This is a precision solder paste stencil printer I designed to make assembling circuit boards that much easier. It is based on an XYZR stage which precisely adjusts the circuit board relative to the stencil. A vacuum motor is added to pump the inside of the printer down and pull the stencil tight to the PCB. All the parts are either 3D printed or available off the shelf.
I printed this out of ESD safe PETG, but any filament should work if you're not overly concerned about ESD. Supports are required in a couple places. I used tree supports on the printer base to support the ceiling of the vacuum motor compartment and the filter boss. I printed the vacuum door flat with supports and used PLA as an interface material.
Check out my Youtube video of the build here, where I explain it in more detail, show how it goes together, show it in use, and have links to everything I've used:
Parts I used:
Dirt Devil vacuum - https://amzn.to/3ycafez
XYZ Stage - https://amzn.to/4dy2RdA
Rotation Stage - https://amzn.to/3wvUJcQ
Footswitch - https://amzn.to/3UEtXXA
Ball bearings - https://amzn.to/3UVFdR5
4-40 screws - https://amzn.to/44EkioF
8-32 screws - https://amzn.to/3wuy80h
M4 screws - https://amzn.to/3UVFy6j
¼” x ½” shoulder bolts - https://amzn.to/3JYrLFu
Gas struts - https://amzn.to/4bwTgBR
Threaded inserts - https://amzn.to/4byi1xK
Soldering iron tips for inserts - https://amzn.to/3JXnnqi
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You'll need heat press inserts to put this all together:
2x 10-24 for the stencil frame
3x 8-32 for the stencil frame
8x 4-40 for the vacuum door
4x 8-32 for the printer base
2x 4-40 for the printer base
I recommend buying assortments of the screws you'll need to that you can fine tune the screw lengths. M4 screws are also required to hold the PCB Platform to the XYZR stage.
The author marked this model as their own original creation.