A Century of Evolution in PCB Depaneling Technology: The Industrial Transition from Manual Depaneling to Intelligent Laser Cutting

The evolution of PCB depaneling technology is, in essence, a reflection of the electronics manufacturing industry’s relentless pursuit of miniaturization, speed, and precision.This article explores the development of depaneling machines through three dimensions — technical principles, industrial transformation, and representative equipment — tracing their journey from manual processes to the era of intelligent laser depaneling under Industry 4.0. 🛠️ I. The Manual Era (Before 1950): The Dilemma of Efficiency and Yield 🔹 Technical Characteristics In the early days of PCB manufacturing, circuit boards were separated by hand.Operators used scissors or knives to break panels along pre-cut grooves — a “primitive depaneling” approach that suffered from two major flaws: 🔹 Industrial […]