-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- pcb007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueEngineering Economics
The real cost to manufacture a PCB encompasses everything that goes into making the product: the materials and other value-added supplies, machine and personnel costs, and most importantly, your quality. A hard look at real costs seems wholly appropriate.
Alternate Metallization Processes
Traditional electroless copper and electroless copper immersion gold have been primary PCB plating methods for decades. But alternative plating metals and processes have been introduced over the past few years as miniaturization and advanced packaging continue to develop.
Technology Roadmaps
In this issue of PCB007 Magazine, we discuss technology roadmaps and what they mean for our businesses, providing context to the all-important question: What is my company’s technology roadmap?
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - pcb007 Magazine
Flexible Circuit Design Guidelines
March 5, 2020 | Flexible Circuit TechnologiesEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Flexible circuit designs share many of the same challenges of rigid PCB designs, but there are also many differences and additional challenges. The very nature of a flex circuit being able to bend and flex make it as much a mechanical device as an electrical one. This creates a special set of requirements unique to flexible circuitry. Understanding how these requirements interact will allow the PCB designer to create a flex circuit that balances the electrical and mechanical features into a reliable, cost-effective interconnect solution.
Overview
Scrutinize your design for stress concentration features. Stress concentration features are the single predominant cause for mechanical failures in flexible circuits (i.e., cracked/broken conductors, torn insulating material, etc.). To avoid stress concentration points, the construction of the circuit should not change in, or immediately adjacent to, the bend area. In a bend area, there should be no change of conductor width or thickness or direction, no termination of plating or coatings, no openings in covers or outer insulating materials, and no holes of any kind in a bend zone.
Bend Ratio
Determine and evaluate the minimum bend ratio of your design. This will be your single best indicator of whether your flex circuit may experience problems in service. Bend ratio is bend radius: circuit thickness.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the January 2020 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
NTT, Olympus Joint Demonstration Shows IOWN APN's Low-latency Capability
11/21/2024 | JCN NewswireNTT Corporation and Olympus Corporation announced that, following the start of their joint experiment in March of the world’s first cloud endoscope system which processes endoscopic videos on the cloud, they jointly established a cloud endoscopy system utilizing the IOWN APN technology.
All Flex Solutions Adds Talent to Flexible Circuit Facilities
11/14/2024 | All Flex SolutionsAll Flex Solutions is excited to welcome John Letourneau as our Director of Facilities and Maintenance at our Flexible Circuit Centers of Excellence!
Flexible Circuit Technologies Announces Major Expansion of Capabilities & Resources
11/13/2024 | CNWFlexible Circuit Technologies (FCT), a global design and value add manufacturer of flexible circuits, heaters, and membrane switches based in Minneapolis, MN, announces the opening of FCT-Huizhou.
CACI Awarded $226 Million Task Order to Provide Expertise to the U.S. Southern Command Operations (USSOUTHCOM)
11/01/2024 | CACI International Inc.CACI International Inc announced that it has been awarded a five-year task order valued at up to $226 million to provide expertise to the U.S. Southern Command Operations (USSOUTHCOM).
CEE PCB to Exhibit at Electronica 2024
10/31/2024 | CEE PCBTom Yang, CEO of CEE PCB, has announced that his company will be exhibiting at this year’s electronica 2024 to be held in Munich, Germany from November 12th through the 15th at the Trade Faire Center Messe München.