The PCB panel refers to making a piece of small PCB board directly into a whole piece by the manufacturer.
Why Do PCB Panels?
- To meet the needs of production.
Some PCB boards are too small to meet the requirements of fixtures, so they need assembly for production.
- Improve the welding efficiency of the SMT patch.
It only needs one SMT to complete the welding of multiple PCBs.
- Improve cost utilization.
Some PCB boards are special-shaped, and PCB panels can use the PCB board area more efficiently, reduce waste and improve cost utilization.
What Are The Types of PCB Panel Designs?
1. V-CUT
V-CUT is to draw a slot at the connection of the two boards, as long as they are put together, leaving a gap between them (usually 0.4mm). Still, the connection of the boards in this place is relatively thin and easy to break. The edges of the two boards need to be merged.
V-CUT is generally a straight line, and there will be no complicated routing, such as curved arcs. Try to be in a straight line when assembling the board.
2. Stamp Hole
V-CUT cannot do it for irregular PCB boards, such as round ones. At this time, stamp holes need to be used for panel connection. Therefore, stamp holes are generally used in special-shaped boards.
A small piece of board connects the edge of the two boards, and there are many small holes at the connection between this small piece of board and the two panels, which is easy to break. After breaking, the board’s edge resembles the edge of a stamp, so this way of assembling is called a stamped hole.
3. Hollow connecting strip
Hollow connecting strips are mostly used in boards with half-hole technology. They are connected using very narrow plates, which are similar to stamp holes. The difference is that the connecting part of the connecting strip is narrower, and there are no vias on both sides.
There is a disadvantage in the way of assembling the hollow connecting strip: there will be a very obvious bump after the board is broken. The stamp holes also have bumps, which are less noticeable because they are separated by vias.
Some people may think that it is not good to use stamp holes directly, why use hollow connecting strips? This is because the stamp hole and V-CUT cannot be used when making half-hole modules all around, and can only be connected at the four corners of the module through hollow connecting strips.
What is the Principle of PCB Panel?
In order to facilitate production, keep the board as square as possible after assembling. In short, don’t make the aspect ratio too big.
Spacing Requirements
- It must add a process edge for the PCB whose outermost component is less than 3mm from the board’s edge. Usually, the longer edge is used as the process edge.
- It should reserve a space of >0.5mm between the components and the V-CUT to ensure the regular operation of the tool.
