In a world where technology is constantly evolving, it’s important to keep up with the latest advances in order to stay competitive. Flexible circuits are one such advance that can help you cope with any challenges your business may face.
With their ability to be customized for any application, flexible circuits can provide an efficient and reliable solution for your needs. This is because flexible circuit technologies has immense potential to solve many manufacturing and design challenges.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss some of the common challenges that designers face and how flexible circuits/ flexible circuit technology can help overcome them. Stay tuned and read on this design guide!
What Does Flexible Printed Circuits Mean?
Another name of flexible electronics is flex circuit. You can use flex circuit construction to compile various electrical components on flexible substrates.
These substrate include polyimide, and polyester film to create conductive printed circuit boards. Additionally, you can design flexible circuits by printing silver circuits directly on polyester for better physical and electrical performance.
Designing Process Flexible Circuits/ Flex Circuit
Designing process of flexible circuits or rigid flex circuits is almost same. The key difference among flexible circuits or rigid printed circuit boards is the way you perform spanning to board rigid ends. The flexible circuit design process begin with multiple layers stackup, and combining elements.
Then routing paths thoruhgh conductors, capacitors, resistors, and in the end comes cleaning. The engineers may also practice addition of stiffener, organizing and selection of coverlay. You can also perform setting of solder mask or static bend within flexible circuits/ flex circuit design.
Option exist to utilize polymer thick film to print resistors and conductors in your industrial/ industry manufacture applications. You can also use membrane switches which serve a key role in turning a device ona and off.
Consider the follwoing steps while desgining flex circuit/ flexible circuits.
- Floor plan:
You should keep moutning and bending areas solated from components in your flexible circuit technology. You need to use Rigid section specially in area having higher pin count in rigid flex circuits. This will contribute to high flex circuit/ flexible circuits. Locate the flex ribbon in flexible circuit design where you are going to use large number of components.
- Number of Layers:
The number of layers matter in flexible circuits/ flex circuit. It also determines the flexibility in flexible circuits. In designs that demands higher speeds you need to place the flex ribbon in stackup center in flexible cricuit technology. It aids in easeier routing in flexible circuits.
- Stiffness:
What is your end goal when it comes to flex circuit/ flexible circuits? Do you need a stiffer board capabilities or want to conform with high flexible circuit technology? You can control component density using lightweight copper, or can add stiffener to only some locations on flex ribbon. Stiffeners are a lower cost effective solution then rigid sections.
- Components Having Higher Pin Density:
You can integrate small components on flex ribon of polyimide. Other components that application engineers use in rigid PCBs require large number of layer to facilitate routing. In high speed designs you need to provide layers with hatched plane to cater ground continuity or impedance needed.
In addition to these steps you need to ensure flexible circuits/ flex circuits design stay reliable and cost effective.
Flexible Circuits/ Flex Ciruits Design Material
Rigid flex circuits comprises of various materials. The main materials that you can use in flexible circuit/ flex circuits include
- Base material copper foil/ polyimide/ polyethylene naphthalate
- Coverlay material liquid photoimageable
- Stiffner
Coverlay And Base Materials In Flexible Circuit/ Flex Ciruits
Rigid flex circuits or flexible circuit utilizes base material along with coverlay. It is necessary to determine in creating Flexible Circuit/ Flex Ciruits you need adhesives or not. Do your design possess extra UL requirements for printed circuit boards?
How much copper weight you need for Flexible Circuit/ Flex Ciruits or what polyimide thickness you are looking for? Do you need polymer thick film/ metal foil? Are you going to build a single sided circuits?
Option exist to use liquid photo imageable in flexible circuit/ Flex Ciruits. This is suitable when tight openings are essential in design assembly/assemblies. Film based polyimide is suitable for dynamic flexible circuit/ flex circuits. It contains cut or drill opening anyone you need for flexible printed circuit.
Stiffener
Want to support heavier components in flexible circuit/ flex circuits. The stiffener is the only solution in flexible circuit technology. Various stiffeners exist in the market to choose from for your flex circuits/ flexible circuit technology.
- FR4: It is the popular stiffener among flexible circuit assembly/ assemblies. In flexible electronics you can apply it over the flex area.
- Rigid Polyimide: You can use multiple layers of polyimide in flexible circuit boards assembly in many applications. This will add up stiffness without using connector/ connectors. You can build up appropriate thickness in flexible printed circuits specially in testing processes.
- Adhesive: Option exist to bond flexible printed circuits using adhesive (connector) in production processes. You can use pressure-sensitive adhesive or flex adhesive.
Benefits of Flexible Circuit
Fabrication of various production specifications in flexible circuit component leads to remarkable advantages. Some of the main advantages are as follows:
Lightweight
The comapct size and lightweight is the key perk that conform industrial/ industry manufacture standards. For example you can save up 60% weight by replacing bulk wires or solder joints using high performance flex substrate.
Your circuit board can withstand higher temperature fluctuations testing without interferring the data ransmission or affecting key elements. The industry grade construction of fabricated laminate in your board result in incredible benefits. Specially when it comes to high temepratures. This will cut down cost in maintenance and repair.
Simple To Assemble
The industry grade construction offer ease in assembling. You will experience effective data handling in flexible board of PCB. There are a lot of companies which utilizes this kind of board. You can contact any company to fulfill your specific requirements when it comes to flexible boards.
Verdict
Flexible Circuit board offer a wide range of benefits for both consumers and businesses. They’re more durable than traditional circuits, and can be molded to fit any shape or size. This makes them perfect for use in devices that are constantly being moved or changed, like cell phones or medical implants.
In addition, the design process is simpler and faster than with traditional circuits, meaning you’ll get your product to market quicker. So if you’re looking for an innovative way to solve your circuit challenges, look no further than flexible circuit technologies. You can contact flex boards fabricator today to get one solely as per your requirements.
