Problem Statement

Prototyping printed circuit boards (PCBs) is an important step in electronics development but current methods take a lot of time and are costly.  Hobbyists, students, engineers, and small businesses must rely on external PCB fabrication services that are located overseas, which involve long lead/shipping times and minimum order requirements resulting in high costs for small orders. This raises the barrier to entry to PCB prototyping and drives a lot of people away. Other solutions like chemical etching and computer numerical control (CNC) milling can be performed at home but are also somewhat costly (buying a CNC mill) and sometimes require hazardous materials to be used. This project aims to address these challenges by designing a compact, affordable, and reliable desktop PCB prototyping machine that eliminates the reliance on external manufacturers, reduces production time from weeks to hours, and lowers costs for small-batch PCB production.

Statement-Restatement

Initial Statement: Design a desktop PCB prototyping machine that is safe, easy to use, and affordable all while producing high quality PCBs quickly.

Restatement 1: Design a small, compact machine capable of allowing users to rapidly prototype PCBs in their home.

Restatement 2: Design a machine that produces prototype PCBs in hours using 3D printing technology.

Revision Method

• PCBs have to have very small copper lines printed on the surface that require a large degree of precision. It will likely need multiple revisions to ensure that it is printing properly, since inaccuracies could lead to failed traces rendering the printed PCB useless. Due to the precision required, we will need to experiment with different nozzle sizes and find one that can print accurately with small risk of getting clogged.
  
  
  
  

• Due to the small size of surface-mounted device (SMD) components, the machine must be accurate to ensure that users will be able to produce PCBs capable of hosting these small components. Testing the machine and improving its accuracy is integral to this project, as finding a cheap alternative that can still print properly was one of the main goals of this project.
  
  
  
  

• The materials we plan on using produce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) when printed. To ensure that these VOCs do not leak out of the machine, it will need to be enclosed and equipped with a built-in high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter to filter out the VOCs

• The safety for users will need to be tested time and time again to ensure that this can be sold for household use. Therefore, it is necessary to spend a lot of time developing and testing safety protocols for the machine.

Kepner-Tregoe (KT) Situation Analysis

Timing:

• Feasibility (Moderately Urgent) - Some technology has started advancing in this direction, but PCB printing is still developing

• Demand (Highly Urgent) - Hobbyists, students, startups, and small engineering companies have a strong need for rapid PCB prototyping

• Affordability (Not Very Urgent) - Currently very expensive to do, may scale down in price as project gets larger / more units

Trend:

• Technology (Growing) - Advancements with laser sintering and conductive inks are making this project / similar projects more feasible

• DIY Electronics (Growing) - More "Makers" than ever before, IoT advancements trending, and hardware startups currently driving demand for a product like this

• Alternative Methods (Steady) - CNC Milling and Chemical Etching (popular ways of printing circuit boards) are still common; new methods emerging

Impact:

• Market Potential (High) - Could radically revolutionize PCB prototyping, saving time and costs for anyone interested in doing so

• Competition (High) - Have to be different than traditional PCB manufacturing methods and currently existing alternatives

• User Adoption (High) - Have to balance performance and affordability for widespread adoption of this product

The Portable PCB Printer has a strong market potential, but faces many challenges on the technical, financial, and competitive sides. Technological advancements are steadily progressing, but the costs and feasibility do remain as obstacles right now. Immediate priority for this project is ensuring the technology can work, followed by research for the user base and material sourcing. If this is successful, strategic manufacturing and marketing techniques are going to be needed to secure the initial Early Adopter user base, disrupting the current PCB Prototyping industry.

KT Problem Analysis

• Users will need a basic understanding of PCB manufacturing and 3D printing in order to use the machine

• The machine has parts that go up to extremely high temperatures which can lead to injury if the user is not careful

• While it is cheaper in the long run, the entry level cost for the material will be a little expensive

• Due to 3D printing not being perfect, there may be tolerance issues for some parts such as clearance for through holes

• There is the chance of failure due to defects related to 3D printing (Stringing, warping, material change failure, etc.) 

• The machine can be built with tight tolerances to avoid misprints and defects, however that will not be able to prevent mistakes due to user error

• Due to the material being used to print PCBs, we will need panels to enclose the printer as well as an internal HEPA filter to filter out the VOCs produced

• The presence of VOCs will worry users about the safety of running the machine in their home