Inside The Rigid Flex PCB Manufacturing Process
Creating reliable, sustainable circuit systems is the cornerstone of modern electrical engineering, and with many options to choose from, selecting the ideal circuit for your next project can be challenging.
That said, one clear choice for modern engineers looking to create dependable systems remains: Rigid flex PCB. Unlike many leading alternatives, the rigid flex PCB manufacturing process blends bold customization with streamlined assembly, making it more efficient than ever for engineers to achieve the results they’re after. Most importantly, this product focuses on bringing new ideas to life through innovative, dynamic flex structures, giving room for endless modernization in the engineering process.
Today, we’ll take a deeper look at the rigid flex PCB manufacturing process and everything you need to know about choosing the right rigid flex PCB manufacturer for your needs.
What is Rigid Flex?
Rigid flex is a unique printed circuit board (PCB) that allows engineers to customize their electrical circuit designs with flexible packaging methods. Unlike more traditional alternatives, rigid flex PCBs provide greater interconnectivity for engineers, thanks to their innovative blend of flexible circuits and enhanced routing density.
As it stands today, rigid flex PCBs make up about 1% of the PCB market. However, this percentage is likely to increase as more engineers become keen on their versatility and reliability. Currently, rigid flex PCBs are trusted by engineers in the aerospace, medical, and especially amongst the military community. This alone adds credibility to the functionality of their applications and should make them a must-try alternative for any engineer looking to reimagine their circuitry design process.
Advantages Of Choosing Rigid Flex PCB
Clearly, there are many advantages to choosing rigid flex PCB for your next engineering project. However, some of the top benefits of these products include:
Increased Reliability
Nearly all rigid flex manufacturers use ultra-reliable rolled annealed copper foil to create ultra high reliability designs that can flex hundreds of thousands of times without failure. Not only does this make rigid flex adaptable to many high reliability applications, it can also speed assembly by reducing subsequent assembly steps. This makes rigid flex PCBs one of the most reliable products on the market, especially in high-stakes electrical applications.
Dynamic Flex Capabilities
TAs we’ve mentioned, rigid flex PCBs are ideal in “dynamic flex” applications. Simply put, this allows the product to hold up against hundreds of thousands of flex cycles without the risk of damage. However, where traditional flex circuits rely on surface-level connectors, rigid flex pcbs have the flexible layers buried within the pcb. Eliminating connectors enhances reliability particularly in challenging shock, temperature and vibration environments.
Cost-Effective Solutions
While providing a modern approach to circuitry, rigid flex PCB can provide economical electronic packaging solutions. When the Electronic Designer is connecting four or more rigid pcbs with flex cables and connectors, a rigid flex solution will usually provide a more cost effective solution. The rigid flex solution will also deliver higher reliability, greater survivability all at a lower overall cost.
Lightweight Design
Many aerospace engineers choose rigid flex PCBs for their lightweight design, which makes them ideal for things like drones, unmanned vehicles, and aerospace applications. This is because the rigid flex PCB manufacturing process uses very thin, very lightweight dielectrics to provide ultra lightweight pcb designs.
Vibration & Shock Survivability
Where traditional circuit packaging falls short, rigid flex PCB rises to the occasion. The product can notably withstand extremely high-vibration environments, even continuing to function when other popular engineering solutions fail. To top it off, rigid flex is one of the few pcb packaging methods that has been proven to sustain up to 10,000+ G-forces, making it one of the most durable engineering solutionss in the world.
Top Design Benefits For Rigid Flex PCB Engineers
Now, beyond its clear benefits for engineering in the aerospace industry, rigid flex PCB manufactuers also offer many benefits for those looking to innovate the circuitry of their electronic devices. With just one rigid flex PCB product, an engineer can unlock the ability to:
- Fit the electronic circuitry to their device rather than adjusting their product’s device for better electrical applications.
- Create more electrical connections, even with limited space within their device.
- Utilize one single package for devices with high input/output connectivity without the risk of electronic failure.
- Building smaller, more agile versions of large-scale designs, leading to better device functionality.
- Prevent unwanted weight from hindering the usage of their devices.
- Craft and design fail-proof electronics that withstand even the most challenging vibration and shock-driven environments.
Inside The Rigid Flex PCB Manufacturing Process
As with most world-class engineering solutions, the real power of choosing rigid flex PCBs happens during the manufacturing process. Where traditional circuit packages offer limited space for customization and innovation, the rigid flex PCB manufacturing process and streamlined assembly provide infinite potential for forward-thinking engineers who strive to create imaginative solutions to daunting electrical circuitry obstacles. At a glance, here’s how rigid flex PCBs come to life:
Custom Design
First, rigid flex PCB manufacturers give engineers and designers the freedom to create bespoke builds for any and all of their electrical components. Rigid flex PCBs can be bent, folded, rounded, and configured to any shape or thickness, giving engineers an endless realm of possibilities to work with. In other words, if you have an idea for a circuit package in your mind’s eye, rigid flex PCBs can be tailored to bring your vision to life.
Dynamic Flex Capabilities
TAs we’ve mentioned, rigid flex PCBs are ideal in “dynamic flex” applications. Simply put, this allows the product to hold up against hundreds of thousands of flex cycles without the risk of damage. However, where traditional flex circuits rely on surface-level connectors, rigid flex pcbs have the flexible layers buried within the pcb. Eliminating connectors enhances reliability particularly in challenging shock, temperature and vibration environments.
Fabrication Options
When it comes to fabricating rigid flex PCBs, a good rigid flex manufacturer will be able to help you determine the best fabrication materials and layup choices for your needs.
A good fabricator will help you model impedance values throughout the pcb, for both the flexible and rigid sections of the board. Most fabricators can provide a Rigid Flex Design for Manufacturing Guide, with helpful guidance on do’s and don’ts in rigid flex designs. Rigid flex designs have their own set of design rules, and a good DFM will help you follow best practices for optimum manufacturability, high process yields, and lowest possible cost. Another helpful tool is our Valu Build program, which provides the designer with the absolute lowest cost, stable, high yielding rigid flex design guidance providing four to ten layer layups, with doublet and quad flex constructions. The IPC also offers best practice guidance for flexible circuit and rigid flex designs in their IPC 2223 Sectional Design Standard.
Streamlined Assembly
The rigid flex PCB assembly process can begin after thoroughly baking or desiccating the parts prior to assembly. The flex areas of the board absorb moisture from the environment, and must be completely dry prior to exposure to assembly temperatures. This is particularly critical for lead free and other higher temp assembly processing.
Like every aspect of using these unique PCBs, rigid flex assembly comes with many versatile properties. For instance, you can choose to attach additional mechanical and electrical devices to your circuit, bond the product to a curved surface, or have it formed as a three-dimensional object. No matter what your vision looks like, rigid flex PCBs can bring it to life.
How To Find A Reliable Rigid Flex PCB Manufacturer
When you’re ready to reimagine how you package your designs’ circuitry, All Flex Solutions is here to help. As a leading provider of flexible circuit printing and assembly since 1977, our team remains on the cutting edge of design and development for engineering solutions, including a streamlined rigid flex PCB manufacturing process that puts your imagination at the heart of what we do. Give us a call to request a quote or a design consultation.
Contact All Flex Solutions
Contact All Flex Solutions to connect with a knowledgeable member of our team, or to request a quote for your project.