What are the benefits of the flexible printed circuit board?
Flex circuit has the advantages of high wiring density, lightweight, thin thickness, bendability, flexibility, etc.
Firstly, it may withstand millions of dynamic bending without damaging the wire, move and expand at will according to the requirements of space layout, realize three-dimensional assembly, and achieve the effect of integration of component assembly and wire connection.
Next, flexible PCBs have excellent electrical properties. The lower dielectric constant allows for fast electrical signal transmission; the good thermal properties make it easy to cool down the components; the higher glass transition temperature or melting point allows the components to operate well at higher temperatures.
Furthermore, since we can assemble most of the components of rigid parts, and the flex part is used for connection, the assembly reliability and yield of flexible PCBs are higher.
What are the applications of the flexible printed circuit board?
Flexible PCBs are widely used in mechanically sensitive equipment because of their flexibility to resist vibration. Their application areas are described below.
1) Computers and accessories
2) Aircraft, drones, cameras
3) Automobiles
4) Cell phones
5) Medical electronics
6) Wearable devices
7) Industrial applications: For example, flexible PCBs are also used in industrial machine and power distribution control systems
8) Military equipment
9) Aerospace
What is the difference between flex PCB and rigid-flex PCB?
Flex PCBs is produced with only flexible PCB materials, such as PI and PET, while rigid flexible PCB combine both rigid material (normally FR4 material) and flexible material together. So on flex boards, the whole flexible circuit boards can be bent; but on a rigid flex PCB, only a certain part where these is flexible material can be bent.
What are the preferred hole and pad sizes for flexible PCBs?
Some flex materials, like Kapton, do not drill as well as regular materials. 10 mils and above is preferred for minimum size, only in the flex part. Rigid-flex specs are similar to rigid board specs. Pad size, plating process for flex is barrel-only (hole wall).