Avoiding harmful dust from cutting PCBs

[larseko]

I have just bought some equipment for etching PCBs and have transferred a schematic to the copper clad board with laser toner. I also cut out the transferred print with a dremel saw blade extension. I used a breathing mask and goggles when doing this, but I noticed the smell and have heard that it's very dangerous to inhale these small particles, so I was wonering if the mask really does the trick, or if the particles stay in the air for a long time afterwards making it nearly impossible to avoid. As I have to do this in the kitchen I'm a bit worried. Should I be?

If so, how is it possible to avoid the dust? I have thought of putting some wd 40 or substitute while cutting, will that do the trick?

Lars Erik

[O]

I believe fiberglass particles settle after a while. I've seen people that work with fiberglass just wear a filter mask. I don't know if that is enough or not, but these people are exposed to more fiberglass in a day than we would ever be (they make fiberglass "kits" for cars, boats, etc...)

If you are cutting PCB boards, you should do it either outside, or in an area away from where your food is prepared just as a precaution.

[Peter Snowberg]

If you want to avoid the dust, I would advise using water instead of an oil.

WD-40 has some toxic additives that you really don't want all over. I don't like the stuff actually.... silicone oil products seem to work better and hold up longer. An oil may attack the epoxy/fire retardant too.

Little glass particles in the lungs is bad news. There is also the epoxy and fire retardant in the board that you don't want to breath. Some of those glass bits are small enough that air currents will keep them suspended for days at least.

Use a little water and please do it outside. This isn't good to do in a kitchen. It's always best to wear a respirator with cartridges that are appropriate for what you're working with.

Once you're done cutting, pat them with paper towels to get most of the water off and dry them in an oven on the lowest setting or with a hair dryer or even a heat lamp.

[brett]

Hi.
As an ex surfer who knows many people who have had long-term exposure to large amounts of fibreglass, I can tell you that it is - fairly safe.  One of those simple masks is probably more than enough for most people.  However, if you are a smoker, or are allergic to fibreglass or have limited lung capacity for some reason, you might wish to take added precautions.

Recent studies suggest that fibreglass particles are too large to cause the cellular damage that asbestos and smaller particles do.  Hence they are not cancer-causing.

When cutting fibreglass, don't overheat it or you'll get fumes from the resin. These may be more harmful ??  I use a hacksaw or jigsaw.

cheers

[petemoore]

Nope, not as bad as asbestos, but they tend to just stay in there, and the body builds 'cocoon's around them...I guess not as bad as inhaling known cargenogenics, still I wouldn't recommend it.
 what about clamping a straight edge, then using a knife to score, then breaking along the score line ?

[Peter Snowberg]

A sharp triangualr file makes for great score lines. A rectangular one works fine too, but removes more material in the process.

Just make sure you use one with a straight edge to it. Many have a slight bow.

[larseko]

Ok, thanks for your tips. Next time I'll try the knife/score line to see how that goes. As for the file, wouldn't it make the same dust as the dremel?

Unfortunately I haven't really got access to a good outdoor working space (with outlet), so I'm confined to our apartment, which calls for appropriate methods.

Again, thanks for the input.

Lars Erik

[Peter Snowberg]

Files tend to make piles of powder rather than kicking it all up into the air.

After you score and snap the board, files also work great for smoothing out the edges.

For some things I've cut the board with tin-snips and then filed down to a nice, clean edge. You just can't cut anything too big or you get stress cracks in the PCB material.

[Karmasound]

i've had great luck using large tin snips.

[STOMPmole]

Ditto...tin snips cut them like scissors to paper and there's no dust to worry about.

[d95err]

For the average DIYer who will cut perhaps one or two boards in a month, I wouldn't worry too much about the long term effects of fibreglass exposure. However, if you do it more or less everyday, I'd use all the protection I could get.

Fumes from soldering are also harmful, especially the lead I belive. If you solder a lot, make sure you have plenty of ventilation and if possible a small fan to disperse the fumes quickly.

[larseko]

Ehrm, this might sound like one stupid solution, but say I had a vacuum cleaner and clamped this to something close to the PCB I was cutting, perhaps this would suck up most of the fibre glass? (Just thinking out loud, remember I'm a n00b DIYer...)  :?

[petemoore]

Ehrm, this might sound like one stupid solution, but say I had a vacuum cleaner and clamped this to something close to the PCB I was cutting, perhaps this would suck up most of the fibre glass? (Just thinking out loud, remember I'm a n00b DIYer...)  :?

Doesn't sound like a stupid solution...running it through a filter is a good Idea I think.
 Once that stuff is 'on' anything [desk/floor], it's much harder to get it off.
  I've never messed with it, but most boards, hard or not...and I had some Perf that was so hard it was rediculous...score it good enough and bend so that the bend line is what gets stressed...[possibly a poor mans bending brake...a clamp and a board] and it'll break down the line every time.
 If the board is Super Hard, I'd worry about bending the copper away from the board when bending, one side of the board gets compressed, the other stretches 'till it breaks...that stretching must stretch something like the copper itself and/or the copper/board fusion.