Advantages of Flexible Printed
Circuit Boards:
thinner
Weigh less than rigid PCBs
Able to bend to fit into tight spaces.
Addresses the increasing demand to maximize available space within the electronic assembly
Recently,
the market for FPC has grown four times the rate of rigid boards.
Rigid-flex circuits contain both rigid and flexible substrates laminated
together into a single package. They usually have at least one FPC with the
rigid PCBs and are multi-layered and double-sided. Copper traces in the flex
section provide interconnection between the separated rigid portions.
Rigid-flex allows designers to:
Replace multiple PCBs interconnected with connectors, wires, and ribbon cables within a single package
Improves performance
Improves reliability
cost reduction in terms of purchasing, supply chain and assembling
reduce weight while increasing the reliability of the interconnection
work in 3D
The electrical properties of the connectors are enhanced due to defined shielding and isolation.
Rigid-flex
is being used in a number of industries. From hand-held consumer electronics to
military aerospace industry, rigid-flex is gaining popularity.
Cost and design issues
The cost of the material used in the fabrication of the products is very high.
The cost of raw material involved is a deterrent apart from the fabrication
costs which works out to as much as five times that of a standard rigid PCB.
Driven by demand from medical, aviation, military, industrial and consumer
electronics industries, the market for rigid-flex PCBs is growing extremely
fast. Even though the flexible printed circuit market segment currently holds
only a small portion of the entire printed circuit industry, its development
has dramatically altered the landscape of the printed circuit market.
Among the different FPC types, rigid-flex is anticipated to the fastest growing
accounting for about 33% of the total revenues from in flexible PCBs industry
in 2012.
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