Keywords: Flexible PCB, Flexible PCB Manufacturer

Flexible PCB is a special type of circuit board, also known as flex prints or flex circuits. Into the desired shape, you can bend. They are widely used for high-temperature and high-density applications. As a substrate material, the flex designs are composed of a transparent polyester or polyimide film that comes with high heat resistance which makes it the right fit for solder mounting components.

Made up of copper that is combined with a polyimide dielectric layer, a flexible circuit comes with a conductive layer of traces. From 0.0001’’ to 0.010’’, the thickness of the copper conductive layer can vary, and from 0.0005’’ to 0.010’’, the thickness of the dielectric material can range. To bond the conductive copper layer to the substrate, an adhesive is required; to attach the copper to the substrate, while sometimes vapor deposition is handy equally.

The material selection depends on many factors including mechanical and chemical resistance, capacitance, temperature, current, and types of flexing and it is a bit tricky for making flexible circuit boards.

As they come with fewer interconnections, the flexible designs are more reliable that ensure fewer contact crimps and solder joints. And as they cover only 10% of the area compared to rigid circuit boards and due to their flexible bend capability, these circuits require less space.

Modern World Importance

They are widely used for static applications and dynamic flexing and hence, the flexible boards can be bent into any shape. While the circuit boards used for static applications offer minimum flexing, dynamic circuit boards are made for regular flexing.

To withstand high temperatures, Flexible circuit designs are made between -200° C and 400° C. For borehole measurements in the oil and gas industry, the reason they are a right fit.

In many applications, Flexible boards from come in handy Flexible PCB Manufacturer but as a replacement for rigid circuit boards, you cannot use them. As in high-volume automated fabricating applications, rigid boards are can be installed cheaply.

For applications that require regular flexing, high accuracy, better performance, and precision, the flexible circuit boards are the right match. Flexible circuit boards Applications include:

• Antilock brakes
• Cameras
• Ultrasound probes
• Fuel pumps
• Bar code equipment
• Medical devices
• Semiconductor test
• Satellites
• Motion systems
• Battery packs
• Avionics
• Airbag systems
• Manufacturing devices

Wide to Thin Traces of Copper

To have less resistance to bending, then you would use thinner copper traces if you want to have more flexibility. To allow soldering of the flex cable somewhere else, you may use wide endings at the edge at the same time. This will be considered a weak point when soldering if the transaction is done sharply. So in width between wide and thin traces, it is better to do a gradient change.

EV Design Enhanced By Flexible PCBs

For the future development of the automotive industry, new energy vehicles are the mainstream. Automotive wiring harnesses are relatively complicated and heavy in connection to a traditional line carrier which with the continuously increasing quantities of electronic components cannot comply with new energy vehicles. However, while being able to withstand millions of dynamic bending, Flex PCB offers freedom of design making it an ideal replacement for wire harnesses without damaging the wire. Besides, durability, heat resistance, high reliability, and characteristics suitable for automotive electronic components are exhibited by Flex PCB in harsh environments. It is now used for entertainment systems, gearboxes, LED car lights, BMS, sensors, navigation, car display, and other car devices in the new energy vehicles.

The potential of automotive electronics has become apparent increasingly with the continued development and innovation of the sensor technology, which is expected to become an important growth impetus for the Flex PCB market.

PCB design

Using photolithographic technology, FPCBs are manufactured. Laminating very thin copper strips (0.07 mm) between two layers of polyester (PET) is an alternative way. With an adhesive that is heat-cured during the lamination process, these typically 0.05 mm thick PET layers are coated.  The ability to flex electrical connections during normal operation, such as between subsystems to replace wiring is the main advantage in, for example, automotive and aerospace.

We are witnessing a growing demand for higher-performance products in many areas of electronics, with ever-smaller weights and dimensions. For PCB solutions capable of accommodating high densities of electronic components, these stringent requirements call for ever-tighter spaces. many significant examples of the potential use of FPCBs are offered by the automotive industry, including displays, dashboard control systems, pushbuttons, infotainment and audio systems, and more steering wheel and rotary encoders. To minimize soldering, these applications require high simplicity, robustness, and reliability of wiring which can lead to false contacts or failure potentially due to mechanical and aging stress. Even in the presence of high shocks and vibrations, Devices based on FPCBs offer high resistance have higher circuit density and lower weight as well as are less prone to faults.

In an EV, the status of the batteries during operation is monitored by the battery management system. To prolong the life of the batteries, intelligent functionality is needed which has a fundamental impact on the total ownership cost. The depth of discharge, charge level, and health status, of the battery management system, must be continuously monitored. To a change in nominal capacity, the varying health of individual cells can correspond as batteries age: optimizing the use of cells through a supervisory circuit is the challenge that ensures a balance of passive or active energy levels during operation. By connecting each cell’s sensors to the BMS, Flexible circuits provide the perfect compact and lightweight method.

Improved Technology of Harness

To the manufacture of flexible multilayer PCBs of any length, patented process innovation has extended capability making these the world’s largest flexible multilayer PCBs. Such as plating, screen-printing, drilling, and pressing, many traditional Flexible PCB manufacturing process steps are fixed. Companies’ innovation changes these makes them dynamic and static processes; innovative modification of existing manufacturing techniques and PCB and roll-to-roll electro laminate equipment. The result is that the only limit is that of the application itself rather than the manufacturing process and supply chain defining the limits.