The Bantam Tools Desktop PCB Milling Machine is optimized for printed circuit board (PCB) and small parts workflows, empowering you to prototype parts in-house quickly instead of having to wait days or weeks for fabricators to prototype them for you. Here's an overview of the workflows for both PCBs and 3D parts.
PCB Workflow
If you’re making PCBs, there are two workflows, depending on the software that you use. The process is to generate a Gerber (.gbr) file or a .brd file (if you’re using EAGLE) and then upload it to our software to mill on the milling machine.
If you use EAGLE, you can import your .brd files into our software directly. For other PCB/EDA software, you’ll need to generate Gerber files and import those into our software. See our Altium, KiCad, and Gerber guides for more information.
3D Parts Workflow
For making small parts, there are two workflows. The process is to design your part in CAD, use a CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) tool or plugin to generate G-code files, and then upload them to our software to mill on the milling machine.
The milling machine also allows you to mill designs made in CAD programs like SolidWorks, Inventor, Fusion 360, and VCarve out of materials like aluminum and engineering plastics. This workflow includes the additional steps of CAM and post-processing.
Autodesk CAM software such as HSMWorks (for SolidWorks), Inventor HSM, and Fusion 360 include our Bantam Tools post-processor, which allows for seamless integration with the milling machine. We also provide a post-processor for Vectric software such as VCarve and Cut2D/Cut3D (see our VCarve guide).
For other CAD/CAM software that doesn’t include a Bantam Tools post-processor, you can still mill your parts on our milling machine by using a generic or TinyG post-processor and hand-editing the G-code to remove unsupported commands. See our G-code Reference guide for more information.
If you haven’t tried the Getting Started Projects, we recommend starting there.
Our support guides are full of information about many aspects of using the milling machine, and our support team is standing by to help if you get stuck. Email us at support@bantamtools.com with any questions you have. Happy milling!