Router/Depaneling

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We depanel most of our PCB's using a router. We design and ... - May 14, 2009 by SWAG

if you have a budget for new machine, laser depanelising is ... - May 15, 2009 by josh

SWAG

#58807

Router/Depaneling | 14 May, 2009

We depanel most of our PCB's using a router. We design and build all of our own fixtures in-house. Our rigid boards have not been a problem and we seem to have mastered tooling designs that work well. However, we are also running thousands of panelized flex circuits. We use our router to depanel them but have not come up with tooling that reliably holds the PCB's in place once they are mostly released from the panel. On occasion, the PCB will slip and the router will cut the interior of the PCB. We have tried various designs and the best we have come up with yet is sandwiching the panels between sheets of soft, grippy rubber. We have improved but are still not where we want to be. Does anyone have advice on how to reliably depanel flex PCB's on a router?

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josh

#58825

Router/Depaneling | 15 May, 2009

if you have a budget for new machine, laser depanelising is pretty good for flex PCB as no physical stress on PCB like mechanical routing, thus fixturing is easier and less prone to moving the flex while cutting. Laser systens can also cut FR4 standard PCB just as well - lower dust generation also - but pricy !!!

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