The VPD3-1M is a manual V-cut PCB depaneler that separates V-scored panels up to 290 mm. It needs no compressed air and no electrical supply. Component clearance is 33 / 25.4 mm (top / bottom). A circular blade rides over a stationary linear blade, so force is delivered through the V-groove instead of around it.
Replacing another maker's part? Cross-reference your part number →
Up to 100,000 cycles per blade, with 50,000+ typical on a working line.
Actual life varies with panel material, thickness and score depth. Run it until the edge tells you, not the calendar.
Add the spare blade. Up to 100,000 cycles, and it is the machine's one consumable.
A depaneler with a dull blade and no spare is a stopped process. Ship the spare with the machine and it never happens. VPD3-1M Depaneler Starter KitOr take both as the Blade Pair Kit and save $212.00.
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Tell us your machine and cadence. We track blade life with you and remind you before a dull edge reaches your boards. No commitment, cancel with a reply.
One reminder per cycle, nothing else. Reply to any reminder to stop.
Every shop weighing a manual depaneler is weighing it against a $400 lost board. Here is the math.
Manual cell, no air compressor, no servo, no PLC, capital cost a fraction of pneumatic alternatives. Order today, install on a bench tomorrow.
No firmware. No PLC. No air dryer. No motor. Nothing on this machine fails except the blade you can replace yourself, the design has been in production for years.
Circular and linear blade replacements ship in about a week, not on a 12-week container. One PO, ground freight, machine back online before next shift.
Every time a manual snap fractures a $400+ post-reflow assembly, the loss buys part of a VPD3. Run the numbers on yield and rework, not on sticker price.
35 kg on a hand trolley. The benchtop that moves to the rework cell, the QC station, the prototype lab, instead of forcing a workflow around a fixed pneumatic cell.
Hand-drawn circular-over-linear scissor shear for V-scored panels up to 290 mm. No shop air, no electrical. The depaneler that moves to the work.
| , Cut envelope, | |
|---|---|
| Max separation length | 290 mm (11.4″) (Single-pass cut along the V-score.) |
| PCB thickness | 0.6 – 1.9 mm (0.024 – 0.075 in), blade matched to thickness |
| Shape C capability | Components across score (Offset blade profile.) |
| Component height (topside) | 33 mm (1.300″) |
| Component height (bottomside) | 25.4 mm (1.000″) |
| Score depth | > 0.25 mm (Especially suited to score depths under 0.4 mm.) |
| Component clearance to score | ≥ 2 mm |
| Board material | FR4 (Single- or double-sided.) |
| , Mechanical, | |
| Cut method | Manual scissor shear (Circular blade riding over stationary linear blade.) |
| Circular blade | Edge angle 20°, thickness 5.5 mm. |
| Linear blade angle | ≥ 30° |
| Actuation | Manual (hand-drawn) (No motor, no cylinder.) |
| Carriage travel | End-locked (Two fixed stops on top rail bound the travel.) |
| Platform adjustment | 0–25 mm height · 0–30° tilt |
| , Package & utilities, | |
| Machine dimensions | 784 × 460 × 530 mm |
| Machine weight | 35 kg |
| Utilities required | None (No air, no electrical drop.) |
| Packed dimensions | 920 × 490 × 670 mm |
| Packed weight | 58 kg |
| HS code | 8465.99.0230 |
| , Blade options, | |
| Linear blade, Shape A | Standard V |
| Linear blade, Shape B | Steep V |
| Linear blade, Shape C | Offset (Components-cross-score.) |
| Blade set | Installed and set at the factory, rated for approximately 100,000 cuts on standard FR4; the machine arrives ready to use. |
A circular blade rides over a stationary linear blade, and the V-scored panel passes between them. The cut happens at the moving contact point, a true scissor shear, not a roll-press.
Force is delivered through the groove, not around it. Daughter boards never see the lateral torque that fractures traces or unseats components on a single-blade cutter.
Three linear-blade profiles cover the V-score geometries you’ll encounter. Shape A for standard FR-4 up to 1.5 mm, Shape B for heavier stack-ups, and Shape C for panels where components bridge the score line, a capability the pneumatic VPD5 doesn’t carry.
NPI work changes board-to-board. Swapping blade profiles in seconds, instead of accepting one fixed geometry, is what lets one machine cover a prototype line’s mixed queue.
Two fixed stops on the top rail define the start and end of the carriage travel, so every cut begins and ends at the same place. The tilt platform drops the panel into V-score alignment with the blade.
On an NPI line the board changes daily. End-lock stops plus a tilt platform means seconds of setup per new panel, not minutes.
| Feature | Manual V-break | Benchtop circular cutter | VPD3-1M |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cut physics | Panel bent / snapped along score. High localized tensile stress at the groove. | Hand-wheeled round blade rolls along the score with lateral force. No opposing blade. | Scissor shear. Circular blade rides over a stationary linear blade. Cut goes through the V-groove, not around it. |
| Stress near BGAs & ceramics | Highest. Bending moment radiates several cm; micro-cracks in MLCCs and BGA joints. | Moderate. Lateral roll-pressure transmits into copper traces. | Low. Opposing-blade shear isolates force to the groove. |
| Edge quality / burr | Torn fiberglass, jagged copper, loose dust. Secondary sanding routine. | Clean on one face, burr on the opposite face; debris along the cut. | Clean shear on both faces. No burr, no dust, no secondary finishing. |
| Cycle time per cut | 2–5 s plus re-orientation; operator fatigue rises across a shift. | 8–15 s per cut along a 300 mm score. | 3–6 s draw across 290 mm. |
| Repeatability | Operator-dependent; edge quality varies person-to-person. | Feed-rate dependent. Two operators produce different edges. | Carriage-guided. Blade path is fixed by the rail; end-lock stops define travel. |
| Components crossing score | Not feasible, the bend breaks any bridging component. | Not feasible, the rolling blade collides with standoffs. | Shape C linear blade supports it. Unique among this trio. |
| Utilities required | None. | None. | None. No air drop, no electrical outlet. |
| Best fit | One-off prototypes; labs where edge quality isn’t tracked. | Low-volume, single-PN bench work where Class 2 edges are acceptable. | Prototype & NPI, rework, mixed-PN CMs, lab / R&D, no-shop-air facilities. |
When boards are ≤ 1.5 mm thick.
Standard V-groove profile. The default linear blade, handles the common range of prototype and rework panels.
When boards are ≥ 2 mm thick.
Steeper blade profile drives through the deeper V that thicker boards require.
When components cross the score line.
Offset profile clears components that straddle the V-score, on mixed-layout panels, this is the reason operators pick the VPD3.
Short runs, changing panel layouts. Set up in minutes, no line retrofit, no programming.
A single board needs depaneling after repair. The tool moves to the bench, no shop-air drop required.
Dozens of part-numbers per week. Portable footprint and zero-utility install handles the mix without changeover.
University test labs, EMS R&D, defense prototyping, anywhere shop-floor utilities aren’t available.
Replacement circular blade for the moving carriage on the VPD3-1M manual depaneler.
$758.00Replacement stationary linear blade for the VPD3-1M manual depaneler.
$1,367.00Already own a VPD3-1M? We supply spare parts for the full installed base of these machines, not just units purchased through pcbracks.com.
Send us your unit’s serial number, a clear photo of the data plate, or the part identifier from your manual, and we’ll match the right blade or replacement assembly. Genuine OEM parts, ground freight from the USA.
Match my partFoot-pedal shear for repeat volume, under 200 µε measured stress, so BGA yield holds from piece one to ten thousand.
