Designing and Building a Precision 3D Printed Solder Paste Printer!

In this video I cover the design, construction, and use of a 3D printed precision solder paste stencil printer. Applying solder paste to circuit boards for modern miniaturized electronic components is a daunting task. The stencil must be precisely aligned and flat to the board. I found cheaply available stencil printers subpar, so I decided to make my own.

This stencil printer is based upon an XYZR precision stage which allows the PCB to adjust in three directions and rotate. The 3D printed frame lifts the stencil on and off the circuit board, allowing rapid solder paste application. Finally, an integrated vacuum motor pulls the stencil tight with the PCB ensuring consistent results.

I plan to put this printer to good use building my tile lights project which you can check out here:
https://youtu.be/3QHFTsDGk6E

Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:35 Stencil Printer Description
06:14 Building the Prototype
15:14 Making a Stencil and Testing the Prototype
19:02 Building the Final Version
23:26 Closing Thoughts

You can find the 3D model for this here:
https://www.printables.com/model/875429-precision-solder-paste-stencil-printer-with-vacuum

Besides a couple of spools of 3D printer filament, you’ll probably need the following to make this:

Dirt Devil vacuum - https://amzn.to/3ycafez
XYZ Stage - https://amzn.to/4dy2RdA
Rotation Stage - https://amzn.to/3wvUJcQ
Footswitch - https://amzn.to/3UEtXXA
Ball bearings - https://amzn.to/3UVFdR5
4-40 screws - https://amzn.to/44EkioF
8-32 screws - https://amzn.to/3wuy80h
M4 screws - https://amzn.to/3UVFy6j
¼” x ½” shoulder bolts - https://amzn.to/3JYrLFu
Gas struts - https://amzn.to/4bwTgBR
Threaded inserts - https://amzn.to/4byi1xK
Soldering iron tips for inserts - https://amzn.to/3JXnnqi

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