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Laser-cut stencil
 
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Our SMT stencil service offers low-cost, plastic stencils that are an economical alternative to metal stencils or hand soldering for prototypes and low-volume manufacturing runs of PC boards with surface-mounted components. If you need to solder a few dozen or more contacts, these stencils are a great way to do it.
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What we offer: cheap stencils for electronics prototyping
We offer low-cost, plastic stencils for applying solder paste to printed circuit boards. Surface-mount components can then be placed on top of the solder paste, and the entire assembly is heated to solder the components. This reflow soldering method is superior to soldering with soldering irons because it allows soldering of pads that are on the bottoms of modern packages and that are therefore physically inaccessible once the part is in place. Also, it is usually quicker to assemble boards with solder paste and a stencil than with a soldering iron.
Our stencils are made from 3-mil or 4-mil mylar with a low-power CO2 laser. The finest pitch we can handle is approximately 0.5 mm, and fine-pitch stencils need to be cut from the 3-mil mylar. The stencils are just a piece of thin plastic with a bunch of holes cut in it. There is no frame, squeegee, or solder paste included. The maximum material size we can handle is approximately 24” x 12”, so the stencil area will need to be smaller than that.
Price: $25 for first 4 square inches, $1 for each additional square inch
The minimum price for a stencil is $25 for up to 4 square inches of apertures. We round each dimension up to the next whole number, so a 2.1” x 2.1” design would be considered 9 square inches and cost $30. We measure the apertures only, so your stencil size will probably be smaller than your PCB size. We will leave at least 2” of material on all sides of the stencil. The outside border is hand cut with scissors; please let us know if you need a more precise border or a bigger margin around the apertures (for instance, for mounting into a custom frame).
Shipping options
We can ship by Priority Mail for $5 or by FedEx. If you have a FedEx account, we can send your stencil using that; otherwise, we can get you a quote for the shipping price.
What we do NOT offer
We do not cut metal stencils, and we do not sell framed stencils. If you need precision stencils for very fine-pitch components or for volume manufacturing, you should use a stainless steel stencil. Please do not expect a $300 stencil for $25.
We are also limited to cutting apertures that are oblongs and rectangles that are all parallel or perpendicular to each other and circles. We cannot cut complex apertures or designs that have apertures at unusual angles.
Contacting us, and what to send
We are working on an automated quoting and ordering system. Until that is available, you can contact us for a quote. If you have a design ready, you can email us your file. We should be able to deal with many file formats, but gerber files are the best bet. However, if you already have a different format (such as .dxf) and you just want to see if we can cut your design, you can send us that before you spend time generating the gerbers.
Payment methods
We accept major credit cards over the phone. You can also send us money through PayPal if you prefer. We do not accept purchase orders or COD.
Processing time
We will ship your stencil within 5 business days of receiving payment. Typically, we ship within 3-5 days, but that is not guaranteed. If you need your stencil with a faster turn time, please let us know, and we will give you a quote.
