Step 1 of 4

Lumaspect Make™From copper-clad panel to PCB.

A module in development for making prototype circuit boards by isolating the traces, drilling and cutting the outline. The first field to evaluate is making simple boards for the lab.

Concept under evaluationConcept under evaluation. There are no drawings and no prototype yet.

Still image of the simulation — Concept simulation. The continuous transfer between machines shows the vision of the platform, not a capability that has been demonstrated.

01Bench product

Lumaspect Make™

Isolates the traces, drills and cuts a copper-clad panel into a simple lab board.

Copper-clad panel clamped on the bed
Height map of the copper
Trace isolation
Drilling
Outline cutting
Extraction and cleaning

Subsystems

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Concept: structure and size to be defined, no drawings yet.

Machining with a cutter that removes material, not 3D printing.
Containment and extraction of copper and fibreglass dust.
Cleaning of the board before assembly.
Not included: plated through holes and multilayer boards.

02Data sheet

Data sheet in brief.

The same fields for the four steps, so they can be compared.

In the design
Target to validate
Future option
To be defined

Data sheet	Lumaspect Make™	Lumaspect Apply™	Lumaspect Reflow™	Lumaspect Check™
Function	Trace isolation, drilling and outline cutting of prototype PCBsTarget to validate	Solder paste dispensing and component placementIn the design	Reflow soldering with a controlled thermal profileIn the design	2D optical inspection with AI of assembled boardsIn the design
Input	Single or double-sided copper-clad panelTarget to validate	Bare clean PCB, components on tape or trayIn the design	PCB with paste and placed componentsIn the design	Soldered PCBIn the design
Output	PCB without plated holes, to be cleaned before assemblyTarget to validate	PCB with unreflowed paste and placed componentsIn the design	Soldered and cooled PCBIn the design	Result per component (OK, to review), images, recordIn the design
Bench configuration	To be definedTo be defined	Apply™ L3: 806 × 706 × 451 mm, front drawerIn the design	Reflow™ L3: 700 × 560 × 340 mm, chamber with drawerIn the design	Vision™ L3: about 545 × 500 × 310 mm, about 14 kg, front drawerIn the design
Possible in-line integration	To be definedTo be defined	Module of the L3+ mini line (concept); in-line L5 version (design, development on hold)Future option	Indexed chamber of the L3+ mini line (concept); L5 tunnel oven (design, development on hold)Future option	Vision™ L4 and L5 in line (designs, development on hold); module of the L3+ mini line (concept)Future option
Work area or board size	To be definedTo be defined	350 × 250 mmIn the design	350 × 250 mmIn the design	From 50 × 50 to 350 × 250 mmTarget to validate
Main subsystems	X/Y/Z axes, spindle, probe, spoil board, extractionTarget to validate	CoreXY, piston dispenser, nozzle with vacuum and rotation, top and bottom cameras, feedersIn the design	Stainless chamber, heaters above and below, convection, cooling, 4 thermocouples, fume outletIn the design	CoreXY with Z, IMX296 camera, 25 mm lens, RGBW ring, Raspberry Pi 5In the design
Design data needed	Gerber of the traces, Excellon drill file, outline (from KiCad or other CAD)Target to validate	Bill of materials (BOM), placement file (CPL), paste layer (Gerber); IPC-2581 and ODB++ as a targetTarget to validate	Profile for the paste alloy (from the board program)Target to validate	Placement file (CPL) and one good boardIn the design
Power and services	230 V; dust extraction required; power to be definedTo be defined	230 V; vacuum from an internal pump, no compressed air; power to be definedTarget to validate	230 V 10 A; fume extractionTarget to validate	100–240 V, 100 W; Ethernet and Wi-FiTarget to validate
Development status	Concept under evaluationIn the design	Preliminary design; smallest component 0603 imperial to validateTarget to validate	Preliminary design; profile from a model, not measuredTarget to validate	Prototype in development; 2D in development, 3D under evaluationIn the design

Values marked “in the design” are set in the drawings but not yet measured on a prototype.

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03In depth

How it works, in detail.

How it works

A cutter removes the copper around the traces until they are electrically isolated; then a drill makes the holes in the pads and a cutter cuts the board outline. It is machining, not printing.

The cutting depth is a few tenths of a millimetre, so the flatness of the panel matters. A probe measures the height of the copper on a grid of points and the machining follows it.

Architecture and subsystems

Gantry with X/Y/Z axes, high-speed spindle with manual or automatic tool change (to be defined), spoil board, probe, extraction shroud and closed enclosure.

Operating flow

Export from CAD → toolpaths → clamp the panel → height map → isolation → drilling → outline → extraction and cleaning → board ready for Apply™.

Integration with the other machines

Make™ would produce the bare board that Apply™ receives. The handover needs cleaning: dust and burrs on the pads spoil the paste and the solder joints. In-line integration is not designed.

Expected input and output formats

Input: RS-274X Gerber of the traces and the outline, Excellon drill file. Output: the board and a machining log (tools, depths, height map). Formats to be confirmed.

Calibration and maintenance

Axis homing, height map on every panel, cutter wear check, spoil board replacement, extractor filter cleaning.

Technical limits and open questions

Not included: plated through holes, multilayer boards, solder mask and silkscreen.

To evaluate: minimum trace and isolation width, minimum component pitch, noise, fibreglass dust (harmful to breathe: extraction is required), tool cost.

For boards with plated holes or several layers, a PCB manufacturer remains the better choice.

Open-source projects

Used in the project

None so far.

Under evaluation

FlatCAM · From Gerber files to toolpaths for trace isolation.
pcb2gcode · A command-line alternative for the same step.
grblHAL · Firmware for the axes of a milling machine.
bCNC · Height mapping with the probe (auto-levelling).

04Cheat sheet

The summary to print.

Cheat sheet

Lumaspect Make™

From copper-clad panel to PCB.

Rev. A · 2026-10-12Concept under evaluation

Function: Trace isolation, drilling and outline cutting of simple lab PCBs.
Input → output: Single or double-sided copper-clad panel → PCB without plated holes, to be cleaned.
Operating cycle: Clamping → height map → isolation → drilling → outline → extraction and cleaning
Requirements: Gerber and Excellon from CAD · 230 V · extraction with filter
Limits: No plated holes · no multilayer · dust to contain · minimum resolution to evaluate
Status of the specifications: Concept under evaluation. All values are to be defined.

05The other steps

Four machines, one flow.

Preliminary design

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Get news on the prototype and on chances to join the first demonstrations.

Lumaspect Make™From copper-clad panel to PCB.

Used in the project

Under evaluation

Lumaspect Apply™

Lumaspect Reflow™

Lumaspect Check™

Notify me about Make