Notes

Seven Guidelines for Using Flexible Circuit Technology in Your Product
Flexible printed circuits offers design choices that can reduce your product cost, enhance products features and also enhance 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.

Do 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 have to become an expert, but understanding the correct terminology will go quite a distance in improving the look process.

Choose the right supplier to your requirements; there are several flex circuit manufacturers that could gladly work with you, but not every supplier is going to be able to fill your specific needs. You have to ask a lot of questions about your 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? How long have more info been building flex circuits, what's their long term viability, may be the management team committed to continued investment in this technology. These along with other questions should be section of your due diligence in choosing the right supplier. It's also advisable to talk to other customers of one's prospective supplier; insist on getting customer references as a disorder of doing business. Speaking with a few of the suppliers customers can provide you a ton of insight on what it is like employing them.

Follow design input from your own supplier. Your supplier understands making a reliable circuit and knows the limitations of its manufacturing capability. Forcing your design on your flex circuit supplier is 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 problem can be mitigated through the design phase. Filleting the intersection point between a trace and a pad tends to distribute stresses that might 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 product introduction process. A strong relationship might help assure mutual investment to the success of the program. Communication with a contact that may explain the processes, materials, design guidelines and cost implications can make the project more prone to succeed and improve the experience.

Make certain that your supply chain team understands that a flexible circuit is custom designed and engineered with unique features specific to the finish use application. Let's assume that this product is a commodity which can be purchased anywhere will most likely lead you to higher costs, poor delivery and reduced reliability.

Allow plenty of time in your total project to take advantage of your suppliers expertise so as to incorporate cost benefits ideas and improve the design robustness. An overly compressed time line can lead to higher costs and lower quality as the supplier is forced to make a poorly designed product in an instant turn environment.

Analyze the entire cost of ownership as opposed to just looking at the merchandise price. Using an off-shore supplier might look like you are saving money, but communication issues, insufficient timely technical support, travel costs and delayed project set up costs can quickly eat up any piece part savings that an overseas supplier gives. A few of the lowest cost flexible circuits are made in america. These companies are employing highly automated equipment and may compete with anyone on earth. Other US suppliers focus on lower volume with high product mix production, a location that many overseas producers will struggle at.
While most of the above items seem like common sense to the experienced flex user, often, buyers seem to dramatically under estimate what is involved with successfully utilizing flexible circuits in their electronic packages. Utilizing a few 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 days gone by 32 years with a number 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 specializes in low to medium volume flexible printed circuits and flex circuit assembly. Their featured products include Flexible Heater Circuits and Maxi-Flex.
Homepage: https://www.8bitthis.com/how-to-clean-a-couch/