What is a Flex PCB Assembly?

If you work in the electronics industry, you might have encountered the term “flex PCB assembly” at some point. Such assemblies are vital to many consumer products, including wireless communications devices and other hand-held technologies. But to many consumers, they are a nagging question that would not go away.

It is an understandable confusion — when you look at the industry, it can be hard to figure out where one process ends, and another begins. In some cases, one may view numerous flex PCB assembly processes as one big puddle of methods rolled into one. However, this could not be further from the truth — there are several critical steps within a flex PCB assembly process that are vitally important for ensuring uptime of your product as well as providing a solid foundation for most of the electronics processes that come after.

It is undeniable that flex PCB is taking off in popularity, and most manufacturers are looking to add this to their assembly lines. If you are starting and are looking for additional information on this type of assembly, keep reading ahead.

Introduction to Flex PCB Assembly

Flex PCB assembly refers to assembling a circuit board with its components that can flex or bend. An example is a printed circuit board fabricated with conducting traces on a flex substrate — one that is soft and pliable but still rigid. Because of its nature, flex PCBs are commonly used in applications where the product needs to be flexible enough to be wrapped around necessary mechanical assemblies such as fans and pumps and incorporate other components.

These flex PCB assemblies are designed with a variety of considerations in mind. Some applications may require a custom design to address a particular need; others may involve using standard flex PCBs and applying additional durable material to create a thicker overall product. In either case, multiple factors should be considered when choosing solutions from different manufacturers. These include the components’ quality, the thickness of materials used, and whether the PCB will support wireless technologies like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Flex PCB Assembly Process: Overview

Circuit Layout Design

The circuit layout determines whether your product will function properly, so it must be carefully designed and optimized for your needs. The first step in designing a PCB is to analyze the specifications of your product and determine what components need to go on the board: what chips, resistors, capacitors, displays, LEDs, and other components are required. Once you know what parts you need, you can create a schematic diagram showing how these parts are connected.

Flex Layup

After you have designed the circuit layout, it is time to prepare the flex layup in Eagle CAD. To do this, you must ensure that your flex design will fit on the PCB and that there are enough pads for all of your components. If you do not have enough pads, you will need to redesign your circuit to fit on the board.

Imaging Flex PCB Design

After preparing your flex layout, image your flex PCB design. Image all layers at once, including solder mask and copper layers, with no restrictions. This ensures proper alignment between all layers during the layup process.

Material Selection

The material used to create the flex PCB must be flexible enough to be bent and rigid enough to support electronic components. Examples of common flex materials include FR4, polyimide (PI), and Rogers 2000. The choice of material will depend on the application and the type of flex circuit being created.

Laminator Processing

After material selection, the flex PCB assembly process begins with laminator processing. It is a process that involves placing an adhesive tape on the surface of the PCB board and heating it to a specific temperature so that the adhesive tape expands and sticks to the surface. This process makes sure that there is no air between the two layers of the PCB board.

Laminator processing is done after drilling holes in the PCB boards because it helps prevent any cracks or chips from forming during drilling. This process also ensures that there are no gaps between layers when they are assembled.

Drilling and Scoring

After the flex PCB assembly is laminated, it will be sent to the drilling machine. The machine will drill holes on the flex PCB board with a specified diameter and depth. The hole needs to be precise so that when the components are assembled onto it, they will fit perfectly.

Scoring is another step in flex PCB processing that involves cutting a slot in a single-layer board or between layers of multi-layer boards. This allows you to separate one area from another section of your flex PCB board without damaging it during the process.

Imaging and Plating

Post-score, the next important step in PCB assembly is imaging. Imaging helps ensure that the copper traces and pads are visible, which helps with assembly. An optically clear adhesive under the film makes sure that it stays in place during flex PCB manufacturing.

The plating is the transfer process from the copper image on the board to the copper surface. Plating is done by applying a chemical solution to the board surface. In most cases, imaging and plating are done at separate machines, but there are cases where both processes are done at one device.

Final Testing and Inspection

When a PCB assembly is done in a factory, it should undergo several quality control procedures. After the assembly is completed, it should be tested to ensure that the component installation and soldering are correct. In addition to this, the PCB should be inspected to ensure that there are no problems with the etching or plating.

Final Word

Flex PCB assembly is very intricate, and it is essential for those who work on a product that employs a flex PCB to understand its construction. It allows complex electronics to be integrated and communicate with other component assemblies. The wiring, the circuit board, and even the material used to create a flex PCB affect how the result functions. Understanding how each affects the functionality of your component can make you more effective at creating an efficient electronics assembly. To know more about flex PCB, check out the possible design issues on Hemeixin HDI PCB.