LPKF CircuitPro is a program on the lab computer that issues commands to the ProtoMat and controls PCB production. The following sub-sections will provide steps for importing Gerber and Excellon files into LPKF CircuitPro and configuring the program to begin board production. Perform the indicated actions in order before reading the Board Production section.

Connecting the ProtoMat to the Computer

Before starting CircuitPro, turn on the ProtoMat with the green power switch shown in Figure 4.1. When the ProtoMat is finished powering up, start CircuitPro on the lab computer and wait for the connection dialog shown in Figure 4.2 to appear. If the connection dialog does not appear, ensure that the ProtoMat is connected to the lab computer with a USB cable, and then select the “Connect” command under the Machining tab.

Figure 4.1: Power Switch
It is located under the ProtoMat’s hood on the right side.

Figure 4.2: Connection Dialog
This will appear when the computer attempts to connect to the ProtoMat.

Creating a New .cbf File

A .cbf file can be thought of as a CircuitPro session. It stores all of the machine configuration settings, imported geometries, and material state. Every new board production project should have its own .cbf file. After connecting the ProtoMat, select the “New Document” command under the File tab if you have not already been prompted to do so. Figure 4.3 shows the new document tab with several templates. Select the template called “DoubleSided_NoTHP.cbf” to start a project for double-sided circuit boards without through-hole plating. After this you may save your .cbf file with any arbitrary name.

Figure 4.3: New Document Window

Importing Gerber and Excellon Files

Under the File tab, select the Import command to open the Import window. Then click the “Add File” to open a file browser. Use the browser to navigate to your Gerber and Excellon files and select all of them as shown in Figure 4.4. When all of the files are selected, press the Open button in the browser to import all of them simultaneously.

Figure 4.4: Selecting Six Files to be Imported
To select multiple files, hold the left-ctrl key and left click on the files highlight them individually.

When the files are imported, they will not be initially assigned to the correct machining layers. The .cmp, .sol, .gml, and .txt files should be assigned to the TopLayer, BottomLayer, BoardOutline, and DrillUnplated layers respectively as shown in Figure 4.5. All other settings should be correct by default. Click OK to finish importing the files. The central CAM view should then display your project, as shown in Figure 4.6.

Figure 4.5: Import Window
Use the Layer/Template drop-down boxes to assign each imported file to a layer. Use the 2D view to ensure that each file imported properly.

Figure 4.6: Imported Geometries Shown in CAM View
Use the mouse-wheel to zoom in on smaller features and ensure that they match your intended design. Click on the hand tool to drag the view around and inspect your board.

Selecting Available Equipment

The Equipment Configuration Wizard under the Wizards tab should be started and completed to ensure that CircuitPro does not request tools that are unavailable. All of the settings found by the wizard are correct by default except for the Available Tools settings, which might require updating. In the Available Tools window (shown in Figure 16), it is crucial that only available tools are checked, and unavailable or broken tools are unchecked. The toolbox shown in Figure 17 contains all of the tools currently available.

Figure 4.7: Available Tools Window

Figure 4.8: LPKF Starter Package

Placing Fiducials

Fiducials are 1.5 mm holes that are recognized by the ProtoMat’s microscope. These fiducials can be located by the microscope to automatically align the material if it has been moved or flipped. It is necessary add four fiducials to the design for accurate board alignment. This can be done by selecting the Create Fiducial command under the Insert tab. This will open the Create Fiducial window shown in Figure 4.9. You may then click on the CAM View to place a fiducial near the corner of each board. If you make a mistake, exit the Create Fiducial window and select the Undo command under the Edit tab (ctrl + Z). LKPF Circuit Pro might inform you later on that your fiducial placement is not optimal, but this is not an issue so long as there are four fiducials and they do not touch your board’s design.

Figure 4.9: Create Fiducial Window
The fiducials were placed by clicking near the corners of the board outline.

Generating Toolpaths

The last step of preparation before starting board production is toolpath generation. A toolpath is a set of machine instructions that move one of the milling, drilling, or routing tools along a path. To automatically generate toolpaths for all of the imported geometries and fiducials, select the Technology Dialog command from the Generate tab.

In the Technology Dialog window shown in Figure 4.10, set the Copper thickness parameter to 35 micrometers and uncheck the Pockets checkbox near the bottom of the window. The Insulation method may be chosen to decide how much unused copper is removed from the base material. Removing all of the copper in a complete rubout takes the longest time to process, but might make soldering easier in some board designs. The Contour Routing method may be selected to determine how much of the base material is cut away to remove the PCB once it is completed. For example, the corner gap method cuts away all of the board’s outline except for four corners. When board production is finished, the user must use clippers to cut off the remaining pieces of the board outline and then file them down to the correct shape.

Figure 4.10: Technology Dialog

After configuring the technology dialog window, press the Start button to have CircuitPro compute the toolpaths, which usually takes about 20 seconds or less. When it is finished computing, it will show the computation results in a window similar to Figure 2.11. If there are any errors or warnings, it is possible to make changes to the .cbf file, retry the Technology Dialog command, and overwrite the erroneous toolpaths. The toolpaths will be displayed in the CAM view as shown in Figure 2.12.

Figure 4.11: Toolpath Computation Results
Ensure that there are no errors and that all of the requested tools are available and unbroken.

Figure 4.12: Toolpaths Shown in CAM View
The color of the toolpath matches the color of the sleeve on the corresponding tool.