Selecting a Rigid-flex Manufacturer

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Editor Andy Shaughnessy tapped me to write about rigid-flex because so many PCB designers and Design007 readers are latching onto the subject, and there is a growing interest—and market—in rigid-flex, especially among traditional board designers.

Is this because the market for rigid PCBs has decreased a little bit, thus driving PCB manufacturers to find solutions that fill fabrication facilities? Perhaps. Could it be that OEMs are looking for ways to make their new products simpler to manufacture, be more reliable, and with fewer part numbers? Probably.

If you’re coming from the rigid PCB world, you’re probably wondering how to get started and how to select a rigid-flex vendor. If you’re designing PCBs for an OEM that is betting everything on a next-generation rigid-flex design, you would want to use the absolute best vendor for your rigid-flex design. Your new rigid-flex design needs to be put into the right shop to leverage the best manufacturing solution.

So, let’s look at the expertise, processes, and materials used to manufacture rigid-flex PCBs. Rigid-flex is a hybrid solution comprised of rigid and flex circuits and I would argue there are only two types of rigid-flex fabrication shops in North America:

1. Flexible circuit shops that specialize in the manufacturing of flex and rigid-flex.
2. Rigid PCB shops that build rigid-flex or are migrating in that direction.

Both categories are vying for your rigid-flex business. From a 20,000-foot level, I believe that some rigid-flex boards should be built in a rigid PCB shop, and some rigid-flex boards should be built in specialized flex shops. For a PCB designer, it may not seem like a big deal either way, but understanding the difference will help in choosing the correct supplier and result in better quality and lead times. When it comes to rigid-flex, both flexible and rigid PCB manufacturers bring their own strengths and weaknesses, so I will analyze the different aspects of the processes, how the two types are differentiated, and how designers can adapt to these shops.

To read this entire article, which appeared in the September 2023 issue of Design007 Magazine, click here.