WellCircuits is a high-precision and complex flex PCB manufacturer with expertise on multilayer flex PCB, ultra long flex PCB, and 90° degree bending flexible circuit. Supports 1-32 layers flex PCB manufacturing in Chona
Flex and Rigid-Flex PCB
Flexible PCBs (printed circuit boards) are circuits constructed of flexible substrates made up of extremely thin and lightweight substrates with great flexibility, and rigid-flex PCBs combine rigid with flexible technologies for increased versatility and mobility. We present here more details regarding flexible versus rigid technology as well as answers to some frequently asked questions (FAQs). Read further if interested.
What is the flexible circuits printed on boards?
Flexible PCBs consist of very thin and flexible substrates with excellent bendability, high tensile strength, and physical flexibility, making them capable of being formed into intricate three-dimensional designs for use across industries and uses. Although first popularly utilized by military forces due to their durability and lightweight designs, flexible boards now find widespread usage across a range of fields, including medical devices, fitness wearables, and cameras, as well as being used as replacements for wiring harnesses or ribbon connectors.
Flexible PCB classifications that are dependent on the configuration
Flexible circuits can be classified as one-sided, double-sided or multi-layered board.
Single-sided
Single-sided flexible circuit boards are the simplest type of flexible boards to construct. Their construction consists of just a single conductor layer on a flexible substrate sandwiched by a flexible polyimide layer sandwiched by a fine copper sheet, with holes cut through its surface allowing component leads to pass during soldering processes and coverlays made from polyimide providing shielding against environmental elements that could threaten circuit performance.
Double-sided
Double-sided flexible circuit boards consist of two layers of conductivity material bonded onto either side of a flexible substrate (polyamide). Copper foil can be found attached to both sides using adhesive; holes or vias which have been plated make electrical connections between layers, with any required protection layer applied either on one, both, or neither side depending on the requirements for your circuit design.
Multi-layered flexible circuits
Multi-layered flex circuits consist of more than two conductors made of copper wire connected by vias or PTHs – much like double-sided boards – providing an efficient means of solving design challenges related to specific impedance specifications crossings that cannot be avoided and crosstalks, component density, and shielding.
What are the components that are used to make flexible PCBs?
Rigid-flex boards combine flexible and rigid technologies into one package. Flexible circuits may be utilized to interconnect rigid PCBs, while Rigid-Flex sections typically consist of multiple layers.
Holes provide interconnectivity among layers, while rigid-flex boards use flexible and rigid PCB components like core, preregs, copper foil coverlay, flexible laminates, and bond plies to form their structure.
Flexible PCB material typically measures only several microns thick and is easily scratchable, making it preferred over rigid boards. Flexible circuits use unreinforced substrates of dielectric polyimide film clad with copper rolls that are significantly more flexible than rigid board copper foils used on rigid PCs. Bondply film serves to form conductivity layers similar to prepreg – being coated on both sides with adhesive that insulates external surfaces of stack-up stacking structures while still offering conductivity layers as in rigid boards prepreg does.
Flexible materials offer superior dielectric constant than their rigid counterparts, as they feature uniform thickness due to being composed of acrylic plastic material rather than glass fiber interweaves that vary in their thickness over time. Below are examples of our most frequently employed flexible products.
DuPont Pyralux(r) Advanced PolyamidTM and DuPont Pyralux LF for wear resistance
What are the benefits of using flex boards?
The flexible printed circuit board decrease the amount of space consumed and increase flexibility for a slimmer and more dense design. They also assist in decreasing the process of assembly and increase quality and reliability. Flex is a solution for ensuring the reduction in size and flexibility of electronic devices.
The PCBs also provide many additional benefits, including:
- Make connections less crowded to make it easier for the assembly. This means they can eliminate the chance of problems with interconnections, such as poor solder joints. That makes them much more secure as compared with rigid PCBs.
- A superior resistance to vibrations as well as other disturbances in harsh environments.
- More efficient airflow and dissipation of heat.
- Costs for assembly are lower than traditional wiring harnesses.
- The elimination of wiring harnesses result with no wire errors. This makes it easier to test the procedure, and also lowers expenses of assembling.
- Make sure that connectivity problems are eliminated when the components are being assembled to avoid waste and costs.
What's the distinction what is the difference between FFC as well as FPC?
FFC (flexible flat cables) is a type of cable electrically flexible and flat, whereas an FPC is a flexible and printed circuit. FFC is a form of ribbon cable, and it is named in honor of its wide and flat design. These are typically straight connectors that do not have any other components. FFC cables typically consist of a film made of plastic with multiple connectors made of metal are attached. The distance between them is known as”pitch”.