DuPont, Taconic and PFC Team Up For High-Speed Flex
March 1, 2016 | Barry Matties, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 11 minutes
Kelly: The flex circuit side is pretty strong. We are a North American fabricator, and we’ve almost doubled in the last five years.
Matties: That's great. How many employees do you have?
Kelly: We have 110. We’ve just seen more and more business. Eventually, the high-volume stuff will go offshore, it always does, but the specialty stuff, the high-volume, low-mix, it's always going to be here. The new stuff is going to be here and then it migrates. Packaging is everything. They need everything smaller and smaller, lighter and lighter. If you look inside the Apple watch, there are 10 flex circuits. There are no rigid boards.
Matties: There's not even room for 10 circuits in there!
Oliver: We want them big!
Matties: So much easier to deal with our aging eyesight!
Kelly: It costs me more to count them than it does to build one. The iPhone6 has, I think, six or seven, for example. And 10 GHz is becoming very over the hill and now everybody is moving into 18, 28, 100 GHz. We've even had phone calls asking, "How do I build a 100 GHz flex?" I say, “Well, I might be able to build it but how are you going to test it?”
Oliver: There's a lot of flex in test equipment. That's a very important market for Steve. It's a testament that you can use high-frequency in flex because a lot of test equipment uses flex in the probes and then in various other aspects of testing.
Kelly: This stuff starts up there at the test guys and eventually migrates down, just like anything else in this world. Then it becomes mainstream and this is on the cusp of that, and it will start developing.
Matties: This is great. It's nice to see that the edge is being pushed out further and further. Good for you guys. Congratulations on your paper, too.
Oliver: Thank you for the interview. We appreciate it.
Page 3 of 3Suggested Items
The Chemical Connection: Reducing Etch System Water Usage, Part 2
05/02/2024 | Don Ball -- Column: The Chemical ConnectionIn my last column, I reviewed some relatively simple ways to reduce water usage in existing etch systems: cutting down cooling coil water flow, adding chillers to replace plant water for cooling, lowering flow rate nozzles for rinses, etc. This month, I’ll continue with more ways to control water usage in your etcher. Most of these are not easily retrofittable to existing equipment but should be given serious consideration when new equipment is contemplated. With the right combination of add-ons, it is possible to bring the amount of water used in an etch system to almost zero.
Designer’s Notebook: What Designers Need to Know About Manufacturing, Part 2
04/24/2024 | Vern Solberg -- Column: Designer's NotebookThe printed circuit board (PCB) is the primary base element for providing the interconnect platform for mounting and electrically joining electronic components. When assessing PCB design complexity, first consider the component area and board area ratio. If the surface area for the component interface is restricted, it may justify adopting multilayer or multilayer sequential buildup (SBU) PCB fabrication to enable a more efficient sub-surface circuit interconnect.
Insulectro’s 'Storekeepers' Extend Their Welcome to Technology Village at IPC APEX EXPO
04/03/2024 | InsulectroInsulectro, the largest distributor of materials for use in the manufacture of PCBs and printed electronics, welcomes attendees to its TECHNOLOGY VILLAGE during this year’s IPC APEX EXPO at the Anaheim Convention Center, April 9-11, 2024.
ENNOVI Introduces a New Flexible Circuit Production Process for Low Voltage Connectivity in EV Battery Cell Contacting Systems
04/03/2024 | PRNewswireENNOVI, a mobility electrification solutions partner, introduces a more advanced and sustainable way of producing flexible circuits for low voltage signals in electric vehicle (EV) battery cell contacting systems.
Heavy Copper PCBs: Bridging the Gap Between Design and Fabrication, Part 1
04/01/2024 | Yash Sutariya, Saturn Electronics ServicesThey call me Sparky. This is due to my talent for getting shocked by a variety of voltages and because I cannot seem to keep my hands out of power control cabinets. While I do not have the time to throw the knife switch to the off position, that doesn’t stop me from sticking screwdrivers into the fuse boxes. In all honesty, I’m lucky to be alive. Fortunately, I also have a talent for building high-voltage heavy copper circuit boards. Since this is where I spend most of my time, I can guide you through some potential design for manufacturability (DFM) hazards you may encounter with heavy copper design.