Study of CNC System for PCB Design using Proteus

Abstract

A Computer Numerical Control (CNC) system for Printed Circuit Board (PCB) design using Proteus Design Suite has been presented. A schematic diagram and single-sided PCB layout of a high voltage circuit for Geiger– Muller (GM) tube is designed using Proteus software. Subsequently, the PCB layout of the circuit is converted into Gerber files that are decoded into G-code through Flat CAM software. The G-code is introduced to the CNC system consisting of a computer, a CNC controller and a CNC machine. The code is stored in the memory of the computer and is uploaded to the CNC controller byMach3 software. The controller operates the CNC machine to perform isolation routing, drilling and milling for PCB as per the instructed design. It is noticed that the CNC system associated with Proteus makes the PCB designing process automated and easier by reducing the process of printing as well as etching. This study reveals that the proposed system can eliminate human error to achieve better accuracy and higher productivity as compared to the conventional methods of PCB design.