Hi Andy,

First I want to make plain that I am not disparaging LPKF. I have and LPKF machine that I use to make my own boards. It's a great machine and I can make a board in less than a day. But just in case you or anyone else is unfamiliar with the cost of using an LPKF machine, I thought you might find this interesting.

Consider a 4" x 5" board, 2-sided, components on one side only. The cost of making the board with an LPKF machine is approximately $3 for the copper clad FR4 (I don't buy mine from LPKF). Add to that appx $18, the cost of one 8 mill universal cutting tool (the milling bit). Okay, you'll probably get two or three boards out of one bit, so lets call it $7. Now add approximately $19.50 for the solder mask and legend, including developer, conditioner and incidentals. Finally, add $12.50 for the conductive epoxy needed to "plate" the thru-holes and vias. Total cost of materials for that 4" x 5" board, $42. Total cost to get it from the "low cost" local supplier hand drilling boards in India, INR 1 per square cm, or approximately 129 rupees (appx $2.89).

And don't forget that the cheapest plotter LPKF offers is $8,500.

Joe