Making printed circuit boards (PCBs) using an LPKF plotter

Purpose – To present the steps for creating printed circuit boards (PCBs) using Protel and an LPKF plotter.Design/methodology/approach – The LPKF ProtoMat C20 plotter and three kinds of software (Protel99se, CircuitCam, BoardMaster) were used to rapidly produce PCBs.Findings – Small quantities of PCBs can be created in the laboratory using a mechanical plotter, giving a fast method that generates no chemical pollution.Originality/value – The paper highlights the file formats and steps needed to produce PCBs using an LPKF plotter.