PewCB
Vibe-routing is coming. Desktop PCB Factory is here.
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PewCB - Vibe-routing is coming. Desktop PCB Factory is here.

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PewCB is a laser-based desktop PCB prototyping machine that produces factory-grade boards in 10 minutes. OpenAI's latest demo showed Astra creating a device in KiCad. It may not be practical just yet, but it teases what comes next: vibe-routing. Software runs seconds after a code change; hardware still waits two weeks for a PCB. PewCB cuts prompt-to-device time from 2 weeks to 1 hour, enabling 4 iterations a day instead of 2 a month.

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Hi everyone! I'm one of the founders of PewCB. We're excited to introduce PewCB One - the world's fastest PCB prototyping machine. We built PewCB because waiting days or weeks for every PCB revision breaks the engineering feedback loop. With PewCB on your desk, you can design a circuit in the morning, build and assemble it, test it, and still have time to make another revision that afternoon. The workflow starts with ordinary Gerber files. A 20 W fiber laser selectively removes solder mask and copper from a prefabricated ceramic blank, producing a factory-grade PCB in about 10 minutes. The blanks already include solder mask and plated vias, so you can prototype double-sided boards without chemicals and electroplating. Fabrication is only half of the problem, so we also accelerated SMD assembly. After the PCB is complete, you wrap a thin tin stencil sheet around it and return it into the machine. PewCB cuts the solder-paste apertures directly over the finished board, creating a perfectly aligned solder paste stencil. Apply paste, place components, and reflow the board on a small hot plate. A working prototype can be ready for testing in about 30 minutes. PewCB is precise enough for modern components, including fine-pitch QFNs and tiny SMD passives. It can also cut arbitrary outlines, holes, and V-scores in the ceramic substrate. Automatic optical calibration keeps every job aligned. This is a true desktop system: fully enclosed, Class 1 laser safe, and equipped with closed-loop filtration for fumes and particles. It needs no external ventilation, compressed air, vacuum, or dedicated lab infrastructure. For us, it has changed hardware development in much the same way a 3D printer changed mechanical prototyping. Ideas convert into testable devices while they are still fresh. We'd love to hear what you would build with it. Ask us anything about the process, accuracy, blanks, vias, assembly workflow, or limitations - including the uncomfortable questions.