (normally the solder contact points) in multiple passes. This means that only the places where the soldering will take place will be extra contoured (providing bigger clearance).

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This is easily done by selecting Task Fabrication Parameter Setup. Find the option Contours around the pads and adjust it to double, triple or quadruple contour.

Single contour around pad

Triple contour around pad

2.7.1

General remarks

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1. ColiLiner will never violate the clearance rules in the PCB. This means that you can set without the problem par example triple contours around the pads. The pads will be triple contoured only on the places where this is possible.

2. For Ultiboard uses: Ultiboard tends to export the fiducial markings on the PCBs ( ) in order to delete them, first select your active layer (layer where this fiducial is located) and the use the delete function ( )to delete it. (Select the area you wish to delete).

3. It is possible to add custom drilling holes. First select the drill template as the active layer ( ) Then select the general button for drawing ( ). From the

sub menu select the holes button ( ). Select the position where the hole has to be located and type in the diameter of the drill. 4. In the similar way you may add additional tracks, text pads or any kind of elements to your design. However this doesnt modify the original design. Therefore we suggest to make the modifications in you CAD packages should you discover that something is missing in the design. 5. Create and delete function par example can also be used on the contour layers. This allows you to modify the contours that are created by ColiLiner. 6. Most of the buttons in the sub-menu are toggle buttons which means that they can be either on or off. Be careful when selecting the button. If the button is pressed and you press it again it will be de-selected. When you then try to perform an operation you will not have anything done. Check that the function you want to do is actually selected. Par example button is not selected ( ) or button is selected ( )

2.8

Contour All Layers

This function contours all the layers. Or in other words it calculates the tool paths. Tool paths are the lines that the tool will be making when its milling out the PCB.

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Note: Unlike etching procedure where all the un- necessary copper is removed, milling PCBs in standard contouring mode only insulates the elements of the PCB. For full copper removal please see the ColiLiner manual. If the copper must be removed you can use the copper removal function. The main reason that this is not standard procedure while contouring is because it wears out the tools more and it takes more time to finish.

2.9

Creating the Board outline

When the board outline is imported, it is not contoured. Also, when the "contour all layers" is selected this is the only layer that is not contoured. This is because there is no information on how the board outline should be contoured. While for the tracks and all other elements it might be easy to predict in which way the contouring might happen, with board outline, the tool may go on the outside of the path, on the path itself or inside the path. So first select the active layer, then the assign cutting mode and then select the proper position of the tool path

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2.10 Using break out tabs

Break out tabs is a feature that is used to make sure that after milling out the PCB that it cannot move and that it will not fly-out. To create the break out tabs, make sure that you are on the Board Outline/Cut-Outs layer. Then select the general create element button ( ) and from the sub-menu the create break out tab ( ). Then you can click on the line where you want to insert the break out tab. In the middle of the line the tab with the specified width will be inserted.

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2.11 Exporting files to ColiDrive

Warning: The following work flow only applies when you have the activated version of the software. Otherwise the button for export will not be available. After importing all the files, creating all the contours and creating the Board outline and/or Break-out tabs, you are able to proceed to the export of the file. At this point it is also recommended to save your project. To do this select File Save project.

To export the file for ColiDrive click on the Export button ( ) Program is asking you to give in the filename. Give in the name of the file and a file will be saved with the extension .BFF .If ColiDrive is present on the system, ColiDrive will start automatically and the exported file will be loaded. It is a good practice to save your .CBJ and .BFF files together with your Ultiboard or Eagle files. In this way you will not mix up the revisions and your designs.

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3. ColiDrive
If this is the first time you start the ColiDrive software please see the section : First run of ColiDrive that explains the start up of the program and how to check if all your settings are correct.

3.1

Basic adjustment of the machine

Normally the machine is completely aligned when you receive it. The following guidelines are only necessary in cases that there were problems in the transport, machine wear or any other problem where any of the settings are no longer in the bounds of the normal operation of the machine. Reading this section allows you to understand in more detail how the machine works and what is it that the software is doing for you. 3.1.1 General information about the depth adjustment.

The milling head consists of the active Z axis with floating head and the depth regulator that allows you to adjust the depth of the milling in microns. This is out of grave importance as the thickness of the copper is only 35 m (micro meter). Position where the machine has to start milling you will normally not have to adjust, there might be some adjustments on the depth of milling (see further in the document). What is special on these types of the machines is that the tools are made in such way that you will use the same depth for milling and for drilling. In this way your milling is always happening on the same place. The so-called Default zero position. Since the machine has to do three tasks, milling the insulation, drilling and cutting the PCB out of a larger sheet, the drills and some cutting tools have to pass through the PCB material. This is where you use the underlay material for (the hardboard material under the PCB material). All the tools that are going through the PCB will be milling in this material instead of the T-nut table. WARNING: Never mill PCBs without the underlay material. This may damage your machine. In order to make this way of milling possible (all milling on the same depth) some special systems were developed. Depending on the machine type and the motor type we distinct two major systems. 1. Spindle motor has a fixed stop so that the tools can only be inserted to a certain depth. 2. Tools have special rings on them so that they can be inserted to a certain depth. Normally with the first delivery of the machine there is a toolset ordered. If the tools delivered are without the rings then on your next order you should specify that the tools must be without the rings. Should you forget to specify this, you will have to take the rings off the tools before you can use them. Standard toolsets are now always delivered with the rings on.

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3.1.2

Placing the tool in the motor

Machine can be delivered with 3 different types of motors. With a black top, with a gray top or with automatic tool change. In case of automatic tool change please contact the supplier for more information about your machine and how to change the tools. The motors that have black tops (see picture below) marked with B have a fixed locking system for unloading and loading the tools. This means that when you press the button on the top downwards it will click in place. From that moment you can turn on the knob to release or lock the tool. When the tool has been exchanged, you have to unlock the knob by pulling it upwards. Gray top motors however have a spring system and have to be pressed down in order to lock or unlock the tool. The always automatically unlock so there is no need to unlock the motor. WARNING: when using the motors with the black top, it is crucial that you dont forget to pull out the knob. Failing to pull the knob out, the motor will fail to start, and the electronics will enter the over current state. You will have to switch the machine off and back on in order to be able to use the machine again.

To place the tool in the motor: Press the knob and turn about 3 full turns in the counter-clockwise direction (CCW). Then place the tool with the cutting part facing downwards in the motor (A) making sure that the tool is going completely in the motor. Best practice for this is to push the tool gently upwards using your nail. The press the knob and turn it clockwise (CW) until you fill a small resistance. Pull the knob (B) out (upwards) till you here a click (applies only to the motors with the black knob). WARNING: Use care when handling the tools and placing them in the motor. These tools may be very sharp and mishandling them may lead to injuries.

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WARNING: Never try to change the tool when the motor is turning. Stop the motor before reaching for the tool.

3.2
3.2.1

Setting the default zero position and milling depth

Default zero position

In order for the machine to work correctly it must know where the material is on the machine and how thick it is. All repositioning moves should be about 1 mm above the surface of the material, while all the milling and drilling operations must be in the scope of the maximum floating move the machine can make. Therefore we have introduced the default zero position which is in the case of milling standard PCB material always the same. Since the tools that are going through the PCB material are longer than the tools that must do engraving work we can define the default zero position as a position of the Z axis where the drill is about 1 mm above the PCB material. In order to set the default zero position, use the following steps: 1. Place a mill in the motor (not a drill!!!) and visually inspect that the mill is just coming out of the engraving head. See Adjusting the milling depth for more details on adjusting the depth of milling. 2. Once your milling depth is correct, place a drill in the motor (not a mill) and lower the Z axis using the Z axis position buttons until the tip of the drill is touching the PCB surface.

In the edit field under the marked area you can adjust the step the machine will make down to 0.001 mm (1m). Note: Use a bigger drill for this operation (1 mm or bigger). If you should then touch the material with the tool, the tool will not break. With very small tools there is a chance that the tool breaks. 3. When you have reached the top of the PCB, now move the Z axis 1 mm upwards. The value you can read in the Show position of window by the Z value is the value that you have to use with your default zero position

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Please note that the default zero position may be different on any machine. Therefore you cannot use any values mentioned in this manual as a default zero position. You have to find one yourself. 4. This value has to be entered in the proper field in the Machine settings window. You can find this by going to Setup Machine properties tab machine, and value Default Zero Position.

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3.2.2

Adjusting the milling depth The milling depth with a certain conical mill together gives the width of the milling track. Since its obvious that the deeper you go the tracks will be wider (because the mill has a V shape) it is from great importance that the milling depth is correct and even more important that it is constant.

For this reason the milling depth can be precisely adjusted using the steel ring on the engraving head (marked on the picture with the arrow). If the adjustment is required this can be simply done by turning the ring to left or right. It is advisable to check the milling depth during and after the milling process. If adjustment is required dont hesitate to adjust the depth in small steps. Should you come to the conclusion that the depth is not correct you can always adjust it by setting the depth manually before you start milling the project. This is done by moving the machine manually in order to inspect the track width. By using different angle of the tool different resolution of the milling depth can be achieved. Bad setting of the depth can have to side effects. If you dont mill deep enough your PCB will not be contoured properly (there will be short-circuits on the board) and if you mill to deep, the milling result will not be nice and the width of your tracks will be reduced. Furthermore the wear-out of the tool is much bigger when milling too deep. This means that you will not use your tools for the time that they are made to last. Making the setting: 1. Place an engraving tool (normal line milling tool (COLCT0001)) in the motor. If this is the first setting, make sure that the tool is not coming out of the engraving head. It should be about 0,1, 0,2 mm in the head. Use the navigation buttons in ColiDrive (see ColiDrive manual) to bring the machine about 1 mm above the material. Dont use the steel ring for this! 2. Start the motor at maximum RPM. 3. Lower the Z axis another 5 mm. The head will lie on the PCB material. 4. If the step one was done correctly, when moving the machine with the head down 20 mm in the Y direction you will see nothing on the copper plate. This is normal because the tool is in the engraving head. 5. Turn the adjustment ring to the left (as you are opening a bottle (CW)) until you think that you are in the PCB material. Then move the Y axis for 20 mm. See if you have milled the line. If the line is there, turn the wheel in the other side a quarter of the turn (CCW) and move again 20 mm. Do not over turn the ring. Adjustment has to be done gently so that you are just through the copper. 6. Repeat the step 5 until the width of the track is about 0.2 mm. (you can compare the track width with the sample board that was on the machine when it was delivered). In fact the correct depth can also be described as: the lines have to be as thin as possible, but there must be no copper in them (it has to be a clean cut).

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3.3

Setting the Mirror line

When one wants to make a double sided PCB he will need the help of the mirror line. The mirror line is a virtual line that stretches in the Y direction of the machine and splits the machine in 2 parts. This virtual line is stored in the software, and ColiDrive is using it to determine in which way it has to reposition the board layers when milling double sided PCBs. Since there are lot of mechanical influences that might affect the position of the mirror line it is important to check you milling results and adjust the position if required. Such reasons may be, mishandling the locking pins when taking the PCB off or on the machine. Hitting on the PCB material to fit it, and even drastic temperature. Should the machine need recalibration of the mirror line, there is one simple step that has to be done. Take the last PCB you have made and determine the error in positioning. The best way to see the error is to determine how far is the drill off the center on the top layer of the PCB. This can be determined either with the camera or with a caliper. The distance that you have measured you have to divide in 2. This is your error. If the error is to the left (meaning that the center of the drill has an offset to the left of the center of the pad) you have to move the position of the mirror line to the left for the value of error. Same analogy applies for the error to the right. If the error is to the right, move the position of the mirror line for the error value to the right. Position of the mirror line can be set in Setup Machine properties tab Machine

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Note: The position of the mirror line is factory set. It is not advisable to change this setting if you are not sure what you are doing. Please consult your supplier if you are in any doubt

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3.3.1

Software configuration

All the settings and explanations regarding all the settings in ColiDrive can be found under Help User Manual in ColiDrive

4. Information about tools

If purchased a tool set there are different types of drills and mills delivered. These tools can be divided in 4 categories. Drills Flat end mills Engraving tools Cutting tools Drills have two cutting edges and the tip is grinded to the angle of 115 End mills are flat at the bottom (cylindrical) and have two cutting edges Engraving tools are conical tools that have the tip of 90 or 60 Cutting tools are similar to Flat End mills but have a big number of cutters and appear quite rough. They are used to cut the FR4 material. Table under describes standard tools found in the tool set. NAME REF CODE PCB engraving COLCT0001 tool Isolation mill 1/8 L=36 mm Specifications Remarks Image Normal Line Mil- Milling insulation from 0.2 0.5 ling mm wide 0,2-0,5mm

PCB engraving COLCT0002 tool Isolation mill 1/8 L=36 mm

Fine Line Milling 0,1-0,15 mm

Milling insulation from 0.1 0.15 mm

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PCB RF End Mill 1/8" L=36 mm (2 flutes)

COLCT0005

d = 0,40 mm

Used for copper removal or milling insulation (mostly used in RF applications)

End Mill 1/8" L=36 mm 2 cutting edges

COLCT0007

d = 1,00 mm

Used for copper removal

End Mill 1/8" L=36 mm 2 cutting edges

COLCT0008

d = 2,00 mm

Used for copper removal

Contour Router COLCT0013 Raw mill 1/8" L=38 mm

d = 1,00 mm

Used for fine work on cutting detailed PCB with non standard shape out of bigger sheets

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Contour Raw mill

Router COLCT0014

d= 1,50 mm

1/8" L= 38 mm

Used for fine work on cutting detailed PCB with non standard shape out of bigger sheets

Contour Raw mill

Router COLCT0015

d = 2,00 mm

1/8" L=38 mm

Used for cutting PCB out of bigger sheets

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0023

0,60 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0024

0,70 mm

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Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0025

0,80 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0027

0,90 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0028

1,00 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0029

1,10 mm

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Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0032

1,30 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0034

1,50 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0048

2,95 mm

Drill 1/8 L=38 mm

COLCT0049

3,00 mm

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5. Credits
Parts of this tutorial were provided with the help of the teacher from Damiaaninstituut in Aarschot and Sint-Lambertus school from Westerlo. Our special thanks goes to (in alphabetical order) De Wit Annemie, Staquet Theo en Vangenechten Luc for their help on making the parts of this manual.

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