flex circuit design guide

There are times when you need to consider using strengtheners where the flex circuit exits the rigid board. Some products require components to be mounted also on flex in some areas, in which case the panel has to be put together with additional rigid areas to support the flex during assembly. Start a dialog with a flex-circuit maker during the design process, before the design and drawing are locked in and signed off. When Should You Use Flexible Printed Circuit Cables? Whenever you have a track entering a pad, particularly when there is an aligned row of them as in a flex-circuit terminator (shown below), this will form a weak spot where the copper will be fatigued over time. When it is applicable, solid polygons should be avoided as solid copper will make the PCB less flexible. Flex circuitry can be light, compact, and robust. 0000125842 00000 n 0000083054 00000 n For example, different adhesive thicknesses are used in the creation of cover layers to meet the fill-needs demanded by different thickness copper foils. 0000126681 00000 n No Solid Polygons. The ACS880 drive modules are optimized for panel building. The CTRF-ANTENNA-FPC-7027-7015-IPEX-120 is a high-performance antenna that can be used with 4G GSM networks. Flex-Circuit Design Guide The purpose of this design guide is to enable you to design a high-quality, manufacturable flexible printed circuit. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe link, found at the bottom of every email. 0000074721 00000 n This allows printed circuit designers to customize their board to odd enclosures, design motion into new devices, and provides unique form factors that are not possible with rigid boards. Surface mount pads and non-plated-through pads are referred to as unsupported, and need additional measures to prevent detachment. 0000003137 00000 n Wide conductors, those greater than 0.010 in., are more robust and tolerate bending better than small conductors. Before you start placing and routing circuits in your flex/rigid-flex PCB, make sure you follow these flexible printed circuit engineering tips to ensure high yield and durability. Adding a bead of epoxy, acrylic or hot-melt will help improve the longevity of the assembly. Flex PCB materials to be used. However, multilayer boards with greater complexity . To do this while still allowing the right amount of solder the pads have to be somewhat larger than typical rigid-board footprints would have. 0000068289 00000 n 0000126501 00000 n 0000076572 00000 n 0000009824 00000 n 0000002664 00000 n 0000103630 00000 n fully integrated solutions Or adhesive-based materials? Flex Circuit Solutions His work has been published in over a dozen peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and he has written 2000+ technical articles on PCB design for a number of companies. Staggering spreads the stress across the flex substrate so that the stress distribution on the traces is closer to being uniform. on the circuit outline. Good drawings have a flat view of the circuit with critical dimensions only. This is by no means a complete set of flexible printed circuit engineering guidelines, but these tips should help you get started for many products. 1-10 Results for flexible circuit board design guide from 197328 Products Another tip is to add extra copper in the shape of a tab! This distinction is important as it affects both the material selection and the construction methodology. Use extreme care when removing heated circuits from the oven because they are quite soft and easily damaged. Electrical design is the process of planning, creating, and testing the electrical systems and components of a building or facility. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Once you're ready to release your design data to your manufacturer, you can easily share and collaborate on your designs through the Altium 365 platform. Learn more about these important application areas and how flexible designs can solve many practical problems. Here, dynamic means continuous flex and roll during use of the product, such as a TFT panel connection on a mobile DVD player. Flexible heaters work on the principle of Joule heating. System-matched controllers complement Minco sensors and heaters to deliver improved system accuracy. Flex and Rigid-Flex PCB Design Guidelines and Assembly in Altium Designer, Many electronic devices dont live on a single printed circuit board. But utilizing differential signaling in flex circuits creates another set of issues, questions, and design challenges. 0000082094 00000 n Conductor Pad Design-fillets, Tie-downs, & Annular Rings, Current Carrying Capabilities & Current Rating Nomograph. 0000006711 00000 n Best practice for reliable operation dictates a bend radius of 10 the board thickness for single and double-sided flex, and 20 the board thickness for multilayers. Putting your flex layer within your rigid layers is one of the most reliable ways to design your rigid-flex PCB. If a circuit must bend beyond 90, it should be bent once only and then mounted in such a way as to prevent the bend from opening again. Our Guide not only educates readers on Mincos standard capabilities and offers suggestions on how to lower costs and design for manufacturability, but we take it a step further by delving down into the details of flex circuit design. By knowing the fabrication process, you'll have assurance you can hit yield and performance targets. For most circuits, this temperature ranges from 200 to 275F. If the corner is much less (more acute) than 90 then have a circular curve punched out of it. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact. Flex-circuits designs guides from Wurth electronics and MICNO are full of information and tips. Before a manufacturer can begin the setup, the designer should always compare every dimension on the drawing to the electronic data before beginning setup. 0000005426 00000 n The top land pattern is for a nominal 0603 package, whereas the bottom is a footprint from the same component, but with a modified coverlay opening. Call an expert at Altium and discover how we can help you with your next PCB design. Normal base-material thickness typically falls between 12 and 125 m (0.5 to 5mils), but thinner and thicker bases are possible. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Many board designers like to run signal and return lines on top of each other on adjacent layers to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI). 0000083829 00000 n We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Hb```f``AX, @)d`\GDmkCi@k )|P\ Ot, cm9Ausz%b D%:' 3mTCj>"3~71'&098J0os`{m]"bm]WlqX%u:8xSr-BSBK'6Qb{!N,!yEYZhkg46;)v[xsHQq$f%_F T 0000114252 00000 n Our team are on hand to. 0000057973 00000 n 0000007996 00000 n 0000006991 00000 n Even at a low setting, a heat gun can produce temperatures high enough to blister and delaminate a circuit if it is placed too close to the nozzle. Flexible circuits reduce weight in spacecraft and can be used in enclosures where there is minimal available space. Copper, being a non-ferrous metal, is known to suffer work-hardening, and fatigue fractures will occur eventually with repeated flex cycling and tight radii. 0000070304 00000 n product lines. The base and cover layers are typically a flexible polymer film that creates the foundation of the flexible circuit and provides most of the physical and electrical properties of the circuit. A Light Emitting Diode (LED) is based on the semiconductor diode. However, when I am asked to speak about flex circuit fabrication or design, it is nearly always addressing the market segment utilizing flexible polyimide materials. C&T RF Antennas Inc makes it. Maximum Current. It can act as a stress concentration point if the circuit flexes in that area. Polyethylene air-tubes. Phone: 845-679-4500 Phone: 888-786-7899 Fax: 845-679-4600 Contact: Ian Vinci. 0000009800 00000 n Provides digital-to-analog conversion using a circuit that has been a staple in engineering design for decades. Rigid Flex Solutions The follow-on question asked for a show of hands for those that had designed a flexible circuit. Flex & Rigid-Flex Circuits Design Guide Unlimited Freedom of Packaging Geometry Our newly updated Flex and Rigid-Flex Circuits Technical Engineering Guide will help you improve your knowledge of flex and rigid-flex PCB designs, certifications, manufacturing capabilities, and more. 1layer Flex PCB stackup. As for the need to place vias - if you must have vias in a flex circuit, use rooms to define regions where you know there will be no bends and use the PCB editors design rules to allow via placement only in those stationary areas. Conductors must be laid out such that the circuit functions properly and reliably. There are a number of benefits to utilizing LED lights, whether you're using them for seasonal or year-round decor. This weakness tends to draw the bend towards the center of the hole. 0000081623 00000 n https://www.facebook.com/MachineDesignMagazine/, https://www.linkedin.com/company/10998894, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXKEiQ9dob20rIqTA7ONfJg, A flexible-circuit design guide for manufacturability and reliability, Small Battery Holder Characteristics: Design and Demand Trends, Automation solutions for electric mobility, New Technology Launches at CONEXPO & IFPE 2023, 5 for Friday: Engineering Academy Starts March 23; IFPE Reigns in the Desert, CSIAs View on Manufacturings Future, Programming Languages for Quantum Computing, Universal Robots Demos Three Versatile Robotic Applications, DL-ISO: High Voltage Optically Isolated Probes, Pallet transfer shuttles with shielded WLAN, CABLE SOLUTIONS FOR EXTREME HIGH TEMPERATURES, Five tips for designing with flexible circuits. Even if youre completely new to the world of flex circuits, the Guide has you covered with a FAQ section as well as a glossary of terms used by Minco. Simple, flat coils with wire leads. These materials are standard in the flex and rigid-flex world as they integrate with a PCB stackup, allowing simplified routing between rigid and flexible regions with standard interconnects. 0000005307 00000 n Some additional steps are required to ensure the flex section has the required mechanical properties, such as adding stiffener, selecting a coverlay or photoimageable solder mask material,or setting a static bend in the design. This could be done using a negative plane layer and an array of hexagonal anti-pads, but you can quickly build the hatch shown below by cutting and pasting sections. Flex PCBs are flexible circuits with very thin substrates and high levels of bendability, tensile strength, and physical flexibility. 0000003223 00000 n In these cases, the termination can have a stiffener applied (more thick Polyimide with adhesive, or FR-4). This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Have more questions? This allows printed circuit designers to customize their board to odd enclosures, design motion into new devices, and provides unique form factors that are not possible with rigid boards. Trace width change and pad entries can cause weak spots. It just means that each line should not change width in the bend area. Either way, you need to provide clear documentation for the fabrication and assembly folks. What copper weight and polyimide thickness is best for your application? This page summarizes the various licenses that apply to Optica Publishing Group journal content, prior to the name change. For dynamic double-sided flex circuits, try to avoid laying traces over each other on the same direction. The designer must generate a drawing package for many circuit designs. All rights reserved. 0000006635 00000 n These two are often interrelated and space, weight and packaging, (SWaP) will continue to be a driving force in PCB design. 0000066874 00000 n Many tests that verify critical electrical features of the circuit, such as continuity and insulation resistance, are standard. Slots, slits, and inside corners should have tear-relief holes or tangent curves with minimum 1.5mm radius. He currently provides research, design, and marketing services to companies in the electronics industry. The number of raised hands dropped dramatically. But once a tear starts, it tends to propagate. First, plated through-holes could experience shear forces because of the differential tension/compression between the inside and outside of the bend. This may cause the through-plating of the via to fracture, breaking the electrical circuit. These areas are not adhered to the flex and are routed out with a controlled-depth router bit (with mouse-bites) and finally punched out by hand after assembly. 0000124922 00000 n It is crucial to understand the base materials themselves as well as the coverlay. Materials inside the bend, however, see the force of compression as the inside-bend circumference shrinks. Light Emitting Diodes In Flexible Circuits, Association Connecting Electronics Industries, When To Use Single-Sided Flexible Circuits, When To Use Double-Sided Flexible Circuits, When To Use Multi-Layer Flexible Circuits, More Design Considerations For Rigid Flex, Characteristics Of Flexible Circuit Laminates, Copper Foil For Printed Wiring Applications, Steps To Defining Flexible Circuit Requirements, Steps To Build A Flexible Circuit Mock Up, Tolerance Settings In Flexible Circuit Design, Standard Design Recommendations For Tolerances, Controlling Impedance And Electrical Noise, Ways To Control Impedance And Electrical Noise, How To Improve Flexibility And Bend Radius, Make The Circuit Robust To Withstand Flexing, General Requirements For Pads, Access Holes And Annular Rings, Design Requirements For Pads, Access Holes And Annular Rings. When Should You Use Flexible Printed Circuit Cables? The two predominant reasons for using flex or rigid flex, are to solve a packaging issue or reduce the space and weight of the electronics package. Flex PCB and rigid-flex PCB design and layout are interrelated; the major difference between flex and rigid-flex is an interconnect spanning into the rigid ends of the board. What steps do you need to take to get your board ready for production? By knowing the fabrication process, you'll have assurance you can hit yield and performance targets. A via is basically a plated through-hole in the circuit board. Speaking to a group of students about printed circuit board fabrication recently, I asked for a show of hands asking how many had designed a rigid printed circuit board. Other times, the application requires a circuit to be flexed for hundreds, thousands, or even millions of times. This is certainly not an all-inclusive list of things to consider but is intended to start the thought process of designing with a flexible circuit. Learn more about these important application areas and how flexible designs can solve many practical problems. Thinness allows for a more streamlined design, eliminating the need for bulky rigid boards. 0000073141 00000 n While not every design needs fillets to function reliably, they almost never cause a detrimental effect on the circuit. A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is an integrated circuit designed to be configured by a customer or a designer after manufacturing - hence the term field-programmable.The FPGA configuration is generally specified using a hardware description language (HDL), similar to that used for an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The worlds most trusted PCB design system. Optica was formerly The Optical Society (OSA). 0000059911 00000 n SMT component pads are among the most vulnerable, especially as the flex circuit may bend under the components rigid pin and solder fillet. Because it bends, however, a flex circuit has specific needs different from those of traditional rigid circuits. 0000005569 00000 n Flexible peripheral modules for all your designs Pmod devices are Digilent's line of small I/O interface boards that offer an ideal If cracks form in the outer cover, they will almost surely propagate with time and may cause the plated hole to crack and fail. 0000066587 00000 n An integrated PCB editor along with real-time connection to multiple domains. Thinking back to my college days, I think my knowledge of flexible circuits extended only as far as that white ribbon that moves back in forth in my printer.. The neutral-bend axis may not be in the exact middle of the material stack. We also cover our most exclusive offering, the ability to create an Integrated Solution by embedding Minco sensors and heaters, as well as surface mount and through-hole components, in a simplified flex circuit. Aside from generating deliverables like Gerber files, a bill of materials, drill files, silkscreen, and PCB assembly instructions, youll need to define the solder mask (sometimes called solder stop mask or solder resist) on, Best PCB Design Software for Circular PCBs and Other Non-Standard Shapes, To answer the unique design challenges of circular PCBs and other non-standard board shapes, you need the power of Altium Designer. Likewise, avoid gold and nickel plating in the bend area for the same reason. We will review these in more detail in future blogs, but you'll need to consider your material set in order to get the process started. One important aspect of flex circuits to remember is the stresses within the materials occurring as the circuit bends. The stretching and compressing forces present in the bend area concentrate at discontinuities in material or construction. 0000006852 00000 n If possible its recommended not to place vias, as these can suffer fatigue rapidly in flexing movement. Dimensional drawing and tolerances. As different layers in the flexible circuit move further away from the neutral-bend axis, the forces of tension and compression become more severe and damaging. 0000066822 00000 n Harsh environments The two predominant reasons for using flex or rigid flex, are to solve a packaging issue or reduce the space and weight of the electronics package. When the design does not allow sufficient space in nonflexing areas for all plated holes, try to place the holes in areas that experience the least amount of bending. Flex PCB design requires a slightly different approach than rigid PCBs. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Its easy to look at the problems of layer stack design, parts placement, and cutouts and think weve got the issues down. All rights reserved. To successfully design a flexible PCB, it is important for the designers to have a basic understanding of the flex drawing requirements. If youre, Advantages of Flexible Circuits for Space Applications. Design, Fabrication and Assembly under one roof, a modern 50,000 sq ft manufacturing facility. Many other common devices are shrinking, and the PCBs that power them are following suit. Rigidized-flex offers an alternative to the high cost of rigid-flex where designers get the benefits of the flexible circuit as . But dispensing these liquids and curing them can add laborious steps to the production process, increasing cost. trailer << /Size 489 /Info 341 0 R /Root 343 0 R /Prev 464351 /ID[] >> startxref 0 %%EOF 343 0 obj << /Type /Catalog /Pages 338 0 R >> endobj 487 0 obj << /S 2636 /Filter /FlateDecode /Length 488 0 R >> stream Flex Connectors 2.54mm 1.00mm 0.50mm 0.40mm 0.30mm 0.21mm Bulk Cable Spectra-Strip Others Miniature Jack Universal Contact Spring Battery Connector Connectors Board to Board High Speed Backplane Industrial Backplane Mezzanine Signal Floating Card Edge Wire/Cable to Board Signal Power Blind-mate Power Power Supply Backplane Good circuit design also routes cables and shielding to prevent any large voltage or current transients that can induce instantaneous voltages on control lines. Extreme ends of flex circuits typically terminate to a connector if not to the main rigid board assembly. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Rolled and annealed (RA) foils are the most common choice, though thinner foils may use electrodeposited (ED) copper. In addition, flexible configurations with multiple interconnections are possible with this product. with Mincos proven Adjacent-layer copper traces (top image) are not recommended. The materials required for flex PCBs include base materials (polyimide, copper foils), coverlay materials (polyimide or liquid photoimageable), and finally stiffener materials. Analysis has been done on architectures and design techniques that enhances integration and programmability of RF transceivers for wireless communication; and compact, inexpensive, low power communication devices that are robust, testable and capable of handling multiple standards have been developed. 0000001501 00000 n In the case where the traces are overlapped, one of the layers will experience more stress during bending as the layers push against each other. Trusted leader in Flex Circuit and Rigid-Flex Printed Circuit Boards. In addition to package size reduction, package weight is also reduced. When a design is finished and ready to be released to manufacturing, the Altium 365 platform makes it easy to collaborate and share your projects. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. 0000106818 00000 n 0000000995 00000 n 0000005743 00000 n 0000008427 00000 n Automated fluid dispensing can be used, but you need to be really careful to collaborate with the assembly engineers to make sure you dont end up with globs of glue dripping under the assembly. |  Created: March 16, 2022 0000078349 00000 n Some applications will best be suited to flexible liquid photo imageable coverlay, which offers the ability to form very tight pad openings. More Lab & Test Services This allows printed circuit designers to customize their board to odd enclosures, design motion into new devices, and provides unique form factors that are not possible with rigid boards. 0000074332 00000 n Bespoke builds. Vias are inherently supported because the through-hole plating offers a suitable mechanical anchor from one flex layer to another. To allow for squeeze out, the pad land and the access opening must be large enough to allow some adhesive leakage while still leaving enough exposed copper for a strong solder fillet.