Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Gold Mitigation for Class 2 Electronics
Punching Out: Your Financial Preparation for a Sale
Nolan's Notes: The Next Killer App in Component Manufacturing
An Overview of Rigid-flex Design
September 13, 2023 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamEstimated reading time: 1 minute
For this month’s issue on rigid-flex design, we spoke with instructor Kris Moyer, who teaches the IPC class “PCB Design for Flex and Rigid-Flex Boards.” In this wide-ranging interview, Kris breaks down the hurdles facing rigid-flex designers and offers a variety of solutions for rigid board designers taking on their first rigid-flex circuits. He also provides a few horror stories to illustrate what happens if you don’t follow sound design practices, rules, and standards. And, as Kris points out, “Your fabricator is your friend.”
Andy Shaughnessy: What are you trying to get across to the students when you’re teaching rigid-flex design? What are the biggest challenges?
Kris Moyer: One of the biggest concepts I want to get across to students is that there are a lot of untapped, unforeseen, intangible benefits to rigid-flex, both from a design point of view and a total cost of ownership point of view. Rigid boards are usually connected with wire harnesses or cables, and we know that wire harnesses and cables are the largest point of failure in the system. Wires and cables tend to break, especially at the solder joints or pins. If we can remove all those harnesses and integrate all of that into the structure of the board, we can vastly reduce the failure rate of our designs.
If you choose to go rigid-flex, there is an initial cost expenditure: added processes, time, complexity, and all of that. But let's say I have a design with three circuit boards that would need two cable harnesses, one from board one to board two, and one from board two to board three. That's a grand total of five different item numbers I would need for each board. I would have three drawing numbers: a number for the schematic, a number for the board, and a number for the assembly. For three boards, that's nine drawings I must maintain, and then another two drawings per cable, and let's assume two cables. That's a total of 13 separate drawings and part numbers I have to maintain in my system.
To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the September 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Indium’s Karthik Vijay to Present on Dual Alloy Solder Paste Systems at SMTA’s Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference
05/06/2025 | Indium CorporationIndium Corporation Technical Manager, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East Karthik Vijay will deliver a technical presentation on dual alloy solder paste systems at SMTA’s Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference, May 20-22 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
SolderKing Achieves the Prestigious King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade
05/06/2025 | SolderKingSolderKing Assembly Materials Ltd, a leading British manufacturer of high-performance soldering materials and consumables, has been honoured with a King’s Award for Enterprise, one of the UK’s most respected business honours.
Knocking Down the Bone Pile: Gold Mitigation for Class 2 Electronics
05/07/2025 | Nash Bell -- Column: Knocking Down the Bone PileIn electronic assemblies, the integrity of connections between components is paramount for ensuring reliability and performance. Gold embrittlement and dissolution are two critical phenomena that can compromise this integrity. Gold embrittlement occurs when gold diffuses into solder joints or alloys, resulting in mechanical brittleness and an increased susceptibility to cracking. Conversely, gold dissolution involves the melting away of gold into solder or metal matrices, potentially altering the electrical and mechanical properties of the joint.
'Chill Out' with TopLine’s President Martin Hart to Discuss Cold Electronics at SPWG 2025
05/02/2025 | TopLineBraided Solder Columns can withstand the rigors of deep space cold and cryogenic environments, and represent a robust new solution to challenges facing next generation large packages in electronics assembly.
BEST Inc. Reports Record Demand for EZReball BGA Reballing Process
05/01/2025 | BEST Inc.BEST Inc., a leader in electronic component services, is pleased to announce they are experiencing record demand for their EZReball™ BGA reballing process which greatly simplifies the reballing of ball grid array (BGA) and chip scale package (CSP) devices.