Methods of sliding PCB in straight line on drill press

Question

I use a drill press like the first one in the linked answer at home for drilling my PCBs. If there was a way of sliding a PCB along a straight line left-to-right (or front-to-back) it would make drilling holes which are in a straight line much faster.

Do such slider systems exist without big costs? Or is there a design someone can share for making one? If there could be a system which also has ratchet-type stops every 0.1 inch, and which is equipped with a "latch" to switch between left-right and forward-back, that would really help.

Answer 1

A cross-slide will work for you as well. I have one on my christmas list. :-)

Answer 2

Look at the extrusion 3D printers for cheap linear shafting ideas, using either rollerblade bearings at right angles, sleeve bushings or even sleeve bearings.

However, you will then encounter a problem familiar to users of real machine tools, which is the need to align the row with the machine axis.

By the time you go for ratcheting you may just want an X-Y table, though exercise some care to get inch or metric screws with a lead-per-turn closely related to your spacing. If you don't do that, you'll likely want to add a digital readout or even servo/stepper drive. And then you need to learn about managing backlash.

There's a reason machine tools are expensive...

Answer 3

The first part of what you ask for is just called a "fence", and it can be as simple as a bit of wood with two slots in it. Use wingnuts or some other quick release clamps so you can move it to a new row position easily.

Answer 4

Late but I think still relevant. Centre punch the board by hand. Once the pads are (lightly) centre punched, the drill bit will find it's own position. Just use some delicacy and stay away from lump hammers or you'll crack the board. I find my go to hammer is a tack hammer, used surprisingly enough for knocking in tacks.

You could use a guide /fence, but if you have several packages to drill lines for, you'll spend for ever trying to line the thing up properly. Then there's all the clamping and bolting to the drill press. Heavy or very accurate drilling would be done on a x/y table or cross slide. They're expensive and you're back to all the lining up and clamping issues again. Unless you're press fitting a mechanical component into the pcb, you don't need more accuracy than what, 0.25mm? Very few components have absolutely rigid pins so they will tolerate some slack in the hole placement. You should easily achieve the required accuracy by hand.