Depending on volume and product mix, there are other options that may be more economical.  We use a nibbler type of depaneler from CAB Technologies
on a lot of our boards with excellent results. We also have one of their "pizza cutter" units we use on V-scored boards.

Keith S. Calhoun
Product Engineer
SoPark Corporation
3300 South Park Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14218
Phone:  716-822-0434 Ext. 237
Fax: 716-822-5062
email: [log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of John Goulet
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 3:19 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [TN] Depaneling

We used the Cencorp router all the time for that purpose. 

With a programmmed router you need a good fixture with good clamps to assure the board is placed in the fixture correctly and doesn't move as the boards are cut. 

A first piece inspection is very important to assure the home positions haven't gone out of calibration. The programmer must raise the cutting bit over any overhanging connectors along the cutting path. 

The Pro's are that you get a clean cut so snading the edge of the board is never required and there is no stress nor delamination issues associated with manually breaking the boards apart. FNK makes a nibbler that works as well as the operator aligning it and is more suitalbe to low volume work. For high or repeat medium volumes it is worth the tooling charge and programming time to use the Cencorp router. 


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ken Bloomquist" <[log in to unmask]> 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 25, 2009 2:53:38 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: [TN] Depaneling 

I have a depaneling question. One of our customers uses "mouse bites" for 
their tab-routes. We have never depaneled these boards but they would like 
us to start doing it. 

They currently use a hydraulic press with dies to cut through the "mouse 
bites".  Since it takes quite a bit of time to do this we were thinking that 
a router like the Cencorp type might work. 

My question is; do any of you that have used this type of router to depanel 
boards think it would be accurate enough and easy enough to program to 
follow the tab-route slot and remove the mouse bites? What would be the 
upside/downside of this approach? 

Thanks in advance, 

KennyB 


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