PCB Panel Requirements | V-Cut, Mouse Bites & Rails

Panelize Right, Assemble Faster and Cheaper

Panelization groups several boards into one production array. For assembly orders, a well-designed panel reduces setup time and per-board cost - but a bad panel breaks depaneling or jams the line. Follow these rules when preparing your array.

Panel Rules of Thumb

• Rails: 5 mm on two opposite edges (top+bottom or left+right) with fiducials and tooling holes.
• V-cut: straight edges only, remaining thickness 1/3 of board thickness, not for boards with components overhanging the edge.
• Mouse bites (stamp holes): 0.6 mm holes at 0.5-0.8 mm pitch with a tab at least 2.4 mm wide.
• Max panel size for assembly: 480 x 360 mm; keep clearance between boards at 0.2-0.3 mm for V-cut, 1.6-2.0 mm for mouse bites.
• Mark each board with a QR/serial for traceability after depaneling.

Pricing Notes

For PCB pricing the array counts as one panel; for assembly, placement is charged per single board. Send us your proposed array with the Gerbers and we confirm - or panelize it for you free of charge. See also File Requirements and SMT Order Files.