Printed circuit boards are made from copper-coated boards that are etched through a mechanical or a chemical process. The copper-coated boards come in different sizes that seldom have dimensions that fit perfectly to the circuit layout. Therefore, generally a board must be cut in size before or after the etching process. Cutting an etched PCB is a delicate process requiring care so that the small traces and pads on the board do not get damaged. Therefore, it is a good practice to cut the board before etching it.
Instructions
1 Draw a box with a lead pencil and a ruler on the board with dimensions a little larger than the PCB layout such that there is about half an inch of space on each side of the layout. Draw all lines all the way up to the end of the board. This will help align each line with the guillotine's cutting axis.
2 Put the board under the guillotine and align its side to be cut with the guillotine's cutting axis. While firmly holding the board from the side, that is away from the guillotine's blade, with one hand, slowly lower the guillotine's handle all the way to the bottom. This will cut the first side of the board. Repeat this process for the remaining sides to be cut.
3 Put the face mask on and gently smooth out the edges of the board with a fine-grain sand paper.
