Cheap stencil printer?

[lutkeveld]

Getting the stencil alligned properly still is the most difficult task during proto assembly. Especially with small parts its almost impossible to keep it dead centre and remove it properly by hand.
Does anybody have a good and cheap (<300€) solution that keeps the stencil alligned properly during paste application (can be DIY)?

Preferably for non-framework stencils because they are significantly cheaper if you include shipping.

[SMTech]

That would be sellotape 

[lutkeveld]

Haha, that is the current solution. But allignment is not great and removing the stencil without smearing paste is very difficult.

[SMTech]

Preferably for non-framework stencils because they are significantly cheaper if you include shipping.

Like 10 whole extra US dollars if done at the same time as the PCB? Worth every cent...

Without a frame for 1 or 2, tape works fine (use it as a hinge at one end only & if needed hold the other end down with your spare hand), after that its a pain in the bum. Without a frame tho' stencil tend to be manufactured as small as they think they can get away with and that means there is very little room to fix it to something to make it rigid and hence can be hard to remove without it smudging something.  The best design I have seen for handling them are these Spide ones https://printtec.nl/contents/en-uk/d361.html way outside your budget but I have an inkling you could build the important bit using DIY 3D printer parts the cost of many manual printers is baffling - look at these https://www.manncorp.com/stencil-printing ouch.

[lutkeveld]

Yeah those look great, but indeed a bit on the expensive side. You would think that DIYing something like that would be 200 dollar max.

Framework also adds to shipping. On ALLPCB the price difference including shipping is 18 dollars in favor of non-framework.
I use about a stencil per month, so having a machine that would accept non-framework saves 216 dollars per year.
Not a huge amount, but still.

[SMTech]

And adds IMO 500 dollars in being fiddly and annoying, letting more paste escape into your work area, getting a poor print as the tension is bad. Never focus on the dollar cost include your time and effort, whats $200 anyway  - about 2 hours of a PCB designers time or maybe half a days assembly.

[asmi]

"Good" and "cheap" rarely coexist
I recently bought this printer. Pricey (especially with delivery), but works like charm!

[SMTech]

For the sake of completeness there was this thread https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/first-experiments-and-fails-with-a-laser-cut-stencil/msg1720310/#msg1720310 IIRC khs will sell you one of those... IMO it barely qualifies as much more than a fixture but its better than nothing .