Flexible PCB

Flex PCB or Flexible PCB or Flex circuit or Flexi Circuits are terms used for a Flexible Printed Circuit Board. As the name suggests, these Flex PCB are flexible and can be folded and are not hard as Rigid PCB.

Flexible material and shape helps easy handling and transportation without any damage. A Flex PCB can be single sided PCB, double-sided PCB or multilayer PCB.

The substrate of a flexible board is made of flexible plastic (thin insulating polymer film), polyimide or a similar polymer or Kapton. Conductive copper circuit is printed on this substrate and a protection coating of thin polymer is applied to protect the circuits.

The copper tracks have component layouts where Active and Passive Electronic Components can be soldered. Generally SMD Components are soldered on a Flexible PWB using Surface Mount Technology (SMT).

Flex PCB Manufacturing Process

1. The process starts with designing Layout of the PCB using any PCB designing software / CAD Tool (Proteus, Eagle, OrCAD).
2. The substrate of a flexible board is made of thin insulating polymer film, polyimide or a similar polymer or Kapton.
3. Next Steps in Manufacturing Process of a Double Sided Flex PCB are: Cutting insulating polymer film

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   Drilling » PTH

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   Electroless Plating

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   Pretreating

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   Dry Film Lamination

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   Positioning

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   Exposure

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   Develop

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   Pattern Plating

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   Remove Dry Film

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   Pretreating

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   Dry Film Lamination

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   Position and Exposure

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   Develop

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   Etching

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   Remove Dry Film

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   Surface Finish

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   Coverlay Lamination

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   Lamination

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   Curing

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   Immersion Gold

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   Silkscreen

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   V-cutting/scoring

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   Electrical Test

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   Punching

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   FQC

Benefits to Flexible PCB

Flex PWB cost more than rigid PCBs but they offer several advantages over Rigid PCB. Following are few benefits of a Flexible Printed Circuit Board:

1. Lower thickness
2. Space saving
3. Reduced weight and size
4. Foldable and bendable
5. Ideal for 3D interconnection assembly
6. Increased freedom in designing
7. Low number of device interconnects
8. Shock and vibration resistant
9. Easy Transportation

Uses of Flex PCB

Because of its flexibility, space saving and light weight; many electronic companies in the world use these boards in several electronic devices and gadgets. Following are some of the uses of a flexible PCB:

• Sensor
• Thin lightweight products
• Wiring need where rigid PCBs cannot be used
• Miniature versions of existing products
• 3D Electronic products
• Mobile Phone
• Laptop
• Oil and gas industry
• Products where better heat dissipation is required

According to a Grand View Research, Inc. study, the Flexible PCB manufacturing market will reach 26.8 (USD) billion by 2025. In 2018, the double-sided Flex PCB market share was 45% in terms of revenue. Asia has the largest market share by region, followed by North America. Key manufacturers in the flexible printed circuit board industry include TTM Technologies, Flex Ltd, SMTC corp, Flexible PCB, and Eltek Ltd.

Rigid PCB Vs Flex PCB

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