Challenges of Depaneling using Routing/Die Cutting/Dicing Saws

Damages and fractures to substrates and circuits due to mechanical stress
Damages to PCB due to accumulated debris
Constant need for new bits, custom dies, and blades
Lack of versatility – each new application requires ordering of custom tools, blades, and dies
Not good for high precision, multi-dimensional or complicated cuts
Not useful PCB depaneling/singulation smaller boards
Lasers, on the other hand, are gaining control of the PCB depaneling/singulation market due to higher precision, lower stress on the parts, and higher throughput. Laser depaneling can be applied to a variety of applications with a simple change in settings. There is no bit or blade sharpening, lead time reordering dies and parts, or cracked/broken edges due to torque on the substrate. Application of lasers in PCB depaneling is dynamic and a non-contact process.

Advantages of Laser PCB depaneling/singulation

No mechanical stress on substrates or circuits
No tooling cost or consumables.
Versatility – ability to change applications by simply changing settings
Fiducial Recognition – more precise and clean cut
Optical Recognition before PCB depaneling/singulation process begins.
Ability to depanel virtually any substrate. (Rogers, FR4, ChemA, Teflon, ceramics, aluminum, brass, copper, etc.)
Extraordinary cut quality holding tolerances as small as < 50 microns.
No design limitation – ability to cut virtually and size PCB board including complex contours and multidimensional boards