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Seven Guidelines for Using Flexible Circuit Technology in Your Product
Flexible printed circuits offers design choices that may reduce your product cost, enhance products features together with improve the robustness, if the proper steps are taken in your product start up. Following these guidelines will help a designer or engineer more successfully utilize flexible circuit technology into packaging solutions.

Execute a little research on flexible circuit terminology as this can help with supplier communication and create a better design. Many terms used by your suppliers are industry specific terms. There are several sources for design guides or terminology including the IPC (see "Terms and Definitions for Interconnecting and Packaging Electronic Circuits" IPC-T-50 Rev. H). You don't need to become an expert, but understanding the proper terminology will go quite a distance in improving the design process.

Choose the right supplier for your needs; there are lots of flex circuit manufacturers that could gladly do business with you, however, not every supplier is going to be able to fill your specific needs. check here need to ask many questions about your own future supplier. Does the potential supplier have experience in your industry? Can they demonstrate proficiency in the look your are attempting to build? If it has fine lines, what is their demonstrated capability for line width and spacing? Just how long have they been building flex circuits, what's their long term viability, is the management team focused on continued investment in this technology. These along with other questions should be part of your homework in selecting the right supplier. You should also talk to some other clients of one's prospective supplier; insist upon getting customer references as a condition of doing business. Talking to a few of the suppliers customers can give you a ton of insight on what it really is like doing business with them.

Follow design input from your own supplier. Your supplier understands learning to make a trusted circuit and knows the limitations of its manufacturing capability. Forcing your design on your flex circuit supplier is really a sure way to decrease the reliability and increase costs. Sharp conductor corners create stress points; radius turns will have an extended life. Cracked conductors at solder joints have become common in poorly designed flex; this issue can be mitigated through the design phase. Filleting the intersection point between a trace and a pad will distribute stresses that may occur once the circuit is bent. Many suppliers will offer comprehensive redesign to insure that common reliability issues are addressed and the look is manufacturable.

Creating a technical contact at your flexible circuit supplier can dramatically improve communication and smooth the merchandise introduction process. A strong relationship can help assure mutual investment to the success of the program. Communication with a contact that can explain the processes, materials, design guidelines and cost implications can make the project more likely to succeed and improve the experience.

Guarantee that your supply chain team realizes that a flexible circuit is custom designed and engineered with unique features specific to the end use application. Let's assume that this product is a commodity that may be purchased anywhere will most likely cause you to higher costs, poor delivery and reduced reliability.

Allow enough time in your total project to take advantage of your suppliers expertise to be able to incorporate cost savings ideas and improve the design robustness. An overly compressed time line will result in higher costs and lower quality because the supplier is forced to produce a poorly designed product in an instant turn environment.

Analyze the complete cost of ownership as opposed to just looking at the product price. Using get more info -shore supplier might look like you are saving money, but communication issues, insufficient timely tech support team, travel costs and delayed project set up costs can quickly consume any piece part savings an overseas supplier gives. A few of the lowest cost flexible circuits are created in the usa. These companies are using highly automated equipment and can compete with anyone on the planet. Other US suppliers focus on lower volume with high product mix production, an area that many overseas producers will struggle at.
While most of the above items seem like good sense to the experienced flex user, often, buyers seem to dramatically under estimate what's involved with successfully utilizing flexible circuits in their electronic packages. Utilizing some of the guidelines given in this specific article will hopefully enhance your chances of a successful start up.

Dave Becker may be the V.P. of Sales and Marketing at All Flex Flexible Circuits. Dave has been in the flexible pcb circuit industry for the past 32 years with a variety of positions in Quality Engineering, Product Management, and Sales Management. Dave has authored several technical articles on flexible circuitry design, manufacturing, and new product introduction processes. All Flex Flexible Circuits focuses on low to medium volume flexible printed circuits and flex circuit assembly. Their featured products include Flexible Heater Circuits and Maxi-Flex.
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