What It Takes A Flexible PCB Supplier To Manufacture Quality Products?

 

Flexible PCB Supplier

What It Takes A Flexible PCB Supplier To Manufacture Quality Products?

PCB circuit boards can be made with either rigid or flexible substrates. Rigid PCBs are typically used for high-power applications such as automotive electronics and military equipment. Rogers PCB Manufacturer uses them for prototyping and testing purposes. Flexible circuit boards are often used for consumer products and industrial automation applications.

For every flexible circuit, there are some important aspects that the manufacturer and Flexible PCB Supplier must understand. Flex circuits do not share the same electrical properties as rigid printed circuit boards, so Flexi manufacturers must take care to ensure certain design rules are followed than the Rogers PCB Manufacturer.

Thin Material Handling Capabilities & Procedures

Material handling, during flexible circuit manufacturing, is critical to achieving high production yields and reliable finished circuits. Handling can account for the largest portion of production scrap and reliability problems. Flex materials are much thicker and reinforced than those used in hard boards. Flex core materials range from 0.1 – 3 mm thick with either ¼ oz. or 1 oz copper.

Selective Pad Plating

Flexible PCB Assembly involves the application of photoresist onto the substrate. A pattern is then transferred into the resist using an exposure tool (e.g., a laser beam) that can image through the transparent photoresist layer. Copper is applied to the top side of the substrate via electroplating. The substrate is imaged again, and the remaining resist is removed. This process continues until the desired number of layers is achieved.

Polyimide Coverley Manufacturing

Flexible PCB Supplier uses the term “Coverley” to describe a sheet of polyimide film that is placed over the surface of a PCB (printed circuit board) during assembly. Coverleys are typically used to protect components such as integrated circuits (ICs), resistors, capacitors, and inductors from damage caused by handling.

Material Dimensional Tolerances

Due to the required versatility, flexible materials are much thinner and lack any internal reinforcement (i.e., fiberglass mesh in rigid boards). These materials will also expand during Flexible PCB Assembly and contract as they are subjected to changes in temperature and humidity, requiring additional attention during processing.

Laser Profile Cutting

Polyimide materials can be easily cut with a laser, allowing for very accurate and complex profiles. They eliminate the need for costly hard punching and die tooling at prototyping and lower production volumes. Laser cutting leaves a small amount of carbon on the part edge, but is considered acceptable by IPC standards (IPC Standard 708). You can get a Flexible PCB Quote to understand it better.

Plasma Desmear and Etch Back

The material properties of polyimide and flex adhesive are substantially different from those of rigid board materials. To achieve the correct processing characteristics, the substrate must be processed using specialized equipment and procedures. Etching back a rigid board with a plasma etch is difficult due to the nature of the process.

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