What are the PCB separation ways?

Processes for depaneling

1.Laser cutting

In the case of laser processing,the panel is cut out without physical contact by the aid of a focused laser beam.the cut is made by ablating the material layer by layer.

2.Die-Punching

During die-punching,the PCB boards are manufactured with a press or an impact with the use of a cutting tool.the process is based on the principle of shear cutting.

3.Milling

Milling is a machining manufacturing process in which the material is successively removed with rotating cutting(milling)heads in paths.
The figure 1 below shows an exapmple panel consisting of several assembled PCBs. Due to pre-milled channels, in this case the printed circuit boards have to be arranged with a larger distance from each other.

Figure 1:panel consisting of several assembled PCBs

Types of panel

In general there are two different types of panels that can be used for the production of printed circuit boards. These differ with regard to the composition of the PCBs on the panel:

1.Homogenous composition (AAAA):

In homogenous assembly, the panel is composed of a multiplication of the same circuit board. This is the most frequently used method in practice.
Advantage:
--the flexibility and effectiveness of the method is much higher than with any heterogenous composition of a panel.
--this method of assembly is independent of the manufacturing conditions and the product portfolio of the SMT manufactures

2.Heterogenous composition (ABCD):
--The panel is composed of a configurable mix of different printed circuit boards. This means that several types of PCBs can be produced simultanteously in a defined ratio.

Advantge:
--stocks and buffers can be reduced with this method, since it is not necessary to provide a single panel for each type of PCB and a large number of PCBs do not have to be completed with each processing operation.

Disadvantage:
--it is difficult to control production differentiation and demand in a responsable way. For example, if a PCB is no longer needed, either the panel design would have to be changed or a large number of PCBs would be produced without demand. For example, if a PCB is no longer needed, either the panel design would have to be changed or a large number of PCBs would be produced without demand.

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