PCB Depaneling & Laser Cutting

Laser cutting offers significant advantages for cutting printed circuit boards:

Quality:

•    Precise, burr-free, and clean cut edges with no dust
•    Extremely fine contours and radius-free inner edges
•    Smooth, vertical edges even with complex geometries

Material preservation:

•    Contact-free – no warping even with thin boards
•    Low thermal impact prevents delamination
•    Singulation of populated PCBs - single and double-sided, without component damage

Cost-effectiveness:

•    Maximum board utilization – only very small cutting channels required
•    Different material thicknesses in a single operation
•    High throughput for cost-effective contract manufacturing

The UV laser and USP laser vaporize the material precisely and without contact during PCB cutting:

Clamping:

• Unassembled materials: Vacuum table without fixturing tools is possible
• Assembled PCBs: ESD-compliant carrier system protects components and holds individual panels securely in place (developed and manufactured in-house)

Process:

• A focused laser beam cuts through all layers in one or more passes
• Vaporization prevents burr formation
• Minimal heat-affected zone protects against delamination

Result:

Precise contours without mechanical stress or warping – a clear advantage over milling or punching.

PCB types:

• FR4 boards and standard rigid substrates
• Flexible printed circuits (FPC)
• Rigid-flex boards
• Multilayer boards

Special materials:

• HF materials (High Frequency)
• Composite materials
• Polymere foils

Processing options:

• Tab routing and full contour cutting
• Cutting through multiple layers in a single operation
• Various material thicknesses and combinations
• Assembled and unassembled printed circuit boards

Laser cutting is the most precise method for cutting PCBs with fine contours:

Extreme precision:

• Extremely fine contours thanks to a precisely focused and guided laser beam
• Virtually radius-free inner edges – impossible to achieve with milling
• Maximum dimensional accuracy even for the most complex geometries

Contact-free:

• No vibrations or mechanical load on the material
• No warping of thin, delicate boards
• Clamping device required only for assembled PCBs

Design freedom:

• Maximum board utilization – only very small cutting channels
• Any outer and inner contours
• Different material thicknesses in a single operation

Quality:

• Burr-free without post-processing
• No delamination due to minimal thermal impact
• Clean cut edges
   

UV Laser Cutting:
A versatile process for most types of printed circuit boards – vaporizes material burr-free with a minimal heat-affected zone.

USP Laser Cutting (Ultra-Short Pulse):
For maximum precision and edge quality – exceptionally low thermal impact, particularly suitable for sensitive films and medical applications

Multilayer cutting:
Reliably cuts through all layers – ideal for multilayer and composite materials.

Panel cutting with ESD protection:
ESD-compliant carrier system for populated PCBs – securely holds individual panels in position and protects components (developed and manufactured in-house).

Polymere foils:
Specially designed for thin, sensitive materials – contact-free and without warping.

The Clean-Cut process is our proprietary premium solution for PCB laser cutting applications with the highest precision and quality requirements.

Advantages:

Maximum cleanliness:

• Particle-free cut edges - no contamination of surrounding components or surfaces

Highest edge quality:

• Perfectly smooth, burr-free edges
• No delamination or edge discoloration

Material preservation:

• Minimal heat-affected zone
• Material properties are not affected

Applications:
High-end electronics, medical technology, aerospace