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2026-06-08 12:49:42 +02:00

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TODO: Add table of content

KiKit Processor

Processing script for KiKit panelizes PCBs and draws a fixture sketch and positions the whole panel for easy CNC and MSLA processing.

The script:

Panelizes the board
Moves the finished panel to the origin (0, 0)
Adds alignment holes
Adds silskcreen text
Extends the copper layers

The resulting output is intended for repeatable CNC/MSLA processing.

Install kikit

Install kikit:

pipx install --system-site-packages kikit

Usage

# Panelize the PCB using the preset defined in `myPreset.json`.
kikit panelize \
    -p myPreset.json \
    ../Flow_Controller.kicad_pcb \
    panel/Flow_Controller_Panel.kicad_pcb

The new panel/Flow_Controller_Panel.kicad_pcb file will contain the panelized PCB with the following feature specified in myPreset.json. E.g.: Grid of 1 x 2 with space 2.1 mm, new mounting holes and fiducials.

    "layout": {
        "type": "grid",
        "rows": 1,
        "cols": 2,
        "hspace": "2.1mm",
        "vspace": "2.1mm"
    }

See all values in default.json

Check the kikit panelization examples.

Exporting gcode for CNC

pcb2gcode

Use CNC for drilling holes and milling board outlines. You can also use CNC for isolation traces milling. However, the best result will give you MSLA PCB exposure. TODO: Add link to the section

Adapt milling and drilling parameters in millproject. Look up pcb2gcode/wiki for help.

nano millproject

Make sure to set mirror-axis in the millproject to half of your board width!!!

./export_for_cnc.sh panel/Flow_Controller_Panel.kicad_pcb

Launch the gSender program.

Load the output/gcode/drill.ngc file for drilling holes.
Load the output/gcode/outline.ngc file for milling the board outlines.
Load the output/gcode/back.ngc file if you want to mill the isolation traces.
Load the output/gcode/front.ngc file if you want to mill the isolation traces.

Milling tip: Increase the thermal spoke and trace width

When routing for milling, use the widest traces possible. 1mm, 2mm and wider, the machine doesn't care, but later you won't be soldering leads to small fragile strips of copper. You can use copper pours for routing too.

Set up the entire back side as one big GND pour. Then, increase the thermal spoke width to be larger than 1mm. This avoids small features and gives more room for error if a larger drill is used for the holes.

MSLA PCB Exposure: KiCad → Photon Mono 4

Convert KiCad PCB layers to .pm4n files for direct UV exposure on an Anycubic Photon Mono 4 (9024×5120 px, 17 µm/px).

Setup

1. Create the Dummy.pm4n

Open CHITUBOX Basic slicer, select printer Anycubic Photon Mono 4, slice any tiny STL (a 1×1×0.05 mm box), and save as Dummy.pm4n in the same directory as export_for_msla.sh.

This file is reused for every job — it carries the correct LCD resolution metadata.

2. Install dependencies

python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install pygerber Pillow numpy

Or activate the venv once and put source .venv/bin/activate in your shell profile.

3. Export multiple layers (e.g. copper + soldermask)

./export_for_msla.sh \
    --layers Front,Back,F.Mask,B.Mask,F.SilkS,B.SilkS \
    --invert Front,Back,F.Mask,B.Mask,F.SilkS,B.SilkS \
    --mirror Front,F.Mask,F.SilkS \
    --exposure 60 \
    panel/Flow_Controller_Panel.kicad_pcb

Using gerber_to_pm4n.py directly

python3 gerber_to_pm4n.py Dummy.pm4n output/gerbers/Flow_Controller_Panel-Front.gbr \
    --invert --mirror --exposure 60

Output structure

output/
├── gerbers/
│   ├── Flow_Controller_Panel-Front.gbr
│   └── Flow_Controller_Panel-F_Mask.gbr
└── pm4n/
    ├── Flow_Controller_Panel-Front.pm4n          ← copy to USB, print on Mono 4
    ├── Flow_Controller_Panel-Front.preview.png   ← visual check before printing
    ├── Flow_Controller_Panel-F_Mask.pm4n
    └── Flow_Controller_Panel-F_Mask.preview.png

Troubleshooting

kicad-cli: command not found — add KiCad to PATH:

export PATH="/usr/lib/kicad/bin:$PATH"

Or on Flatpak:

alias kicad-cli='flatpak run --command=kicad-cli org.kicad.KiCad'

Expected Gerber not found — KiCad's layer→filename mapping:

Layer	Filename stem
`F.Cu`	`Front`
`B.Cu`	`Back`
`F.Mask`	`F_Mask`
`B.Mask`	`B_Mask`
`F.SilkS`	`F_Silkscreen`

First print checklist

Open the .pm4n in Chitubox Basic slicer to visually verify before printing. Check the .preview.png — traces should appear black on white background (background = UV exposed = resist removed = etched away; traces = dark = resist kept = copper stays) Start with --exposure 60 and bracket from there — Bungard presensitized at 405nm typically lands between 30–120s depending on board vintage and storage.

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