CNC conformal coat machine

My boss hired me too create a CNC conformal coating machine for coating circuit boards. It will basically just be a 3d printer with a sprayer instead of an extruder. I was thinking of just using a ramps board, but there are two problems. The first one being I want to just have a button that you can press to start the program (every time you load a new board in it will need to be started again). The other problem is, would I be able to mod the marlin firmware so that I can trip a solenoid to fire the sprayer via gcode? I was planning on writing the gcode manually for each board, it wont be too complicated it just has too move the gantry around to spray the spots that need coating.

Thanks in advance!

... I'm developing an ink-jet-pastedispenser application for dispensing solder paste or UV-curing- or thermocuring pastes, what's used for filling/coating and glueing too.

It's based on a heavy modified Pronterface as software and Marlin4Due on a RADDS-board as firmware.

Here is a German thread about it with some images and videos - [forums.reprap.org]

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Is there gonna be software released?

... what do you need?

My modification is based on Pronterface/Printrun, so the basic system is open-source too.

It reads common G-code, but can 'teach' basic geometries too, composed from dots (pads), lines, arcs and circles, what you 'draw' by moving in XYZ and then add th element.

My wife and me are programming file-converters for different common file-formats used in our area - actually Gerber-data, HPGL and some special pick-n-place-machine-codes are supported or in the work -- this converter's aren't OS, but meant as comercial 'plugins' for this special Pronterface version and will cost around 100€ per plugin/converter ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

... here's a snapshot of the software with an imported HPGL-file, I've designed for lasercutting on another machine:




The small editor window shows the G-code with some modifications, meant for block-wise editing of the geometric data ...

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/11/2016 03:35PM by VDX.

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Sorry I didn't specify, I meant the modified pronterface, that looks very nice btw!

... as previously mentioned, it's still OS, so you can have the sources, if you want to use or program around our modifications.

There are many changes and changed behaviour - now the program is meant for importing and/or teaching vector data to create and combine paths for paste-dispensing or laser-engraving ...

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Viktor
--------
Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Quote
teslalab2
My boss hired me too create a CNC conformal coating machine for coating circuit boards. It will basically just be a 3d printer with a sprayer instead of an extruder. I was thinking of just using a ramps board, but there are two problems. The first one being I want to just have a button that you can press to start the program (every time you load a new board in it will need to be started again). The other problem is, would I be able to mod the marlin firmware so that I can trip a solenoid to fire the sprayer via gcode? I was planning on writing the gcode manually for each board, it wont be too complicated it just has too move the gantry around to spray the spots that need coating.

Thanks in advance!

You could do all of that already using Duet electronics and the standard RepRapFirmware build.

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Large delta printer [miscsolutions.wordpress.com], E3D tool changer, Robotdigg SCARA printer, Crane Quad and Ormerod

Disclosure: I design Duet electronics and work on RepRapFirmware, [duet3d.com].

alright thanks!

mmmmkay, I'm gonna need a 4th axis so I can rotate the board. I should be able to use an extruder axis, but the problem is how do I home it, I did find this, but the reviews didn't look too promising [reprap.org]