Flexible and rigid-flexible printed circuit boards
Flexible printed circuit boards replace wires
Technological innovation of the kind we’re seeing in the medical sector or the automotive industry is mainly driven by the miniaturization of electronic circuits. Many modern hearing aids, medical implants or LED car headlights place the highest demands on printed circuit boards (PCBs) in the smallest of spaces. As a leading PCB manufacturer, AT&S can easily meet these demands by using flexible base materials. Flexible printed circuit boards can be bent or twisted during assembly, so they can be integrated into devices with almost any form factor and help to overcome space constraints. This is extremely important in devices like hearing aids and pacemakers.
Product benefits at a glance
- The possibility to adapt PCBs to any space constraints gives developers of devices and components greater design freedom.
- Flexible printed circuit boards allow circuits to be designed without adhering to planar layouts. As the PCB can be bent or folded, a circuit can be fitted into the available 3D space as necessary.
- Flexible circuits can free up more surface area for memory chips and other components.
- Flexible printed circuit boards are driving further advances in miniaturization.
- Connections formed with flexible printed circuit boards are extremely resistant, as opposed to those that rely on wiring.
The best of both worlds: rigid-flex printed circuit boards
Rigid-flex printed circuit boards combine the benefits of flexible PCBs and traditional designs by integrating both bendable and rigid areas. This allows for cost-effective custom solutions for device manufacturers. A flexible base material can be used to connect two rigid areas instead of plugs and cables. This means that the signal pathways remain short and miniaturization can go further than before. Such connections are also significantly more robust and better at withstanding mechanical stress. Rigid-flexible printed circuit boards are mainly used for systems in cars and manufacturing.
Save space with flexible printed circuit boards
Flexible printed circuit boards are used in many areas of electronics. They can be bent, twisted or folded to fit into the product housing. Flexible PCBs are primarily used in place of wired connections or to create reliable signal paths in systems that would not be feasible with a rigid PCB.
AT&S mainly manufactures flexible printed circuit boards for the medical technology sector, where they are used in devices such as hearing aids and implants. The flexible installation options and high level of miniaturization allow new functions to be added to such devices without increasing their size. A modern hearing aid can now be connected to a doorbell, the TV or the wearer’s smartphone, thanks to the technology enabled the compact design of a flexible PCB.
Semi-flexible printed circuit boards reduce costs
The materials in semi-flexible printed circuit boards differ from those in flexible PCBs. A thin FR4 standard material can be used instead of the polyimide material used in flexible PCBs for a cost-effective alternative for “flex to install” applications. The number of bending cycles and the radius are limited with FR4, but the material costs are lower than for fully flexible versions.
Because they make the most of the space available for a circuit, semi-flexible printed circuit boards are an especially appealing option in the automotive industry and for machine-to-machine communication, which is becoming increasingly important.
Flex on aluminium
The requirements for the shape and design of printed circuit boards have changed since LEDs became the standard for the automotive industry and lighting solutions. Flexible printed circuit boards can be bonded to an aluminium heat sink and fitted with LEDs for installation in car headlights. This allows optimum utilization of the available space while providing excellent heat dissipation.
Technical data
Product Characteristics | Specifications |
---|---|
Layer Count | Single sided to 2 layers |
PCB Thickness | 70 – 2400 µm |
Copper Plating Holes | standard 20 µm |
Min. Line/Spacing | 75/75 µm |
Smallest Drill | 0.15 mm |
Product Characteristics | Specifications |
---|---|
Layer Count | up to 6 layers in flex region |
PCB Thickness | up to 2.40 mm total thickness |
Copper Plating Holes | standard 20 µm |
Min. Line/Spacing | 50/50 µm |
Smallest Drill | 0.15 mm |
Product Characteristics | Specifications |
---|---|
Layer Count | 2 layers to 10 layers |
PCB Thickness | 70 – 2400 µm |
Copper Plating Holes | standard 20 µm |
Min. Line/Spacing | 50/50 µm |
Smallest Drill | 0.15 mm |
Product Characteristics | Specifications |
---|---|
Layer Count | Single sided to 2 layers |
PCB Thickness | 75 – 800 µm |
Copper Plating Holes | 20 µm |
Min. Line/Spacing | 75/75 µm |
Smallest Drill | 0.20 mm |
- Combination of HDI rigid and HDI flex layers
- Stacked and staggered microvias on all layers
- Halogen-free base material (medium Tg) and polyimide
- Highest flexibility on stack-up and technology options
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